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UFC 130 Aftermath: Realistic Expectations for Frank Mir Are Needed

Dana White had harsh words for Frank Mir following UFC 130, saying that he was not happy with Mir’s performance for the second consecutive fight.While Mir’s fight with Roy Nelson might not have been the most exciting fight in Mir’s career, White was si…

Dana White had harsh words for Frank Mir following UFC 130, saying that he was not happy with Mir’s performance for the second consecutive fight.

While Mir’s fight with Roy Nelson might not have been the most exciting fight in Mir’s career, White was simply too hard on Mir.

The fight itself was actually pretty exciting in the early going.

Mir and Nelson were engaging in wild exchanges with Nelson trying to land right hands, and Mir trying to land clinch knees to the head. Mir landed a bunch of heavy shots that would have ended the night if it wasn’t for Nelson’s tough chin.

The fight was also a pretty grueling and competitive one when it became a wrestling match.

Clinch fighting often doesn’t look like much, but it’s extremely tiring, especially when you’re pushing around a 260-pound man for 15 minutes.

Still, in the immediate aftermath, Dana White called the fight “borderline embarrassing.”

I disagree.

Realistic Expectations for Frank Mir

Frank Mir fought just about as well as you can expect Frank Mir to fight.

Mir has powerful strikes, but he’s not fast enough or technical enough to be able to stand and trade in the pocket.

As such, his striking attempts are going to come from range or in the clinch, and in fits and starts.

Mir is also not a great wrestler, so when he attempts to take somebody down, he’s going to have to spend a lot of energy doing so, and it’s not always going to be pretty.

At the present time it should be pretty easy to see that Mir isn’t going to be able to beat guys like Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. Despite Mir’s recent dedication to strength and conditioning, he’s simply not on the same level as those guys athletically.

That doesn’t mean Frank Mir is irrelevant.

Mir is still a top-10 heavyweight. He just isn’t a top-three guy. In order to appreciate what Mir can do, (which is a lot) we need to accept that fact and move on.

There are still tons of interesting fights for Mir that could be entertaining or relevant.

Mir is a great challenge for up and coming contenders like Brendan Schaub or perhaps even a Travis Browne. He’d also be a worthwhile opponent for any other top-10 opponent.

Once people accept the fact that Mir doesn’t need to be able to win the belt to be relevant, people might finally start to enjoy his fights instead of saying, “he’d still get destroyed by Lesnar,” every time he fights.

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UFC 130 Results: 5 Fights Frank Mir Can Take to Get Back into Title Contention

With his win over Roy Nelson at UFC 130, Frank Mir in once again a serious contender in the heavyweight division. However, there is a difference between being a contender and actually contending for the title.Mir has been trying to regain the undispute…

Mir has been trying to regain the undisputed heavyweight title since losing it due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident back in 2004.

Despite the win over Nelson, Mir likely needs at least one more big win to earn a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. So, let’s take a look at some opponents that could help Mir get to where he wants to go.

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Brock Lesnar: 5 Fights He Should Take for a Successful Return

Brock Lesnar’s battle with diverticulitis continued this week as we learned via UFC President Dana White that he had recently undergone surgery to repair his colon. The surgery will keep the heavyweight powerhouse out until the beginning of 2012,…

He was originally scheduled to fight Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC 131, but obviously that won’t be happening. So who should his next opponent be when he gets back in the Octagon?

If he’s hoping to make a successful return, Lesnar will need to be smart with whatever fight he accepts. The last time he was battling diverticulitis, he got right back in the cage against Shane Carwin even though he admitted that he wasn’t nearly back to 100-percent during the fight.

Sure, he beat Carwin, but things looked pretty dire in the first round when the former University of Minnesota wrestler was nearly finished on numerous occasions.

If Carwin was in peak physical condition himself and didn’t gas-out, we may still be talking about him as the UFC Heavyweight Champion right now.

So in order to avoid another potentially crazy matchup like that, let’s take a look at the five opponents Lesnar should take in order to have a successful return to the UFC.

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UFC 130: Could a Fully Fit Rampage Beat Jones with the Same Game Plan?

Saturday night’s main event saw Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson put on a formidable clinic when it comes to the classic “sprawl’n’brawl” fight tactic. Matt Hamill seemed to throw away his chance at competing on the higher end of…

Saturday night’s main event saw Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson put on a formidable clinic when it comes to the classic “sprawl’n’brawl” fight tactic.

Matt Hamill seemed to throw away his chance at competing on the higher end of UFC events with a poor display. He was completely outclassed by Jackson despite the former UFC light heavy weight Champion’s claims of sporting a fractured left hand.

Depending on the severity of the injury, UFC president Dana White has claimed it will be Jackson who will get the honour of being Jon ‘Bones’ Jones first opponent for a title defense.

Jones is well known for his unorthodox style within most facets of MMA. ‘Bones’ demonstrated wild wrestling techniques in his bout against Stephan Bonnar, a freak submission against Jake O’Brien and massive confidence in his striking ability when securing his title in his destruction of Muay-thai machine—Shogun Rua.

Rampage’s game plan was no shock to anyone who has watched the knockout merchant’s development over the years in the sport. If the Memphis native receives an opportunity to face Jon Jones it is very possible he will use a similar disposition.

If one criticism came from Jones’ picking apart of Rua, it was that he seemed to be gassed, although not nearly to the extent of his opponent, toward the end of his fight. A harsh critique in my view yet still an important one to note.

