When listing the legends of the UFC heavyweight division, Frank Mir does not immediately jump to mind.
When Mir is involved in a championship fight, he is often written off. However, stepping back and looking at his accomplishments in the sport, Frank Mir stands out as one of the most successful heavyweights to step inside the cage and compete.
Mir is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion, with sixteen professional victories under his belt. He is arguably the greatest heavyweight submission artist to date.
Mir began his career with an 8-1 record. He had one of the first big submission highlights in company history when he snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm to capture his first UFC Heavyweight Championship. Months after winning gold, he suffered the ill-fated motorcycle accident.
It took nearly two years for the former champion to return to the Octagon. His comeback was rocky, with losses to Marcio Cruz and Brandon Vera. But how many men could even come back from an accident like that to compete in the sport’s biggest promotion?
At UFC 74, Mir submitted Antoni Hardonk in a little over a minute and proclaimed that he was back. While skeptics doubted that this was true, Mir knew it to be the case.
With a win under his belt and a marketable name, he was picked to welcome Brock Lesnar to the Octagon. And he welcomed him with a kneebar that placed Mir in an interim UFC Heavyweight Championship tilt with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Once again, Mir was written off. How would he defeat Big Nog?
He certainly could not submit him, and not even the great Fedor had been able to stop him. It seemed like a formality. But when the bell sounded, Mir shocked the MMA world by stopping the heavyweight legend via strikes to claim the interim strap.
Since Mir proclaimed that he was back on August 25, 2007 at UFC 74, he has only lost twice. Both times he was fighting for a UFC championship. And in that span, he has put on impressive performances against some of the division’s top fighters.
Saturday he is once again the underdog, seemingly in over his head with no path to victory. With a win, Mir could claim that he is the best heavyweight in the world and perhaps get the long deserved recognition for his accomplishments. A loss will have fans saying, “I told you so.”
In the relatively short history of MMA, Mir stands out.
His accomplishments rival that of most other heavyweights. He has defeated legends and contenders, and captured the most coveted prize in MMA twice. With a victory in his fifth title appearance, he would join Randy Couture to become the second fighter to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship for the third time.
When Mir gets inside the Octagon to contend for the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Junior dos Santos this Saturday, fans need to stop taking the long-time contender for granted and appreciate what he has given to all of us for many years.
Win or lose, Frank Mir is one of the greatest heavyweights to compete in MMA.
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