That fluorescent target on his back is now being honed in on by none other than Ngannou, who Miocic defeated nearly three years ago. Back then, it was a master class from the champion as he nullified the offense of “The Predator” and dominated en route to a shutout five-round decision win. Since that night in Boston, Ngannou has gone 4-1, with his four straight victories over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik lasting a combined two minutes and 42 seconds. He looks scary, but then again, he looked scary the first time against Miocic and the champion took care of business. But don’t expect the 38-year-old to sleep on his next challenger.
“It is a fight, and he hits hard and anything can happen,” said Miocic. “It’s the heavyweight division and we wear small gloves, and it just takes one, especially with him. He hits hard. But also, look at it on my side, I hit hard too, and I can take him out. I know he’s never been knocked out, but I’m definitely gonna try for it, there’s no question. I’m not gonna sit there and just try to do a points game; I’m definitely gonna try to go for the finish.”
If he gets it, successfully defending the crown for the fifth time over two reigns, there will be talk of retirement once more, but he doesn’t mind. Stipe Miocic will let us know when he’s done. And that time’s not here yet.
“Before I was champ and during and even when I lost the belt, there’s times it gets tough,” he said. “But every time I go to the gym, it’s almost like a getaway for me. I get to hang out with everyone, and even though we’re training and beating each other up, it’s like a hangout. I blow off steam, and every time I train, no matter how bad my day is, I come out of there feeling fresher and feeling better.”
