Stipe Miocic Calls for Heavyweight Title Shot After Stopping Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195

Most who follow mixed martial arts expected a spectacular finish in the UFC 195 co-main event between Stipe Miocic and Andrei Arlovski. One of the heavyweights was to be removed from consciousness, but it was a mystery as to whom it would be.

Would it be Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champion who has figuratively risen from the grave to skyrocket through the ranks in his quest to miraculously regain his title? Or would it be Miocic, a winner of four of his last five fights, a man equally driven to claim the heavyweight throne?

As it turned out, Arlovski never had a chance to get his ferocious striking going, as Miocic shattered the “Pitbull’s” Cinderella story like a glass slipper. Just 54 seconds into the contest, Arlovski was turtled up, trying to recover as Miocic slammed his head with left hand after left hand.

Arlovski was badly rocked by a perfect right to the jaw and then felled with a follow-up right to the ear. Once referee Herb Dean pulled Miocic off his fallen prey, the Ohioan rushed to the fence and shouted at UFC President Dana White that he deserves to be next in line for the heavyweight title. Having been ranked No. 3 in the promotion going in, Miocic more than staked his claim to fight the winner of February’s Fabricio Werdum-Cain Velasquez rematch.

“I deserve it,” Miocic proclaimed afterward, regarding his imminent crack at heavyweight gold.

“I’ve had a bad few weeks personally with some family issues,” Miocic told the press after the dust settled inside Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. “I just really want to have my shot, and I know I deserve it. I think that win was impressive enough, and I'm very emotional and jacked about the way it ended up.

“This is what I signed up for,” the full-time fireman continued. “He’s a former champ and a super tough guy, a really nice guy. He can always get stung and come back, so I knew I had to put him away and put a stamp on my title shot.”