It doesn't look like much, but Stipe Miocic's single right-hand punch to the jaw of a wildly approaching Fabricio Werdum was enough to earn the Euclid, Ohio native the UFC heavyweight title Saturday night.
The bout was waved off after the punch, at the 2:47 mark, and Miocic (15-2) was crowned champ before a crowd of 45,000 in Curitiba, Brazil.
"Cleveland, we've got a champion, baby," said Miocic, who said he was motivated, in part, by Cleveland's historic championship drought.
"Actually tonight on ESPN they did a ‘30 for 30,’ they had ‘Believe-Land’ — it was a documentary about how Cleveland sports didn't really win championships so I knew I had to put an end to it," Miocic said. "I had to stop the curse for us."
Miocic's victory is certainly not the championship most Clevelanders crave, but locals (and the major local sports teams) certainly supported the 240-pound Croatian big-hitter. And the bars were bumping after his knockout.
And some local color:
And more local color:
And some "expert" analysis:
