You don't have to tell Stipe Miocic that fighters don't tend to have the phrase "reigning UFC heavyweight champion" next to their name for long periods of time.
Miocic himself demonstrated why on Saturday night in Curitiba, Brazil, when he knocked out Fabricio Werdum to take the title. All it takes is one punch by a large man wearing four-ounce gloves and a fighter's best-laid plans get changed in a hurry.
None of the 19 fighters who have held the UFC's 265-pound belt have been able to defend the title more than twice. Werdum dropped the title in his first defense.
But Miocic insisted that unlike his beloved hometown of Cleveland, which hasn't won a pro sports team championship since the Browns' 1964 NFL title, the belt isn't cursed and he's going to hang on to it for awhile.
"I've trained too hard. I want to keep this belt a long time," Miocic said at the UFC 198 post-fight press conference. "I'm going to keep this belt for awhile, I promise you that."
As for who might be the next challenger? Miocic says, since he's getting married in a couple weeks, he's going to focus on that for now and let the UFC figure out whether Werdum should get an immediate rematch or Alistair Overeem should get the shot.
"it's up to the UFC, honestly," Miocic said. "It's up to the UFC. Whoever they put in front of me, I'll fight. I'm all about getting home, I'm getting married in a couple weeks, that's all I care about right now."