In Jackson’s last outing versus Rashad Evans, he didn’t seem to be at the races at all for the first two rounds, but still finished the fight the stronger of the two. Evans deservedly won the bout on decision.

If Rampage managed to stuff the take downs of the explosive Jones, there is no doubt it would have a serious impact on the engine of the young champion. However, I think most people believe that Jackson would find it hard to have the same rate of success as he did against Hamill, stuffing all seventeen of his take down attempts.

This would leave the fight to be decided on the feet, somewhere Jackson is at his most comfortable. Jones too is no slouch in this department, but with Rampage able to pick apart Matt Hamill with only one good hand, you would have to give the edge to the Tennessee man.

Then again a similar mistake was made by a lot of analysts before Jones’ last bout against Rua.

I believe that Jones’ unorthodox style leaves openings for Jackson to exploit, especially if his coveted left hand is ready to fire on all cylinders.

One thing is for sure, the UFC will have to pick a substantial venue if the match is to go ahead as a lot of fans want to see this fight. A defense will cement Jones’ place as the 205 king and also as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, while a title shot could awaken the sleeping beast that is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

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UFC 130 Welterweight Main Card: A Most Relevant MMA (Rick) Story

The UFC 130 welterweight fight last Saturday night between Thiago “Pit Bull” Alves and Rick “The Horror” Story showed what true MMA fighters of the 21st century are made of: a complete game and gameness in all areas.Never mind i…

Never mind if it didn’t end with a finish, with a unanimous decision to make for a happy Story.

Story respected but did not fear Alves’ more extensive striking background; it not deter him from exchanging strikes with the latter in various phases of their three-round fight.

Story respectably landed his own solid missiles and kept his composure when at the receiving end.

Alves knew that Story was the more accomplished wrestler, but he succeeded in his own takedown attempt and ably rose to his feet (a folkstyle wrestling specialty) on the occasions when the former Southern Oregon University wrestler tried to take and keep the fight on the ground.

In between, he managed to defend against Story’s persistent takedown attempts more often than not.

They were both armed with a complete skill set and were game enough to engage in the other’s strongest point. (Akin to Nick Diaz‘ duking it out with Paul Daley, and knocking out the more respected striker.)

We’re a few months removed from the 18th anniversary of UFC 1, which was held on that night of November 12, 1993.

All human beings born that fateful night, assuming they are still blessed by God or nature with life, are now nearing major and legal age. (Well, in most societies, that is.)

If they are also gifted with functional reproductive health, in a half-year they can choose to procreate and do their part in perpetuating humanity. (Not that I advocate young parenthood and unfettered population growth.)

Likewise, our sport has grown exponentially and phenomenally across the globe—along with the awareness and practice of what it takes to reach the zenith of MMA fighting.

Concomitantly, martial arts gyms must be giving birth to complete fighters before their baptism of fire in professional MMA events.

This not about pure grappling.

This is not about pure striking.

And, no, this is not about pure wrestling.

Learn them all, train in them all and show them all. Neglect one at your own risk.

We are already riding on the second decade of the third millennium A.D.; the world did not end last May 21.

And this is Mixed Martial Arts.

UFC 130 Rampage vs. Hamill Fight Card: News, Previews & Predictions, Results and More!

I think we have Manny Pacquiao’s future MMA equivalent lurking here somewhere…for those interested in Philippine MMA, check out here the official Web site of our country’s premier MMA organization, the Universal Reality Combat Championship and our top MMA online forum at PinoyMMA.com.

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UFC 132 Fight Card: The UFC Needs Urijah Faber as Their Bantamweight Champion

Its no doubt that at UFC 132, the biggest title fight ever in the bantamweight division will take place between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz.Both men have created a storyline that has helped push their title bout further into the eyes of MMA fans acr…

Its no doubt that at UFC 132, the biggest title fight ever in the bantamweight division will take place between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz.

Both men have created a storyline that has helped push their title bout further into the eyes of MMA fans across the board.

Now a night removed from UFC 130 where the bantamweight division had three bouts on the card. None of them though, were on the main card.

When the UFC acquired the bantamweight and featherweight divisions from the WEC, the UFC needed to do some marketing to help bring these smaller fighters into the eyes of casual MMA fans. None of the bigger promotions outside of Japan showcased this guys.

Now the UFC is on the verge of having one of its biggest stars from these divisions becoming a UFC champion.

Faber is the only man to beat Cruz, and he did so at 145-pounds in the first round. Now, Cruz is the bantamweight king and looking to avenge his only career loss.

If the UFC wants to market these smaller divisions, look no further then Faber. Faber is one of the most marketable MMA fighters coming over from the WEC and is known by most casual fans. In fact, he is the reason I started following MMA like its my religion.

On top of Faber’s marketability, he is an excellent fighter. Faber goes out and gives 110 percent each and every fight. Faber is 25-4 in his career and his four losses have came against top competition. No one can complain about a loss to current featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, two losses to former featherweight champ, Mike Brown, and a loss to Tyson Griffin.

Faber has great striking mixed with great wrestling (20 of his 25 wins came via stoppage) and has the marketability the UFC needs to truly launch these smaller divisions.

Whatever the outcome is at UFC 132, the UFC walks away big winners with the big Faber vs. Cruz showdown in the 135-pound division’s history.

You can follow Sal on Twitter: @SalDeRoseMMA

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