CLEVELAND -- UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is deeply proud of his Croatian heritage, and he is never afraid to show it.
That includes taking to Twitter ahead of the start of the 2018 World Cup to deliver a message of motivation to the Croatian National Team, and “The Blazers” began the tournament with a 2-0 win over Nigeria at Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad, Russia Saturday.
“Let’s go, Croatia,” Miocic said in the video. “One champ to the future champs, we got this boys. Let’s do this.”
When Miocic steps into The Octagon, he fights for his family’s Croatian heritage.
Whether it be incorporating the checkerboard pattern of the Croatian coat of arms into his fight gear or the tattoo of that same coat on his right foot, Miocic embraces his heritage as a nod of appreciation to his parents, Bojan and Kathy.
“My mom and my dad, they love their heritage,” Miocic said told WKYC.com prior to winning the UFC heavyweight championship in May of 2016. “I want to back them up. They back me up, I’m going to back them up. I’m proud of who I am, and I’m proud of what nationality I am. All those people, they’re great people. It’s an amazing country and amazing people that live there.
“I love it. Being Croatian’s amazing. We’re warriors. We’re just like Cleveland people, hard-nosed, hard-working. You can’t mess with Croatians. They’re tough people. I love it. My grandfather, he used to box back in the day. He was a tough guy. My grandma would tell me stories. I love it, man. I love every second of it, just fighting for my family. It’s amazing.”
Until 2015, Miocic had never been to his parents’ homeland, but when an opportunity to train with UFC legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic in Zagreb, Croatia’s capital city, he embraced the chance to take a trip of a lifetime with his brother and father and hone his craft with lessons from a revered kickboxer.
“That was amazing,” Miocic said. “I learned a lot about myself too, and loved going there. I couldn’t live there. It’s too laid back. I would never get anything done. They’re so laid back, it’s awesome.
“Training with Cro Cop is just an experience unto itself. He’s such a great person, such a great individual. He’s amazing, and we became great friends.”
Because Miocic has felt the support of the Croatian community in Cleveland on his rise through the ranks of the UFC, he is very much looking forward to continuing to make them proud in his fourth defense of the championship against Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 226 in Las Vegas on July 7.
“I’ve gone to certain things and they’ve all been there and been like, ‘Hey, we’re so excited,’” Miocic recalled. “They say, ‘We shouldn’t be talking about it where we’re at, but we support you and we’re so happy for you. We’re watching you fight and we love watching you win,’ so I’ve got to keep winning.”
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