Stipe Miocic pulled something off in his rematch with Daniel Cormier that gave him added confidence.

In the main event of UFC 241, Miocic took on Cormier in a bid to reclaim the heavyweight gold. Miocic was knocked out by Cormier back in July 2018, but he always expressed his belief that he’s the better fighter. Miocic found a way to stop Cormier in the fourth round to become a two-time UFC heavyweight champion.

Speaking to Chael Sonnen, Miocic admitted that the opening round was far from ideal.

“Oh 100 percent, it was terrible. It was absolutely terrible.”

One thing that impressed Sonnen and those watching the fight was Miocic’s ability to adjust. The Cleveland native said it comes down to having a solid team.

“Yeah man, I have the best coaches in the world, dude,” he said. “They put me through hell. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I’m at today, honestly. I’m very lucky. You know, you just gotta weather the storm man. It’s a five-round fight. It’s not just five minutes, it’s 25 minutes.”

Miocic went on to discuss the takedown he scored on Cormier and said it served as a significant confidence-booster.

“Oh it definitely was [a confidence-booster],” he said. “It was just tough man. At that point we were both tired and he was real sweaty so it’s hard to hold onto him. I hit him a little bit and then he got up and just kinda squeaked out. You know it is what it is, but points-wise that was good for me.”

Did you expect Stipe Miocic to turn the tide after the opening round against Daniel Cormier?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/22/2019.