Stipe Miocic hopes he done Croatia proud in heartfelt retirement message
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
(Photo: Instagram)
Stipe Miocic, the legendary two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, announced his retirement following his loss to Jon Jones at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
In a statement made on Monday, the 42-year-old Croatian-American expressed gratitude to his fans, with a special mention for Croatia.
“You all have given me so much, and I hope I did you all proud. Croatia & Cleveland, Ohio especially. I felt all of you with me at every battle,” Miocic said in his heartfelt post.
A Proud Croatian Heritage
Miocic has never been shy about embracing and sharing his Croatian origins with the world.
Born in the United States to Croatian parents, his late father hailed from Rtina, near Zadar on the Dalmatian coast, while his mother is from Cetingrad near Karlovac.
Miocic even carries two Croatian tattoos as a testament to his pride.
Stipe Miocic (photo credit: Instagram)
Reflecting on his first visit to Croatia, Miocic shared in an earlier interview:
“I just love the country, it’s amazing, I just love everything about it. My first time going [to Croatia], I was there for about two weeks and it was awesome to spend time with my father and his wife, my brother. We just soaked it up, we got to see everything, [met] family I had never met before. That was awesome.”
A Stellar UFC Career
Miocic leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights in UFC history. Over his illustrious career, he set multiple records, including the most wins in heavyweight title fights.
During his reigns, he defended the title four times, defeating some of the sport’s biggest names, including Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Francis Ngannou, and Daniel Cormier.
Renowned for his resilience and sportsmanship, Miocic became a fan favourite not just for his performances in the octagon but also for his humble and grounded personality.
His full farewell post in full:
Let me start this post by saying I am good. Been through a lot worse. I hope everybody enjoyed the show on Saturday. What an incredible way go out! I started this journey fighting in local bowling alleys & ended it selling out Madison Square Garden. It truly doesn’t get batter than that.
Sorry I don’t get the W, but you can’t get em all. Sometimes it’s not your night, that is the nature of the beast. You can’t plan a perfect ending in this sport, but I guess the perfect ending is to have been lucky enough to do it at all. You all have given me so much, and I hope I did you all proud. Croatia & Cleveland Ohio especially. I felt all of you with me at every battle.
(Photo: Instagram/cropped)
To Marcus Marinelli and the Strongstyle team. We started together, we finished together. We cried together & we bled together. If people only knew the whole story of everything we have been through… we could write a pretty badass novel. There is nobody else I would have shared this journey with… the best part is that we are family forever… Marcus, I know my father has passed. But I also know he appreciates you stepping in and being the father figure I needed in my life.
We had a hell of a run coach. You dedicated years of your life to me. We made history based on a dream and you had a vision. Now we have more time to drink wine and play euchre while making fun of Bobby because he is terrible at defending him self.
To my opponents, thank you all. I learned something from every single one of you. It was a honor to go to war brothers.
To my wife, you are my rock. The ship doesn’t sail without you. You sacrificed so much for this dream and I love you. God knew I needed you & you motivate me more than any one!
I will miss hanging up on you on Embedded, but there’s YouTube for that. To my kids, everything I have ever done is all for the two of you. To my Mom, I know this isn’t the career you would have chose for me, but you have always been in my corner since day one.. it was me & you.
Stipe Miocic and his sports nutrition coach Dr. Paul Biondich (Instagram/Private album)
To my Vayner sports family, you guys are the best in the business!
And finally to the fans, you guys are the heartbeat of this sport. You are what makes the MMA amazing! Without you, we fighters don’t even exist. The rush you gave me walking down to that octagon is forever engraved in my memory! Thank you for that.
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