Stipe Miocic has been called the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time, due his two title reigns and a UFC record of four title defenses in the division. He has brought fans numerous iconic and memorable moments in his MMA career, but in this feature we’ll look at his top forgotten fights, long before he became a UFC champion.
A lot of his early fights helped shape and refine Miocic’s skill set, which ended up helping him become a two-time UFC champion and an all-time great at heavyweight.
As his career winds down, it seems apt to look at key fights that got Stipe Miocic to this point.
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Before Jon Jones was UFC champion: Top 3 forgotten fights
Stipe Miocic’s 3 best fights from the regional scene
Before Stipe Miocic’s championship reigns and UFC career, he first had several amateur MMA bouts, some Golden Gloves boxing matches, and six professional MMA fights. We’ll look at his top 3 most notable performances from the regional scene below.
Before he got to the UFC, Stipe Miocic spent four years as an amateur MMA fighter and boxer. He eventually turned pro and compiled an MMA record of 6-0 before the UFC called him up. Here we’ll unearth some of these key bouts that most fans never got to see, and highlight Stipe Miocic’s top 3 forgotten fights.
3. The final amateur MMA fight of Stipe Miocic
Stipe Miocic vs. Nick Turco, June 7, 2008
In his fifth and final amateur MMA bout, it only took a 26-year-old Stipe Miocic under a minute to dismantle Nick Turco, who was said to have a 16-4 amateur record at the time. While still unrefined compared to the product we saw in the UFC, Miocic already showed some of that power and rare mobility for a heavyweight this early in his career.
NAAFS Finish of the Week #64 Stipe Miocic Vs Nick Turco
Interestingly enough, while this would mark Miocic’s final amateur MMA fight, he did spend some time as a Golden Gloves boxer after, before turning professional two years.
2. Stipe Miocic’s perfect parry and counter KO
Stipe Miocic vs. Jeremy Holm, August 28, 2010
That time competing as a Golden Gloves boxer seemed to have been crucial, as improvements to Stipe Miocic’s fundamentals and boxing technique were very evident in his earlier professional MMA fights. That difference could be clearly seen here on his third MMA fight, where he faced a 9-0 fighter and slept him with one of the cleanest counters you’ll ever see.
Watch Miocic parry a jab with his right hand, before going over the top with the same hand to drop and finish his opponent. Basic, clean and perfectly executed.
NAAFS Finish of the Week #1
1. Leg kick finish! Stipe Miocic’s final regional fight before the UFC
Stipe Miocic vs. Bobby Brents, June 4, 2011
After going 5-0 as a professional, Stipe Miocic won the NAAFS heavyweight title on his sixth fight by picking apart Bobby Brents, who was 9-1 at the time. The future UFC champion mixed things better and showcased a more well rounded game just a year into his pro career.
Miocic nicely integrated elbows, knees, and kicks into his normal boxing heavy approach, and even flashed some of that Division I wrestling experience to defend takedowns and follow up with combinations. While he relied a lot on boxing, movement and power in his earlier fights, Miocic actually finished this match by making his opponent tap due to leg kicks.
Stipe Miocic would still continue to improve a lot in the next few years, but it’s easy to see why the UFC brass decided to sign him after this performance.
GFL Video - Stipe Miocic vs. Bobby Brents - June 2011
UFC championship reign: How many title defenses does Stipe Miocic have?
Belts constantly change hands at heavyweight, but Stipe Miocic holds a UFC record of four title defenses combined in the division from his two championship reigns.
Stipe Miocic is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion having won the belt by knocking out Fabricio Werdum in 2016. He subsequently defended it for a UFC heavyweight record of three consecutive times. Stipe lost the title in 2018 to Daniel Cormier, but eventually fought him again twice where he both regained and defended the heavyweight belt to complete their trilogy.
Miocic also has wins over other former UFC champions and long time title contenders such as Francis Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.
What is Stipe Miocic’s next fight?
Stipe Miocic’s next fight is against Jon Jones at
UFC 309, on November 16, 2024.
After an extended layoff of over three years, Stipe Miocic will return at 42 years old to again challenge for the UFC heavyweight belt against Jon Jones. There were questions about the matchmaking as Tom Aspinall was the current interim UFC champion, while Miocic was coming off a KO loss to Francis Ngannou and such a long layoff. While many argued that it held up the division and ignored the interim belt they created, UFC CEO Dana White has justified it as a legend vs. legend match up.
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