Frank Mir and Junior dos Santos are not small men. I don’t really need to state this, but I am anyway.
Of course, none of the 10 men working out during today’s UFC 146 open workouts at the MGM Grand were small, save for Diego Brandao. Last season’s Ultimate Fighter winner worked out for Brazilian media, mostly because American media didn’t realize he was actually working out. Brandao simply strolled to the mat and started rolling.
Dos Santos was all smiles, and that always freaks me out when I see him hit pads. Because he hits so hard, and with such blinding speed, that it easily makes him the most terrifying man in the UFC. Never has a nicer man hit anyone as hard as Dos Santos hits people.
He was the most beloved fighter on the workouts, but Mir also received his share of attention. Mir took his time in warming up, but went through a full sparring session with his workout coach and then a grappling clinic with wunderkind submission king Ricky Lundell. He was also very talkative, giving detailed and thoughtful answers to each question posed.
This is the good version of Mir, the one who is one of the best analysts in the entire sport. Most of the media pressures are over. There are no more marathon sessions on the phone, answering the same question over and over again, to make him testy and on edge.
Now it’s time for the hype, and that’s one of the things he does best.