Tag: UFC 141

Frank Mir Proud to Submit Nogueira, Doesn’t Know What’s Next

Filed under: UFC, NewsTwo days after he broke the arm of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, Frank Mir said that he felt badly for Nogueira’s injury, but he expressed pride in his first-round submission finish.

And as for the talk that Mir might be p…

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Frank Mir submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140.Two days after he broke the arm of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140, Frank Mir said that he felt badly for Nogueira’s injury, but he expressed pride in his first-round submission finish.

And as for the talk that Mir might be pressed into service to fight Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, Mir said he doesn’t know anything more than the fans know about the reports that Alistair Overeem may not be able to fight Lesnar as scheduled.

In an appearance on The MMA Hour, Mir said that when he locked in the kimura against Nogueira, he simply wanted to hold on until he had won the fight.

“I just locked it up and I wanted to make sure he didn’t get out,” Mir said. “I’m locking up a submission, and in my mind I want to keep applying force and don’t lose it.”

Mir, who previously broke Tim Sylvia‘s arm in a UFC heavyweight title fight, said that doesn’t take any satisfaction in injuring an opponent.

“I just want to win the fight,” Mir said. “The fact that you have to go get medical treatment after it, I don’t take credit for that. That sucked. He’s another martial artist I hope he can go back to the gym Monday like everyone else.”

Nogueira actually got off to a great start in the fight, hitting Mir hard and appearing to have him badly hurt. Mir acknowledged that Noguiera caught him by surprise by throwing punches, rather than immediately going for a takedown, and that those punches wobbled him.

“I was pretty stunned,” Mir said. “He caught me really good on the ear. That’s why my legs were so wobbly. When I first shot I was dizzy.”

As for the talk that Overeem could be out of his upcoming fight with Lesnar, and that Mir could take Overeem’s place, Mir said he doesn’t know anything about it but will accept the fight if it’s offered to him. But if Lesnar isn’t his next opponent, Mir hopes he’s fighting someone who gives him a chance to prove that he deserves the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

“I want a fight that’s a positive step toward a title shot,” Mir said. “When they start naming opponents I’ll ask, that it’s someone that takes me closer to No. 1 title contention.”

 

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UFC 141 Rumor: Alistair Overeem off the Card Due to Failed Pre-Fight Drug Test?

Alistair Overeem may be off the UFC 141 card due to a failed pre-fight drug test, according to a report by Bloody Elbow. Anyone who watched the UFC 140 post-fight press conference probably noticed that several members of the media pressed UFC pres…

Alistair Overeem may be off the UFC 141 card due to a failed pre-fight drug test, according to a report by Bloody Elbow. 

Anyone who watched the UFC 140 post-fight press conference probably noticed that several members of the media pressed UFC president Dana White as to whether or not Alistair Overeem would be pulled from the UFC 141 main event against Brock Lesnar. 

White vehemently denied that there were any issues with the long-awaited heavyweight showdown, but ESPN MMA Analyst Josh Gross has thrown some fuel on the fire in this situation. 

On Sunday, Gross tweeted: 

“White denies Overeem is off the Lesnar card. But Alistair is on Mon.’s NSAC agenda. I’ve heard possibly in connection w/ prefight drug test.”

“The Demolition Man” has long been speculated to be a steroid user ever since making the move from light heavyweight to heavyweight, but as of now, he has never failed a drug test.  

Overeem attributes his weight gain to a high-protein, high-calorie diet that is rich in horse meat.

Despite the event being just under three weeks away, taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on December 30, speculation has already arisen on a possible replacement form Overeem: Lesnar’s old nemesis Frank Mir. 

Mir is easily a top-five heavyweight fighter after becoming the first man to submit Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the UFC 140 co-main event.  

Despite getting rocked early with some hard shots, Mir managed to bounce back and sink in a nasty kimura that broke Big Nog’s arm. 

The quick turnaround would certainly be asking a lot from Mir, but both he and Lesnar have expressed interest in a rubber match in the past and the bout would still make sense as a title eliminator. 

Mir won the first meeting with the former WWE superstar at UFC 81 via a picture perfect kneebar, while Brock came back with a vengeance at UFC 100.  

Lesnar won the second meeting after taking Mir down and punishing him with heavy-handed ground and pound until the referee stepped in.  

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UFC 141: Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem Early Breakdown

On Dec. 30, one of the biggest—literally—matches in UFC history takes place, as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will face off against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.This matchup has been dreamed of for…

On Dec. 30, one of the biggest—literally—matches in UFC history takes place, as former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will face off against former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem.

This matchup has been dreamed of for quite some time, and now we will finally get to see it happen.

This is a true striker versus grappler matchup, but more will go into it than just that.

Let’s look at an early breakdown for this epic fight.

