CLEVELAND — Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will make his return to combat sports on Saturday night, but rather than a gold title belt, he is grappling for a cause close to the heart of the part-time firefighter/paramedic in Valley View and Oakwood Village.
In the Fight2Win 110 grappling event at the NEO Sports Plant in Euclid on Saturday night, Miocic will take on police officer Aaron Howard in the co-main event and has committed to donating his purse from the fight to help the families of fallen firefighters.
“I’m actually giving it to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation,” Miocic told Jim Donovan on “Donovan Live” Wednesday. “I’m actually a national spokesman for them, too, so I’ve been working with them for a couple years now just to help give back to my brothers and sisters and all of the families that have lost loved ones.”
Known as “The Biggest Party in Grappling,” the Fight2Win events feature contests where competitors use a combination of wrestling and jiu-jitsu holds to gain leverage and position on their opponents. The only way to win is by forcing the opponent to tap out.
Although Miocic has a reputation as an effective and judicious striker, he was a national tournament qualified wrestler while attending Cleveland State University. Additionally, while training at Strong Style MMA gym in Independence, Miocic has studied grappling with world champion Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitor, Pablo Castro.
And Miocic is hoping to put that training and experience to good use when he takes on Howard because his reputation at the firehouse is very much on the line.
“I can’t lose,” Miocic said with a laugh. “I’m a fireman. If I lose, it’s not going to be good for me.”
Miocic last competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship last July, and has been waiting for a title rematch with Daniel Cormier ever since. However, those requests have gone unfulfilled as the current champion waits for a potential super-fight with Brock Lesnar.
While Miocic is not sure if he will get a rematch with Cormier, the Eastlake North High School graduate expects to step back into The Octagon either at the end of summer or early this fall.
“I’m super excited,” Miocic said. “I’ve been getting better and I feel great, the best I’ve ever felt. It’s the first time in a while I’ve gotten to enjoy my family, enjoy my daughter, hang out with my wife, not have stress.
“Not saying we had a lot of stress, but having everything on my mind and her just going around my schedule, I have an amazing wife at home, and it’s the first time in a while we can just enjoy ourselves. I’m 36 now. I’m not a spring chicken, but I feel like I am.”
The record-holder for the most consecutive successful defenses of the UFC heavyweight championship, Miocic is 18-3-0 in his professional career with 14 knockouts and 12-3 mark since joining the UFC in the 2011.
And before all is said and done in his career, Miocic wants to get back the very belt he dropped to Cormier at UFC 226 in Las Vegas last summer.
“I want to get the title back,” Miocic said. “Whether it’s against D.C. or not, I’m going to get it back. I’m not really worried about that right now. I’m going to get my title shot, I’m going to get my title back, and I’m going to bring it back to Cleveland.”