Frank Mir, after spending over 380 days on the sidelines, returned to the Octagon in Brazil on Sunday night to try to put a stop to a four-fight losing streak.
It is surprising that he returned at all. He is well spoken and could have a future as a broadcaster, though the UFC has kept him off of television while cycling in other lesser talents for some unknown reason.
He is the last vestige of a different era in the UFC, making his debut in just his third pro fight at UFC 34 in 2001.
And he has made plenty of money while exhibiting a flair for the dramatic; his submission wins over Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Tim Sylvia and Roberto Traven, among others, will never be forgotten by those who care about such things.
And yet, he returned, this time ranked in the depths of the heavyweight division’s top 15, to face a bruising hulk of a man who cuts weight to make 265 pounds. Long a pay-per-view stalwart, Mir instead walked into a Brazilian gym with no air conditioning and plenty of humidity for a free television bout. If it seemed like a fall from grace, it was a necessary one for Mir to prove he still has something to give mixed martial arts.
Turns out, Mir might have something left to give.
Looking faster and perhaps refreshed, Mir moved circles around Silva before crushing him with a thunderous left hook in the first round. Silva fell to the ground, and Mir followed up with ground-and-pound. But the damage was done. Mir, a submission specialist who has made a career of being, well, the best heavyweight submission machine ever, scored the win by knockout.
And what a win. The buzzards, myself included, were circling around his career. Plenty of us felt he had nothing left to give, or at least he did not need to give anything more. But the time off did Mir some good. He brought in new coaches to help him with his boxing, and it showed, both in the knockout and in the moments leading up to it.
I don’t know if Mir is “back,” as MMA commentators are so fond of saying after someone stops a losing streak. But I do know there’s at least one potential bright spot in his future, should he elect to pursue it: a third fight with hulking WWE champion Brock Lesnar, who could find himself back in the Octagon this summer after his WWE contract expires.
Lesnar vs. Mir 3? That’s what they call “big business,” and if it’s added to the July card that also features Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor and Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald, well, it will be a bright, shiny summer for the UFC. Lesnar and Mir are 1-1. As opponents, they have undeniable chemistry, and Mir has a knack for getting under Lesnar’s skin. If Lesnar elects to return to professional fighting, no fight makes more sense. And perhaps no fight will be more anticipated.
It has been 14 years since Mir first walked in the Octagon. He came along before The Ultimate Fighter, before MMA hit its popularity zenith a few years ago, before it started going back downhill. He has seen the sport develop and change and grow and shrink. He has seen the weird and the wonderful.
He has been feared, and he has been discounted. He has been told he should retire.
Mir does not need to retire. Not yet, anyway. He has more to give, and he might have a few more top heavyweights to beat.
Jeremy Botter covers mixed martial arts for Bleacher Report
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