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UFC 140 Results: 10 Burning Questions Heading into UFC 141 Lesnar vs. Overeem

UFC 140 is in the books and below you will find results for the full fight card: Jon Jones defeats Lyoto Machida via submission at 4:26 of Round 2 Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via submission at 3:38 of Round 1 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def…

UFC 140 is in the books and below you will find results for the full fight card:

Jon Jones defeats Lyoto Machida via submission at 4:26 of Round 2

Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via submission at 3:38 of Round 1

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeats Tito Ortiz via TKO at 3:15 of Round 1

Brian Ebersole defeats Claude Patrick via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Chan Sung Jung defeats Mark Hominick via TKO at :07 of Round 1

Igor Pokrajac defeats Krzysztof Soszynski via KO at :35 of Round 1

Constantinos Philippou defeats Jared Hamman via KO at 3:11 of Round 1

Dennis Hallman defeats John Makdessi via submission at 2:58 of Round 1

Yves Jabouin defeats Walel Watson via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Mark Bocek defeats Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Jake Hecht defeats Rich Attonito via TKO at 1:10 of Round 2

John Cholish defeats Mitch Clarke via TKO at 4:36 of Round 2

What follows are 10 burning questions heading into the UFC’s next event, UFC 141, which is scheduled to take place on December 30 from Las Vegas, Nevada, and will feature a main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem.

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Frank Mir ‘Wouldn’t Mind’ Replacing Alistair Overeem Against Brock Lesnar

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Frank MirTORONTO — Frank Mir would have us believe that he was never really out of it after getting rocked by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the first round of their heavyweight tilt at UFC 140. Instead, he was merely “wobbled,” he said. He’d also have us believe that was bound to get out of danger whether Nogueira had stopped hitting him and gone for a choke or not, even if UFC president Dana White was among those who simply wasn’t buying either claim.

It almost makes you wonder how seriously to take Mir’s other major statement on the night, this one regarding rumors that Alistair Overeem might have to withdraw from his UFC 141 fight with Brock Lesnar on December 30.

“If the rumors that you’re hearing are true, I wouldn’t mind having to step in for Overeem and taking on Brock,” said Mir. “I’m pretty healthy and three weeks isn’t bad turnaround.”

And why not? He may have come within one or two punches of being knocked completely out by Nogueira in a back-and-forth one-rounder, but Mir talked like a man who had hardly suffered any damage at all before getting the submission win in a wild affair.


As he explained: “I only fought a three-minute fight, so I’m feeling pretty good. My wife might not be happy about Christmas but, eh, she can deal with it.”

As for Nogueira, his holiday season is looking especially grim. White, who denied the Overeem withdrawal rumors, revealed after the press conference that he was planning to fly Nogueira back to Las Vegas with him on Sunday morning so he could have surgery on his injured right arm as soon as possible. He also said that he knew Nogueira was headed for trouble when Mir locked up the kimura, and nothing about the Brazilian’s history or posture suggested that he was ready to tap.

“Nogueira’s a jiu-jitsu black belt, probably the best submissions heavyweight of all time, you know when you get caught in that thing to tap,” White said. “You know to tap out to that. It’s what happens if you don’t.”

Mir said he knew what the likely outcome would be when he secured the kimura, and the only thing left to do was to go ahead and finish it.

“I had a strong inclination that he was not going to tap, so I took a deep breath and you guys saw what happened,” he said.

The injury drew pained groans from the crowd at the Air Canada Centre when it was replayed several times on the big screen. It’s the latest in a serious of injuries that have piled up on Nogueira of late, and though he hasn’t taken the knockouts that some of his contemporaries have, he might still have to sit down for a serious talk with the boss, White said.

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“You’ve got to look at a guy’s entire career, not just how it’s ending. Big Nog’s been in wars, man. I was at the Pride fight when he fought Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ [Filipovic], and ‘Cro Cop’ was just blasting him with kicks to the body and shots to the head, and then he ends up pulling off that submission win in the second round. He’s had a career where he’s been through wars.

“Big Nog is a nice guy and a guy who I respect, and I know they get pissed off at me when I say this stuff, but again, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately — or fortunately — I’m the one that makes these decisions. I’m going to have to sit down and talk to him. I don’t want to see him get hurt, or anyone else.”

 

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Frank MirTORONTO — Frank Mir would have us believe that he was never really out of it after getting rocked by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the first round of their heavyweight tilt at UFC 140. Instead, he was merely “wobbled,” he said. He’d also have us believe that was bound to get out of danger whether Nogueira had stopped hitting him and gone for a choke or not, even if UFC president Dana White was among those who simply wasn’t buying either claim.

It almost makes you wonder how seriously to take Mir’s other major statement on the night, this one regarding rumors that Alistair Overeem might have to withdraw from his UFC 141 fight with Brock Lesnar on December 30.

“If the rumors that you’re hearing are true, I wouldn’t mind having to step in for Overeem and taking on Brock,” said Mir. “I’m pretty healthy and three weeks isn’t bad turnaround.”

