UFC title defenses are hard to come by in any weight class. At heavyweight, though, it’s proven impossible for anyone in the history of the company to rack up more than two in a row.

Current divisional kingpin Stipe Miocic (16-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is confident he will be the one to change the game, though, as he looks to tie the record for most consecutive heavyweight title defenses when he takes on Junior Dos Santos (18-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC) at UFC 211, which takes place May 13 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. The title bout headlines the pay-per-view main card following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass.

Although he insists thoughts about his place in history don’t occupy a place in the forefront of Miocic’s mind, he has boldly claimed from the moment he won the belt from Fabricio Werdum at UFC 198 that he’s equipped to hold the belt for a very long time.

“I don’t really care about how many defenses I have; all I care about is winning,” Miocic said on today’s UFC 211 media conference call. “I love what I do. I’m going to keep winning. I train way too hard and sacrifice way too much to give it up. I’m just different. I get better every fight. I’m improving every fight and nothing is going to change.”

If any challenge exists that Miocic, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, could have trouble clearing, it may be the one directly ahead in No. 5-ranked Dos Santos. The Brazilian is the last person to beat Miocic, edging out a competitive unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 13 in December 2014.

The first fight between Miocic and Dos Santos was a blood-and-guts affair that saw both athlete give everything they had. Twenty-nine months later, the rematch will unfold, and Miocic said he’s entering the octagon as a vastly different fighter than the one who previously encountered “Cigano.”

“I see what I did wrong in the fight,” Miocic said. “I did a lot of things wrong. It was my first five-round fight. Me and my coaches watched over that film to see what he did wrong, what I did wrong and what I did well and what he did wrong. We went over a lot of stuff, and we definitely have a better game plan in this fight.”

Should Miocic emerge from the UFC 211 headliner with the belt, he would share the record for longest heavyweight defense streak with Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Tim Sylvia and Randy Couture. His next fight would give him a chance at history, but Miocic said he’s not thinking that far down the line.

There’s no obvious next candidate to fight for the belt, either, but when asked who he could potentially fight next, Miocic did admit he has an eye on the recently announced UFC 213 clash between former champ Werdum and top contender Alistair Overeem, both of whom have already been knocked out by Miocic within the past 12 months.

“I’m not a matchmaker; if I was I wouldn’t be fighting,” Miocic said. “I’m terrible at those decisions, but I know Overeem is fighting Werdum (at UFC 213). That will probably be the next one up. I have no idea, but I’m not really worried about that.”

For more on UFC 211, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.