What’s Next For Stipe Miocic?

Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone with UFC 260 blowing the roof off UFC Apex last Saturday night (March 27) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Thomas Almeida, who was knocked out by Sean O’Malley (recap here). And Tyron Woodley, was was submitted by Vicente Luque in the very first round (relive it here).

But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Stipe Mioicic.

Coming into his rematch against Francis Ngannou, Miocic had the extra confidence of already having a win over “The Predator.” But when it comes to Heavyweights, a win and a loss is always just one punch away, more so than in any other division.

And that’s just what went down in the rematch, with Miocic eating several of Ngannou’s bombs in round one. Though he managed to weather the storm, the now former 265-pound champion couldn’t avoid “The Predator’s” heavy hands in round two, ultimately falling victim to a vicious left hand, ending his reign in the blink of an eye.

It’s a tough blow for Stipe, who had already cemented himself as the greatest Heavyweight champion in the promotion’s history thanks to four title defenses. Miocic’s last eight bouts have been title fights, losing just two, so he knows a thing or three about succeeding on the big stage.

His next fight, however, will not be a title fight because there was no talk of giving the G.O.A.T Heavyweight an instant do-over. That’s because Jon Jones’ shadow is all over the Heavyweight division at the moment. As Dana White stated post-fight, “Bones” can get the fight at the snap of the finger if he really wants it, but there’s a small issue when it comes to money. If Jones doesn’t take the fight, then next in line is Derrick Lewis, who would like nothing more than to get another win over “The Predator,” this time for all of the marbles.

So where does that leave Miocic?

The only logical fight that makes sense for the ex-265-pound king is one against Curtis Blaydes. Curtis is currently ranked No. 3 and is coming off a tough loss to the aforementioned Lewis.

Blaydes has been knocking on the door of a title fight for quite some time now, but right when he’s on the cusp on getting in, disaster strikes. Blaydes’ only losses of his career have come at the hands of Ngannou and Lewis, nothing to hang his head low over. If he can get through Stipe, it puts him right back in the mix.

As for Miocic, while he doesn’t really need to prove anything to show his worth, a win over “Razor” will undoubtedly earn him another crack at the title. When you look at the rest of the division, no one else really stands out, which means an impressive outing in his bounce back fights gets Miocic right back in the title picture.