UFC 309: The brutal Aussie beating that kick-started Stipe Miocic’s run to greatness

Stipe Miocic is now an undisputed UFC heavyweight great – but it may never have been if not for a savage, one-sided beatdown that led to calls for the sport to be banned in Australia.

The 2015 main event between Stipe Miocic and Mark Hunt changed both men forever. Picture: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

It was the savage, one-sided beatdown that left Mark Hunt in hospital and barely able to see.

It also led to increased calls for MMA to be banned in Australia, but was Stipe Miocic’s first step towards the heavyweight title and, ultimately, heavyweight greatness.

And it all happened in Adelaide a little under 10 years ago.

Back then, Miocic was coming off a unanimous decision defeat to Junior dos Santos that left him questioning his place in the sport and the division.

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Meanwhile, Hunt admits he was out of shape and underprepared for his first fight since losing to Fabricio Werdum for the interim heavyweight title six months earlier.

What followed over four-and-a-half bloody, bruising rounds made it into the history books as Miocic landed a record 361 total strikes to Hunt’s 46 on the way to a stunning fifth round TKO victory.

Mark Hunt looks worse for wear after his loss to Stipe Miocic in 2015.

For the Super Samoan, it was a wake-up call.

For Miocic, it was a sign of things to come – even if he was thrown off by having to fight in the afternoon.

“One hundred per cent, it gave me the confidence that I needed to know that I do belong here,” Miocic told this masthead.

“It was an interesting fight, because I fought at 1pm, which is awkward. So we fought and I got back at 3:30pm, and was like, ‘What do I do for the rest of the day and night? It was so weird’.

“That fight, coming after the loss to JDS, it did give me confidence that I do belong in the division.

Miocic broke the record for most strikes and most significant strikes landed. Picture: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

“(I landed) the most significant strikes, then Max Holloway came and beat me.

“I had (the record) for a while. I hit him a lot. I had no idea until someone told me, and everyone was saying, ‘No one’s ever going to break it’, then Max Holloway goes and breaks it like a week later!”

Miocic confirms he celebrated long and hard after adjusting to the bizarre time zone.

“It was a great time because I had family there, so we got to hang out,” he said. “I have family in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and they all came to visit me.

“We had fun. We tied one on and had a good time. We went to dinner and after that it was (downhill), in a good way.”

You wouldn't pick him as one of the most dangerous people on the planet. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

After that win over Hunt, Miocic put on arguably the greatest heavyweight run ever, with first round knockout wins over Andrei Arlovski, Werdum, Alistair Overeem and dos Santos as he established himself as the best heavyweight of all time.

He’ll face a much more dangerous opponent in the UFC 309 main event this weekend though, with current champion Jon Jones returning for the first time in two years.

“He brings a different array of things – kicks and different movements – he’s very tricky,” Miocic said. “He’s smart with what he does, he’s very calculated and you’ve gotta be careful with what you do with him.”

Pushed on a prediction for his first fight in more than four years, Miocic didn’t mince his words: “And new, KO.”

Originally published as UFC 309: The brutal Aussie beating that kick-started Stipe Miocic’s run to greatness