Tag: Frank Mir

Frank Mir Aiming To Take Out ‘Biggest & Baddest’ In Bellator Tournament

Due to a 2016 failed drug test, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir isn’t eligible to competed until April 2018, but when he returns, he’ll take on a man many consider to be the very best heavyweight of all-time, as he’s set to take on Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the Bellator heavyweight […]

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Due to a 2016 failed drug test, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir isn’t eligible to competed until April 2018, but when he returns, he’ll take on a man many consider to be the very best heavyweight of all-time, as he’s set to take on Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix tournament.

Recently speaking on the fight, Mir said that he’s aiming to take out the ‘biggest and the baddest’ in the tournament:

“It’s like being a big game hunter,” Mir told MMAjunkie Radio. “I don’t want to go out there and shoot a little quail. You want to take out the biggest and the baddest.”

At 38-years-old, Mir is just 2-6 in his last eight bouts to date, but he remains one of the most dangerous submission artists the heavyweight division has ever seen. He also appears to be rejuvenated and eager to compete, as he claims that being sidelined wasn’t easy to deal with it:

“It’s nice to be a fighter again,” Mir said. “A little bit of limbo was the last year-and-a-half, not having a fight scheduled and not being able to participate. I finally get to fight again. It’s something that, when you don’t get to do what you love, it makes it even worse.”

Aside from Mir and Emelianenko, the tournament will also include Chael Sonnen, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ryan Bader, Muhammed Lawal, Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione.

The tournament is expected to start with a bout between Sonnen and Jackson in January. Then, Bader will face off with Lawal and Nelson will meet Mitrione.

Who are you picking to win the tournament and be crowned the Bellator heavyweight champion?

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Bellator Heavyweight Tournament Opening-Round Matchups Revealed

Bellator MMA is finally going to crown its new heavyweight champion. This has been expected for some time. The promotion is bringing back a tournament to find their heavyweight champion in 2018. The promotion will host an eight-man heavyweight tournament known as the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018. The winner of this tournament will […]

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Bellator MMA is finally going to crown its new heavyweight champion. This has been expected for some time. The promotion is bringing back a tournament to find their heavyweight champion in 2018.

The promotion will host an eight-man heavyweight tournament known as the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018. The winner of this tournament will earn the vacant Bellator title.

Bellator has been without a heavyweight champion since the title was vacated by then-champ Vitaly Minakov after Bellator decided to stripped him of it in May of 2016 for failing to defend the title.

On late Tuesday night, the bracket was revealed for the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018. Here are the opening-round matchups:

Quinton Jackson vs. Chael Sonnen
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir
Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson
Ryan Bader vs. Muhammed Lawal

The Jackson vs. Sonnen winner will face the winner of Emelianenko vs. Mir in one semifinal.

On the flip side in the other semifinal, the winner of Mitrione vs. Nelson will face the Bader vs. Lawal winner.

The Jackson-Sonnen bout will kick things off at Bellator 192, which is slated to take place on January 20th at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The prelims will air online while the main card airs on Spike TV. Douglas Lima will defend the Bellator Welterweight title against former UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald in the main event.

Mitrione-Nelson is slated for an event scheduled on Feb. 16 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Fedor-Mir and Bader-King Mo are scheduled for April and May events, respectively.

The tournament bouts will take place throughout next year with the plan being for the final is tentatively scheduled for December 2018.

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Bellator Heavyweight GP Kicks Off With Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson

Chael Sonnen and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will begin the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix this January to crown a new champion. The pairings were unveiled on ESPN Wednesday night. Just announced on @SportsCenter: The Heavyweight World Grand…

Chael Sonnen and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will begin the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix this January to crown a new champion. The pairings were unveiled on ESPN Wednesday night. Just announced on @SportsCenter: The Heavyweight World Grand Prix bracket is set and kicks off Jan 20th in LA with @ChaelSonnen vs @Rampage4real!! pic.twitter.com/jEB9pPg4wD — Bellator MMA […]

Bellator To Crown New Heavyweight Champion With Tournament Next Year

Bellator MMA is finally going to crown its new heavyweight champion. This has been expected for some time. However, instead of booking two top contenders, the promotion is bringing back a tournament to find their heavyweight champion in 2018. This tournament will feature some of the biggest names in the history of MMA. Bellator President […]

The post Bellator To Crown New Heavyweight Champion With Tournament Next Year appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bellator MMA is finally going to crown its new heavyweight champion. This has been expected for some time. However, instead of booking two top contenders, the promotion is bringing back a tournament to find their heavyweight champion in 2018.

This tournament will feature some of the biggest names in the history of MMA. Bellator President Scott Coker confirmed to MMAjunkie and USA TODAY Sports that the company would host an eight-man heavyweight tournament known as the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018. The winner of this tournament will earn the vacant Bellator title.

“This is going to be something that’s iconic for us,” Coker said. “Tournaments, traditionally, are kind of the way martial arts contests happen. Now we get to put eight iconic brand names in our sport together over a year, and then whoever wins will be crowned the heavyweight champion.”

Several fighters for the tournament have already been revealed. Those fighters include former PRIDE champion Fedor Emelianenko, two-time former UFC titleholder Frank Mir, Matt Mitrione, and Roy Nelson. There will also be some light heavyweights competing in this tournament including current 205-pound champ Ryan Bader, former UFC champ Quinton Jackson, ex-Strikeforce titleholder Muhammed Lawal and multi-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.

