If Stipe Miocic, one of the greatest UFC fighters to enter the octagon, senses that his ego is beginning to inflate, the 35-year-old knows exactly where to go.
Not to a gym, or even a baseball field, where he excelled as an infielder for Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, sporting a .344 batting average as a senior in 2005. No, all Miocic has to do is head down to the fire station and he’ll be met with barbs that would pierce even the most conceited of souls.
A part-time firefighter who splits his hours between the Valley View Fire Department in Cleveland and the Oakwood Fire Department 20 minutes away, Miocic may be the most grounded individual to ever enjoy acclaim in a sport seemingly designed to encourage bombast.
Surely this has to do with the nature of his “side-hustle.’’ A paramedic tasked with responding to medical calls, Miocic isn’t above his coworkers when it comes to accepting laborious tasks around the station.
“He knows that when he walks in the door, ‘Here’s a scrub brush: go clean the toilets,’ ’’ said Jamie Meklemburg, a 15-year firefighter at Valley View. “We’re not going to make exceptions for anybody. That’s not what the public expects of us.’’
“The guys at the station keep me grounded,’’ said Miocic. “They make me feel terrible about myself sometimes, in a good way. If they’re making fun of you, they like you.’’
A native of Euclid, Ohio, Miocic returned to his home state to begin the training necessary to pursue a career in firefighting following his gaudy senior season on the diamond. While working at a local gym to earn food and gas money in his off time, Miocic met Daniel Bobish, a UFC veteran and fellow Ohio native. Bobish asked the soft-spoken student to help him train.
Miocic, who is listed at 6 feet 4 inches and 245 pounds, was hardly petite by comparison, so he obliged. Not long after, Miocic met coach Marcus Marinelli, and a second career was born.
“I wasn’t fighting right away,’’ said Miocic. “I trained for about a year, year and a half before I had my first fight. It’s a job. You have to work hard at it, knowing that if you don’t win you don’t make as much, so you have to go out there and give it all you’ve got and get that W to put a little more coin in your pocket.’’
Miocic quickly began ascending the MMA ranks, then UFC ranks, eventually winning back-to-back heavyweight title belts to tie Randy Couture, Tim Sylvia, Brock Lesnar, and Cain Velasquez.
When Miocic (17-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) steps into the octagon Saturday for UFC 220 at TD Garden, Francis Ngannou (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will be all that stands between him and uncharted waters.
Working two jobs is no longer a financial necessity; it’s Miocic’s preferred way of life.
“He loves to help people,’’ said UFC president Dana White. “He says he’ll never quit, no matter how much money he makes. He’s going to stay a firefighter in Cleveland and continue to do what he does. I think he’s a very grounded guy, and it’s such a cool story.’’
Hearing Miocic talk about the mundane issues he deals with on an everyday basis is amusing in its own right. If his training regimen or travel schedule conflicts with a shift at the station, he’ll swap with a co-worker, despite planning his schedule a month in advance. That White deemed Saturday’s affair “probably the greatest heavyweight championship fight we’ve ever put on,’’ only adds to the amusement of hearing Miocic discuss shift coverage and such.
Despite Miocic’s belts, Ngannou is Vegas’s definitive favorite, and he predicts he “is going to claim the throne.’’ Though a sturdy traditional boxer, Miocic has a tendency to eat punches while his head lingers within an opponent’s reach, and that could prove costly against the powerful Ngannou.
Then again, Miocic’s cardiovascular mettle has been tested on more than one occasion. A steely confidence belies his humble exterior, and in Miocic’s eyes, a third straight title defense is certain.
“I’ve trained way too hard, sacrificed way too much to give this bout,’’ he said. “He is a good fighter. He’s tough, he’s big, he’s strong, but he hasn’t seen anything like me yet.
“I’m not giving up that belt. He knows who the man is, and that’s me. I’m going to walk in there, do my thing like I always do, and walk out champ.’’
Meklemburg is one of many of Miocic’s firefighting pals who has made the trek east to be in attendance for the bout.
Much like the oddsmakers, Meklemburg was once a doubter of Miocic’s drive. That dissipated the minute Miocic stepped into the station.
“I had question marks when we hired him,’’ Meklemburg said. “I’ll be the first to admit it. I didn’t think it was the best hire to hire somebody fresh out of school who gets punched for a living. He proved me wrong immediately.
“He was a college athlete. Being in a fire station is a lot like being in a locker room sometimes. From day one he’s fit right in.’’
Globe correspondents Hayden Bird and Sammy Hurwitz contributed to this report.
