UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic put on a dominant performance inside the octagon on Saturday night, Jan. 20. The fighter faced off against rising knockout artist Francis Ngannou for the night’s main event.
Inside the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the two mixed martial arts warriors put on a five round battle for the belt. In the end, Miocic made UFC history with a unanimous decision victory over the fighter.
Miocic broke the UFC record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses by making his third victory at UFC 220. Still, leading up to the fight, much of the UFC’s promotion for the event was criticized as being allegedly biased towards Francis Ngannou.
Stipe Miocic would even go on to criticize the UFC’s seeming focus on the title challenger. Following his record setting victory however, Miocic has a different message for his fight fans.
Speaking to ESPN after UFC 220, Miocic responded when asked if the hype of Ngannou leading up to the match up had an effect on his mindset.
“No. [It was] no pressure to me. I was underdog. I was good too go, easy breezy. Thank you, to all of the fans. Thank you for doubting me. I appreciate that. You lit that fire. [It was] more fuel for that fire and I appreciate that. Thank you. You keep doing that for me, please. Thank you.”
