Fabio Maldonado jumped up to heavyweight for our fight, and while he wasn’t ranked, he is a super-tough dude and had never been knocked out before. – Stipe Miocic
People have always worn Cleveland shirts and supported Cleveland no matter how bad the teams were or how close we were. It didn’t matter. That’s really all about the city. We’re just hardworking people that love the city and don’t care how the teams do. – Stipe Miocic
I traded my 2002 Silverado in for the Trailblazer, and after my second fight, I got a win bonus. It was the knockout-of-the-night bonus, $50,000, and I paid the rest of my car off, and I gave it to my mother because I had a sponsorship with a Chevy dealership. – Stipe Miocic
When you train as hard as we do, bad things happen sometimes. It’s just part of the sport. – Stipe Miocic
I’m going to do what I want to do. If he wants to go to the ground, that’s fine. I’m a wrestler. – Stipe Miocic
It’s amazing to come here. I’m so happy that UFC is finally here. We’ve been starving for it in Cleveland. – Stipe Miocic
I never thought I would get so much support, and it means the world to me. Nothing could ever get better than that. – Stipe Miocic
I fell for my own hype. I had too many people saying I couldn’t be beat, and I actually fell for it. – Stipe Miocic
I make no excuses. Stefan Struve was the man that night. He earned his win fair and square. – Stipe Miocic
When my wife was getting a lease for her Jeep Cherokee, and I saw a Dodge Ram Sport, I thought, ‘Oh wow, it’s amazing.’ – Stipe Miocic
I like being the underdog. I like turning around and shutting people up when they tell me I can’t. – Stipe Miocic
I think any fight you get into, you’ve got to shine and show that you deserve to be up there. – Stipe Miocic
In the fight with Hunt, all I can say is it was a good night for me. I’m happy to get out of there without taking too much damage, and I’d take that every time. – Stipe Miocic