Stipe Miocic's Wife's Career Transition Was Influenced by Her Marriage

MMA fighters don't exactly have easy lives. For one, it takes a while for mixed martial artists to actually earn a living from their combat sports careers, as literally fighting for a living costs a heck of a lot, and without proper management, making a pretty penny to save for retirement isn't always a foregone conclusion. Plus, having a supportive family system is hard to come by as well, but heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic definitely has that with his wife he constantly praises.

Ryan Marie Carney reportedly met Stipe through her brother who introduced the two of them. A former cosmetologist by trade, the two hit it off immensely from the get-go and it wasn't long before they tied the knot. In 2018, they welcomed a baby daughter, Meelah Claire Miocic, into the world.

Both Ryan and Stipe are proud of their baby girl who turned two this past year and they both share tons of cute photos of her on social media, like any proud parents would. Just look at her with daddy:

Reportedly, Ryan got into nursing as a career after seeing the trauma that Stipe would undergo in his fighting career, whether after intense sparring sessions or fights that saw him injured. Ryan became fascinated with helping others heal, her husband included. She even attended one of his fights in Brazil to "help out" as a nurse and tend to them in the event he was seriously hurt in the match. 

Stipe is always extremely vocal about the impact his wife and family has had on his professional career, and is quick to give Ryan props. While she has a respectable 30k following on Instagram, she doesn't spend much time commenting or interacting with folks on social media and leads a relatively private life with her family and excelling in her profession as a nurse.

The grudge match between Stipe and D.C. is set to go down on Saturday, Aug. 15 on pay-per-view (you'll need an ESPN+ subscription in order to watch it) and is one of the most highly anticipated heavyweight bouts MMA's ever seen.

Both fighters pack remarkable records, especially in this weight class, and they are 1-1 in their last two bouts against one another.

Stipe took Daniel into deep waters for their last fight and even though he was in trouble early, was able to come out on top, ending the fight and being the first man, other than Jon Jones, to hand Daniel Cormier an "L" on his record.

Daniel, in their first bout, was able to TKO Stipe early with short, sharp strikes in the clinch which he followed up with ground and pound.

Daniel then followed up his victory of Stipe with a win over Derrick Lewis, a result that many viewers at home saw as a foregone conclusion. D.C. was able to use his high level wrestling and in-and-out striking style to dictate the pace of the fight and put Lewis in trouble early.

Daniel, who's been criticized for weight issues in the past, heavily focused on getting his cardio up so he can bring the fight to Stipe in the later rounds, even if the bout manages to go the distance.