Issue 194
March 2021
Stipe Miocic has never been one to back down from a difficult situation, and his response to his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 continued that approach.
A bitterly disappointed Miocic posted a statement on social media to share his thoughts after losing the UFC heavyweight title to Ngannou, and showed the class the MMA world has come to expect from the most successful heavyweight champion in UFC history.
"First and foremost, I’m OK. I know that fall wasn’t my most graceful fall, but I was unconscious, so it happens," he began.
"To my family friends and fans, especially [in] Croatia and Cleveland… I love you and I’m sorry. I hate letting you down. To my team, thank you. I know you feel every loss just as much as I do. We win as a family, we lose as a family.
"Losses aren’t fun, they always sting for a while, but that’s the beast of this business. You can’t win them all, and it’s important to understand that losing is just as much a part of sports (and life) as winning. Don’t ever forget God will always put you where you’re meant to be at that exact moment. You can’t dwell on what you should have done better, but you can learn and improve from it and come back more prepared next time."
Miocic also gave an insight into where he felt he went wrong in the contest.
The 38-year-old handily dealt with Ngannou in their first fight at UFC 220 in January 2018 – dominating their contest en route to a comprehensive unanimous decision victory.
Ngannou had clearly made several improvements since then, something that Miocic acknowledges, though the latter believed he got carried away in the fight and that was ultimately his undoing.
"Unfortunately, I deviated from the game plan. I felt great coming into the second round, I saw it was beginning to go as planned," Miocic continued.
"He was getting very winded, and I came in overzealous and unprotected. I wasn’t in a good posture to take the hit. He saw the opening, and did what any great fighter would have done.
"That was my error that I accept, it won't happen again. Lastly, I’d like to congratulate Francis Ngannou and his team on a well-earned victory. Saturday night was your night, enjoy your victory!"
Miocic went on to say that he will regroup while spending time with his family as he is set to welcome a baby boy in the summer. After that, it appears he will embark on a comeback campaign to return to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight mountain.
The Strong Style Fight Team product holds UFC records for most consecutive title defenses at heavyweight, as well as the most wins in heavyweight championship fights.
Since his first fight under the UFC banner in 2012, Miocic has stacked up wins against top names such as Daniel Cormier (twice), Ngannou, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Mark Hunt.
And if Miocic has any say in the matter, he'll be adding a few more names to that illustrious list before he eventually hangs up the gloves.
