Roy Nelson has called upon Frank Mir to help him prepare for his bout against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137. Mir, who holds victories over both Nelson and Cro Cop, is good friends with the former IFL heavyweight champion. Nelson has trained with Mir oc…
Roy Nelson has called upon Frank Mir to help him prepare for his bout against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137.
Mir, who holds victories over both Nelson and Cro Cop, is good friends with the former IFL heavyweight champion. Nelson has trained with Mir occasionally in the past, however this is the first time Mir has offered his services to The Ultimate Fighter season 10 winner.
In fact, Nelson said their training regimen happened by coincidence.
“This one actually just fell in place. He was a southie, (like) Cro Cop, and me being a good jiu-jitsu guy, like Nogueira, so it was just a perfect fit,” Nelson told NBCSports.com.
Nelson is entering his bout after two consecutive losses to Junior dos Santos and Mir. A potential third loss could send the 265-pound heavyweight down the ladder in the division and prevent him from entering title contention. Also, Nelson has not performed to expectations, often entering bouts looking out of shape and flat-footed.
Earning a victory over Cro Cop next weekend isn’t only expected, but it is crucial for “Big Country.” But despite the pressure, Nelson seems unfazed.
“Everybody always talks about my weight, but that’s throughout my whole entire life. It’s nothing new,” he said. “I hope I just perform better. Looks are in the eye of the beholder.”
Leading into his UFC 137 bout with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, former IFL heavyweight champ Roy “Big Country” Nelson has enlisted the help of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir to prepare him for the Croatian legend. Mir, who defeated Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130 back in May, also holds a knockout victory over Cro Cop from their headlining bout at UFC 119. Nelson explained his decision to bring in Mir during a recent interview with NBC Sports:
Leading into his UFC 137 bout with Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, former IFL heavyweight champ Roy “Big Country” Nelson has enlisted the help of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir to prepare him for the Croatian legend. Mir, who defeated Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130 back in May, also holds a knockout victory over Cro Cop from their headlining bout at UFC 119. Nelson explained his decision to bring in Mir during a recent interview with NBC Sports:
This one actually just fell in place. He was a southie, (like) Cro Cop, and me being a good jiu-jitsu guy, like Nogueira, so it was just a perfect fit. There’s nothing strange about it. I think everybody in MMA, paths always cross, especially if you’ve been in this sport as long as we both have.
Even though Mir’s victory over Cro Cop was…let’s say uninspiring, there’s no doubt that he could share some valuable information with Nelson, the first of which would be to keep your voice down when trying to persuade Mirko to the ground mid-fight. Nelson also showed up to the interview sporting the above beard which, as Kimbo Slice has taught us, only improves your chances of victory. Right? Anyone?
UFC star heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are set for a rematch this December 10 at UFC 140 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.Mir comes in on a nice roll, gaining victories in his last two fights over Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson, …
UFC star heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are set for a rematch this December 10 at UFC 140 at the Air Canada Center in Toronto.
Mir comes in on a nice roll, gaining victories in his last two fights over Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson, respectively. Meanwhile, Nogueira regained some relevancy with his own knockout victory over young lion Brendan Schaub last month in Brazil.
Despite what some people may think or say, a fight between the two aging stars carries some significance in the heavyweight division, as the winner may find himself in a No.1 contender match sometime in 2012, possibly against the winner of Brock Lesnar-Alistair Overeem, or the loser of Cain Velasquez-Junior Dos Santos. Meanwhile, the loser of this fight may never come close again.
The fighters first clashed in 2008 at UFC 89, and the fight and the outcome did not play out how many people thought it would. Heading into that fight, many people had written Mir off and said that he only had a slight chance if the fight hit the ground. Nogueira was seen to have a heavy edge in the stand-up, toughness and experience categories.
In a perfect example of why fights are never fought on paper, Mir came out and dominated Big Nog on the feet with superior boxing footwork and combinations, gaining a shocking TKO victory.
Information came out shortly after the fight saying that Big Nog was suffering from a knee injury and staph infection that did not allow him to be at his best that night.
A healthy Big Nog, combined with the stakes, should provide a very intriguing and exciting rematch.