The tournament bouts will take place throughout next year with the plan being for one tournament fight per night at seven yet-to-be-decided Bellator events. The final is tentatively scheduled for December 2018. The promotion will be announcing the bout order shortly.

“I think there are certain fights that people want to see,” Coker said. “Believe me, we’re going to have some amazing matchups in this tournament. These fights that we’re going to put together are something that the fans want to see. These are iconic names, big brands.”

The promotion has been without a heavyweight champion since the title was vacated by then-champ Vitaly Minakov after Bellator decided to stripped him of it in May of 2016 for failing to defend the title.

The expectation is that the first date of the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018 will be announced soon and air on the Paramount Network, which launches in January as a rebranding of Spike.

“When Scott Coker signed on with Bellator in 2014, we knew that he would constantly innovate and bring new and creative ideas to the promotion,” Spike Senior Vice President of Sports and Specials Jon Slusser said. “The heavyweight grand prix is a perfect example of that. The tournament will provide outstanding sports content for the soon-to-launch Paramount Network in 2018, and we’re excited about delivering this type of entertainment to our viewers.”

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Daniel Cormier Vows To Kick Frank Mir’s A** Again

It’s no secret that Daniel Cormier is an emotional fighter. The former Olympian and current UFC light heavyweight champion leaves everything he has in the Octagon and when he fails to meet the expectations he’s set for himself, he has trouble holding back his emotions. This was seen at UFC 214 this past July when […]

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It’s no secret that Daniel Cormier is an emotional fighter.

The former Olympian and current UFC light heavyweight champion leaves everything he has in the Octagon and when he fails to meet the expectations he’s set for himself, he has trouble holding back his emotions.

This was seen at UFC 214 this past July when he once again came up short against longtime bitter rival Jon Jones. After a successful first two rounds, Cormier was caught by a left high kick and finished by “Bones” in the third round.

After the bout, which has since been changed to a no-contest due to a failed drug test by Jones, Cormier was noticeably upset and crying during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

Recently, former UFC heavyweight champion and former Cormier foe Frank Mir criticized “DC” for acting the way he did:

“Here’s the time that it is unacceptable to cry, and that is when someone kicks your ass,” Mir said on a recent edition of his podcast. I’m sorry, we still live in a very masculine — well, we should — thought of how a man should operate. After one man kicks your ass on the school yard and you start bawling in front of everybody, it looks bad.

“I got punched by Dos Santos several times in the head and I still managed to keep that thought, ‘Don’t bawl in front of everybody!’” he said. “I think the parameters of when it’s okay for a man to show emotion, and when it’s inappropriate for him to show emotion. When another man kicks your ass, I feel that we can all probably come to the conclusion that that is not the time to show emotion.”

Cormier didn’t take lightly to Mir’s comments, and he recently fired back on his official Twitter account:

The two men fought back in 2013 in a bout that Cormier dominated. Mir has since signed with Bellator, so it’s unlikely that the two will meet again, but there still seems to be some bad blood between the two.

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10 MMA Stars Who Suffer From Crippling Pre-fight Nerves

On the surface, MMA fighters may seem like they have nerves of steel, and certainly anyone who’s been brave enough to step into the cage and compete has demonstrated tremendous strength of character, regardless of whether they ultimately win or lose. However, as confident and composed as they may appear on the outside, it’s interesting […]

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On the surface, MMA fighters may seem like they have nerves of steel, and certainly anyone who’s been brave enough to step into the cage and compete has demonstrated tremendous strength of character, regardless of whether they ultimately win or lose.

However, as confident and composed as they may appear on the outside, it’s interesting to know just how many MMA stars suffer from crippling pre-fight nerves that turn their insides upside down, sap their strength, erode their self-belief and leave them contemplating quitting the sport.

In this article, we’ll look at 10 prime examples, including some of the biggest stars in the sport, who have admitted that some of the toughest battles of their careers have taken place in their own minds backstage before the fight has even begun.

Donald Cerrone

As one of the UFC’s most active fighters, as well as an extreme sports enthusiast, you’d be forgiven for believing that Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone is immune to fear.

Not all is as it seems though, as his long-time coach Greg Jackson knows only too well, revealing to MMAJunkie that “He gets really nervous right before the fight.

“Usually how it works is, he gets nervous, we talk about how he’s never, ever going to do this again, and then he goes out and fights.”

According to Jackson, ‘Cowboy’ doesn’t watches footage of his opponents as it can affect him negatively while indulging in extreme sports during fight week helps him keep his mind off his upcoming bout.

Jackson’s not saying anything that Cerrone wouldn’t admit to himself though, as he’s gone into great detail about the trials and tribulations he faces in the hours before a fight.

”It’s a lot of pressure,” Cerrone said in a special UFC feature. “So, you’re back there, you’re warming up, your arms are heavy, your legs are weak, you’re like, ‘What? Why do I feel like this?’ It’s like the weirdest feeling.”

On camera as Cerrone walks out to the Octagon he might look like he’s ready to go to war, but the reality is that internally his mind is reeling.

”You’re like, ‘what face do I need to do right now? Do I need to look serious, because I feel scared, but I don’t know how I need to look on camera. Do I need to look like a bitch walking into this motherf***er, or do I need to act tough?”

Only when he sets foot in the Octagon does Cerrone finally break free from that inner turmoil and become mentally prepared to do what he does best.

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