‘I need to get more popular if I’m going to get a title shot…’

Getting a title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is a little more difficult than simply climbing your way up the ranks. One of the most recent head scratchers when it comes to a fighter getting a title shot is actually coming up this Saturday; Alexander Gustafsson will be challenging Daniel Cormier for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship despite coming off of a loss.

Some fighters get looked over even though they feel as if they have earned their shot at grabbing gold and according to UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic, it resembles a high school popularity contest.

“I’m just not popular enough. That’s what it is,” Miocic said of his missed shot at gold when speaking with Submission Radio. “[The UFC brass] go off popularity and what the fans want. Apparently the fans didn’t want to see me fight… I need to get more popular.”

Miocic has won four of his last five fights on the big stage and only suffered a loss to former champion Junior dos Santos. Miocic quickly bounced back when he dominated top-ranked PRIDE legend Mark Hunt earlier this year in May.

“I mean it must be like a high school thing, you know? I mean it is what it is, man. I mean that’s pretty much what it was,” Miocic confessed. “So, I mean, I gotta go out there and keep beating ass.”

Miocic will get another opportunity to “beat ass” at UFC Fight Night 76 when he goes toe-to-toe with Ben Rothwell. What’s going to happen after that fight? “I just got to keep beating people and keep taking names.”

MMA’S Best React To Nick Diaz 5 Year Suspension
[ooyala code=”9maGRrdzp7l5qKeuSBuRG7MijJu9o26I” player_id=”bd214e34cfad476984102de4bf5e8da2″ width=”1280″ height=”720″ auto=”true”]