Issue 145
September 2016
Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem collide for the greatest prize in sports when the Octagon arrives in Cleveland
Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem
Alistair Overeem entered the UFC to a fanfare. The former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 World Grand Prix champion obliterated Brock Lesnar in his Octagon debut, but it has taken him almost five years to get to the point where he could complete a historic heavyweight-title quadruple.
A move to Jackson-Wink MMA revitalized ‘The Reem’ and after clocking four straight wins, including three knockouts, in 18 months, he has the chance to dethrone the new heavyweight king.
But the champion is the favorite for this fight. Stipe Miocic completed a hat-trick of KOs when he ended Fabricio Werdum’s reign in May and sparked a summer of success for Cleveland sports – the Cavaliers’ first NBA championship arrived a month later.
So will the good times continue in Ohio? We asked three fighters to break down the fight and pick a winner for when the Octagon arrives in the fall.
Josh Barnett
Former UFC heavyweight champion
Picking Alistair Overeem
Stipe’s got some good hard hands and a good wrestling game. If that’s what initiates the pressure on Alistair, I could see Alistair paying the price for it. But he’s is a big, well-rounded guy. Kicks to knees, fighting from both stances – he could really hurt Stipe in these exchanges.
Stipe had trouble with Stefan Struve. Back in 2012 he really struggled to get inside Struve’s long reach and it cost him one of only two losses on his record.
Distance and reach could be an issue, maybe. But almost everybody has their struggles in the ring at one time or another, and Stipe’s vastly improved on the fighter he was back then.
Now he’s got the belt around his waist his confidence will be surging. Technically, when he won the belt, it was an upset. But I always felt (the fight with Werdum) was much more even than people were giving it credit to be. What was more surprising was just how the fight was finished.
It was weird in that Stipe just backpedaled and punched Werdum, backpedaled and punched him again. Werdum sprinted right into his fist. He threw the belt away rather Stipe winning the title, so that may give Miocic a false sense of security now.
Jason High
WSOF lightweight and KO artist of this issue’s Move of the Month
Picking Stipe Miocic
I’ve got Stipe on that one. I’m going to go with a second-round knockout. Alistair might give him some problems earlier, but I think Stipe will probably catch up with him.
Miocic has got pretty good hands – a good jab and obviously a great right hand. As long as he can stay away from Alistair’s clinch he can get it done.
In a five-round fight everything gets a little more spread out so it might be more of a slower, more methodical affair in the first round, which kind of favors Alistair. But (Miocic) can get to him by finding his range with his jab. Alistair has a tendency to cover up instead of doing a lot of head movement. That’s good for Stipe. He can start working high, low and getting his punches through.
Covering up isn’t the smartest tactic for MMA with the small gloves. Alistair does it because it’s a kickboxing habit. By having bigger gloves you can get away with it a bit more. It’s not a great strategy for MMA but everybody covers without moving at some point. It does have its place.
Weakness
Chink in the armor
Alistair Overeem has never been outstruck in the UFC and gets hit with an average of 1.69 strikes per minute*, but if Miocic connects with his chin, he has a chance to win. All three of the Dutchman’s UFC losses have been by KO.
Michael Bisping
UFC 185lb champion adn fight analyst for Fox Sports
Picking Stipe Miocic
This is a tough fight to call, it really is… Wait, no it’s not. Miocic all day, what am I talking about (laughs)? Overeem just knocked out (Andrei) Arlovski to get this shot at the title, but before he finished the fight he didn’t look that good. He’s not looked very good for a while actually.
Don’t get me wrong, Alistair’s technique is outstanding. He’s one of the best kickboxers in the world, and certainly the best kickboxer in the heavyweight division in the UFC. But I just think Miocic is younger in his career. He’s got the punching power and he’s got the momentum with him too.
But then, now I’ve said that, I’m thinking Overeem is far more than just a striker himself. He’s got a fantastic submission game. It’s a tough fight to call.
I like Alistair. But I don’t think he’s as physically imposing as he once was. He doesn’t look like the same monster that entered the Octagon and tore though Brock (Lesnar).
His knockout of (Junior) dos Santos wasn’t as convincing a performance as it may suggest and he just doesn’t look like the same killer that he was just a few years ago. For that reason, I’m going to side with Stipe to get the job down, but as always with this weight class, it only takes one shot.
