Stipe Miočić was victorious on the big stage
American born Croatian heavyweight Stipe Miočić made a succesful UFC debut Saturday night at UFC 136, keeping his unbeaten record intact by delivering a three round unanimous decision win over the tough veteran Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran. Miočić outclassed and outworked Beltran for all three rounds. Two judges scored the fight 29-28 and one judge scored it 30-27, Miočić’s record now stands at 7-0.
“I’m just happy I got the W and did whatever it took to win. A couple of times I slipped up and got into brawls I didn’t need to get into, but that’s alright, I got a good chin I think. I wish I could’ve done better, but against a guy like that, that guy’s tough as nails. That guy’s been through battles and I’m happy to be part of one of them.”
~Stipe Miočić after the fight
Miočić entered the cage wearing trunks similar to those worn by Croatian heavyweight, Mirko CroCop, and also had an extra large Grb on his entrance banner that would of put a smile on Croatian faces worldwide.
Miočić had a solid opening round, as he used his reach, leg kicks, and threatened for the takedown (one of which he scored in the first) to keep Beltran guessing and from mounting an offensive threat. Beltran took some thunderous shots from Miočić that would of knocked out most heavyweights. Beltran is known for his iron jaw and the round ended with Miočić gaining the upper hand in the exchanges.
In the second round Beltran came out swinging and trying to change the outcome of the fight. Miočić showed that his jaw was just as tough, as he absorbed a few of Beltrans big shots. Miočić responded with a good takedown and ground and pounded Beltran for a good part of the round. The round ended with the two swinging for the fences but neither landing that KO shot.
Miočić (right) made life difficult for Beltran(left)
Miočić entered the third round for the first time in his career, as most of his previous fights have ended by KO in the first. Miočić pressed the fight and got Beltran to the mat early on. After a short scramble on the ground, it was back to the standup war. With 90 seconds remaining in the fight, Beltran stumbled to the mat and Miočić followed with side control position, scoring with short elbow strikes. The bell sounded and the unanimous decision win was awarded to the Croatian Stipe Miočić.
This three round war gave Miočić some much needed experience and confidence for a fighter with only seven proffesional fights. Miočić showed he has the skill and compusure to be a future threat in the UFC heavyweight division. The future is bright for Miočić and a few more big wins in the UFC could put him right in the title mix. Lets show our Croatian support for Stipe Miočić and let him know by messaging him on his twitter account.
Click here for link to the fight.
“I was nervous, don’t get me mixed up. I was really nervous for that fight. But, what are you gonna do? It’s just you and another guy fighting in a cage. All you can do is put your skills to the test and hope they work out.”
~Stipe Miočić after the fight
Stipe Miočić Post Fight Interview
The next Croatian fighter to step in to the octagon is Mirko “CroCop” Filipović. He will be fighting Roy Nelson on October 29th in Las Vegas, Nevada. I will have more on that fight in the next few weeks.
~Mike “Croatian Crippler” Rožić
@Robby Matesic
You could be right about Reljic but he is still listed on the UFC roster at UFC.com. They usually keep there site up to date so that leads me to believe he is still with the UFC.Like I said though I could be wrong.
@CroatianCrippler
I could be wrong but I think Goran Reljic was released from the promotion last year after losing his third fight in a row in the UFC.
He did a fight back in cro, and won, it was somewhat of a amater fight
@DinamoDennis
I think Miocic just carries his weight very well. The guy is 6’4″ 240lbs that by no means is small. He for sure isn’t the biggest heavyweight around but he is probably an average sized heavyweight. He is still only 29 yrs old and probably will put on a little more weight.
Goran Reljic basically broke his back trying to save a couple that crashed into the mora. He took a big break from fighting and hasn’t seemed to regain that confidence that led him to an 8-0 start to his career. I haven’t heard anything about an up coming fight but I do know he is still on the UFC roster.
@ Robby Matesic
Thanks Man
Great article Crippler!!
CC
He seems kinda small for a heavyweight….but I like what I saw in the first fight.
What ever happend to Reljic ? He came back after his long injury time off and stunk it up..any news on him ?
@ Ante B
Ya the media is pumping him up to be the next big prospect in the heavyweight division. I heard a rumour that he knocked out current UFC heavyweight Champ Cain Velasquez in an amateur bout. Whether that is true or not I’m not sure. In terms of how many fights it all depends on who he fights basically. If he beats a top contender after a few fights that could propel him to the top much quicker then if he beats a few gate keepers. As far as I know there is no scheduled fight as of yet but I will keep you guys posted. I hope that answered your questions.
Crippler, excellent post. I will not pretend to be an up to date MMA fan but I did catch Miocic’s last fight and it was nice to see him go up against Beltran. The media has stated this is his first step towards the heavyweight crown. How many more fights does he have to be in (and hopefully win) in order to get to a title bout? Also, is his next fight scheduled?
Spremni,
Ante B.
@ Denis
I guarentee you will become an mma fan hahah
Thanks for all the comments guys and girls.
Crippler comes through!
Excellent write up Mike. You might convince me to become an MMA fan one day. 🙂
Before you know it, you’ll be in the locker room before and after the fights. 🙂
CRO COP .;
Great article, and a great debut for stipe in the UFC. I will be keeping a keen interest to see how he fairs in his next fight.