Stipe Miocic was involved in several classic UFC heavyweight fights during his career.
Despite many believing that he’s the greatest heavyweight to have competed inside the Octagon, Miocic also suffered some big losses.
That didn’t stop him from becoming the first and only fighter in the history of the promotion’s division to defend the title three consecutive times.
One of those defenses, in 2017, saw Miocic avenge a prior defeat in devastating fashion.
This win meant even more to him after what he went through the first time he collided with the former heavyweight champion.
Stipe Miocic says his first fight with Junior dos Santos had him questioning why he’s a fighter
Stipe Miocic may have faced the likes of Jon Jones, Francis Ngannou, and Daniel Cormier, but none of them are his pick for the toughest fight of his career.
That honor goes to former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, who he first collided with in December of 2014.
The two men engaged in a crazy main event clash that somehow went the full five-round duration.
During an appearance on Sofascore’s A Guest and a Half, Miocic recalled one specific moment from this bout where he was pushed to the limit.
After losing a unanimous decision to ‘JDS’, Miocic got his revenge three years later at UFC 211 in Dallas, Texas.
“I think my toughest fight would be my first JDS fight, because that was just back and forth [for] five rounds and just beating the c— out of each other. That was not fun. I remember between the fourth and fifth round, I’m sitting there with my eyes like black and blue and I had a cut in my mouth, I had to get stitches. I’m like this [leaning], he’s looking at me, I’m looking at him.
“My coach is talking and all I hear is [muffled words], I don’t hear anything. I’m like, ‘I’ve got to beat this guy’. I remember I’m like, ‘Why do I do this? This is terrible. Like who wants to fight for 25 minutes? I feel like absolute garbage.’ Then, I stood up and then the whole arena stood up and screamed. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”
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Stipe Miocic still misses moments like his memory of fighting Junior dos Santos in 2014
Stipe Miocic retired following his loss to Jon Jones in November of last year, and it’s clear that he has no desire to dust off the gloves and compete again.
However, the former UFC champion did admit during the interview with Sofascore that there’s one main aspect of fighting that he misses.
“Yes and no. I don’t miss getting punched in the face and all of that stuff but I do. I miss the fans and just the electricity. It’s just a different atmosphere.”
This perfectly reflects his memory from the toughest fight of his career, where it’s the reactions from the fans that still stand out to him.