Stipe Miocic is looking to get paid.

UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic hasn’t fought since he TKO’d former champion Junior Dos Santos in the second round at UFC 211 in May. Over the past year, he has been vocal about dissatisfaction with his contract.

According to MMA Fighting, contract negotiations have finally resumed between Stipe Miocic and the UFC. According to sources, the talks are trending in the right direction and there is optimism Miocic will return to action to defend his title in the first quarter of 2018.

Back in July, Miocic’s management team said the champ would not return to action until his contract was restructured. The primary greivnce has been that Miocic, who is one fight away from beating the heavyweight record for most title defenses (2), has earned less than the challenger in his last two title defenses (Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.)

Heavyweights are generally the highest paid class of fighters, and Miocic made a disclosed 690,000 USD purse for his last performance. That sounds like a lot, but is significantly below the pay grade of other, less successful Heavyweights. Stipe’s last five fights have been tough competition and he won them all via KO or TKO. He is a thrilling fighter, but a slightly less than thrilling personality.

This may actually the most fortuitous period for a re-negotiaion because at this time there is no clear number 1 contender to challenge Stipe. The winner of this weekend’s Fabricio Werdum vs. Marcin Tybura fight, the winner of UFC 218’s Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou are possibilities. The main problem is that Heavyweight, while a skilled division, is not an especially deep division, and it is so hard to put together a win streak that many contenders have a loss in their last three fights, some to Stipe himself.

The good news at least is that the baddest man on the planet is coming to terms with the best promotion on the planet. Many have touted Stipe as the man to make history setting a win streak as the Heavyweight champion. He has the boxing, wrestling, physical gifts and motivation to do just that. We all hope to see him back in the cage soon.

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