It was confirmed today via Yahoo! Sports (first reported by Sherdog.com) that Stipe Miocic will be fighting heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 on May 14th in Brazil. Miocic (14-2) was initially slated to replace an injured Cain Velasquez against Werdum at UFC 196 (renamed later to UFC Fight Night 82) on Feb. 6th, however the Brazilian champion would also have to withdraw due to injury. We spoke to Miocic in an exclusive interview about the title fight and a variety of other topics. Reaction to Werdum pulling out of UFC 196 “It caught me by surprise at first but its irrelevant now and am thankful to have the opportunity to face him for the heavyweight title. I don’t feel he is afraid of anyone. The man is the UFC heavyweight champion of the world for a reason. I think it was more of a business decision and he didn’t want to take that risk on short notice against me. I think it worked out better this way and we will both have full camps going into the fight which is the way it should be.” How long this matchup had been in the works after the injury news “It wasn’t right away I will say that [laughs]. But Dana White did a great job communicating with us so we are always kept up to date.” Not fighting at UFC 200 and competing again in Brazil “I’m just happy to be fighting for the title regardless of the date. I love fighting in Brazil. It’s a beautiful place and the people are amazing. Its an honor to fight for the belt in Brazil.” Who he’ll be training with in anticipation for the title fight “My team is still working on that. I’m sure whoever it will be will do a great job. I’ve been lucky to have some great guys willing to come in and help. And I have some tough guys at the gym already like [Bellator veteran] John Hawk who helps me allot.” Breaking down the matchup with Werdum and being the younger fighter “I’m going to implement my game plan and have my hand raised when its over. That’s all I know. I’m not sure about the age [difference] being a factor but he’s still in great shape and has proven he can go the distance at full strength. We will both be ready for a war .I’m not worried about a knockout. If it happens great but I just focus on sticking to my game plan and things usually work out the way they should. Prediction for the championship matchup “With my hand raised and the belt draped over my shoulder. I’m taking that belt back to Cleveland!” You can follow Stipe on Twitter @stipemiocicufc
