Ohio has long been a hotbed for mixed martial arts talent dating back to the days when Mark Coleman’s Hammer House was running through opponents in the UFC and Pride, so it’s no surprise that a pair of the sport’s current brightest stars hail from the Buckeye State.
A duo of Northest Ohio wrestling products look to earn gold in what is often referred to as the “big-show,” or the world’s biggest organizations consisting of the UFC, Bellator, and World Series of Fighting.
Stipe Miocic (12-1) looks to inch closer to a title shot in the UFC’s murderous heavyweight division, as he takes on former division kingpin Junior Dos Santos (16-3) in the main event at UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix on Saturday night. Aside from beginning to be more open with the media, Miocic has quickly become a fan favorite because his hilarious personality has made his Twitter account (@stipemiocicufc) a must-follow.
Miocic has quickly climbed the UFC’s heavyweight rankings, posting a 6-1 record at the world’s highest level with a lone loss to Stefan Struve marring his record. But he is firmly within striking distance of a title shot on the strength of three straight wins, including decision victories over mainstays Gabriel Gonzaga and Roy Nelson and a quick knockout over Fabio Maldonado in May when he was originally slated to face Dos Santos.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the UFC heavyweight division, the Strong Style Fight Team product could be next in line for a title shot with a win over No. 2 ranked Dos Santos.
Staying on the West Coast but heading north a little bit, yet another Buckeye native will have his sights set on gold, as
Lance Palmer (8-1) is set to challenge Rick Glenn (15-2-1) for the WSOF featherweight title in the co-main event at WSOF 16 in Sacramento on Saturday night.
Palmer will get his second crack at the belt, as he was a late fill-in for Glenn a year ago when he stepped up to face Georgi Karakhanyan at WSOF 7. The Team Alpa Male fighter came up short that night, but he rebounded with a first round submission win at WSOF 10 in June to earn another title shot.
A former four-time All-American during his wrestling days at Ohio State, Palmer has been one of the sport’s biggest prospects since announcing his intentions to transition to the sport after his college days.
It has always been assumed that he’d be fighting for championships sooner rather than later, and a title win could be on the horizon for “The Party” in his new hometown on Saturday night.