Stipe Miocic took to Instagram to issue his first statement following the loss over Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 260. Miocic walked inside the Octagon as a two-time heavyweight champion to take on the most ferocious fighter the world of mixed martial arts has ever seen in the form of Francis Ngannou.
Despite losing the first round, Miocic says that he was confident going into the second and felt that he strayed away from the gameplan leading to the vicious KO. In the statement, Miocic thanks his friends and family, and the people of Croatia and Cleveland in a message that reflects humility and class from the former champion.
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Miocic has no plans of retiring anytime soon and promised. The former heavyweight champion also shared his happiness at the arrival of his second kid, his son.
Needless to say, a trilogy fight is on the cards and Miocic is determined to make the necessary adjustments and come back more prepared than last time. Miocic is the only fighter besides Derrick Lewis to hand a loss to Ngannou inside the UFC Octagon. However, the Cleveland-based fighter failed to replicate his last performance as Ngannou showed great improvement from his last encounter.
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“I deviated from the gameplan,” Miocic stated that he came in “overzealous and unprotected” in the second round and took the hit while he was in a very bad posture. However, he did not take the win away from Ngannou by blaming his own inadequacies in the fight as he congratulated the African fighter for his brilliant work and the team for the impeccable job.
What’s next for Stipe Miocic?
Stipe Miocic is more focused on welcoming his new kid than heading back inside the Octagon. Additionally, the former heavyweight champion will need more time to recover from the damage. It remains to be seen what lies ahead for the greatest heavyweight champion of all time, and only time will tell us where Miocic goes from here.
Needless to say, a trilogy bout is on the cards with both Ngannou and Miocic getting their hands raised on one-one occasion. However, with the arrival of Jon Jones in the heavyweight division, and other top contenders including Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane, and Curtis Blaydes right around the corner, it will be interesting to see where the heavyweight division goes from here.
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