Tag: UFC 252

MMA Junkie Radio #3079: UFC 252 recap and losses from the old guard, UFC 253 look-ahead

Check out the latest edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze.”

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Monday’s episode of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode 3,079 of the podcast, the boys recap UFC 252 and the losses some of MMA’s old guard took. They also look ahead to UFC 253 and break down some recent fight bookings.

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Marlon Vera on Sean O’Malley’s injury: ‘He kicked me really hard, but my shin is stronger than his’

Marlon Vera thinks he shouldn’t be discredited for his big upset win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 252.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] thinks he shouldn’t be discredited for his upset win over [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] at UFC 252.

Vera (18-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC) bounced O’Malley (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) out of the ranks of the unbeaten in Saturday’s co-main event at the UFC Apex, thanks to a first-round TKO finish.

It was an unfortunate ending for O’Malley, who appeared to roll his ankle badly, which visibly affected his movement. Vera immediately recognized it and started pressuring O’Malley, who eventually stumbled to the ground. Vera followed him to the mat and dropped a succession of elbows that prompted referee Herb Dean to stop the fight with just seconds remaining in the round.

Vera, who had attacked O’Malley’s legs early, thinks his opponent’s injury came in part as a result of his gameplan.

“I see myself as a very good kicker,” Vera told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 252. “That’s how I started my career, I was throwing a lot of kicks back in the day. Now I’m putting it together, my boxing and everything.

“But now, watching the video, I threw a hard calf kick and, after I threw a calf kick, his nerve just – (expletive) happens, the same way Chandler got with Primus, my boy Alex Perez beat Formiga. He kicked me really hard in the leg, but my shin is stronger than his.”

The stoppage of the fight was also questioned by some, who suggested that Dean perhaps jumped in a little too early to wave the fight off. Vera doesn’t give their view any credibility, and said the official’s call was the right one.

“When I landed the second elbow, he was making noises,” Vera said. “He was out and then when Herb Dean got in the middle, you can see his head bounce back. I saw his corner saying ‘no that was too early,’ we made eye contact, and I said you know that ‘expletive’ wasn’t early and the guy was pretty quiet all of a sudden. That guy was talking (expletive) while we were getting ready to walk to the cage.”

Vera’s performance put the Ecuadorian back in the win column, but he refuses to consider his last razor-thin decision loss to Song Yadong in May as a blemish on his record. Instead, he sees himself riding with plenty of momentum at 135 pounds and wants people to start putting some respect on his name.

“I believe I’m a solid top 10 (fighter),” Vera said. “I’ve been making damage in the division. What happened in the last fight (Yadong) got me pretty upset, pretty angry and actually made me do what I did tonight. I wasn’t happy, I was pushing myself a little harder. I was being hard on myself. I wasn’t giving myself a vacation, more cheat days. I was like, ‘It’s time to dig deep,’ and that’s when I find myself even better, and I came to this fight with a mission.”

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Jairzinho Rozenstruik still ‘developing,’ says Francis Ngannou deserves next title shot

Jairzinho Rozenstruik says he’s not quite made it to top contender status, despite finish of Junior Dos Santos at UFC 252.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] knows he’s not the next man in line for a heavyweight title shot, but promises he’ll be ‘right there, winning fights’

Rozenstruik (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) scored an impressive second-round TKO finish of former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in their main card matchup, and said he was happy to bounce back into the win column after his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou last time out.

“I feel great. This is what I was looking for,” he told reporters, including MMA Junkie, backstage after his victory. “If you lose, or something happens, you’ve got to accept it. And one thing I know for sure, is when I stepped back in the octagon I had in my mind what I wanted to do, how I want to be, and I was sure, I knew I’m going to knock someone out. In this case it was JDS, but it’s business.”

Roenstruik said Dos Santos (21-8 MMA, 15-7 UFC) offered no surprises for him on fight night at the UFC Apex, but revealed his respect for his American Top Team colleague when they shared words after the fight.

“I think Junior was exactly the way I thought he was going to be,” he said. “He moves a lot, – he moves like a lightweight, so I was expecting that. I was just pushing the pace when I needed to push the pace, and I got him there in the second round.

“I just said ‘thank you’ and I appreciated that he took the fight. Sometimes they offer you a fight and you say no, (but) he accepted, so that makes him a great champion. He’s champion level. I’m an up and coming guy and fighting against him was really nice.”

Despite enhancing his already-impressive record with his finish of Dos Santos, Rozenstruik admitted he isn’t the finished article just yet, and conceded that his nemesis Francis Ngannou deserves to get the next shot at the title before he can potentially consider a shot of his own.

