Heading into this weekend’s title bout at UFC 146, Frank Mir isn’t being given a fair advantage on the feet against his opponent, Junior dos Santos.
Mir is attempting to leave Las Vegas with the heavyweight title around his waist despite odds makers labeling him as a significant underdog against the Brazilian.
While most critics will point to Mir’s world-class jiu-jitsu as his only chance of winning the bout, the former UFC heavyweight champion believes his striking is being overlooked.
Having defeated such notable strikers like Cheick Kongo, Tim Sylvia and Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic, Mir feels he can compete with the champion.
“I think that sometimes it’s overlooked,” Mir told ESPN.co.uk when asked about his striking skills. “Sometimes it comes down to style. And with my style I’ve predominantly done better with people that use more striking or know the submission games.”
Mir’s striking ability has improved throughout the years but fans consider his chin to be susceptible. Out of his five career losses, four of them have seen Mir succumb to strikes via KO/TKO.
Combine that with dos Santos’ hand speed and knockout power, and many fans lean towards the champion to walk away with the title.
But Mir could be provide some difficulty for “Cigano” if he is able to avoid the Brazilian’s exchanges in the pocket and stay on the outside.
Dos Santos’ striking has proved to be successful against all of the heavyweight division so far, but Mir isn’t intimidated to engage.
“I’ve had to work harder on the wrestling-based [fighters] as far as control and position and so that’s why, if you look at my training, it’s geared towards wrestling more because I am so comfortable with the boxing and the kick-boxing aspects and also dealing with submission guys,” Mir told ESPN.co.uk.
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