CLEVELAND -- When UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic is not training for a fight inside The Octagon, he is preparing to bring the fight to another opponent: situations where people are in desperate need of help.
In addition to being the UFC Champion after knocking out Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 in front of 45,000 fans at the Arena Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba, Brazil, Miocic is a firefighter/paramedic in Valley View and Oakwood Village, and that has not changed despite him being the No. 1 heavyweight in the world.
“I’m going to keep that recipe together,” Miocic said after the fight. “I love being a fireman. I love helping people. I’m not making a change, man. I’m a champ, but I’m going to keep being a firefighter like I am. I love helping people.
“I’m a firefighter/paramedic part-time at two wonderful departments in Oakwood Village and Valley View. I have amazing guys that work there, amazing chiefs. They help me out a lot. I love being a fireman. I love helping people, being a paramedic. There’s nothing better.”
Already beaming after the championship victory, Miocic’s coach, Marcus Marinelli, was proud of his pupil’s decision to remain with the departments in order to help his community.
“When we were at the press conference afterwards, there were a million Brazilian reporters there, and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re still a part-time fireman. You know, now that you’re champion of the world, do you plan on continuing that?’” Marinelli said.
“There was no hesitation. He was like, ‘Absolutely.’ They’re like, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘It’s because I love helping people. I love helping people in my city. I just like helping people. I love what I do.’ That says a lot. The reality is, people think it does, but it doesn’t interfere with his training. He has a lot of leeway. People trade shifts a lot. People help him, and it works out fine.”
The new UFC and former NAAFS (North American Allied Fight Series) Heavyweight Champion and Golden Gloves boxing titlist, Miocic is 9-2 in 11 fights in the UFC, but even while training for his bouts, he remains committed to helping protect the lives of people in his community.
“One-hundred percent, I love helping people,” Miocic said. “I love being busy. If I’m not busy, I get a little antsy.
“There’s nothing better than that. Those guys, they treat me like nothing different. They mess with me, they make fun of me all the time. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Following a win over Andre Arlovski back in January, Miocic ran around the cage demanding a title shot and was named the No. 1 contender. Then, after momentarily being named a replacement for Cain Velasquez in a Super Bowl weekend fight against Werdum only to have that fight cancelled, Miocic’s title aspirations were put on hold.
However, UFC President Dana White stood by his word and gave Miocic the title shot at the top of the card of UFC 198 in Werdum’s home country. Although Miocic was fighting on foreign soil for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, he counted his fellow firefighters and paramedics among his supporters.
Some of his coworkers flew out to Las Vegas to watch the fight and feel as if they were there with Miocic in Brazil, and he took another to Curitiba to take in the bout in person.
“They’re amazing men,” Miocic said. “It’s like a brotherhood, you know? They look at me as a brother. They look out for me. I look out for them. It just doesn’t get better than that.”