“I’m developing, for sure,” he said. “In the (heavyweight) division the champion(ship) fight has happened. Francis is the next guy, so in the meanwhile I’m going to be right there, right around the corner, winning fights.”

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Stipe Miocic and UFC 252’s key winning fighters?

See who Stipe Miocic and other notable UFC 252 winners should fight next after their victories on Saturday’s card in Las Vegas.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Daniel Cormier and UFC 252’s losing fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the winners will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 252’s key winning fighters.

Those included [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC), who defended his heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) by unanimous decision in the main event at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (16-6-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC), [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (12-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC).

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Merab Dvalishvili

Cody Stamann

Should fight: [autotag]Cody Stamann[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Dvalishvili showed he has more layers to his game than just grappling when he outworked two time title challenger John Dodson to a unanimous decision that extended his winning streak to five fights.

At this point, it’s obvious Dvalishvili is going to be a problem for a lot of people in the bantamweight division. Is he championship material? That remains to be seen. However, he has a great team around him that has made UFC champions and has the motivation and talent to become a real contender.

In beating Dodson, Dvalishvili earned himself a high profile opponent at 135 pounds. He called out Sean O’Malley again post-fight, but his style seems like a nightmare matchup or someone the UFC is positioning to be a big star. It’s a good storyline to keep going, but at this point someone like Stamann (19-3-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC), who is also a grinder, would be more appropriate for Dvalishvili’s wheelhouse.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Alexander Volkov

Should fight: Winner of [autotag]Walt Harris[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] at UFC 254
Why they should fight: Rozenstruik bounced back from his first career loss when he netted a second-round TKO of former champ Junior Dos Santos.

After having his unbeaten streak snapped in a brutal 20-second knockout against Francis Ngannou in May, it was hard to tell how Rozenstruik would respond. He had a slow start against Dos Santos, but found his home for the fight-ending blows in the second frame.

With the win, Rozenstruik is back in the mix of heavyweight contenders. He’s a few notches behind the very top tier, but one or two wins can put him where he wants to be. The Suriname native should be keeping a close eye on the Oct. 24 bout between Harris (13-8 MMA, 6-7 UFC) and Volkov (31-8 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 254, because that match presents a realistic next-fight option.

Marlon Vera

Rob Font

Should fight: [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Vera lived up to his promise to upset Sean O’Malley with his first-round TKO win. “Chito” has now won his past six fights in the bantamweight division, and has stopped everyone inside the distance.

There’s some debate to be had about the nature of the win against O’Malley, of course. Vera believes his win was totally legitimate, though, and now he should move forward to more notable bouts in one of the UFC’s most exciting weight classes.

As Vera breaks his way into the rankings, it’s hard to go wrong with any matchup in the top 15. Given who is available at the moment, Font (17-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) seems like the best option. He’s an action fighter himself, and his style would make for a thriller against Vera once he’s healthy from a recent injury.

Stipe Miocic

Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou

Should fight: [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Watch the video above to see why Miocic should rematch Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) next for his second title defense.

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Daniel Cormier and UFC 252’s other losing fighters?

See who Daniel Cormier and other notable UFC 252 losers should fight next after their defeats on Saturday’s card in Las Vegas.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Stipe Miocic and UFC 252’s winning fighters?)

After every event, fans wonder whom the losing fighters will be matched up with next.

With another night of UFC action in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward, put on a pair of Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard’s shoes, and play UFC matchmaker for UFC 252’s most notable fighters.

Those fighters included [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who fell short of reclaiming the heavyweight title from Stipe Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) in a unanimous decision at UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as well as [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (21-8 MMA, 15-7 UFC) and [autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] (21-12 MMA, 10-7 UFC).

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John Dodson

Should fight: [autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]
Why they should fight: After nine fights back at bantamweight, it’s safe to say Dodson isn’t where he wants to be. He’s 4-5 in this current run in the division after losing a unanimous decision to Merab Dvalishvili, and it’s hard to say where he goes from here.

“The Ultimate Fighter” winner talked about being a top contender coming into the fight given the competitive nature of his recent contest with now-champ Petr Yan, but he had few moments of success in this latest fight against someone who came in consisted lesser in the scheme of the weight class.

Dodson turns 36 next month and it seems like if he’s going to put it all together, it has to happen soon. He’s likely going to have to take a lower or lateral step from Dvalishvili in terms of opponent after this fight, and perhaps a youngster like Johns (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) could help him get back on track.

