Frank Mir: I’ll Continue Fighting If I Get Cut From The UFC
Frank Mir’s time inside the UFC octagon has been filled with ups and downs, classic moments and shocking finishes. Unfortunately for the ex-heavyweight champion, he has been on the receiving end of those nasty losses in his most recent showings. Junior Dos Santos bludgeoned Mir in a 2012 title fight, and Josh Barnett tested the consciousness of the Las Vegas born fighter at UFC 164.
Motorcycle accidents, TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) and some of the biggest fights in the promotion’s history have made Frank Mir a record-breaking heavyweight. All this and he could well get cut if he loses to Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC Fight Night 61. This is a fact that Mir is aware of, as he told ESPN recently:
“Everything used to be very vague. Now, I’ve been in the Octagon so many times, I can see the crowd. I can see the referee. I see the opponent’s face. I’m more in tune with all that. Even if, for whatever reason, I’m unsuccessful on Sunday and the UFC were to release me, unless I were to see some kind of way I could compensate my family, I would still fight,” Mir said. “I would just have to find different organizations.
“I’ve been fighting UFC fighters. I’ve had no easy fights as of late. If I’m not successful on Sunday, I would never retire from fighting. But realistically, I might get cut from the UFC.”
It’s clear that there are no easy fights in the UFC, but Mir’s form as of late has indicated more that he is ready to retire, rather than continue on. Maybe he would have success in a ‘lesser’ promotion, or it could just be that he has needed some time to get his head back in the game. He continues:
“I was training way too hard,” Mir said. “Now, Ive reached a higher level. I’m much more proficient, instead of the last few fights where I was going in so banged up and injured. There were a few times I didn’t even train.
“I think when I fought Josh Barnett, for three weeks I didn’t even train because I had a pinched nerve in my hip. I would just shadow box in Vegas.”
It’s been 14 years since a young Frank Mir debuted for the UFC, he tapped and snapped his way in to the record books with 23 heavyweight fights (the most in the division) 14 wins (again the most at HW) and 11 finishes (tied most with Gabriel Gonzaga).
His time as champion may have been short, he lost in his first defenses of both the heavyweight title and interim belt, but Mir has provided us with some truly astounding moments during his years in the UFC. Should he continue fighting if he loses against Silva? Probably not, but the chances are he will.
