Stipe Miocic reveals why he chose MMA over boxing despite winning Golden Gloves title

Stipe Miocic recently spoke to Ariel Helwani from ESPN MMA on a plethora of topics ranging from the birth of his new child to eye pokes in MMA. The UFC heavyweight champion also weighed in on his decision to choose MMA despite being a former Golden Gloves champion.

According to Stipe Miocic, he had contemplated a career in boxing but decided to continue with MMA as it was the more diverse combat form with avenues to incorporate various forms of martial arts in the game. Talking about the aspect that lured him to choose the sport over boxing, Stipe Miocic told Ariel Helwani:

"I actually started MMA first and then for over a year and a half I was boxing in my state and then I came back. Yeah, I thought about it but I just stuck with MMA. I mean that aspect of it. There are so many different avenues of martial arts in the game. I don’t know, I just love it. Cause every fight starts standing and then you take someone down, kick someone in the head. There’s so many different aspects of the game I loved about it."

Why did Stipe Miocic take a year off from MMA

Stipe Miocic took a year off from MMA to engage in the sport of boxing and agreed that it very much benefited his game. In the lead-up to his first matchup against Daniel Cormier at UFC 226, Miocic told WKYC Studios in an interview:

"Just to get better. I was an amateur working my way up, and I had time to do it, so why not do it. Taking that time off and learning how to better use my striking with the boxing, it made me such a better fighter."

On his brief move to boxing, Stipe Miocic further added:

"I think it was just a puzzle. There’s so many different aspects to the sport. I just wanted to learn all of it. Also, it kept me out of trouble. I wasn’t going out all the time My buddies were like, ‘Hey, let’s go. It’s Ladies Night.’ I’m like, ‘Eh, I’m good. I’m going to go to bed. I’m tired.’ It just kept me out of trouble. I didn’t spend money. I wasn’t spending money. I was saving money. It made me a better person overall.”