Stipe Miocic isn’t taking his loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 lying down and sees things going differently the next time they meet.
At UFC 260, Stipe Miocic lost the UFC heavyweight title to Francis Ngannou following a heavy left hook as Miocic was charging in. Ironically, Ngannou’s KO win to capture his first title resembled the manner in which Miocic became UFC champion his first time, catching an overzealous Fabricio Werdum who also charged forward exposed for a fatal blow.
Miocic is known as the winningest heavyweight champion of all time, which is mainly what has led to him being widely considered the heavyweight GOAT. But what people don’t see is the fire that contributed to all those wins. And there perhaps is no better fuel to a competitor’s fighter than the burn of defeat. That certainly appears to be the case for Miocic, who has not been fully at peace since dropping the heavyweight strap to Ngannou in March.
“I want a rematch,” Miocic said in an appearance on Submission Radio. “I want to get my title back. He took something that was mine, and it drives me nuts every day.”
Having earned a victory over Ngannou in the past, Miocic has a fact-based component to his confidence that he can get his hand raised against the Cameroonian. And while Miocic takes nothing away from his rival, he remains certain that the new champion is merely looking after his property until he has the opportunity to reclaim it.
“Oh, 100%. Yeah, there’s no question,” Miocic responded when asked if he knows how he’ll win a trilogy fight against Ngannou. “It was his night. I’m not gonna take it away from him. He didn’t get lucky. He just caught me with a punch I didn’t see, and it is what it is. And congrats to him. He won the title. But I’m coming back to get what’s mine, and I know what I did wrong. And I’m coming back stronger, and better, and more prepared, and take back what’s mine.”
Up next for Ngannou will be Derrick Lewis in a fight targeted for August according to Dana White. White has stated that Miocic is expected to get the winner of this bout in what would likely be the end of this year or early 2022.
Do you think Stipe Miocic will reclaim the UFC heavyweight title before he retires?
