Photo by Nick Laham/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC for UFC.com
Beating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice is really something to be proud of, and being the first fighter to stop the big Brazilian by technical knockout as well as submission really puts an exclamation point on the sentence.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir (16-5) wanted to show fans, and critics, that the first win over Nogueira was not a fluke. He did that by becoming the first fighter to ever submit ‘Big Nog’ by earning a first round Kimura.
To get it though, Mir was forced to break his opponents arm, explaining in his latest Blog for Sportsnet.ca that he is “right up there” as one of the best submission heavyweights in the UFC.
It was a challenge to get “up” mentally for this fight because I beat him so well last time but I rose to the challenge. I didn’t want anyone saying the first win was a fluke or make excuses. I didn’t really see that I would gain too much from beating him again but, after the fight, I think I did because I scored one of the best subs in UFC history.
Minotauro was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt before I even started BJJ. He’s one of the very best ever. Does me subbing him in the manner I did make me the best submission heavyweight in UFC history?
I think it allows you to make an argument, sure. I think you’d have to look at my record side-by-side with other guys, and of course there are fighters who’ve done a lot more than I have in submission-only fights, but purely in the UFC, I think I am right up there, yes.