'UFC 220 Embedded,' No. 1: Stipe Miocic is a champion, just not with a snow blower

The UFC kicks off the pay-per-view portion of 2018 this week, and the promotion has rolled out its “Embedded” treatment for a preview of UFC 220.

The event takes place Saturday at TD Garden in Boston and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

In the headliner, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic (17-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), who’s No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, takes on No. 2-ranked Francis Ngannou (11-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC). And in the co-main event, Daniel Cormier (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) meets Volkan Oezdemir (15-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in his first title defense of his second go-round as light heavyweight champion.

Here’s the UFC’s description of the first “Embedded” episode:

On Episode 1 of UFC 220 Embedded, heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic wraps up his Ohio camp and tends to snowblowing duties at home. In sunny Florida, light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir hits the gym with high-caliber training partners including former champion Rashad Evans. Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier describes the mental game that drove his return to the Octagon and the love for his family that keeps him focused. Heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou arrives in New York City and kicks off fight week with an African meal. UFC 220 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the world heavyweight championship bout at UFC 220: Miocic vs. Ngannou on Saturday, January 20th on Pay-Per-View.

Check out the full episode in the video above.

For more on UFC 220, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.