Miocic finishes Overeem in 1st round, retains title in UFC 203 main event

It was a messy four minutes, but Stipe Miocic made sure the UFC heavyweight title remained in his native Cleveland.

Miocic finished Alistair Overeem with ground-and-pound in the first round to defend the title in their headlining bout at UFC 203 on Saturday. The champion had to overcome an early storm after Overeem dropped him with a solid left hand, and looked like he'd earn his first submission win in seven years after following the knockdown with a guillotine choke.

After escaping Overeem's clutches, Miocic continually stalked the challenger, unleashing his deadly boxing once he'd backed him against the cage. The Dutchman tried to elude the onslaught, but after whiffing on a kick, Miocic followed him to the ground, where he teed off on his head until referee Marc Goddard intervened for the stoppage.

While giving commentator Joe Rogan his account of the proceedings post-fight, Overeem claimed Miocic had tapped to his guillotine, but the ensuing replay debunked the allegation. The vicious knockout, which likely bred the accusation, was the 10th time Overeem has been handed one in his career - the most of any active UFC fighter.

With the victory, Miocic not only earned his first title defense, but happily ended a homecoming to a city that owned one of the saddest legacies in pro sports until just a few months ago. That inaugural UFC heavyweight champ and Ohio native Mark Coleman witnessed the feat cageside further mythologizes the narrative of Miocic's run.

Overeem, on the other hand, failed to secure a victory that would have netted him the uber-rare distinction of holding a title in four different promotions. Before dropping Miocic, he seemed intent on riding his footwork and picking his shots from range, prompting the champion to actually chase him around the cage, but his battle-worn chin simply was not on the same page.

The only prize "The Reem's" enviable 56-fight career lacks is a UFC belt, and at 36, the window to earn it is steadily closing.

His career record now stands at 41-15.