“Stipe Miocic Announces Retirement After THE Loss at UFC 309: A great Legendary Era Ends”

Stipe Miocic says he’s quitting after technical knockout misfortune at UFC 309

Stipe Miocic has decided to make this his profession.

After losing to Jon Jones in the third round at UFC 309 on Saturday night, Miocic announced his retirement from the sport, ending a great career carried out by the competitor from Euclid, Ohio.

“I’m tired,” Miocic said. “I’m hanging them up.”

Despite the misfortunes, Miocic is generally regarded as the best heavyweight champion in UFC history.

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“He’s one of the best heavyweights ever,” he said. “You can’t deny Stipe. Stipe is [No. 1 or No. 2] ever.”

Miocic made his UFC debut in 2011, when he went 6-0 on the regional scene and won three consecutive bouts before losing to Stefan Struve by technical knockout in 2012. Miocic returned to the rankings with wins over Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabio Maldonado, before suffering his second professional loss to previous heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

The challenge that followed laid the foundation for a memorable heavyweight run.

After wins over Imprint Chase and Andrei Arlovski, Miocic was given a title shot against then-champion Fabricio Werdum at 2016’s UFC 198. Werdum was on his brightest streak, going undefeated for nearly five years. However, Miocic ended it with a first-round knockout to guarantee UFC gold.

Miocic reigned as champion for the next 784 days and successfully came out on top several times. He went on to defend the championship against Alistair Overeem, dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou. So far, Miocic holds the UFC record for most times defending the heavyweight title in three consecutive seasons.

He lost the title to then-light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 in 2018 and the two fought in a stunning set of three. Miocic captured the title a year later by knockout at UFC 241 and dominated the elastic game at UFC 252 in 2020, forcing Cormier to retire.

Now it is the right time for Miocic to bid goodbye to a great career.

After losing his title in a rematch against Ngannou in 2021, Miocic was out for more than three years and on Saturday he returned to the Octagon where he is considered one of the best mixed martial artists.

This form of Miocic was a far cry from the form that dominated the heavyweight division. He was unsure of himself and fell a step behind against Jones. Miocic was broken down in the first round and was hurt by elbows for most of the round while he stuck to the material. In the next round Miocic struggled to land any attack as Jones landed body kicks and stunned the previous boss with a decisive right hand.

Miocic attempted to mix up the victory in the third round and began chasing Jones around the Octagon. However, he was hit by a turning back kick to the liver that put him out for the count.

Miocic holds numerous records in the UFC heavyweight division, including most combined title guards (4), most title fight wins (4), most postfight awards (9) and most championship fight wins (6) tied with Randy Couture.

Perhaps equally but not as impressive as his profession as a mixed military craftsman is his dedication to his local area. Throughout his fighting career, Miocic has maintained a career as a fireman and paramedic in Oakwood and Valley View, Ohio. The father of two will continue to work as a full-time fireman.