Ohio's Stipe Miocic Retains Heavyweight Title, Beats Ngannou

BOSTON, MASS. — Stipe Miocic, the Valley View firefighter and UFC champion, broke the record for most defenses of the UFC Heavyweight title on Saturday night. To permanently etch his name into the conversation for greatest heavyweights of all time, Miocic had to defeat the ascendant Francis Ngannou.

When asked after the fight if he deserved to be called the greatest heavyweight in UFC history, Miocic said, "F--- yeah I do."

Despite the post-fight bravado, there were moments leading up to Saturday's main event that made Stipe feel like an afterthought in the UFC promotion of the PPV bout. Ngannou, who boasts an incredible story and incredible punching power, was being pushed as the future star of the heavyweight division.

But promotion does not win fights. Miocic followed a strict ground-and-pound game plan to perfection. The two heavyweights traded crushing punches in the first round, but Ngannou seemed to gas after that. Then Miocic, the more experienced fighter, dominated the match.

"I could see it in his face. He couldn’t believe I was still there," Stipe said about weathering Ngannou's early offense. He said Ngannou seemed to drain away after the first round.

Miocic seemed to gain energy moving into the second and third rounds and he repeatedly took the Cameroonian to the mat with single and double leg takedowns. Whenever Ngannou tried to throw a counter punch or lead an exchange, it seemed the champ would capitalize by dropping his center of gravity and driving the challenger to the ground.

Once Ngannou was taken down, there was little he could do to defend himself. Stipe repeatedly outwrestled his opponent, leading to knees to the midsection and punches to the relatively unguarded face of Ngannou. At one point, UFC flashed a graphic suggesting Miocic had won round four by landing 82 strikes to Ngannou's 0.

By round five, the final round of the fight, both fighters seemed exhausted and happy to accept the forthcoming decision from the judges. While the pace ended up being more methodical than some fans may have wanted in a heavyweight bout, it was also a dominating performance for Miocic, one that saw him retain his title via unanimous decision.

No other heavyweight in UFC history has defended the title more than twice. Except Miocic, who has now defended his belt three times.

"It was the Stipe show tonight. It wasn't about him. It was about me, because I'm the champ. I broke the record. I'm the best," Miocic said after the fight.

For his part, the 31-year-old Ngannou was humble in defeat. He admitted that he had "underestimated" Miocic. He also said that he would see Miocic again in the Octagon.

"I think tonight I learned things about this sport that I hadn't learned in the past four years," he said at a post-match press conference.

Stipe Miocic receives his belt after a win over Francis Ngannou during a heavyweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 220, early Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018, in Boston. AP Photo/Gregory Payan