The man to end Cleveland’s 50-plus-year championship drought wasn’t NBA superstar LeBron James, it was Stipe Miocic, a part-time firefighter who punched his way to a UFC title in Brazil on Sunday.
The championship curse, which dates back to 1964, was shattered in less than three minutes.
Miocic, a burly Croatian-American power puncher, was an underdog with the bookies against hometown hero Fabricio Werdum – a man who many consider the greatest heavyweight mixed martial artist of all-time.
Werdum looked to force the fight to the floor early but wound up eating a string of thudding punches in the opening minutes.
Perhaps out of desperation, the aggressive Brazilian swarmed a back-peddling Miocic, who clubbed him with a punch that sent the champ crashing to the canvas, ending Werdum’s title reign in his first attempted title defence.
The enormous stadium, which was filled with 45,000 rowdy Brazilians – some of which had even thrown punches at America’s Matt Brown earlier in the night – was dead silent as Miocic celebrated his history-making win.
“I am the champ! I am the champ!” An over-the-moon Miocic shouted, before jumping over the Octagon fence in celebration.
This victory is a culmination of a near-five-year journey towards the top of the UFC heavyweight mountain.
Miocic joined the elite mixed martial arts promotion as a hot-shot prospect in 2011. He was a dual-sport athlete in college, playing baseball and wrestling for Cleveland State and had since proven to be a terrifying force as a prize fighter, winning six fights in 20 months – all by stoppage.
The Croat has had a few bumps in the road during his UFC tenure – most notably a shocking knockout loss to seven-foot-tall Dutchman Stefan Struve – but for the most part, it’s been smooth sailing for Miocic, compiling an 8-2 record in the big leagues before Sunday’s title fight.
Yet despite his flashy record, few experts were picking Miocic to beat the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu wizard and bring the UFC title to the Buckeye State.
Some didn’t think a blue-collar worker who splits his time between the gym and the fire station could beat a veteran like Werdum. Others just couldn’t tip against ‘Vai Cavelo’ in his own backyard. Either way, most predicted Miocic to lose and most were wrong.
Now the first champion to represent Cleveland since the Browns won the NFL title in ’64, Miocic’ next challenge is to defend his position on the heavyweight throne – a feat only seven men have accomplished since the titles inception almost two decades ago.
Looking at the current heavyweight line-up, Alistair Overeem has to be the number-one contender.
The Dutchman has built a pretty strong case for a crack at the newly-minted champ since relocating to train at the Jackson-Winkeljohn Academy in New Mexico.
Overeem has rattled off four-straight wins, most recently knocking out former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski in the Netherlands.
The 35-year-old former Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1 heavyweight champ escaped that fight last weekend without a scratch, and could be ready to lock horns with Miocic within a few months.
I’m sure there will be some bummed out to see the title picture move on without former two-time UFC titlist Cain Velasquez, but he doesn’t fight until July and it would be foolish to bench the healthy champ for a few extra months before making a decision on his future.
Over the past three years, the heavyweight crown has not been contested more than once in a calendar year – that’s a trend that needs to end, and the only way to do that is to keep booking the champ appointments in the Octagon.
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