Junior Dos Santos

Aleksei Oleinik

Should fight: [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
Why they should fight: Former UFC champ Dos Santos extended the longest skid of his career with a second-round TKO to fellow striking specialist Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

It’s a rough spot for Dos Santos He looked solid before getting caught. His speed, precision and technique are still there, but seems he just can’t take the damage. He’s now been finished seven times in his career, including three straight.

To get a real determination on where Dos Santos stands, though, he needs to fight again against lesser competition. Not that Oleinik (59-14-1 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who is coming off a TKO loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC on ESPN+ 32 this month, is an easy win for anyone, but he does not present the striking threat of most of Dos Santos’ opponents over the past few years.

Dos Santos hasn’t been submitted since 2007, and he would have to focus hard on keeping that intact against Oleinik. If the Russian can’t get it down, however, then Dos Santos would have a good shot to work his magic on the feet without much knockout threat.

Sean O’Malley

Andre Ewell

Should fight: [autotag]Andre Ewell[/autotag]
Why they should fight: O’Malley’s rocket ship to UFC stardom was grounded when he suffered his first career loss in his biggest spot to date.

Whether it was a freak injury or something Marlon Vera caused in the fight with his low kicks, O’Malley left the octagon on a stretcher due to the pain from his first-round TKO. The severity of his injury is not yet known, but it seems he could be out for a bit.

In his absence, however long it may be, the loaded bantamweight division will surely continue to evolve. Things could change depending on O’Malley’s timeline and what happens in the upcoming months, someone outside the rankings like Ewell, who if nothing else has proven to be scrappy, could be a good fit as “Suga” attempts to rebound from his first loss.

Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier

What’s next: Watch the video above to see what the future holds for Cormier after his loss.

Daniel Cormier’s mixed martial arts greatness was one of a kind | Opinion

That Daniel Cormier achieved what he did despite not starting his MMA career until 30 puts him in a special class all his own.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] didn’t have his first professional mixed martial arts fight until he was 30.

Oh sure, he had a world-class athletic career before MMA, which was his second love. Cormier represented Team USA in freestyle wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games before he even gave fighting a thought. And yes, wrestling is one of MMA’s most important foundations, so Cormier’s credentials helped him transition from the jump.

But it takes years to figure out how to properly mix the martial arts, and from that perspective, what DC accomplished in 11 blindingly fast years was nothing short of remarkable. 

The 41-year-old Cormier formalized his retirement Saturday night following his unanimous decision loss to Stipe Miocic in their trilogy at UFC 252 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Miocic retained the heavyweight title that he lost to DC the first time around then regained in their second matchup.

Your average fighter topically starts training as a teenager and has their first fight not all that long after becoming an adult. Someone breaking in during their mid-20s is considered a late starter. Most fighters will tell you it takes about 10 fights to feel truly comfortable in the cage, which puts most into their third or fourth year before they even reach that level.

Remember all this as you ponder what Cormier accomplished.

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He was just two years into his career when he had his first head-turning moment, a knockout of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva coming into the Strikeforce Grand Prix tournament semifinals as an alternate. Josh Barnett already had 15 years and 36 fights worth of experience when Cormier rag-dolled him in the tournament finals, which, incidentally, was Cormier’s 10th fight.

Cormier won the UFC light heavyweight championship at age 36 against Anthony Johnson, who had been fighting since age 18. He was 39 when he knocked out Miocic in their first matchup to claim the heavyweight championship and become what, at the time, was just the second simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history. 

Cormier’s accomplishments with the clock ticking in winning two major championships and one of the most memorable tournaments in the sport’s history puts him in the pantheon of the sport’s greats.

But the results are only part of Cormier’s story. How DC handled himself along the way in a ruthless and often dirty game is every bit as important.

While Cormier was on his way up, Cain Velasquez was either UFC heavyweight champion or the top contender. They were best friends and training partners at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. They appeared to be on precisely the sort of collision course, which, in the worst scenarios, has ripped gyms apart and turned friends into enemies. 

Not Cormier. He decided to go down to light heavyweight, making his 205-pound debut a few weeks shy of his 35th birthday, so as not to damage his friendship with Velasquez. Sure, sometimes DC looked like death warmed over on the scale, but he truly became a star at 205, thanks in large part to his rivalry with Jon Jones. 

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Jones got the best of Cormier in the cage, sure. But Jones got into one problem after another, both of the regulatory type inside the sport and the legal type outside, while Cormier kept his nose clean the entire time and never had so much as a whiff of a scandal. 

