To be named the Heavyweight Champion of the world is to be rendered the highest prize in combat sports, and on Saturday night in Brazil, Stipe Miocic found himself as the latest man in the UFC to be bestowed that honour, after rendering the former champion, Fabricio Werdum, unconscious.
Werdum, who had been out of action for 11 months, looked completely at ease walking into the cage. Surrounded by 45,000 of his countrymen, it appeared the champion wanted to get an early win, and launched himself at the challenger, throwing punches wildly. In response, Miocic kept his cool, and threw a right hand whilst backing up. The punch found its mark, and the bout was over.
With the loss, Werdum continued a bizarre trend of the heavyweight title. Since the UFC championships inception, only four out of nineteen holders have been able to defend it twice, (Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez).
None have defended it on a third occasion.
With the Miocic fight, we can see the basic equation for why. Put two men over 240lbs in a cage wearing four ounce gloves, and more often than not, someone ends up asleep on the canvas.
Before the bout, Werdum had started to creep into conversations as the greatest heavyweight ever. With victories over Fedor Emelianenko, Cain Velasquez and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Werdum’s résumé is undeniable. But, as we have repeatedly learned, résumés mean nothing.
When you make a mistake at heavyweight, you lose.
In every other division, we have at one point seen a dynasty emerge. Jon Jones at Light Heavyweight, Anderson Silva at Middleweight, Georges St-Pierre at Welterweight.
It was speculated, even at the age of 38, that Werdum could have been the man to form a similar dominant streak in his own weight class. His striking had come on leaps and bounds in comparison to the early parts of his career, and his jiu-jitsu is arguably the best in the sport.
And now, the chance to break the ‘curse of defending only twice’ leaves the Brazillian, and instead falls to Miocic. It’s a curse he’s well aware of.
“I’ve trained too hard. I want to keep this belt a long time,” Miocic said of the belts at the UFC 198 post-fight press conference. “I’m going to keep this belt for awhile, I promise you that.”
Who’s next to test that resolve?
Likely, it’ll be the dutchman Alistair Overeem, who defeated Andrei Arlovski via TKO in the second round of their Rotterdam fight. After a string of knockout losses, ‘The Reem’ has made changes to his game, arming himself with a more technical defence, and has since gone four fights undefeated.
A fight between the two has potential. Overeem is one of the most decorated strikers in Mixed Martial Arts history. A winner of the K-1 Grand Prix, Overeem has the most accurate striking in the UFC (75%), and when he keeps control of the distance, can pick his opponents apart with ease.
The issue he’d face in Miocic is sheer durability. Miocic has described himself as a bulldog fighter, and would certainly come forward at the Dutchman. Add in Alistair’s questionable chin, and Miocic’s undeniable knockout power, and the fight could easily go the other way.
Not that there is much point predicting anything. They are heavyweights after all.
