The semi-main event for UFC 130 saw former Frank Mir completely outclass Roy Nelson by earning a unanimous decision victory. The battle was between two of the UFC’s top 10 heavyweights, but did Mir’s dominance put him back in the title hunt?
Though the fight itself was relatively boring due to the fact that both Mir and Nelson had gassed by the third round, the win was still an important one for the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. After dropping two of his last four fights, it was good to see Mir win back-to-back fights for the first time since 2008.
Of course, it’s hard to tell exactly how good Mir actually was last night, given that Nelson looked as bad as he has at any point in his career. Not only was Nelson slow and lethargic, he seemed to have very little of a gameplan going into the fight. If he did have one at all, it was simply, “hope to land the big right hand.”
That plan didn’t work. But he kept trying. And failing. And trying. And failing.
By the end of the second round, Nelson could barely make it back to his corner. His usually surprisingly solid cardio was his biggest downfall last night.
But Mir took advantage of it, completely dominating the third round. Nelson didn’t land a single power punch in the third round, while Mir began lighting him up with punches between taking him down at will.
Even though Mir was out of energy at the end of the fight, his technique was as good as we have ever seen it. He avoided taking big shots throughout the fight while landing countless of his own. But Mir’s wrestling, which has long been his biggest weakness, was on display in this fight. It may have been the most complete version of Mir yet.
So is he ready to be back in the title picture?
Post-fight rankings have Mir as the consensus No. 5 heavyweight in the UFC right now, only falling behind Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, and Shane Carwin. Though he has lost fights to Lesnar and Carwin in the past, he hasn’t yet had his chance at Velasquez or dos Santos.
With both Velasquez and Lesnar out at the moment due to injury/illness, Mir could realistically be considered the No. 3 heavyweight who is able to fight at the moment.
Sure, Velasquez is expected to fight the winner of the UFC 131 main event between Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. But then what? He already destroyed Lesnar, and Lesnar is likely going to need at least one fight before he gets a rematch. The loser of Carwin vs. dos Santos will obviously fall out of the immediate title picture. That leaves Frank Mir as the likely next man in line.
Mir is going to need another fight before he’s given a title shot, but is there really anyone ranked below him on the UFC roster who could beat Mir? Some would have said Roy Nelson going into UFC 130, but we all saw how that worked out.
He may not be the champion anymore, but at least for now, Frank Mir has worked his way back into the title picture. Perhaps a win over an up-and-comer would propel him into his next title shot.
Maybe Matt Mitrione or Travis Browne?
Whoever his next opponent is may very well tell us whether Mir will ever have a chance to wear UFC gold again.
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