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Former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic released his first statement after suffering a second round knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 last weekend.
The Ohio native was unable to speak to the media gathered after the fight as he was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. On Monday, Miocic took to Instagram to offer an update on his condition after taking a hard punch from Ngannou that sent him crashing into the web followed by a brutal hammer that put a point exclamation mark on the KO.
“First and foremost, I’m fine,” Miocic wrote. “I know that fall was not my most graceful fall, but I was unconscious, so it happens. To my friends and family fans, especially Croatia and Cleveland… I love you and I’m sorry. I hate to let you down. To my team, thank you. I know you feel every loss 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 sport (and life) as winning. Never forget that God will always put you where you are supposed to be at this moment. You can’t dwell on what you should have done better, but you can learn from it and improve yourself and come back better prepared next time. “
After losing the first round to Ngannou on the scoreboards, Miocic returned to his corner where his coaches stressed to resume his attack once the fight resumed.
At this point, Miocic became more aggressive with his striking combinations, which allowed Ngannou to set up the knockout blow.
Miocic was scored with a hard shot, but then decided to strike back and actually cut Ngannou with a solid punch. Unfortunately for Miocic, Ngannou ate the shot and then retaliated with the meter which ultimately led to the fight ending and his reign as the UFC heavyweight champion.
“Unfortunately, I strayed from the game plan,” said Miocic. “I felt good when I got to the second round, I saw that it was starting to go as planned. He was getting very short of breath and I arrived overzealous and unprotected. I was not in a good position to take the blow. He saw the opening and did what any great fighter would have done.
“It is my mistake that I accept, it will not happen again. Finally, I would like to congratulate Francis Ngannou and his team for a well-deserved victory. Saturday night was your night, enjoy your victory.
As for what’s to come for Miocic, he looks set for a long hiatus as he prepares for the birth of his son, scheduled for August.
“For now, I will be enjoying the free time, spending time with my family and welcoming our son into the world this summer,” Miocic wrote. “Stay tuned, God bless you.”
Miocic entered the fight against Ngannou as the most legendary heavyweight champion in UFC history with the most successful heavyweight title defenses (three) and wins in six championship fights in total.
As for Ngannou, he has already expressed interest in staying busy as the champion with all signs pointing to a potential showdown with Jon Jones coming up or a possible rematch against Derrick Lewis later this year.
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