Stipe Miocic Releases Statement on UFC 260 Defeat: ‘That’s the Beast of This Business’

Thanks to his consistency and longevity, Stipe Miocic is one of the greatest heavyweight champions the UFC has ever seen.

His second reign came to an end on Saturday night, as he was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in the second round of their headlining clash at UFC 260 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Miocic fell awkwardly after being hit with the decisive blow, but in a statement released on his Instagram page Monday assured everyone that he is in relatively good health following the defeat.

“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 and 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,” he continued. “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.”

During his first championship reign, Miocic earned a clear-cut unanimous decision over Ngannou at UFC 220 in January 2018. In that bout, Miocic tired his heavy-handed opponent out with wrestling and takedowns. When Ngannou denied the Strong Style Fight Team representative’s attempt to take the action to the mat in Round 1 at UFC 260, it set the tone for a different type of fight. Still, Miocic believes that had the bout gone longer, he would have been able to wear “The Predator” down once again. Instead, he got caught.

“Unfortunately, I deviated from game plan. I felt great coming into the second round, I saw it was beginning to go as planned,” Miocic wrote. “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 [Francis Ngannou] and his team on a well earned victory. Saturday night was your night, enjoy your victory! 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.”

The 38-year-old Miocic holds promotional records at heavyweight for most consecutive title defenses and victories in championship fights. His resume includes wins over the likes of Daniel Cormier (twice), Ngannou, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson, among others.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic)