“By far the hardest punch I’ve ever received in my career,” Mir said of Mark Hunt’s knockout blow at UFC Fight Night 85.
UFC Fight Night 85 marked the 8th knockout loss of Frank Mir’s career, and the former heavyweight champion is certain Mark Hunt packs the heaviest punch.
“Super Samoan”, who is a combat sports veteran of 68 professional fights, is known for his heavy hands and granite chin. The former K-1 world champion found his mark with an overhand right midway through the 1st round and sent Mir crashing to the canvas. Mir knew his world had been rocked and so did Hunt, as the New Zealand fan-favorite walked away from his opponent immediately after landing the punch.
A battleworn Mir spoke about the loss on his Phone Booth Fighting podcast (h/t Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting) and said he’d never felt power like Hunt’s throughout his entire career.
“By far the hardest punch I’ve ever received in my career,” Mir said. “Immediately, I felt like I was under water. The lights were on, but for a good 10 to 15 seconds the room spun.”
Although the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt appeared to be somewhat aware during the knockdown, Mir praised referee Marc Goddard for the stoppage and said he was completely disorientated.
“Yes, it was a good stoppage,” Mir said. “My lights were on, but I had no bearings on where anything was coming from. So the effectiveness of me being able to defend myself was very low at that point.”
Mir made his MMA debut in 2001 and has accumulated 29 fights in the cage. The two-time heavyweight champion has accomplished more than most fighters in the sport and Brian Stann recently suggested that Mir should contemplate retirement.
The 36-year-old has no plans to walk away from the Octagon any time soon, however, and says he just “got caught” against Hunt – it happens.
“I fought Mark Hunt and I got caught with a shot that he threw,” Mir said. “That’s kind of like getting caught by a submission by me. It’s kind of a list of guys. Had he pulled guard and armbarred me, maybe I would have thought about retiring.”
“It happens,” Mir said. “I got caught. It’s nothing against him. He did a great job. I made a mistake and he’s really good at it. The margin for error with Mark Hunt is a lot smaller than it is with some of the other heavyweights where you can get caught with a shot and maybe recover.”
UFC Fight Night 85 marked Mir’s second consecutive loss but the veteran still has a place in the top 10 rankings. Mir lost in a lacklustre decision to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 191, which ended his two-fight KO streak over Antonio Silva and Todd Duffee.