Frank Mir: I would feel slighted if someone else were picked to fight dos Santos
Frank Mir recently expressed his obvious disdain at possibly being overlooked as the number one contender for Junior dos Santos‘ UFC Heavyweight title at UFC 146. Since the massively publicized fallout from Alistair Overeem‘s failed drug test, many rumors have been swirling about who will step in to challenge dos Santos for the belt. While Overeem is still waiting the official decision of the NSAC concerning this matter, things do not look optimistic for the May 26 fight to go on as originally planned. While many feel that Mir is the obvious choice as the next in line to fight for the title, no official announcement has been made as of yet. So, Mir continues to train for his original opponent, Cain Velasquez, and had the following to say on the subject:
“As of right now, I’m still training for Cain. Obviously, I’m like everybody else. I see that, in the background, there’s a possibility Overeem’s not going to be able to make the fight on the 26th, and if that’s the case, I wanna make sure I’m in a position where I can jump in.” – credit: Spike TV’s “MMA Uncensored Live,” via mmamania.com
Mir is quite readily available for his next title shot should it be offered, but many fans have been clamoring to get Mark Hunt into the spot. Hunt has made a positive run as of late in the UFC, but Mir believes that he is most qualified and would be angry were he overlooked:
“I feel that I have the most credentials, going into it. I think I have the longest winning streak of the heavyweights that were already posted on that card to fight. As far as what the rankings are, I feel I have the most credentials going in, and I’m motivated to do so. It was funny, a couple of months ago, when I was training for this, I had been training for a five-round fight to begin with. Reason being that Cain Velasquez is a cardio freak, and if something were to happen with the title shot, I wouldn’t want it to be something where I had to turn it down because I wasn’t prepared for it. I mean, obviously I’d feel a little slighted (if someone else were picked to fight dos Santos). But, both those guys (Hunt and Velasquez) are great fighters. I would never be mad at them for taking advantage of the situation. Would I be angry? Of course. I would not be a happy individual.”
Mir will be waiting anxiously on April 24 when Alistair Overeem‘s fate is deciding by the NSAC at his licensing hearing. He has made his case for the title shot with both his performances and words, now all he can do is hope for the best. Does Mark Hunt truly deserve to step in to a Heavyweight title shot? Does Cain Velasquez deserve a rematch after being brutally knocked out by JDS in only 64 seconds? Who will replace Alistair Overeem if he cannot fight on May 26 in Las Vegas?
Further Reading: Dana White: UFC 146 title fight will happen no matter what
Photo: Francis Specker
