As we predicted last week with our UFC 146 comparison to the movie The Dark Knight Rises, Frank Mir was defeated by his toughest challenge and in a deciding fashion. Now 0-3 in his attempts for a third UFC heavyweight title, Mir is at a crossroads in a career that has been one of the most decorated and accomplished in the UFC. An overall record of 16-6, holding the most submission victories for a heavyweight (9), the biggest factor to consider is the way his losses came; All six professional losses have come via KO/TKO.
“I did not want to get into a boxing match with him, you saw me scramble for a leg-lock and attempt to get him down…I gotta go back to the drawing board and learn from there,” Mir stated in his post fight interview with Joe Rogan. Regardless of the game plan he and the team built in training, those dreams shattered when Dos Santos over sized fist connected on Mir.
Attributing his opponents speed and strength to his defeat, Mir was not aggravated or arguing the loss; He accepted the fact he was not the best that night. For Mir the present scenario he is currently in leaves the question to be answered, what is next? Losing fights to stronger wrestlers and strikers, who can he defeat in a bid for a fourth title shot and can he beat those in his path?
The UFC heavyweight division is stacked, possibly one of the best talent pools right now that we as fans have not been entertained with in recent years. As the sport has evolved, the caliber of every fighter has grown as well; let us look at the possible fights with Mir, hypothesizing honest outcomes:
CAIN VELASQUEZ (10-1) NCAA Division 1 wrestling is not enough to worry about for Mir who has never done well against strong wrestlers, but factor in the speed and knockout power that Velasquez possesses and what we have is another loss similar to the UFC title matches against Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin; one sided beatings that left Mir bloody and broken.
TRAVIS BROWNE (13-0) Blowing through competition and not showing anytime of slowing down, “Hapa” is getting better in every fight. Training at Jackson’s MMA, he is a heavyweight with cardio, power and size. The weakest spot he would fare against Mir is the ground game but with his youth and striking ability, Mir could be again on the receiving end of a TKO loss.
DANIEL CORMIER (10-0) Similar to his AKA teammate, Cain Velasquez, the Strikeforce heavyweight champion has dangerous hands and the best wrestling inside MMA’s heavyweight scene. The one sided victory over Josh Barnett should be a terrifying reality to any man in the division thinking they are on their way to UFC gold without being troubled by Cormier. Mir would be wise to avoid this fight since he would suffer multiple takedowns and probably unable to hold him down long enough to lock in a submission. Cormier would be en route to another dominant, unanimous decision win.
ALISTAIR OVEREEM (36-11) despite the steroids and test results, look at the record this man has amassed over his career. Known and feared for his striking, over half of his wins have been by submission. Not to say his jiu jitsu is better than Mir’s, it needs to be respected and made known that Overeem is ready for any place a fight would happen with Mir. Able to end it on the feet, he would likely pick Mir apart like he did Lesnar and secure another win over a former UFC champion. Mir has stated many times to the media this is a fight he would want and favors himself winning…he also said the same thing about his bouts with: Junior Dos Santos, Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar.
Do not think the purpose of this article was intended to bash Frank Mir, I like Mir. I picked Mir to win this past weekend but I also know when reality overrules wishes. Going back to the drawing board, he needs to look at what he has accomplished and decide how he wants to be remembered in the sport, if that notoriety is something that even matters to him. Ideal fights for him to return are slim to bounce back but two names come to mind:
STEFAN STRUVE (24-5) the breakout Dutch star is on the verge of top contender-ship with another win inside the octagon and it needs to be a big name; Mir fills that card. Although he has the reach advantage and striking power, Mir could use his improved striking and world class submission arsenal to dictate the fight. Mir was count out against Cheick Kongo when they met; he knocked him down with a left and put him to sleep in the opening round. The same could be done to topple a “Skyscraper,” boosting confidence and giving him time to improve overall.
BROCK LESNAR (5-3) for the fact alone it would sell tickets and they do not like each other, they are destined to have the rubber match in an epic trilogy. Mir would love to extract revenge on a man who retired from MMA and returned to wrestling after suffering consecutive losses to high level competition. A win would not guarantee a title shot for either man but would be entertaining and bring the best out in Mir who prides himself on being a true martial artist and defeating those who oppose him.
Is it time for the gloves to be hung in the Suffer training facility inside SinCity? Should Mir give it one last run? Would he be a better coach or take on an ambassador role for the promotion? Let us know what you think!
