Stipe Miocic will headline a UFC fight card for the second time on Saturday night when he faces Fabio Maldonado at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale in Sao Paulo, Brazil. 
Miocic is currently ranked as the number seven heavyweight contender in the UFC and was initially booked to face former UFC champion Junior dos Santos.
However, Dos Santos had to pull out of the fight due to breaking his hand in training. Following the news of the injury, Maldonado called the UFC and said he would return to the heavyweight division to face Miocic on short notice.
Miocic (11-1) was a guest on last night’s edition of UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1 and was asked by Kenny Florian if there was any frustration in the opponent change to Maldonado.
“Yeah, I wanted to fight Junior of course,” Miocic said. “I am trying to get to the top. He is one of the guys I have to get through to get there but I’m glad Fabio took the fight. He is still a tough guy. He is still going to come to fight. I am ready for it. I am excited.”
Maldonado (21-6) is coming up to the heavyweight division after winning three straight fights in the light heavyweight division. His most recent win came at UFC Fight Night 38 against Gian Villante and all three of his wins during this winning streak have come by decision.
A win over Dos Santos would have put Miocic right in the mix for a title shot in the heavyweight division, but what does a win over Maldonado do for Miocic in terms of moving up in the rankings? He was asked that question by Chael Sonnen and maintained that he is just worried about taking care of business on Saturday first.
“I don’t know,” Miocic explained. “That is not my call. Going to take care of business on Saturday night and go home, relax, hang out with the family and worry about what the UFC wants to do with me next.”
When it comes to Maldonado, he is known for his chin and being a tough fighter to finish. Out of his six defeats, he has only been defeated by knockout once but Miocic believes that anyone can be knocked out.
“I think putting the pressure on him,” Miocic said. “He does not fight good backwards and anyone can be knocked out. It don’t matter. He has a good chin, but anyone can get knocked out.”