Stipe Miocic has bigger fish to fry than fighting right now.
Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) hasn’t competed inside the cage since this past August. While he is on the home stretch of his road to recovery from an eye injury, Miocic indicated his return will likely be delayed farther.
“I’m not worried about any of that,” Miocic said. “Right now, I’m worried about what’s going on in the world. Fighting is not going away. It’s always going to be there. We’ve got to get rid of this thing that’s going on and make everyone feel safe again (to) be able to live a normal life.”
UFC heavyweight champion Miocic doubles as a first responder. The Ohio firefighter is currently on the front lines, battling the coronavirus pandemic. His line of work is scary, especially now, Miocic admitted. But he said it’s what he signed up for.
“(It’s scary), especially with my daughter and my wife. I don’t want to bring it home,” Miocic told MMA Junkie in a recent interview. “At the same time, it’s what we signed up for. First responders, fire fighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors – this is what they signed up for. They know that things can happen.”
As for the day-to-day workflow at the firehouse, Miocic said his station has been lucky. The amount of coronavirus-related calls they’ve received has been minimal. That’s a good thing, Miocic said. The lack of tones means most of the public is following protocol.
“We haven’t really gotten anything crazy or a ton of calls about it,” Miocic said. “We’ve gotten a few, but nothing out of the ordinary. It’s been great. That means people are actually listening.”
There aren’t many professional athletes of Miocic’s caliber who also dedicate themselves as first responders. So why does Miocic do it? After all, he’s likely making way more money from fighting.
“I love what I do,” Miocic said. “I’m not going to sit there and run away from something I work hard to do. The reason I became a firefighter and paramedic is because my whole life I’ve been helped to get where I needed to be. This is my give-back. I love helping people. I love giving back.”
UFC champ Stipe Miocic won't focus on fighting until first responder duties are complete