UFC 198's Stipe Miocic Receives a Champion's Welcome in Cleveland
UFC 198's Stipe Miocic Receives a Champion's Welcome in Cleveland
Cleveland has always been at the heart of everything Stipe Miocic does.The heavyweight knockout artist has never failed to represent his native city well—hi
Cleveland has always been at the heart of everything Stipe Miocic does.
The heavyweight knockout artist has never failed to represent his native city well—his roots in “The Land” have served as a tremendous source of pride. Whether it’s surfing through the hate to support his beloved Browns on social media or throwing out the first pitch for “The Tribe" at Progressive Field, Miocic’s affection for sports in his hometown has never wavered.
In his 33 years, Miocic has never seen a major sports title visit the scenic shores of Lake Eerie. But in one perfect punch last Saturday night in Curitiba, Brazil, he changed all of that. The part-time firefighter and full-time badass knocked out reigning heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum to claim the divisional throne in the main event at UFC 198.
On Monday afternoon, Miocic returned from Brazil with championship hardware intact, and was given a hero’s welcome by his fellow Clevelanders.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/stipemiocicufc/status/732238849502511104" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
“It’s kind of overwhelming a little bit,” Miocic told Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s kind of sinking in now. Everyone coming here, cheering me on. It just means so much to me. I just wanted to come in and thank everyone for being so supportive. I love Cleveland. 216 all day.”
Championship droughts have the unique ability to emotionally drain sports fans across generations, but Miocic believes this dark mojo can be countered with belief. All it takes is a spark to unleash to the positivity and begin to dismantle emotional wall moments like Ernest Byner’s in the 1988 AFC Championship Game and LeBron James’ still-ringless homecoming have created.
Miocic believes his victory at UFC 198 will be the catalyst for sports fans in Cleveland to get the payoffs they’ve been waiting for.
“We needed it,” Miocic said. “We needed something to start it. Now the Cavs are going to do it, the Indians are going to do it and the Browns are going to do it. It’s going to be a chain of events going on.”
The heavyweight knockout artist has never failed to represent his native city well—his roots in “The Land” have served as a tremendous source of pride. Whether it’s surfing through the hate to support his beloved Browns on social media or throwing out the first pitch for “The Tribe" at Progressive Field, Miocic’s affection for sports in his hometown has never wavered.
In his 33 years, Miocic has never seen a major sports title visit the scenic shores of Lake Eerie. But in one perfect punch last Saturday night in Curitiba, Brazil, he changed all of that. The part-time firefighter and full-time badass knocked out reigning heavyweight king Fabricio Werdum to claim the divisional throne in the main event at UFC 198.
On Monday afternoon, Miocic returned from Brazil with championship hardware intact, and was given a hero’s welcome by his fellow Clevelanders.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/stipemiocicufc/status/732238849502511104" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
“It’s kind of overwhelming a little bit,” Miocic told Damon Martin of Fox Sports. “It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s kind of sinking in now. Everyone coming here, cheering me on. It just means so much to me. I just wanted to come in and thank everyone for being so supportive. I love Cleveland. 216 all day.”
Championship droughts have the unique ability to emotionally drain sports fans across generations, but Miocic believes this dark mojo can be countered with belief. All it takes is a spark to unleash to the positivity and begin to dismantle emotional wall moments like Ernest Byner’s in the 1988 AFC Championship Game and LeBron James’ still-ringless homecoming have created.
Miocic believes his victory at UFC 198 will be the catalyst for sports fans in Cleveland to get the payoffs they’ve been waiting for.
“We needed it,” Miocic said. “We needed something to start it. Now the Cavs are going to do it, the Indians are going to do it and the Browns are going to do it. It’s going to be a chain of events going on.”