In short, the answer to the question is yes. But an apter question is, to what degree is the former champion a threat?
The UFC Heavyweight Championship bout on Saturday night was not competitive. All credit goes to the outstanding skills of the champion, Junior dos Santos. But the question has to be posed about the longtime contender.
In the past three years, Frank Mir is 4-3. All losses in a championship bout. All losses to heavy-hitters.
The victories also must be looked at. Roy Nelson is a solid feather in his cap. Mir put together a solid performance that led him to a decision victory. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, while a legend, is not a top contender anymore. Neither is Cro Cop. Was Chieck Kongo ever truly a threat to the division’s crown? No.
That is not to take away from those performances, but they must be laid out for perspective.
Mir’s ground game is devastating. He has shown this. However, he does not have the dynamic wrestling to consistently put himself in top position or the strength of powerful wrestlers to make the bottom a dangerous choice. Fighters with moderate takedown defense have been able to stuff his shots.
The elite heavyweights have passed Mir by. Powerful strikers with good takedown defense or champion wrestlers with incredible positioning and control. Mir has a specific path to victory against the elite of the division and it requires the fight to be fought in one area, and that is not a formula for success at the championship level.
Regardless, Mir remains a threat to anyone who wants to play with fire.
His biggest asset is his brain. The former champion is a fantastic analyst who can break down his opponent’s game to find holes and he is also great at mental warfare.
UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has already shown that even though one’s skills dip later in his career, the mind remains the biggest asset to a fighter.
Despite his struggles against championship fighters, Mir proves time and time again that he remains at the top of the division. His jiu-jitsu game makes him a constant threat in any fight.
The majority of the heavyweight division still lacks an all-around game that Mir can exploit to put himself back in title contention. If the opposition wants to take the fight to the floor, you can expect Mir to keep himself relevant in the heavyweight division.
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