UFC 203: 5 keys to victory for Stipe Miocic
Here are the five keys to victory for Stipe Miocic against Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 on Saturday night.
At UFC 198, Stipe Miocic was an underdog going into a title matchup against heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum. He quickly proved just how great he was when he knocked out Werdum in the first round and now, he’s the UFC heavyweight champion.
At UFC 203, Miocic will look to defend his title for the first time against top heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem. The Champ has a very tough task at hand, and in the next few slides, you’ll see what Miocic will have to do in order to successfully defend his title. Let’s start down below.
CURITIBA, BRAZIL – MAY 14: Fabricio Werdum of Brazil competes Stipe Miocic of the United States in their heavyweight bout during the UFC 198 at Arena da Baixada stadium on May 14, 2016 in Curitiba, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
5. Constant pressure
Throughout his MMA career, especially in the UFC, Miocic has found a lot of success when he’s able to pressure his opponents and implement his game plan. For example, in his fight against Andrei Arlovski, he was able to get after it early by getting in Arlovski’s face and landing some hard shots before finishing him early in the first round.
In his upcoming fight against Overeem, Miocic will have to utilize the same style of fighting. Overeem is a fighter who relies on using his kicks to find success. For many fighters, it’s hard to throw kicks when you’re moving backwards, so this will favor Miocic.
If Miocic can get Overeem back-peddling, he’ll be able to use his boxing to land some hard shots while neutralizing Overeem’s kicking game at the same time. If he gets him against the cage, he’ll also be able to use the clinch to land some strikes or go for a takedown.
LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 02: (R-L) Stipe Miocic punches Andrei Arlovski in their heavyweight bout during the UFC 195 event inside MGM Grand Garden Arena on January 2, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
4. Boxing
We all know Overeem is a very decorated striker. Being a K-1 Grand Prix champion, he has a ton of kickboxing experience and he has used that acumen in many of his fights — especially in his win over Andrei Arlovski his last time out.
Still, Overeem isn’t that great of a boxer. He does have power in his hands, but he isn’t as fluid in the boxing realm like Miocic. Miocic will need to use his boxing skills to find success against Overeem. Obviously, he’ll need to be careful because Overeem is a competent striker and can catch him, but Miocic should be able to out-box him throughout the course of the fight.
With his boxing, Miocic will have to find his chin. It’s no secret that Overeem has a suspect chin and has been knocked out numerous times already, so Miocic will look to use his boxing skills to do just that. But, he will also need to attack the body.
Attacking the body will help him slow down Overeem’s attack and will set up his entire game. Combinations are a big part of striking, especially in boxing. So, if Miocic can use his fists to set up some nice combinations to the body and head, he should find success early and often.
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MAY 10: Stipe Miocic (top) punches Mark Hunt in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on May 10, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
3. Wrestling
A big part of Miocic’s game is his wrestling background. He has a lot of experience and although he doesn’t show it as much in most of his fights — since he seems very content with standing up with his opponents and using his boxing — he’s a very good wrestler.
One fight that stands out the most is his matchup against Mark Hunt. Throughout the course of five rounds, Miocic was able to not only pick Hunt apart on the feet, but the glaring weakness in Hunt’s game in that bout was his takedown defense.
Miocic took Hunt down numerous times in that bout and whenever he’s able to secure a dominant top position, it’s hard to get him off you. He’s relentless with his ground-and-pound as well, which will help him if he’s able to take Overeem down.
The problem here is Overeem’s takedown defense. Overeem has shown throughout his career that he’s excellent at stuffing takedowns. Facing many accomplished grapplers like Fabricio Werdum, Brock Lesnar, and Frank Mir, Overeem was able to beat them all pretty convincingly.
Miocic will have to take a different approach against Overeem rather than going straight for the takedown. The thing is, Miocic is great at setting up his takedowns with his striking. His level changes are some of the best in the heavyweight division and if he’s able to do that against Overeem, he’ll find success.
PHOENIX, AZ – DECEMBER 13: (L-R) Stipe Miocic punches Junior Dos Santos of Brazil in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at the U.S. Airways Center on December 13, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
2. Mix it up
Mixing up his attack will be a great way for Miocic to keep Overeem guessing. Although Miocic is primarily a boxer, he has many other tools at his disposal that will come in handy against Overeem on Saturday night.
We’ve preached about Miocic’ boxing and how solid it is, but he’ll need to do more than just throw gloves. As he’s switching attacks from the body to the head, he can also toss in some kicks, elbows, and knees to change things up and possibly hurt Overeem. In the clinch against the cage, knees and elbows will definitely come in handy.
He’ll also need to mix up his striking attack in order to set up his wrestling game more effectively. In order to successfully take down Overeem, Miocic will have to land hard strikes on the feet and level change into the takedown. Once he’s on top, he’ll be able to mix up his strikes on the ground to hurt him there as well.
As stated before, Miocic usually leans on his boxing and his wrestling to find the most success, and that’s usually enough. That may work against Overeem if he’s able to implement it in the right way, but he needs to be ready to use everything else he has in order to win.
ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA – MAY 10: (R-L) Stipe Miocic elbows Mark Hunt in their heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on May 10, 2015 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
1. Set the pace
In this matchup, it’s very important that Miocic sets the pace for the fight. Letting someone like Overeem find his rhythm and set the tone could be very dangerous for Miocic. As soon as the bell rings, Miocic needs to go at Overeem and force his game.
From his boxing and pressure to his wrestling, Miocic will need to use all of his tools in order to set the pace and fight his game. There are many ways he can do this and he has proven in past fights that he can go five rounds with no problem.
It’s no secret Overeem isn’t the most conditioned athlete in the heavyweight division. Since he hasn’t gone five rounds in quite some time, he may not be used to fighting in the championship rounds, whereas Miocic has more experience in that realm — at least recently.
Obviously, if Miocic can get the fight finished early on, then there’s no doubt that he’ll look to do so, but if the fight does go past the third round, then it will most like be in his favor. Setting the pace early on will be essential and if Miocic is able to enforce his game plan, it may be more than Overeem can handle.
The best chance Overeem has is in the early rounds and he will most definitely have his moments. But, Miocic is a very tough and durable fighter and he will force Overeem to fight at his pace and that’s where he’ll shine.
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