Stipe Miocic: The everyman wearing UFC’s most elusive belt
For the sake of Cleveland, the UFC and the every-man he embodies, there’s a unified hope that Stipe Miocic can remain heavyweight champion longer than any other man.
Credited for breaking his hometown’s dreaded championship curse when he knocked out Fabricio Werdum about a month before LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA title, Miocic, 34, cares so deeply that he also talked his way into attending a Cleveland Indians’ World Series game at Wrigley Field.
“People say I broke the curse. I’m just happy I got things started,” Miocic said. “That’s me. I want to have fun, love life and fight.”
Fighting becomes the No. 1 priority Saturday night in the UFC 211 main event at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, where Miocic (16-2) is set to defend his belt for the second time against former champion Junior Dos Santos.
Only four other men have successfully defended their UFC heavyweight belt twice. No one has done it three times.
Brazil’s former champion and No. 4-rated heavyweight Dos Santos (18-4) dealt Miocic his most recent defeat — by unanimous decision in December 2014.
“I want to fight JDS to get that ‘L’ off my record,” Miocic said. “I’ve worked to improve my footwork and angles. Losing to JDS showed I was human and it made me feel like, ‘I don’t ever want to lose again.’ It made me a better fighter.
“It’s not hard to get up. But it’s hard to get back up and keep walking. I will be the first guy to defend this belt more than twice. … I know these are big guys who are real smart with small gloves. You can get caught. Everyone in this division is a contender. All it takes is one good night. But all I care about is winning and keeping my belt.”
Since the Dos Santos loss, Miocic has posted four consecutive knockouts — three straight in the first round, including his September stoppage of Alistair Overeem.
And as his talent has elevated, his comfort in displaying a magnetic personality has increased.
Miocic works part time as a firefighter in Ohio, and the playground-type ribbing ever at play in the firehouse has sharpened his quick wit.
In a rousing, hourlong session with reporters in November before the UFC’s debut Madison Square Garden card, Miocic held court. When he noticed a British reporter had ordered a shot of tequila and a Bloody Mary with his lunch, Miocic asked, “Can I give you a high five?”
When the same reporter asked Croatian-named American Miocic if he’d ever been bullied growing up, the fighter delivered a glare saved for stupid questions that read, “Have another shot … .”
Being champion hasn’t turned the self-described frugal Miocic into Floyd Mayweather Jr. He drives a pickup truck, and recently purchased used golf clubs.
“I was embarrassed talking about myself before,” he said. “I’m confident, but I’m never going to get personal and say things that will [upset opponents]. I’m not good at that.”
But he has mastered being genuine. Here’s something you wouldn’t expect from the heavyweight champion: He’s afraid of ghosts, heights and motorcycles.
After moving into a new home in the woods of Ohio last year, Miocic found himself repeatedly waking up frightened by the sound of his air-conditioning unit turning on and blowing open a door inside his bedroom.
He watches ghost-sighting reality television shows and believes in the existence of such specters.
Though a firefighter’s work requires the scaling of ladders, Miocic said he’s “terrified of heights” and “could never” perform his work in New York, where firemen dare to trek up skyscraper stairs to douse flames and save lives.
Yes, Miocic has saved a life, recalling when a woman complaining of chest pains suddenly went “full [cardiac] arrest on me. It was pretty intense. She flat-lined. I’m like, ‘Oh my God!’ I shocked her. Then there was this big moaning and she was fine, came out of it.
“It’s a crapshoot sometimes. You just don’t know, so I try to give” those in need “everything I can, every chance I can.
“Both jobs are intense. I love them both. Here [in the UFC], I got some big … dude trying to beat my [rear], but then I go to the fire station, and I’ve got 45 guys making me feel belittled. Because I’m a fireman, I’m a [wise guy]. Someone will say something stupid and I’ll respond. So it all balances.”
In a revived Cleveland, Miocic frequents the live sports venues, the science center and a taco restaurant.
“I’ll eat there and huge tequila shots start coming my way,” Miocic said. “I tell them, ‘I’m down, but right now I’m with my wife.’
“Cleveland’s a fun place to go. The place is just a lot more happy now.”
UFC 211
Main Event: Stipe Miocic (16-2) vs. Junior Dos Santos (18-4) for Miocic’s heavyweight belt.
Where: American Airlines Arena, Dallas
When: Saturday, 7 p.m. PDT
Television: Pay-per-view, $59.95
Undercard: Joanna Jedrzejczyk (13-0) vs. No. 3 Jessica Andrade (16-5) for Jedrzejczyk’s women’s strawweight belt; No. 3 Demian Maia (24-6) vs. No. 5 Jorge Masvidal (32-11), welterweights; No. 2 Frankie Edgar (20-5-1) vs. No. 7 Yair Rodriguez (11-1), featherweights; No. 3 Eddie Alvarez (28-5) vs. No. 9 Dustin Poirier (21-5), lightweights (televised on FX card finale that begins at 5 p.m. PDT).
Follow Lance Pugmire on Twitter @latimespugmire
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