Thus it felt like justice when Jones found himself sidelined, and Cormier went on his big run, defeating Johnson for the vacant light heavyweight belt at UFC 187 and winning an all-time war with Alexander Gustafsson to keep the belt at UFC 192. 

And it truly felt like karma bounced back around for Cormier when, after injuries put Velasquez out of the heavyweight title picture, things opened up for Cormier to challenge Miocic for the 265-pound belt, creating an electrifying moment when DC scored a first-round knockout at UFC 226. 

But this is where we bump back into the first point of this piece: that Cormier started at a late age.

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This wasn’t Conor McGregor becoming champ-champ at age 28. Cormier was north of 40 when he and Miocic rematched. DC threw everything but the kitchen sink at Miocic the second time out but couldn’t finish him. In Saturday’s rematch, going against an opponent who looked to be the fittest he’s ever been, Cormier hung in there, but the pair of 49-46 cards accurately reflect how the fight went. 

It wasn’t a fairy tale ending, nor was it a sad conclusion. Cormier is walking away at exactly the right time: still competitive against the greatest heavyweight in MMA history, calling it a day before he becomes the latest cautionary tale of a fighter who held on too long, with the memories of his greatest accomplishments still fresh. 

Cormier packed more into his abbreviated window than most fighters can dream of achieving. He’s an outstanding television commentator and just might have the right personality to assume the role as UFC president one day, should Dana White ever decide it’s time to call it a day. 

Daniel Cormier doesn’t walk away with greatest of all time status. But we’ve never seen a fighter quite like him before and likely never will again. And that’s a hell of a legacy to have.

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Report: Daniel Cormier suffered torn cornea from UFC 252 eye poke, but surgery not necessary

Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier suffered a torn cornea from a Stipe Miocic eye poke in their UFC 252 trilogy bout.

[autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] didn’t leave UFC 252 unscathed.

The former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion suffered a torn cornea in his defeat to Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 252 on Saturday in Las Vegas, according to a report from ESPN on Sunday.

Cormier’s (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) eye injury came from an accidental eye poke in the third round. After the incident, it was clear Cormier’s eye was affected by the poke. In his post-fight interview, Cormier said he was unable to see from his left eye through the rest of the fight. He was transported to a local hospital following the bout and didn’t attend the post-fight news conference.

Cormier was discharged from the hospital Saturday night, the report said, and won’t require surgery. But his recovery will need to be monitored to know if that will have to change.

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Cormier lost to champion Miocic in a trilogy title bout for the heavyweight title. The 41-year-old came up short in a unanimous decision, which marked what he said will be the last fight of his MMA career. The two previously fought at UFC 241 in 2019, a Cormier win, and UFC 226 in 2018, which was won by Miocic.

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Dana White: Eye poke can’t be excuse for Daniel Cormier’s loss to Stipe Miocic at UFC 252

Dana White doesn’t think the eye poke Daniel Cormier suffered at UFC 252 can be an excuse for his loss to Stipe Miocic.

LAS VEGAS – Dana White isn’t willing to say the eye poke suffered by [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] at UFC 252 was the reasons for the outcome of the fight.

UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) outlasted Cormier in a five-round battle in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, putting a close to their historic trilogy.

For Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC), who confirmed he will retire after the fight, the loss had a bit of an asterisk on it. Cormier was poked in his left eye in Round 3, which reportedly resulted in a torn cornea that he said hampered his vision for the rest of the fight.

But White said both Miocic and Cormier got poked in the eye during the fight, and that he noticed Cormier’s eye may already have beenn damaged before he got poked.

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“You can’t look at the eye poke and take that away. There were two eye pokes – they both got poked in the eye, and that eye was hurt before the poke,” White told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after UFC 252. “We’ve got a big group text that goes on, and I was like, ‘There’s something wrong with Cormier’s eye,’ and then he got poked after that. That didn’t help, but they both got poked – you can’t use that as an excuse.

“I think his eye was hurt before the poke and the poke definitely didn’t help. But you can’t look at the poke and say, ‘Oh, the poke.’ Stipe got poked hard, too. They both got poked.”

Eye pokes have been a big narrative in this heavyweight championship trilogy. Their third fight took almost a year to get booked. Miocic needed time to recover from his own damaged eye suffered when he was poked multiple times by Cormier at UFC 241 and was worried that the same thing would happen to him again. But it was Cormier who was on the receiving end of an apparently damaging eye poke this time.

The other narrative was who would emerge as the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, and it was Miocic who was able to with his hand raised in the rubber match.

