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Welcome to the UFC, Stipe Miocic.
The former Golden Gloves champion, NCAA Division I wrestler and heir to the checkered shorts, made his Octagon debut last Saturday night (Oct. 8) against the hard-hitting Joey Beltran at the UFC 136: "Edgar vs. Maynard III" pay-per-view event in Houston, Texas.
Miocic improved to 7-0 in "Space City" after terrorizing the regional fight scene, however, "The Mexicutioner" was the first opponent to take him to the judges' score cards.
As the Ohioan tells UFC.com, his good chin kept him afloat during some "unnecessary brawls:"
"I followed the gameplan because if I didn't, my coach would be kicking my ass. I got the "W" and did whatever it took to win. A couple of times I slipped up and got into some brawls I didn't need to get into, but that's alright, I got a good chin, I think. I was really nervous for that fight but what are you gonna do, it's just you and the other guy fighting inside a cage. All you can do is put your skills to the test and hopefully it will work out."
Work out it did.
How about it Maniacs, for those fortunate enough to catch his fight last weekend, do you think we might be witnessing the rise of the next big thing at heavyweight? Or will he find the water is a little too deep inside the UFC's stacked 265-pound division?
Thoughts?
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