Stipe Miocic Trains for His UFC Main Event Fight

Undefeated contender Stipe Miocic is poised for a run to the top of the UFC heavyweight division ranks. Watch him train in the weeks leading up to his main event fight.

Stipe Miocic says of his goals, "It's all mind over matter. In your mind if you can do it, then you're going to do it."This outlook on goals is what carried Miocic to the top of the UFC heavyweight division ranks. Miocic embarked on a 10-week training camp to prepare for his first UFC main event fight. He trains twice a day from Monday through Friday and once on Saturdays. His morning session is weight training and conditioning workout, with evenings dedicated to different forms of MMA sparring, including boxing, wrestling, grappling and jiu jitsu. In his final week of sparring, Miocic fought five five-minute rounds, in which he worked on controlling the fight, pushing the pace, and winning the round. Says his coach Marcus Marinelli, owner of Strong Style MMA gym and team coach, "His focus and his ability to stay focused when he's really tired has taken a big step up." After the MMA sparring session, Miocic performed a conditioning circuit of Jacobs Ladder, in which he climbed for 60 seconds and rested for 20 seconds for 10 rounds, followed by 100 Overhead Med Ball Slams. While the circuit builds endurance, Miocic says the greatest benefit is improving mental toughness. "I never want to fail in the cage, so why would I want to fail on this [circuit]," Miocic says. Even though he's training for his first UFC main event fight, Miocic tries to keep things light and maintain his laid-back approach. "I've gotta have a good time," he says. "I'm always trying to be happy and not think too hard about it and take it day-by-day."Headlining a UFC card is one goal achieved among a list of many others by Miocic. A win in this main event fight would push Miocic higher up the UFC ranks, with his eyes on one day headlining a UFC pay-per-view event with a shot at the heavyweight title.