Frank Mir is expected to meet Cain Velasquez at UFC 146, but there is still a possibility that if Alistair Overeem cannot compete against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, Mir can still take his spot.
Overeem is scheduled for a hearing with the Nevada Athletic State Commission later this month on whether or not he will be granted a license for his UFC 146 main event.
But since testing positive for elevated testosterone last week, there has been no announcement regarding a possible replacement for the Dutchman.
Mir’s manager, Malki Kawa, spoke to MMAWeekly Radio and said he believes a final decision should be made regarding the main event at UFC 146 after the NSAC hearing on April 24th.
“What I think is happening is they’re going to wait for the decision, if Overeem gets licensed, everything goes on as planned. If Overeem doesn’t get licensed, then you can bet your house there’s going to be a replacement,” Kawa said.
Fans have setup an online petition in an effort to support heavyweight contender Mark Hunt in receiving a title shot, despite being slated to face Stefan Struve on the main card, but the UFC have remained tight-lipped on making a decision.
Kawa said that if Overeem is unable to get licensed to fight dos Santos on May 26th, he believes Mir is a suitable replacement.
Mir is a former UFC heavyweight champion, as well as owning a current three-fight winning streak over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Roy Nelson.
“I think it will be Frank Mir. I don’t know anyone else that can get it,” he said. “I think Frank Mir will end up getting the shot in the event that Overeem can’t get licensed.”
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