After another resounding win this past weekend at UFC 220, Stipe Miocic keeps his Heavyweight Championship and also the moniker as The Baddest Man on the Planet! Odds makers had the nerve to make him an underdog against the larger Francis Ngannou, but Stipe put that to rest. This man, in any fight he has again, will not be considered an underdog! That goes without question, however, there are still three questions that have been asked time and time again since Saturday night.
1 – Is Stipe Miocic the greatest Heavyweight in MMA history?
That is a tough one because there have been so many legends to grace the cage, both in UFC and other organizations. Everyone knows of the legend of Fedor Emelianenko and his 10 year long unbeaten streak. Randy Couture is a favorite for many reasons as well.
However, those two men aside, no one has ever quite dominated like Stipe Miocic has over this impressive run. Heavyweights are bigger, strong, faster and more well rounded then ever, and Stipe Miocic has ran right through them like a hot knife in butter.
His run of six straight wins reads like a who’s who of the Heavyweight division. Knocking out men such as Alistair Overreem, Fabricio Werdumn, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski and also avenging one of his only losses to Junior dos Santos.
Unlike those guys who have been labeled one dimensional, Miocic is willing to grow and improve every fight, fully showing every inch and facet of his ever-expanding arsenal. If and when Miocic faces and defeats Cain Velasquez, it will be debate over, if it isn’t already.
2 – Who is next in line for a shot at the title?
These are always fun to debate as well. I would imagine Fabricio Werdumn deserves the title rematch he never got from May of 2016. The problem is, he hasn’t beaten anyone worth note since losing the title to Miocic in the first place. Victories over men like Marcin Tybura, Walt Harris and a broken-down Travis Browne aren’t going to get the job done. Mix in a loss to Alistair Overreem during that stretch as well.
If Jon Jones comes back, perhaps that dream match between the two finally happens. But as always with Jones, who really knows what goes on in that guy’s head. And can you honestly count on him?
Miocic has only lost twice in his career, once to Junior sos Santos by a razor thin margin, and once to Stefan Struve by knockout. Hard to believe, but the string bean Struve put one over on the champ. Struve is scheduled to face Andrei Arlovski at UFC 222. With the health status of Cain Velasquez still un certain, who knows what the UFC may pull if Struve knocks out Arlovski quickly. The storyline would almost seem to write itself. I’d love to see Struve in a rematch, but the smart money is on Cain.
3 – Why doesn’t Dana White and the UFC promote him more?
It is clear that Dana White and the UFC do no promote Stipe like they should. They scale back on his fight cards and do not give him the top pay he deserves. Francis Ngannou was hand picked by White to be the guy to take over the division, and Stipe made him look fat and slow.
With the exception of DC in the co main, the card had zero-dollar value outside of the main event. White keeps setting up Stipe to fail and it makes no sense. Is he pissed Miocic refuses to give up his day job, thus making the sport look bad in White’s eyes? It is because of the smaller more regional based camp Stipe fights out of it? Honestly, what the heck is it? You see White do this with Demetrius Johnson as well and it makes no sense.
With Jon Jones on constant suspension, McGregor barely around anymore and GSP sick for the foreseeable future. The UFC should be putting full stock in making men like Miocic, DJ and Daniel Cormier to be the face of the company.
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