“It was an awesome fight,” White said. “I had it 2-2 going into the last round. It was the fight everybody thought it was going to be, and it was exciting. How tough are both of those guys? I mean, both guys get poked in the eye, both guys got rocked. They fought their hearts out. It was an incredible heavyweight championship.”

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Marc Goddard issues apology for missing Stipe Miocic’s eye poke on Daniel Cormier at UFC 252

Referee Marc Goddard has taken ownership for missing Stipe Miocic’s gnarly accidental eye poke on Daniel Cormier at UFC 252.

Referee Marc Goddard has taken ownership for missing [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag]’s gnarly accidental eye poke on [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag].

In the UFC 252 headliner, which took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, heavyweight champion Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) poked Cormier in his left eye in Round 3. Goddard ruled it as a punch when Cormier complained. The poke caused Cormier to lose sight in his eye, he said, for the remainder of the fight, which he thinks played a factor in his unanimous decision loss to Miocic.

In the wake of the incident, Goddard has issued a statement saying he apologized to Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and his team for missing the the eye poke and that in the moment, he thought it was a punch.

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“I practice what I preach and as a man I stand tall and head on. If you accept plaudits then you must with mistakes too, that’s proof that you are listening, honest and implore improvement. Rough with the smooth, acceptance and ownership. Immediately after the fight when seeing the replay I apologized to Daniel and his team and I do so publicly and unreservedly for missing what I shouldn’t have – but I cannot call what I do not see. I don’t have replays and multiple angles, it’s a one shot take in real time. I cannot convey just how much I have both lived and loved this sport for the past 20 years. I truly appreciate all who understand.”

According to Jon Anik on the ESPN+ post-fight show, Cormier was transported to a local hospital after the fight with a “tear” in his left eye. During the fight, Cormier told his cornermen he couldn’t see out of the eye.

Goddard has been involved in a few recent incidents, including an altercation with UAE Warriors featherweight Ahmad Al Darmaki, who shoved Goddard when the veteran referee tried to peel him off due to his refusal to let go of a submission. As result, Al Darmaki was disqualified.

Goddard has also been subjected to plenty of criticism from Colby Covington, who expressed his discontent toward the ref’s stoppage in his loss to welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 245.

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Stipe Miocic welcomes all challengers after winning Daniel Cormier trilogy: ‘I’ll fight anyone’

Stipe Miocic is not changing his approach to being heavyweight champion after defending his title against Daniel Cormier at UFC 252.

[autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] isn’t changing his approach to being heavyweight champion after scoring the biggest win of his career against Daniel Cormier at UFC 252.

Miocic (20-3 MMA, 14-3 UFC) concluded his storied trilogy with Cormier (22-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) in Saturday’s headliner at UFC Apex in Las Vegas on the triumphant end, taking a unanimous decision to defend his heavyweight belt after the pair split results in the first two bouts.

UFC president Dana White said prior to the event that the contest would determine the greatest heavyweight in MMA history. Miocic is proud to hold that label, he said, but the credit goes to his support system.

“Listen, I’ve done a lot. It wasn’t just me, though,” Miocic told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC 252. “It was my coaches, my wife, my amazing family, my friends. They always supported me and backed me up no matter what. I miss a lot of fun stuff, especially family stuff. It kills me inside missing a lot of stuff like that. It kills me.

“The graduation parties, the baptisms. I couldn’t go. It would kill me, but the best part is no one ever judged me. They always supported me and understood what I’m doing. If it wasn’t for the people around me that I surrounded myself with and my amazing family and my friends and my coaches and my teammates, I wouldn’t be here.”

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Miocic was knocked out by Cormier in the first meeting in 2018. He scored a comeback knockout win of his own in the rematch in 2019. Miocic was consistent for all five rounds in the third encounter, and he said a strong start was key.

“(The key to success was) not start like an idiot,” Miocic said. “I actually started pretty good at the beginning of the fight. He took me down, but I got back up, and I was happy about it. He caught me off guard with a good front headlock. I wasn’t worried about it. He did good. He’s a good fighter and made me second-guess myself, so I had to make him self-guess himself.”

Following Miocic’s win, White assigned Francis Ngannou as the next contender. Miocic holds a January 2018 win over “The Predator,” but Ngannou has stormed back with a 4-1 record, including four straight first-round knockouts. UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones also made noise about a potential jump up post-fight.

Miocic, in classic fashion, did not lean any which way. He said staying on top is the priority, and he will take on all comers.

“I’ll fight anyone,” Miocic said. “I don’t care. I love what I do.”

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