Over the weekend, Stipe Miocic suffered a devastating loss to Francis Ngannou, dropping his heavyweight title in the process. Now he reacts to this defeat, with a heartfelt message to social media.
Heading into UFC 260, Miocic was being regarded as potentially the greatest heavyweight in UFC history. He held the record for most consecutive title defenses at heavyweight, as well as most heavyweight title wins in the promotion’s history.
Unfortunately for him, he was tasked with a rematch against Francis Ngannou. While Stipe won the first fight handily, Francis had made some massive changes that resulted in him scoring the knockout win in the second round, becoming the new heavyweight champion.
Stipe Miocic Reacts To UFC 260 Knockout
This was obviously a terrible setback for Stipe Miocic, and there was some concern about his health. This was only compounded by the way his leg bent when he fell back from the knockout.
Taking to his Instagram, the now former champ provided an update on his health, saying that he was okay. He also apologized to his fans in his hometown of Cleveland for losing the belt that they were so proud of him for having.
“First and foremost, I’m ok. I know that fall wasn’t my most graceful fall, but I was unconscious, so it happens 😂” Miocic wrote.“To my family friends and fans, especially Croatia & Cleveland..
I love you and I’m sorry. I hate letting you down. To my team, thank you. I know you feel every loss just as much as I do. We win as a family, we lose as a family.“Losses aren’t fun, they always sting for a while, but that’s the beast of this business. You can’t win them all, and it’s important to understand that losing is just as much a part of sports (and life) as winning. Don’t ever forget God will always put you where you’re meant to be at that exact moment. You can’t dwell on what you should have done better, but you can learn and improve from it and come back more prepared next time.
“Unfortunately, I deviated from game plan. I felt great coming into the second round, I saw it was beginning to go as planned. He was getting very winded, and I came in over zealous and unprotected. I wasn’t in a good posture to take the hit. He saw the opening, and did what any great fighter would have done.
That was my error that I accept, it wont happen again. Lastly, I’d like to congratulate @francisngannou and his team on a well earned victory. Saturday night was your night, enjoy your victory!” Miocic continued.“For now, I’m going to enjoy the down time, spend some time with my family, and welcome our son into the world this summer… stay tuned, God bless 🙏🏼 🇭🇷
