The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Miocic named top pro athlete
Stipe Miocic remembers well the nerves he was feeling moments before his 2016 title fight in Brazil in front of nearly 50,000 fans in the hometown of then UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum.
Miocic quieted those fans with a first-round knockout of Werdum. Four years later, he said those nerves paled in comparison to Jan. 22 at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, where Miocic took home the night’s biggest award — the Professional Athlete of the Year.
Miocic beat out Browns running back Nick Chubb, Indians catcher Roberto Perez and Cavs guard Collin Sexton. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski presented the award with host Mike Golic of ESPN close by on stage.
“This is an amazing experience, but I was terribly nervous,” said Miocic. “Fighting in front of 45,000 in Brazil was nothing compared to this. Weird.”
It’s also been some kind of decade for Miocic. Since breaking into the world of MMA fighting at the start of it, Miocic rose from hopeful contender, to a bonafide top-10 fighter to champion.
“I never thought in my wildest dreams I’d get punched in the face for a living,” he said. “This is crazy, just to be nominated.”
Winning the award has special meaning for Miocic, who grew up on the east side, graduated from Eastlake North and is a huge fan of all the professional sports teams in Cleveland. He’s also a part-time Cleveland firefighter.
It was a banner year for Miocic, who avenged a 2018 loss to Daniel Cormier by knocking out Cormier in the rematch last August in Anaheim.
“Gratifying,” said Miocic about 2019. “It’s been amazing. One minute it’s bad, the next minute it’s good.”
It took 13 months for Miocic to get that rematch, and he started slow. After Cormier controlled the first two rounds, Miocic gained the upper hand by Round 3, and by the fourth round a series of body shots slowed Cormier. By the end of that round, combinations by Miocic against the cage floored Cormier, and the 37-year-old was champion again.
In that bout, Miocic suffered an eye poke courtesy of Cormier and in the aftermath he needed surgery in late 2019 for a tear in his retina. He’s been on the mend since, but Miocic confirmed he was cleared by his doctor “about a week ago.” That means Miocic is able to train full-go, including sparring.
“Yeah, I’ve tried to spar a little bit,” he said. “It’s been rough. Haven’t sparred in about five months. (My sparring partners) have been taking it out on me a little bit.”
Now the question is when Miocic will next fight. UFC president Dana White said the plan is for the champion to defend his belt against Cormier in what would be a trilogy. It could happen in the summer or into the fall. Miocic, though, isn’t so sure about his next step. Right now, he’s enjoying spending time with his wife Ryan and infant daughter Meelah.
“It’s nice enjoying (Meelah) and not being pulled in a certain direction, having to go train and being too tired,” said Miocic, who’s 19-3 in the UFC and and is the No. 4-ranked pound-for-pound fighter. “Just nice to watch her grow.”