After all that, Stipe Miocic is still the baddest dude on the planet.
Stipe Miocic proved the bookies wrong by dominating Francis Ngannou over five rounds to defend his heavyweight strap at UFC 220's main event.
The first round was one of the tensest five minutes in heavyweight title fight history. The defending champion landed the first strike, a stinging leg kick. Miocic was very respectful of Ngannou's ferocious power. He dodged most of the wild haymakers the Cameroonian threw, but a few of the more unconventional punches made their way through. Although they
Both fighters were noticeably slower in the second. After some very cautious trading on the feet, Miocic shot in for an almighty double-leg that moved the behemoth all the way to the other side of the Octagon. After it was completed, he pinned Ngannou against the cage and made him carry all his weight. He kept busy with knees and punches to ensure the referee didn't force a stand-up.
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Even when the lactic acid was building up in his muscles and the fire was filling up his lungs, Ngannou still had the touch of death. A thunderous overhand right briefly rocked Miocic in the third, but it was quickly answered with a phenomenal reactive takedown. Once Stipe got it down to the fence, he peppered the Frenchman with punches from the top until the buzzer sounded.
Miocic began the fourth with a single leg and transitioned into side control. With all the time in the world and Ngannou's gas tank depleted, he landed flurried of punches from top control. Ngannou was on his hand for a lot of the round, turtling up and looking lost.
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By the fifth round, both fighters were clearly spent. Ngannou knew he needed a finish, but that coup de grace never came. Miocic tied him up early with a clinch and when Dean called for action, he scored some knees before getting the takeown.
After escaping a guillotine attempt, Dean separated them and sent them back to the centre of the Octagon. Both were drained, but Ngannou was still prowling, looking for the finish even if the body was failing.
The judges all scored the fight 50-44 in favour of the champion. The win saw Miocic improve his streak to six. He also set the UFC record for most successful title defences in the heavyweight division with three. Meanwhile, Ngannou's win-streak was snapped at 10.
