As the date for Stipe Miocic’s return to fight Jon Jones inches closer, the excitement keeps on rising through the fighting community. However, the MMA world is concerned about the UFC’s resident firefighter and it aims at Miocic’s speech impairment over the years. Well, the risks involved in the world of mixed martial arts are quite significant and have the potential to threaten the fighters’ lives and their livelihood. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is one such problem that the fighters often face, following repeated episodes of concussion. 

But is Miocic’s speech deterioration a result of CTE? Let’s get our analyzing hats on and find out what the fuss is all about!

Deterioration in Stipe Miocic’s speech over the years

About 7 years ago, when ‘Stone Cold’ addressed the media during the press conference for UFC 211, his voice was clear and devoid of any slur. It’s also clear that the firefighter-turned-fighter has a habit of talking fast. Nevertheless, the words never really mushed together when the former heavyweight champion spoke. 

But the story is a bit different come 2024. Miocic recently had a conversation with Jake Paul, where the YouTuber-turned-professional boxer asked if UFC 309 would be Miocic’s last fight in the cage. The 42-year-old answered with uncertainty and claimed that he was too focused on the fight to worry about what would happen after it. But while the Ohio native himself did not worry too much about it, the MMA realm noticed how his voice had become slurred. 

This is pretty common with martial artists who get hit in the head quite often. CTE’s symptoms usually take years to develop and affect cognitive and motor functions. In simpler terms, if one’s behavior looks like that of a drunk person’s i.e. irritable mood, unsteady walking, slurred speech, et cetera, it might be because of CTE.

However, there is no definitive method of diagnosis when it comes to CTE. On top of that, such damage is often permanent. Getting hit to the head destabilizes the brain, which is the reason why fighters lose consciousness and get KOed. Is that why the netizens believe Miocic to have CTE? Let’s see if Miocic has gotten knocked out enough times for us to conclude that he has CTE.

How many times has Stipe Miocic been KOed?

The firefighter has become one of the most celebrated heavyweights with 20 wins and just 4 defeats. It is safe to say that Miocic had established himself pretty effectively in the MMA cage before he faced his first defeat. It was Stefan Struve who knocked Miocic out for the first time in his career and it happened at UFC on FUEL TV 5. Struve launched some strong punches that clashed with Miocic against the fence and he kept the barrage going with several uppercuts and finally finished the fight with a strong right to the head.

‘Stone Cold’s second KO loss came when he fought Daniel Cormier at UFC 226. With 4.33 reading on the clock, DC sent a right hook that fainted Miocic, and he dropped down in the very first round. And the last time the fighting community saw Miocic get KOed was back in 2021 when he was pitted against Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. As soon as the second round of their bout began, the heavyweights launched furious fists at each other. However, ‘The Predator’ was the one with stronger hands. Within a minute left to round 2, one of Ngannou’s left hooks connected with Miocic’s head and he tumbled down, losing consciousness. 

While these 3 knockouts had quite an impact on the 42-year-old’s head, it can’t be said for certain that he got trauma-induced encephalopathy because of them. Deterioration in speech might also come with age. With the given data, it’s pretty uncertain to come to a conclusion. But what are your thoughts on this? Do you think it’s CTE? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.