“I’m a hard-nosed guy, I’m ready to fight, and I’m ready to have some fun and show some fireworks,” he told me before the fight, which he won a unanimous decision.
Miocic won two more UFC bouts before getting stopped by Stefan Struve in the second round of a main event bout in Nottingham, England. It earned Fight of the Night honors, but many wondered if Miocic had what it took to take his career to the next level.
Those doubters reminded Miocic of a wrestling match he had in high school when he was a significant underdog. His mother, Kathy, couldn’t believe such blasphemy.
“They think you’re gonna lose,” she laughed.
“I’ve never seen my mom ever act that way,” said Miocic when recalling the story in 2018. “It wasn’t cocky, but ‘They think you’re gonna lose, how dumb are they?’ And she walked away. And ever since she told me that, I love shutting people up. I’m sick of always being doubted.”