5 possible opponents for Stipe Miocic

This past weekend saw Stipe Miocic defend his UFC Heavyweight title against potentially his most dangerous opponent yet – knockout artist Francis Ngannou – and with that victory, he’s officially the most successful Heavyweight in UFC history, making a record three defences of his belt.

But who is next for the blue-collar Croatian-American star? If UFC President Dana White had his way, it sounds like the UFC would book Miocic to fight Light-Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier next in a superfight of sorts, but Cormier has already stated that he doesn’t really want the fight. So if not Cormier, then who will be next in line to attempt to dethrone Stipe? Here are five possibilities.

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#1 Cain Velasquez

A healthy Cain Velasquez represents the toughest match for Miocic

The most obvious opponent for Miocic right now – assuming he’s fit and healthy this year – is former two-time UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Essentially, Cain is the reason why Daniel Cormier is refusing to take the Miocic fight, as they’re training partners and Cormier feels Cain should be next in line. Granted, Velasquez hasn’t fought since July 2016 due to injuries, but when he’s healthy, he’s still arguably the best Heavyweight in the world.

Nobody can push the pace quite like a healthy Cain Velasquez, and many observers would argue that with his wrestling and boxing background, Miocic is almost like a lite version of the former champion. Obviously, the champion would beg to differ on that one, and that’s why a fight between the two would be such a tremendous match to make. If Cain had been healthy, would Miocic have ever claimed the title? That’s the question the fight would aim to answer.

Obviously, the elephant in the room is Velasquez’s layoff, but realistically, the dearth of contenders at Heavyweight means the UFC would be more than willing to give him an immediate title shot upon his return, especially given his reputation. Assuming Velasquez can get healthy in 2018, he could well be next in line for Miocic – particularly if the champion is to wait a while until his next fight as has been mentioned.

#2 Fabricio Werdum

Fabricio Werdum lost his title to Miocic and has been looking for a rematch since

A rematch with the former champion – the man who Miocic knocked out to take the Heavyweight title in May 2016 – wouldn’t exactly be the biggest money fight, and that’s why the UFC may not choose to go in that direction. But if they want to go by merit, then Fabricio Werdum should probably be next in line. Since the Miocic loss, he’s fought four times and won three, with the lone loss being a controversial decision against Alistair Overeem.

Werdum’s strength of competition hasn’t been the greatest, admittedly – Travis Browne, Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura aren’t genuine title contenders right now – but with everyone else either on the shelf, coming off losses, or already booked in fights, then the Brazilian grappling master might be the best option to take the next title shot.

How would a rematch go? Realistically, it’s anyone’s guess. Werdum hasn’t gotten any worse since their first meeting, and in a lot of respects, he made it easy for Miocic by charging at him with little regard for defence. Surely he wouldn’t make that mistake twice? The UFC could surely sell that angle, but Werdum’s lower profile with casual fans might put them off making the fight.

#3 Jon Jones

Could Jon Jones move to Heavyweight to face Miocic next?

Obviously right now, the status of former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion Jon Jones is a massive question mark – he’s currently under USADA suspension for a positive drug test for the anabolic steroid turinabol following his July win over Daniel Cormier, and it’s for that reason that he no longer holds his championship. Given that this was his second positive test under the USADA banner, Jones could be looking at a massive four-year ban.

But UFC President Dana White has stated that he expects Jones to be back in the cage in 2018 – perhaps he believes Jones will try the “contaminated supplement” excuse and USADA will buy it like they’ve done with a number of other fighters. If that’s the case and Jones does return, the question then becomes which title does he look to claim? He could go back to 205lbs to attempt to dethrone Cormier again, but would there be any point?

A much more interesting fight would be at Heavyweight against Miocic. Would Jones’s massive reach, tremendous wrestling game and unorthodox striking be as successful against a bigger guy like Stipe? And could his chin cope with the extra power that a legitimate Heavyweight like Miocic packs? It’s a fight that could provide a hell of a lot of intrigue, and for that reason, Jones as a possible opponent has to be an option.

#4 Curtis Blaydes

With Ngannou now beaten, could Curtis Blaydes be the next big thing?

Fans and observers alike were massively excited by Francis Ngannou’s challenge for the UFC Heavyweight title, partly because outside of Miocic himself, he was the first Heavyweight to emerge from the next era of fighters, rather than the Overeem/Werdum/Velasquez/Dos Santos era that’s starting to age dramatically now. Another man from Ngannou’s newer era is the only other man besides Miocic to really stand up to the Cameroonian’s power – Curtis Blaydes.

Currently booked to face Mark Hunt at UFC 221 in what will easily be his biggest test to date, Blaydes is an up-and-comer who isn’t quite as flashy as Ngannou in terms of the knockouts he’s delivered, but he’s arguably more proven – he’s gone the distance in the UFC, we know all about his excellent wrestling background to go with his powerful strikes, and he’s overcome adversity, fighting against Ngannou’s power until the doctor forced him to stop.

Right now, Blaydes largely represents potential, but we’ve seen fighters like him make massive strides of improvement in the past, and if he goes into Australia and wrecks Hunt in his backyard, then there could well be calls for him to receive the next shot at Miocic, particularly if no other clear-cut contender is around. And as a bigger man than Miocic and arguably a better wrestler, it’d be an interesting fight if nothing else.

#5 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar facing Miocic would certainly draw a massive PPV buyrate

When Ngannou was talking as if him defeating Miocic was a given, one of the names he threw out as his next opponent was the former UFC Heavyweight champion – and current WWE Universal champion – Brock Lesnar. Right now Lesnar isn’t contracted with the UFC, but his USADA suspension for a positive drug test is now over which means he could make a comeback somewhere down the road – something UFC President Dana White has suggested he’d be open to.

Granted, coming off a positive drug test and well over a year out of active MMA competition, giving Lesnar a title shot would be extremely controversial, but then the UFC have shown plenty of times that they’re not above giving undeserving fighters title shots – especially if they can draw PPV buys. And no Heavyweight in UFC history has drawn buys quite like Brock Lesnar, after all.

The risk with this option would be that Lesnar could win, leaving the UFC with a Heavyweight champion who isn’t fully committed to the sport, but given Miocic is a bad match for Lesnar – he resembles Cain Velasquez, who easily destroyed Brock in 2010 – it’s a risk that Dana White and the WME-IMG power brokers may be willing to take. I don’t expect to see Lesnar back in the cage in 2018, but if he does return, to see him opposite Miocic wouldn’t truly surprise me.