Another tough fight to call, but I’m going with the Skyscraper.Struve is still so young (23) that he should be adding strength at a rapid clip and polishing his skills with ease. Considering the Dutch youngster already has some impressive wins on his r…
Another tough fight to call, but I’m going with the Skyscraper.
Struve is still so young (23) that he should be adding strength at a rapid clip and polishing his skills with ease. Considering the Dutch youngster already has some impressive wins on his resume, he’s gonna be a handful when his power catches up to the rest of his skills.
Oh, and he looks like he has added a substantial amount of weight without compromising his fluidity or flexibility. We obviously won’t know for sure until the gloves drop, but he’s looking physically primed.
Travis Browne is no slouch, but he was probably lucky to escape with a draw from his last affair with Cheick Kongo due to a point deduction suffered by the latter.
Kongo was Browne’s toughest opponent to date and it’s not like Struve is a world-beater…yet.
Nevertheless, I expect to see vast improvement from Holland’s own and another victory for the kid.
Filed under: UFCIn a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130.
The fight was never close, with Mir dominating the ea…
In a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130.
The fight was never close, with Mir dominating the early going in the stand-up and then cruising to an easy victory on the ground late. It wasn’t much of an effort for Nelson, who was completely outclassed. The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for Mir.
“I’m feeling great,” Mir said. “How many times did I hit him in the face? What’s up with that guy’s chin?”
The first round showed Mir at his best, repeatedly using a Thai clinch to knee Nelson, and then executing a beautiful throw to put Nelson on his back in the final minute of the first round.
Early in the second Mir went for a single-leg takedown and got it, again putting Nelson on his back and ending up in his half guard. Mir wasn’t able to do much to Nelson on the ground, but it was clear he could put Nelson there whenever he wanted.
In the third the fight started to get dull, as Mir continued to show that he could control Nelson any way he wanted to. In improving his professional MMA record to 16-5, Mir put on a one-sided beatdown, and he could be getting close to heavyweight title contention again.
As for Nelson, who falls to 14-6, it was an ugly performance for a fighter who needs to take his conditioning seriously and step up his game. Nelson is a popular and well-liked fighter, but he hasn’t won a fight in 14 months. He’s not in Mir’s league.
About two and a half years ago, Frank Mir was walking around with the UFC interim heavyweight championship belt around his waist. Things have certainly changed as we head into the UFC 130. Now fighting in the semi-main event against Roy Nelson, Mir is…
About two and a half years ago, Frank Mir was walking around with the UFC interim heavyweight championship belt around his waist. Things have certainly changed as we head into the UFC 130.
Now fighting in the semi-main event against Roy Nelson, Mir is no longer the champion. In fact, he may not even be a contender. Some would even venture to say that he’s hardly even a relevant heavyweight in 2011.
However, I’m not one of those people. I believe that at 32 years old, Frank Mir still has a lot left to give to the sport and that he can still be a contender given the right set of circumstances. But it all starts this Saturday night when he fights the big-bellied, mulleted former IFL heavyweight champion, Roy Nelson.
A quick look at Mir’s career would tell you that, like many fighters, he has had his ups and downs.
Mir ran up a 7-1 MMA record that included an impressive and painful-looking submission over Tank Abbott at UFC 41 prior to his first title shot against Tim Sylvia at UFC 48. It was that fight against Sylvia that really put Mir on the heavyweight map for good.
An underdog against the monstrous champion at the time, Mir also conceded well over 30 pounds to the “Maine-iac.” But it didn’t matter as Mir not only won the fight and became the new champion, but also broke Sylvia’s arm in the process in one of the most memorable and horrific-looking Octagon submissions of all-time.
The new champion was flying high and looked to be on a path to long-term greatness when a horrible motorcycle accident caused him to be sidelined for an extended period of time and subsequently stripped of his title.
Mir eventually returned, but looked awful in three straight fights against Marcio Cruz, Dan Christison and Brandon Vera. It looked as if an outside injury had caused the end of yet another mixed martial arts career.
A re-commitment to the sport helped Mir spring back with a victory over Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74 before he surprised nearly everyone with his submission over the debuting Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 in February 2008. Later that year, Mir would be crowned the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion when he became the first man to ever stop the legendary Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92.
Unfortunately, his title run would be short-lived once again as he was dominated by Brock Lesnar in their rematch at UFC 100.
Since that night, Mir has not looked like the same fighter that we saw have an impressive three-fight win streak in 2007-2008. Yes, he defeated an overrated Cheick Kongo and even knocked out Mirko Cro Cop, but his punishing loss to Shane Carwin may be what many fans will remember most about Mir’s last three fights.
Brendan Schaub recently proved that, at this point, any relevant heavyweight should be able to defeat Mirko Cro Cop, so it’s hard to give Mir too much credit for his uncharacteristically boring defeat of the former Pride superstar.
