VALLEY VIEW, Ohio -- At the top of the mountain, especially in the fight game, there is no time for rest.
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic did not have much time to savor his dominant unanimous-decision victory over top-ranked contender Francis Ngannou after UFC 220 in Boston on January 20th, as he was chosen to be a coach for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter and had to catch a flight to Las Vegas for six weeks of tapings for the build-up to Saturday’s defense against Daniel Cormier in the main event of UFC 226 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“Oh, it was fun,” Miocic said. “I thought it was going to be more like ‘Hey,’ but I was so into training these kids, I really didn’t care what I was doing. I wanted to make sure these kids had the best experience, but it was a lot of fun.”
PHOTOS: UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic readies to defend title against Daniel Cormier in July
While Miocic was mentoring the UFC’s next generation of fighters, he came to understand what his future could be in the fight game when he decides to hang up the gloves.
“I learned a lot about myself,” Miocic said. “I became a better coach. I really don’t coach, so it was a little awkward at first because I just didn’t know how to run practices or things like that, but just seeing how the kids react and how you talk to them, it helped me, so when I’m done fighting, I definitely going to do this.”
While going through The Ultimate Fighter tapings, Miocic maintained a strict training regime in order to keep himself sharp ahead of his fourth defense of the UFC heavyweight championship.
“I think it’s the same as usual,” Miocic said of his fight preparation. “You have your obligations that you have to do, but it’s not bad. You don’t have to travel, which is fine with me. It sucks sometimes, when you do have to travel. It does stink, but I usually bring a coach with me.
“I still get my workouts in. I don’t miss anything. Some days, I get more tired and cranky than other days, but most of the time, it’s great. I make sure I have time to train during travelling, but I’m training just as much as I did before. Nothing’s changed. If I’m working, I’m still working out here.”
And as far as seeing Cormier on a daily basis during the show’s taping, that did not bother Miocic one bit, not when he knows what is at stake on Saturday night.
“No, I don’t really care,” Miocic said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to fight. It’s business. I’m not going to worry about it too much. I’ve got other stuff to worry about than him trying to beat me up. I’ll worry about it July 7.”