Here is my head-to-toe breakdown of Mir versus Big Nog II.
Toronto is primed and ready for the UFC to return on December 10th with light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his title against the world-class and elusive Brazilian Lyoto Machida.It will be the 2011 encore for the UFC north of the border as i…
Toronto is primed and ready for the UFC to return on December 10th with light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones defending his title against the world-class and elusive Brazilian Lyoto Machida.
It will be the 2011 encore for the UFC north of the border as it debuted in April with an incredible show both inside the cage and out, as fighters were scattered all over the city making appearances for flocks of rabid fans.
The UFC announced today that Jones, Machida, UFC President Dana White and Director of Canadian Operations Tom Wright will be in Toronto tomorrow, Oct. 12, to discuss the event at a press conference at 1:00 P.M. EST at the Air Canada Centre. It will be open to the public and streamed live at UFC.com.
Additionally, the fighters will hold an autograph session from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. at Real Sports Apparel, located within Maple Leaf Square.
“After his performance against Rampage, there’s no doubt Jon Jones is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport,” UFC President Dana White said.
“He’s already beaten Shogun and Rampage this year and now he gets Machida, a former champion. Machida is one of the most elusive and dangerous strikers in the UFC and he’s motivated to get the belt back. We’re giving the fans in Toronto a really great title fight.”
“I am thrilled to be fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 140 in Toronto, which is just a few hours from my hometown, Endicott, N.Y.,” Jones said.
“He is an incredibly skilled fighter and one who poses numerous challenges inside the Octagon. He has only been defeated twice in his career and is coming off a big victory in April. For me, it will be important to just continue to focus on making myself better as a fighter, and keeping the fight at my intensity and aggression levels. It is my goal to become the first UFC fighter to defeat three former champions in one year.”
“I’m really excited to be fighting for the light-heavyweight title again,” Machida, owner of a 17-2 record, said. “Jon Jones is a great fighter and a great champion. It’s going to be my experience and technique against his youth and athleticism. It’s going to be a great fight.”
Aside from the mouth-watering title fight, the UFC rewarded Canadian fans with the Nogueira brothers, Tito Ortiz and Frank Mir all fighting on the card. They have also followed the usual blueprint of stacking the card with fighters from the host country, as we will see fan-favorites Mark “The Machine” Hominick. Rory MacDonald, Mark Bocek, Krzysztof Soszynski, John Makdessi and Mitch Clarke, all on the card.
Christmas is coming early for UFC fans in Canada.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and Correspondent for MMACanada.net. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
At UFC 141, MMA’s biggest draw Brock Lesnar will take on former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Lesnar will be returning from a second bout with diverticulitis while Overeem will make his highly anticipated UFC debut. The huge …
At UFC 141, MMA’s biggest draw Brock Lesnar will take on former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.
Lesnar will be returning from a second bout with diverticulitis while Overeem will make his highly anticipated UFC debut.
The huge heavyweight match-up may be just as big, if not bigger than the heavyweight title match between Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos.
Although some fans may not like it, the winner of Lesnar vs. Overeem should get a shot at the winner of Velasquez vs. dos Santos.
Here’s are the reasons why they deserve a title shot.
Smug arrogance is often the first thing fans associate with Frank Mir. A quick survey of his attitude towards Brock Lesnar reveals why. In an interview with Maxim, he described how Lesnar was “whimpering and wincing” from his kneebar. …
Smug arrogance is often the first thing fans associate with Frank Mir. A quick survey of his attitude towards Brock Lesnar reveals why.
In an interview with Maxim, he described how Lesnar was “whimpering and wincing” from his kneebar. On another occasion, Mir expressed a desire to kill Lesnar and thereby cause the UFC’s first fatality.
While the former WWE star may be his top rival, Mir extends blunt criticisms to other opponents as well. For instance, he managed to enrage Cheick Kongo by commenting on how his takedown abilities “sucked.”
But athletes often have more to them than meets the eye. In Mir’s case, a cocky exterior hides one of sports’ greatest comeback stories.
Roy Nelson has called upon Frank Mir to help him prepare for his bout against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137. 