Those of you who thought from early on that Stipe would become champ...

[g*r*b]

...Why?

That's not meant as a slam — surely by now you guys have figured out what a huge Stipe mark I am. But I only started watching MMA a few years ago, by which time he was already on the precipice of a TS so it wasn't a huge leap to think he might win a belt. And from this vantage point, viewing his early UFC fights doesn't exactly bowl me over. I mean it's evident he wasn't your all-too-typical doughy heavyweight mass and that he had some skillz, but watching the UFC Reloaded last night of UFC 146 didn't leave me thinking it was obvious that THIS was the guy destined to break the Heavyweight Curse. (Although them elbows, whoo! Did I imagine it, or did they make del Rosario spontaneously yell SHIT!! in the cage?)

I know I've seen a few posts on this forum by Sherdoggers claiming they had the feeling from very early in Stipe's career that he'd become champ. I'm hoping for you people to share your insights. Just what was it you saw that lead you to think that?

 

[Bubzeh]

The immigrant mentality.

 

[mayorcrazyeyes]

He punched people and they went unconscious. From the beginning, his potential was through the roof.

 

[calisoul]

I knew when I saw him doing push ups in his crib and changing his own diaper.

 

[Rygu]

I always felt he would be a mainstay at HW, but never really expected him to become champ and have several title defenses. I like the guy though so I'm happy for him.

 

[Bacco]

Maybe some seen it happen as the overall skyline was'nt that impressive and was getting worse

As myself, did'nt seen it coming
Still today dude is'nt impressive to me as prime Fedor, Cain or JDS

Anyway glad he got the belt, a nice dude that does'nt follow dana's bullshit

 

[Chivas GDL]

When he beat Roy I thought hey this guy is Smart enough to avoid the only one weapon from a one trick pony that is not common in mma HW .He may be going far.

 

[binny]

I honestly didn't think he'd do a ton until after the first jds fight. Even then i thought werdum would beat him.

 

[Jayziz]

I'm still not completely on board. I feel like Miocic's current run has much to do with his opponents mistakes or mileage. He has a lot to do before I'll put him in the same company as Fedor or Cain.

 

[Mammothman]

I know he was legit after the Nelson fight but I never thought he was going to be a champ but he was just kept getting better and better.
As a Werdum fan I was terrieid about a fight with Miocic and sadly it turn out to e worse than I thought

 

[cburm]

I didnt pay attention until i saw jds lose then i watched and said this guy is good hes good at learning his oppenants and makes the best game plans for them. As i cant see dc beating him because of this.

 

[MMA SCOUT]

Tbh after JDS beat him in that fashion, in which I thought JDS broke him in the fifth, I thought that was it for him. But he’s obviously proved me wrong.

One thing that Stipe has on a lot of heavies is he works extremely hard, I’ve seen it firsthand, he’s a beast

 

[MMAProfessional]

I was always impressed with him, especially after the JDS 1 fight. I thought he won that pretty handily and JDS was still on top of his game back then.

 

[Negator402]

Legitimate two-discipline fighter. NCAA wrestler plus amateur boxer.

 

[GSP1978]

 

[kenetics]

Stipe popped up when most hw fighters were way past their prime. His best win was jds but that was better Cain beat him down .

Stipe is average at best. He has a decent chin and alot of heart. That will take you along way in mma.

 

[DS66]

He had an impressive combination of wrestling and boxing skills, which is pretty rare in the HW division. He also had that legit power that puts people to sleep.

With that said, I didn't necessarily see future champ when I saw him. But it was clear that he'd create big problems for a lot of fighters in the division.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Stipe has only been an underdog 3 times in his UFC career: Nelson (which he won), JDS 1 (he lost a war), and Werdum (to win the title.)

He's always been considered elite, and while he lost a lot of steam losing to Struve, he gained it all back with his win over Nelson.

The JDS 1 fight basically showed he was at the elite level, although most thought he'd never see a title after this fight. But... funny how the winds of MMA move.

 

[Private Whatley]

I thought pretty early on that he had serious potential insofar as he’s an athletic, ideally framed HW with a wrestling background who moves like a lighter man. Unlike a JDS or Overeem who carry excess muscle on their frames or a Cain who sports extra body fat, Stipe is just a natural, relatively lean 240. I always figured he had potential based on his foundational skill set and athleticism but after I watched the way he pieced up Roy Nelson, I knew that he was a serious contender. The way he maintained range, threw volume, mixed takedowns and cooly applied pressure without getting hasty indicated not only a high level of conditioning but a sharp fight IQ. He’s a basic, tough, well rounded fighter and when you’re that big, that’s all you really need to be.

 

[Duck Dodgers]

Stipe has only been an underdog 3 times in his UFC career: Nelson (which he won), JDS 1 (he lost a war), and Werdum (to win the title.

He was also the underdog against Ngannou.