Stipe Miocic (born August 19, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is widely regarded as the greatest UFC heavyweight of all time.
Across two reigns as UFC Heavyweight Champion, Miocic successfully defended the title four times, holding the divisional records for the most heavyweight title-fight wins and the longest consecutive title defense streak, with three. He also holds the heavyweight record for fight-night bonus awards, with nine. Fight Matrix currently ranks him as the second-greatest heavyweight fighter of all time and the 17th-greatest fighter pound-for-pound.
Prior to his MMA career, Miocic was a Cleveland Golden Gloves boxing champion and NCAA Division I wrestler at Cleveland State University.
He was born and raised in Euclid, Ohio, on August 19, 1982, the son of Croatian immigrants Kathy and Bojan Miocic (Croatian: Miočić, pronounced [mîotʃitɕ];). His father originates from Rtina, while his mother is from Cetingrad, Croatia. His parents separated when he was still a child and he continued to live with his mother, initially with grandparents, and later lived with his stepfather and younger half-brother Jonathan.
Since childhood, his mother encouraged his involvement in sports. Miocic played baseball and American football and wrestled while at Eastlake North High School. He received interest from Major League Baseball teams during his collegiate years at Cleveland State University and Trevecca Nazarene University. He also played Division II baseball at Coker College his junior year of college.
While wrestling in the 197 lbs weight class for Cleveland State Vikings, Miocic competed in the 2003 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Kansas City.
As a member of Jeff Forehand's baseball team at Trevecca Nazarene, he hit .344 with seven home runs in his senior year and helped the Trojans win the 2005 TranSouth Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles. He graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University. He majored in marketing and communications at CSU.
In 2005, Miocic was invited to serve as a training partner for Dan Bobish at Strong Style MMA Training Centre, reportedly turning heads in the process. At the time, he was competing in multiple sports, including wrestling and baseball, and later returned to train after completing his paramedic education at Cuyahoga Community College. He initially focused on mixed martial arts but soon changed to boxing. His coach, Marcus Marinelli, recalled that despite training for only a few months, he was already defeating boxers with significantly more experience. In MMA, he quickly compiled a 5–0 amateur record, with all five victories coming by first-round stoppage, before deciding to pursue amateur boxing. He won the 2009 Cleveland Golden Gloves in the super heavyweight division, having earlier defeated defending champion Wesley Tripplett by second-round referee stoppage. He also competed at the National Golden Gloves that same year, winning his first two bouts before losing to future world title contender Bryant Jennings in the quarterfinals. His record in Golden Gloves boxing matches stands 4–1, with 2 victories by knockout.
After only eight months of training with a background of being a Cleveland Golden Gloves boxing champion and NCAA Division I wrestler at Cleveland State, Miocic began his professional MMA career by winning his first six fights by knockout. He initially fought for NAAFS (an Ohio-based MMA promotion), where he won the NAAFS Heavyweight Championship.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
On June 14, 2011, it was announced that Miocic had signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC.
Miocic made his UFC debut against Joey Beltran on October 8, 2011, at UFC 136 and won the fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 30–27, and 29–28).
Miocic faced Phil De Fries on February 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger. Miocic won the fight via first-round KO, and in the process won a "Knockout of the Night" award.
Miocic faced promotional newcomer Shane del Rosario on May 26, 2012, at UFC 146. He won via TKO (elbows) in the second round.
Miocic faced Stefan Struve on September 29, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV 5. He lost the fight via TKO in the second round. The performance earned both participants "Fight of the Night" honors.
Miocic was scheduled to face returning veteran Soa Palelei on June 15, 2013, at UFC 161. After an injury to UFC 161 headliner Renan Barao, the card was slightly reshuffled. Miocic was paired with Roy Nelson. Miocic, as a significant betting underdog, defeated Nelson via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 30–27).
Miocic faced Gabriel Gonzaga on January 25, 2014, at UFC on Fox 10. He won the fight via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, and 29–28).
Miocic was expected to face Junior dos Santos on May 24, 2014, at UFC 173. The bout was then expected to take place a week later on May 31, 2014, at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale. On May 5, 2014, dos Santos pulled out of the fight, citing a hand injury and was replaced by Fábio Maldonado. Miocic won the fight by TKO due to punches early in the first round and received a "Performance of the Night" bonus as well.