No fighter in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Heavyweight division has ever defended the title more than twice. Stipe Miocic, who captured the belt from Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 earlier this year, was going for his first defense last night (Sat., Sept. 10, 2016) at UFC 203 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, opposite top contender Alistair Overeem. After a back-and-forth opening onslaught that left both fighters hurt and wobbly, Miocic began to open up on his feet, tagged Overeem countless times, jumped into top position after Overeem fell to the canvas and proceeded to batter "The Reem" to earn the first-round knockout finish. It was quite the performance for Miocic, who sent the Quicken Loans Arena in a craze after coming back from early trouble. The full video highlights can be seen above courtesy of UFC. With this win, Miocic has solidified his first heavyweight title defense. His knockout power, ground game and resilient presence on the feet could lead him to more championship wins in 2017. But with the most dangerous contenders in the world chasing him down, Miocic has to get even better moving forward. For complete UFC 203 results and coverage click here.
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