And why not? He may have come within one or two punches of being knocked completely out by Nogueira in a back-and-forth one-rounder, but Mir talked like a man who had hardly suffered any damage at all before getting the submission win in a wild affair.


As he explained: “I only fought a three-minute fight, so I’m feeling pretty good. My wife might not be happy about Christmas but, eh, she can deal with it.”

As for Nogueira, his holiday season is looking especially grim. White, who denied the Overeem withdrawal rumors, revealed after the press conference that he was planning to fly Nogueira back to Las Vegas with him on Sunday morning so he could have surgery on his injured right arm as soon as possible. He also said that he knew Nogueira was headed for trouble when Mir locked up the kimura, and nothing about the Brazilian’s history or posture suggested that he was ready to tap.

“Nogueira’s a jiu-jitsu black belt, probably the best submissions heavyweight of all time, you know when you get caught in that thing to tap,” White said. “You know to tap out to that. It’s what happens if you don’t.”

Mir said he knew what the likely outcome would be when he secured the kimura, and the only thing left to do was to go ahead and finish it.

“I had a strong inclination that he was not going to tap, so I took a deep breath and you guys saw what happened,” he said.

The injury drew pained groans from the crowd at the Air Canada Centre when it was replayed several times on the big screen. It’s the latest in a serious of injuries that have piled up on Nogueira of late, and though he hasn’t taken the knockouts that some of his contemporaries have, he might still have to sit down for a serious talk with the boss, White said.

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“You’ve got to look at a guy’s entire career, not just how it’s ending. Big Nog’s been in wars, man. I was at the Pride fight when he fought Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ [Filipovic], and ‘Cro Cop’ was just blasting him with kicks to the body and shots to the head, and then he ends up pulling off that submission win in the second round. He’s had a career where he’s been through wars.

“Big Nog is a nice guy and a guy who I respect, and I know they get pissed off at me when I say this stuff, but again, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately — or fortunately — I’m the one that makes these decisions. I’m going to have to sit down and talk to him. I don’t want to see him get hurt, or anyone else.”

 

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Frank Mir: Brock Lesnar Beats Alistair Overeem 99 Times out of 100

Frank Mir may have been unimpressed with Brock Lesnar’s TV debut as an MMA analyst on Fox, but he fully expects the former UFC heavyweight champion to take care of business against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.MMA Weigh-In caught up with Mir on the red …

Frank Mir may have been unimpressed with Brock Lesnar‘s TV debut as an MMA analyst on Fox, but he fully expects the former UFC heavyweight champion to take care of business against Alistair Overeem at UFC 141.

MMA Weigh-In caught up with Mir on the red carpet of the World MMA Awards to get his thoughts on bad commentating and the upcoming heavyweight showdown between Lesnar and Overeem.

“You know how bad it was? I felt bad for watching it,” said Mir, when asked about Lesnar’s commentating skills at UFC on Fox. “I’m sitting there going like man, somebody cut the mic, pull [the camera] over, do a three shot.

“I think I could pull it off a little bit better. Obviously, it’ll be competitive when we fight each other, but as far as speaking terms, not so much.”

There is still unfinished business between Lesnar and Mir, who both own a victory over one another.

Despite their ongoing rivalry, there still remains a certain level of respect between the two heavyweight superstars.

At UFC 141, Lesnar is slated to face a fellow behemoth in Overeem, who is a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Dream Interim Champion and K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.

Mir may not see eye to eye with Lesnar on most issues, but he feels strongly about his adversary’s chances of stopping “The Reem” and moving on to challenge Dos Santos for the UFC title.

“I think Overeem doesn’t move his feet well enough to get out of the way. I think that he might think the guys he’s wrestling with, their doubles are something he can sprawl on. He’s not stopping Brock’s shot,” Mir said.

“I think he has to come out with the mindset that he better land a shot and knock Brock out before he gets going. I just don’t see that happening. Percentages say that when a striker and grappler, and they are pretty much as pure as we’re gonna get in this sport. A pure grappler versus a pure striker, you’ve got to go with the grappler.”

This entire bout will likely be decided by whether or not Lesnar is able to secure takedowns and control from top position.

Despite being arguably the best striker in the heavyweight division, Overeem’s submission skills shouldn’t be overlooked. People tend to forget that the vast majority of his wins have come by submission.

Still, Mir doesn’t see submissions being much of a factor in this bout. It will depend on the takedowns, which Lesnar shouldn’t have problems securing according to Mir.

“The takedown is so much higher percentage than trying to land a one punch knockout. They fight each other 100 times, and I think Brock’s gonna get the takedown 99 times, and I don’t see how Alistair’s gonna get up,” Mir stated.

“I know that everybody looks at [Overeem’s] traps and arms, and they see a big guy. I look at the guy’s waist, and legs and I see a guy who’s just a well-muscled up light heavyweight.”

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