Frank Mir entered the ring against Junior dos Santos as a 5-1 underdog. He left with his tail between his legs, but a promising future in the UFC intact.
While Mir was expected to lose—most fans thought it would happen in the first round—the former two-time champion wasn’t expected to look lost and confused during the fight. He was too busy attempting to evade and absorb the blows from dos Santos to mount any type of an attack.
There was a feeble attempt to grab dos Santos’ legs after being pummeled to the ground, but his arms came up as short as his overall attempt.
However, MMA fans must remember that Mir was expected to face Cain Velasquez in UFC 146 to earn a shot at the undisputed UFC champion.
It is doubtful that a few extra months of preparing for dos Santos would have made a difference, but Mir deserves credit for accepting the challenge after Alistair Overeem was scratched following his suspension from the UFC.
Last December, it would have been difficult to pass Mir (16-6) off as a joke. He beat veteran contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1) for the second time. Following a TKO in December of 2008, 2011’s contest ended with a submission and a broken right arm…but not in that order.
Mir was not only the first person to knock Nogueira out, he also became the first to force him into submission.
Mir will have another shot at greatness in the UFC. Perhaps he will face Velasquez again, who notched a convincing win over UFC newcomer Antonio Silva on Saturday.
Other options include forcing Overeem to face a fighter before granting him the expected match with dos Santos. Handing that fight to Mir as a “thank you” for stepping in against dos Santos would be a fitting move.
Regardless of whom he faces next, Mir still has a lot of battle left in him. Even at 33 years old, the tough American fighter isn’t done making headlines in the UFC.
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