With the lion’s share of the pre and post-UFC 309 coverage focused on the status of Jon Jones, very little fanfare was afforded to former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
To the credit of the often underappreciated UFC production team, a farewell package was in place to roll after Miocic’s final fight – but the former champ understandably declined his time in the spotlight after falling to Jones at Madison Square Garden.
For those who’ve been following Miocic’s career, this should’ve come as little surprise given the Ohio native’s shortness with words and general attitude toward the limelight.
However, despite that fact, I thought it would be fitting to celebrate Miocic and his memorable accomplishments inside the UFC octagon.
Not only does Miocic hold the record for most title defenses in UFC history (both consecutive and overall), but the man is also the record holder for the most knockouts in UFC heavyweight title fights.
So, without further ado, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and rank every finish in Mioicic’s illustrious UFC career.
9. Stipe Miocic TKOs Fabio Maldanado at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale (May 31, 2014)
Kicking off the list at No. 9 is Miocic’s 35-second execution of short-notice stand-in, Fabio Maldonado.
In Maldonado’s defense, he took the fight on short notice due to Junior Dos Santos being forced to withdraw because of a hand injury sustained in training.
Although Maldonado would eventually go on to arguably beat a late-stage Fedor Emelianenko further along in his career, his jabs were far too predictable on this night as Miocic was able to make a quick read and come over the top of his Brazilian counterpart.
Thankfully for Miocic, this would not be his last time silencing a Brazilian crowd.
8. Stipe Miocic knocks out Phil De Fries at UFC on Fuel TV 1 (Feb. 15, 2012)
Coming in at the No. 8 spot is another quick demolition from Miocic’s catalog that came in under a minute.
This was Miocic’s second appearance under the UFC banner, but the first official stoppage he earned in the octagon.
De Fries may not be one of the first names you’d point to in Miocic’s resume when grading quality, but the English heavyweight went on to have a very successful career outside of the UFC as the reigning heavyweight champion for KSW.
7. Stipe Miocic TKOs Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 65 (May 10, 2015)
Sliding in at No. 7 is a fight that could arguably be ranked higher if not for an incredibly late stoppage that soured what should’ve been a big win for Miocic.
Hunt may have been on a slide at that point of his career, but even the post-prime version of the “Super Samoan” had proven to be a dangerous customer to deal with.
Miocic smartly channeled his inner Cain Velasquez and shot on Hunt early and often.
Unfortunately for Hunt, both his corner and referee John Sharp did him no favors by allowing Miocic to pummel him until the fifth and final round of a fight that should’ve been stopped three times over in the third frame.
6. Stipe Miocic TKOs Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195 (Jan. 2, 2016)
Snatching the No. 6 spot is Miocic’s swift stoppage of former UFC champion, Andrei Arlovksi.
Although Arlovski was another post-prime MMA legend, “The Pitbull” was amid a late-career renaissance, winning 6 fights in a row to bring him back into title contention.
Unfortunately for Arlovski, Miocic’s speed and power were a bit too much for him to keep up with out of the gate.
Miocic, who felt like he was being overlooked for a title shot, made a memorable and ferocious post-fight shout to UFC president Dana White, asking, “Where’s my shot?!”
5. Stipe Miocic TKOs Shane del Rosario at UFC 146 (May 26, 2012)
Narrowly notching a top-5 spot is one of Miocic’s more underrated and entertaining affairs opposite the late, great Shane del Rosario.
Del Rosario, who was a heavily touted prospect coming out of American Kickboxing Academy at that time, was the first fighter to exploit some of Miocic’s troubles when facing southpaws.
With lefties being even more rare at heavier weights, del Rosario was able to get an early jump on Miocic and light him up to the body with some brutal southpaw kicks.
This, however, forced Miocic to dig deeper into his tool kit and show off some of his underrated catch wrestling skills en route to earning one of the more brutal ground-and-pound stoppages via elbows that you’ll see in the octagon.
4. Stipe Miocic TKOs Junior Dos Santos at UFC 211 (May 13, 2017)
Taking the No. 4 slot is the first rematch of Miocic’s career opposite Junior Dos Santos.
Their first meeting was an instant heavyweight classic that saw Miocic come up short on the scorecards. But their second encounter wouldn’t make it out of the first round.
After sustaining some serious calf kick damage from Dos Santos early, Miocic was forced to get on the gas as he smartly cut the cage while pressuring the former champion into exchanges that favored the American.
Although part of me wished that Miocic came out of the gate more with that sort of initiative and pressure, the Strong Style fighter seemingly had a penchant for being forced into comebacks during a decent stretch of his championship run.
3. Stipe Miocic TKOs Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 (Aug. 17, 2019)
Keeping with the theme of revenge and comebacks alike, I felt that Miocic’s rematch with Daniel Cormier back at UFC 241 was appropriate top-3 material.
In what was easily the best fight of their three-fight series, Miocic, once again, found himself behind the 8-ball early due to Cromier’s high-output attack.
That said, once Cormier started to slow and quietly accumulate more damage on his end, Miocic was eventually able to catch up to the then-champion and exploit his softness to the body.
In fact, any time someone lands a crippling body blow in a UFC fight where Cormier is on the broadcast, seldom will you hear anyone react more viscerally than “DC,” who you can sense is reliving some sort of PTSD from his fights with Miocic and Anderson Silva.
2. Stipe Miocic knocks out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 (May 14, 2016)
Although you could argue that the celebratory Irish jig Miocic hit after beating Daniel Cormier is enough to bump this for the No. 2 spot, I couldn’t help but select the American’s title-winning upset in enemy territory opposite then-champion, Fabricio Werdum.
For those who have selective memory, Werdum, at this particular point of his career, was fresh off a massive upset win over the highly touted reigning champ Cain Velasquez (and had a stronger argument in heavyweight GOAT talks than given credit for considering his head-to-head wins over greats like Fedor Emelianenko and Velasquez).
And if Werdum would’ve beaten Miocic as north of a 2-1 favorite back at UFC 198, then the Brazilian’s place in the history books would’ve been undeniable.
Unfortunately for Werdum, Miocic had other plans.
After feeling the need to get back at Miocic for some early success, Werdum recklessly rushed the American and ran right into one of Miocic’s classic right-hand counters in Round 1.
To this day, I’ve never heard that big of an arena that dead silent after a knockout.
All you could hear was Miocic celebrating with his corner, screaming, “I’M THE WORLD CHAMP! I’M THE WORLD CHAMP!.”
1. Stipe Miocic KOs Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 (Sept. 10, 2016)
Taking the top spot is Miocic’s unforgettable Ohio homecoming at UFC 203 opposite Alistair Overeem.
Another heavyweight legend amid a late-career renaissance, Overeem was on an impressive four-fight winning streak and operating in top form.
I remember picking Overeem to win due to Miocic’s previous struggles with fighters who could strike from southpaw and his propensity to give his neck on single-leg snatch entries.
Even though Overeem, who got the crowd pumped up with his Pride FC-themed walkout, came out and nearly took the title via every tool I previously mentioned, Miocic – as he proved to do throughout his title run – was able to survive the initial storm and stage a spectacular comeback.
Opposite of the previous entry, this was one of the loudest crowd reactions to a knockout that I can remember. And though Miocic is a man of few words, he, once again, delivered a memorable post-fight speech to his Ohio faithful by shouting the classic, “O-H!.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Every finish from Stipe Miocic’s illustrious UFC career, ranked
