Stipe Miocic has said goodbye to mixed martial arts. After being knocked out in the third round by Jon Jones during the main event of UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, the historic former heavyweight champion announced during the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that he was hanging up his gloves. With this, Miocic leaves the sport as the most successful heavyweight in UFC history.

The Croatian-born fighter arrived at the promotion in 2011 but only gained the heavyweight crown five years later at UFC 198. In a historic bout, he silenced the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba with a brutal first-round KO over Fabrício Werdum. Cleveland’s prodigal son broke the record for the most title defenses (4) in UFC heavyweight history. He also holds the record for most knockouts (4) and finishes (4) in championship fights. With a career so spectacular, how can we skip the chance to reminisce about one of the greatest heavyweights the UFC has ever seen? So here is all one needs to know or remember about the career of our favorite, ‘Stone Cold.’

Stipe Miocic defeats the most dangerous heavyweight, Francis Ngannou

How can we start talking about his career without mentioning his biggest-ever win at UFC 220 that cemented his legacy as one of the GOATS in the heavyweight division? Back then, Francis Ngannou was a force of nature. Backed by his trademark knockout power, many believed that Stipe Miocic didn’t stand a chance to defend his heavyweight title against the giant wrecking ball. However, Miocic took the opportunity to let the world know that ‘The Stone Cold’ has arrived.

Using his wrestling skills, the American kept the fight close, taking away Ngannou’s biggest weapon—his brute strength in his strikes. As the fight progressed, Stipe Miocic wore down ‘The Predator.’ Maintaining the same strategy till the end, the UFC heavyweight champion walked away with a unanimous decision win.

5 continuous KOs for the UFC legend

Stipe Miocic’s actual dominance was on full show as he began his five-fight knockout streak. This freak run began when he knocked out Mark Hunt in the final round of his battle at UFC Fight Night 65 in 2015. That fight was certainly the beginning of the end for anybody who dared to face him inside the Octagon.

‘Stone Cold’ did more than just win these battles; he also demonstrated to Dana White that he was the best heavyweight in the division. And how did he end his five-fight knockout streak? Miocic achieved it by defeating Francic Ngannou in the aforementioned UFC 220 fight. If that wasn’t enough, he also decided to have a trilogy against another beast of the division, Daniel ‘DC’ Cormier.

Comes on top in the Daniel Cormier trilogy

The trilogy between Miocic and Daniel Cormier is a rivalry for the history books in the UFC. The first fight was truly a shocker for many watching UFC 226 live in the arena on their screens back in 2019. Daniel Cormier, who entered the Octagon as the underdog, shocked the world by knocking out Stipe Miocic in the very first round to claim the heavyweight title. However, ‘Stone Cold’ wasn’t done yet.

As Muhammad Ali once said, “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.” Stipe Miocic surely followed it to the core. At UFC 241 in 2019, he let his fist express the angst of losing his title and won the fight by knocking out Daniel Cormier in the fourth round. The final fight in the trilogy took place the following year, where Miocic truly outlasted Cormier to win the fight via unanimous decision at UFC 252. With the decisive win, ‘Stone Cold’ cemented himself as the better of the two.

Most consecutive title defenses in UFC heavyweight history

After winning his title against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in 2016, no one expected ‘Stone Cold’ to hold it as long as he did. Stipe Miocic’s reign of terror in the heavyweight division lasted for a whopping 784 days. But what made it even more ridiculous to believe was the fact that in these 784 days, Miocic had three successful title defenses against the likes of Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou.

What makes it more amazing is the fact that after finishing his fight against Fabricio Werdum to win the title in the very first round, his next two title defenses also ended in a first-round knockout for the heavyweight champion. His fight against Ngannou was the only one lasting till round five before he was finally dethroned.

Miocic becomes a 2-time UFC heavyweight champion.

In retrospect, Miocic losing the title was a blessing in disguise. If he never lost the title in the first place, he would’ve never been called a 2x UFC heavyweight champion. After winning the belt for the first time in his career by defeating Fabricio Werdum, he dropped it to Daniel Cormier in their first match of the much-acclaimed trilogy.

After losing his title to ‘DC’, many questioned whether ‘Stone Cold’ could reclaim his throne, or whether it was the beginning of the end for the once-dominant fighter. However, he returned with a vengeance at UFC 241, defeating Cormier to become a 2-time UFC heavyweight champion. Although his second reign didn’t last long, he dropped the belt to Francis Ngannou in their rematch, and ‘Stone Cold’ never managed to get his hands on it again.

So it is no wonder that his fans are saddened to see how he ended his career with a loss at UFC 309. But despite it all, he remains one of the greatest fighters the MMA world has ever seen. And as Jon Anik summed it up perfectly as Stipe Miocic walked out after announcing his retirement, “One day the Hall of Fame will come calling for Stipe Miocic.” What do you think of his career? Did Miocic live up to his potential? Let us know in the comments.