There were multiple reports that UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic was set to defend his title against former champ Cain Velasquez at UFC 216 on October 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A win for Miocic would be historic – no UFC heavyweight champion has ever successfully defended the title more than twice. Miocic has defended his belt vs. Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos, tieing the record with Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Brock Lesnar, and Cain Velasquez.
However, the well-informed Ariel Helwani reports for MMA Fighting that Miocic has no plans to fight anytime soon. And further, Helwani reports that Velasquez has yet to fully recover from back surgery.
The main issue, however, apparently stems from Miocic, and it comes down to money. Miocic first defended vs. Overeem. ‘Reems official purse was $800,000 to lose. The baddest man on the planet Miocic got just $600,000 to win. CM Punk got $500,000 to lose, and he displayed as much fighting skill as the average weekend soccer player.
Miocic wasn’t happy about his purse.
“It definitely should change,” said Miocic during a January appearance on Helwani’s The MMA Hour. “But the fact that he made more money than me in my last fight was just kind of a slap in the face. Terrible. Things definitely need to be changed. Something’s gotta change. It’s not really fair.”
Then in May Miocic beat JDS. Texas doesn’t release purses, but Miocic reportedly made $600,000 to Dos Santos’ $400,000. But If those figures follow the usual 50% to show and another 50% to win, JDS’s contract was still higher than Miocic’s. And the champ has apparently had enough.
Helwani reports that Miocic is not willing to fight again until his contract issues are addressed. So Miocic is likely still going to fight Velasquez at some point, but the fight is far from set.
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