10 Badass Facts About UFC Heavyweight Champ Stipe Miocic

Heavyweight class carries the most weight not just in the world of mixed matial arts, but in all martial arts, fights and champions in this category always get a lot of well-deserved attention, so being a Ultimate Fighting Championship Heavyweight champion is definitely reserved only for the biggest, hardest, toughest badasses. When Stipe Miocic knocked out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 and grabbed that title belt, becoming only the 15th man to do so, the whole MMA world took notice of the Ohio-born fighter, and we started digging for 10 badass facts about new heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic.

Most strikes landed in a single fight

Even if Miocic didn't win the UFC Heavyweight title he would have his name in the history books of MMA as he managed to land most strikes in a single fight - 361! Mark Hunt had the misfortune to be on the receiving end of Miocic's rampage, he got hit 119 times in third round only, and the bout ended with the largest strike margin in UFC history - +315 for Miocic.

He came to UFC as undefeated

Before coming to the UFC Miocic was undefeated with a 6-0 record, and he finished first five of them with knockouts in first and second rounds of bouts. Before he entered the pro arena he swept his opponents in the amateur category, The Silencer went 5-0 and won all of his fights in first rounds.

Sherdog's beatdown of the year

The pummeling of Mark Hunt in 2015 brought Miocic Sherdog’s beatdown of the year award, it wasn't even a competition as Hunt managed only 46 strikes total, none in the fifth round, while Miocic recorded 70! If we decide to make a Beatdown of the decade award, this fight would be the favorite.

Firefighter and paramedic

Not only is Miocic a UFC Heavyweight champion, but he is also a part-time firefighter and a paramedic! Being at the top of a highly demanding category in a dangerous, unforgiving profession isn't enough for this badass, and winning the title didn't make him quit these jobs as he said that the guys in the fire station keep his head leveled. So Miocic can beat you down, then heal you, and help your cat of a tree.

6 fight night bonuses

Six times in his not so long career he has won UFC bonus awards, his only two losses against Stefan Struve and Junior dos Santos at least earned him the Fight of the Night bonuses. Bouts against Fabio Maldonado, Andrei Arlovski, and Fabricio Werdum earned him Performance of the Night awards and sending Philip De Fries on the floor won him the Knockout of the Night award.

Knockout specialist

Stone Cold Stipe has a record of 15-2 and what makes him pretty likable fighter even outside Ohio is the fact that 73% of his wins have been achieved with knockouts, and there isn't an MMA fan that doesn't like knockouts. Converted to real numbers, that means 11 knockouts with three decision wins and one submission completing his triumphant record.

Broke the 52-year old curse

Cleveland Cavaliers finally managed to win the NBA title, but it was not Lebron, Irving, and company that broke the 52-year old Cleveland championship curse, a belief that a Cleveland-based championship is impossible, it was Stipe Miocic. His fight with Werdum came little before the Cavaliers - Warriors clash in the NBA.

MLB interest

During his high school days Miocic wrestled and played baseball and football, he focused on baseball during his time at Cleveland State University college and he received interest from Major League Baseball teams, and if he got drafted it is a question whether the Cavaliers would manage to break the curse by themselves.

Mirko Cro Cop is his hero

Stipe was born in U.S. but his parents are Croatian immigrants, so it's no wonder that the champ named the legendary martial artist Mirko Cro Cop Filipović as his hero. But he already managed to surpass the success of his hero in the UFC. As us, he is also rooting for a new fight between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko CroCop.

Eight first round finishes

If you're going to a Stipe Miocic fight you better not be late as it might be over before you sit down seeing that Strong Style Fight Team fighter has seven first round finishes in his professional mixed martial arts career, of course, all with knockouts.

Gone in sixty seconds

The champ is one of five fighters in UFC history to earn three or more knockouts in less than one minute, and he has four, Andrei Arlovski, Fabio Maldonado, Philip De Fries and Corey Mullis all fell down in the first sixty seconds. But that is not all, the 33-year old is the only heavyweight to manage three or more knockouts in less than sixty seconds.