Frank Mir Aiming For One More Title Run

UFC Fight Night 61 goes down this Sunday (February 22, 2015) from the Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, presented live on Fox Sports 1. The main event features a heavyweight showdown between struggling big men Frank Mir and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

The former UFC champion, Mir, could be in a worse spot heading into this weekend, as it could be do or die coming off of four-straight loses and having been out of action for over a year. However, his spirits are high and he believes if he fights to his capability, he has one more title run left in him:

“You have to set up long-term goals and short-term goals, and one of my long-term goals is to win the belt again,” Mir told MMAjunkie. “Right now, short-term goals are more easily focused on. I need to take the proper stepping stones to build back up. That’s to go out there and have dominant performances and perform at my capability.”

The last time Mir won a fight was in December 2011, and to be brutally honest, he has looked absolutely terrible as of late. There was clearly something wrong, and Mir wanted to take some time off and rejuvenate himself:

“The last couple fights were tough,” Mir said. “It sucks being in a fight and you know what to do, but physically I wasn’t performing and doing what I need to do. My body’s not keeping up with my mind. So that’s why I took the time off, to remedy that situation. If it wasn’t able to be remedied, then I wasn’t going to fight anymore.”

The recent losses could have also been due to the ban of testosterone-replacement-therapy in MMA. Mir has spoken up about his struggles after the ban, but now says he is living a healthier lifestyle and is feeling better than ever.

Despite losing four-straight, the former champion was not necessarily disappointed with the loses, but rather his performances. Mir showed up on fight night, and looked as if he shouldn’t have been there, and that’s what hurts him the most:

“I like fighting, but what I like more is fighting at a high level,” Mir said. “That’s what means more to me than anything. The accomplishments come off of doing things and being successful at them, but the success itself of being proficient and going out there and testing myself is what I enjoy.”

“I very much feel like if I go out there and have a phenomenal five-round fight where I look amazing, but I come out on the losing end of a great fight, I can sleep at night with that. I’m not just interested in wins and losses on paper. If I go out there and not have a piss-poor performance but catch someone in a submission, I’m not happy about that. It upsets me to not perform at a high level.”

It’s clear that Mir will be looking to bounce back this weekend. He is the owner of the most fights and wins and fights in heavyweight history and is also tied with Kenny Florian and Nate Diaz for the most submission wins in modern MMA. The former champ will not only look to get back to his winning ways, but also break the submissions record in the process:

“I can take the record,” Mir said. “I still have many fights ahead of me, and I’m more than capable of pushing that record up. It’s a record I’ve thought of. Even in my training now, whenever I’m in the room sparring and we do MMA, anytime I catch a training partner in a flurry where they’re on the ground, instead of having to stop it because of strikes, I quickly jump and grab a submission.”

Being 35 years of age and on the losing streak he’s on, many would say it’s time for Mir to retire. However, the Jackson-Winklejohn product isn’t thinking that way, saying he is not satisfied with his career, and would love to keep competing:

“I’m not satisfied yet with my career,” Mir said. “I’m 35. Once I retire, that’s the rest of my life that I’m not going to be able to compete. It’s a way of life for me, and I want to keep performing. If I can healthily, and without putting myself and risk and endangering myself and my family, then I would love to go out there and keep performing.”

Does the former champion have anything left in the tank, or is time to hang up the gloves for good?