It’s time for Mir to get back in the cage against a top 10 opponent, and Roy Nelson is just that.
The UFC 130 semi main event will be a huge fight for both of these men as Nelson looks to climb into the UFC’s elite for the first time while Mir attempts to get back there. Neither fighter is going to go out without a fight and this is expected by most to be the kind of heavyweight slugfest that fans dream about.
With the looming potential of an “invasion” of the Strikeforce heavyweight division, the time for Frank Mir to make a statement is right now. He needs this win over Roy Nelson to prove that not only is he relevant, but he is still a top contender for Cain Velasquez’s UFC heavyweight championship going forward.
Despite the loss of the originally scheduled main event between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, plenty of storylines have still developed prior to UFC 130.With several important questions to be answered with every fight in this…
Despite the loss of the originally scheduled main event between UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, plenty of storylines have still developed prior to UFC 130.
With several important questions to be answered with every fight in this event, there are sure to be some great fights and surprises tomorrow night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
As we prepare for the kickoff of three straight weeks packed with UFC news and action, here are the five most pressing question that will be answered at UFC 130.
UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill is a tribute to Zuffa’s talented marketing team, the result of clever last-minute matchmaking and some inspired promotion.Earlier this year, a potentially intriguing match-up between former light-heavyweight champion Quinton…
UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill is a tribute to Zuffa’s talented marketing team, the result of clever last-minute matchmaking and some inspired promotion.
Earlier this year, a potentially intriguing match-up between former light-heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and resurgent contender Thiago Silva was scrubbed.
Silva, back in the title picture after posting an impressive and dominating victory over Brandon “The Truth” Vera, was yanked from the schedule after his UFC 125 pre-fight urinalysis tested positive for banned substances.
If the absence of Jackson vs. Silva slowed down the UFC 130 hype machine, losing the highly-anticipated main event, a rubber match between 155-pound champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar and No. 1 contender Gray “Bully” Maynard, threatened to bring it to a grinding halt.
Edgar and Maynard, arguably the two most evenly-matched fighters in the division, were expected to give fans their money’s worth after thrilling fans on New Year’s Day in a five-round slobberknocker that ended in (what else) a majority draw.
Fortunately, the UFC’s roster is deep enough to furnish Saturday night’s main card with plenty of talented fighters. The match-up I find the most compelling is the heavyweight pairing of former champ Frank Mir vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson.
What We Know
Originally known for his jiu-jitsu skills, Mir has made a name for himself in recent years as one of the UFC’s more well-rounded big men.
He showcased ever-improving stand-up skills against Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo, but brutal stoppage losses to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin put his status as a bona fide contender in question.
Roy Nelson is in many ways the anti-Frank Mir; pudgy, irreverent and seemingly incapable of taking himself seriously.
While Nelson drew criticism on TUF for coasting through preliminary bouts, his stunning knock-out of Brendan Schaub in the season finale showcased the former IFL champion’s skill.
Even as Nelson’s egregious mullet and self-deprecating arena entrance (to the tune of Weird Al Yankovic’s “Fat”) provide comic relief, his stunning knock-outs of Schaub and Stefan Struve serve to remind fans and opponents that Nelson is an accomplished and dangerous veteran.
What Could Happen
There’s little question Frank Mir enters this fight with an advantage in nearly every department…at least on paper.
A cerebral, analytical fighter known for tailoring opponent-specific game plans, Mir expects to capitalize on both a discernible size advantage as well as what he believes is superior stand-up technique.
Where Nelson shines is in the intangibles department. Undersized at heavyweight and sporting a giant pot belly, Nelson uses graceful footwork, poise under pressure and deceptive athleticism to turn the tables on opponents, a quality not unlike Fedor Emelianenko.
Nelson’s most recent fight, a decisive loss to No. 1 contender Junior Dos Santos, was nonetheless a competitive brawl that not only showed Nelson’s skill but also his toughness.
Mir may be bigger and in better shape, and he may even have a sound game plan for Nelson, but unfortunately the element of surprise always seems to favor Mir’s opponents.
That trend doesn’t bode well against an opponent like Nelson, who since entering the UFC has only exceeded expectations.
If recent history is any indication, we shouldn’t be shocked to see Roy Nelson walk away with a “Knockout of the Night” bonus.
Just moments ago from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the weigh-ins were held for UFC 130, which goes down live Saturday evening. Unlike UFC 129, all the participants were on-point with their weight.Below are all the weigh-in results.Light heavyweight bout…
Just moments ago from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the weigh-ins were held for UFC 130, which goes down live Saturday evening. Unlike UFC 129, all the participants were on-point with their weight.
In a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated 