SaltWrap Stories Episode 3:

Stipe Miocic

About Stipe Miocic

Widely considered the greatest heavyweight in mixed martial artists history, Stipe Miocic is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of any era.

Miocic was born in Ohio to Bojan and Kathy, two immigrants from Croatia. His All-American athletic gifts were obvious from an early age, becoming a star athlete in baseball, football, and wrestling while attending Eastlake North High School. His athletic accomplishments continued into college as a standout NCAA Division I wrestler for Cleveland State.

Stipe would make his professional mixed martial arts debut on February 20, 2010, with a 17-second knockout win. The lightning-fast heavyweight would pick up five more rapid-fire victories before the world’s biggest MMA promotion took notice.

Miocic made his UFC debut in October 2011 and immediately proved he belonged, thrashing veteran Joey Beltran at UFC 136. Over the next four years, he worked his way to No.1 contender status by beating top-ranked heavyweights like Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Mark Hunt, and Andrei Arlovski.

Stipe's title shot arrived in May of 2016 when he faced UFC Champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198. He KO'd Werdum in the opening three minutes.

The knockout was followed by a triumphant homecoming at the sold-out UFC 203 in Cleveland. Stipe's hometown fans were sent into a frenzy as their hero stopped MMA and kickboxing great, Alistair Overeem, in the first round.

Another first round KO – this time of former champion Junior Dos Santos – followed in May 2017. Next up was the unbeaten and highly ranked Francis Ngannou, who was outboxed by Miocic at UFC 220. The win saw Miocic do what no UFC heavyweight had done before: successfully defend the championship on three consecutive occasions.

An upset loss to  Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 in July 2018 gave Miocic the chance to become a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Miocic did that in one of the most exciting fights of 2019, knocking Cormier out in the fourth round of what many call the most exciting UFC heavyweight title fight in history.

Stipe's status as the UFC’s greatest heavyweight champion was further cemented in August 2020 when he repeated his victory over Cormier at UFC 252. The win extended his record-breaking tally to four title defenses over two reigns with a divisional record of nine UFC performance awards.

Moicic’s record currently stands at 20-4, with 15 of those wins coming by way of knockout.  He is widely considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. He lives in his native Ohio with his wife Ryan and their children.

About SaltWrap Stories

SaltWrap Stories is a unique docuseries produced by SaltWrap. It profiles incredible stories of resilience, recovery, perseverance, and, ultimately, coming back stronger.

This includes some of the world's most elite professional athletes, like 2x UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic.

But SaltWrap Stories will also introduce you to weekend warriors, everyday enthusiasts, and even health professionals with inspiring stories of coming back stronger.

We're proud to feature Stipe Miocic in our third episode of SaltWrap Stories.

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