Frank Mir: Does he have what it takes to be champion again
by Charles Jay
Few people have traversed the territory Frank Mir has in his mixed martial arts career. He is one of a handful of fighters who has won the UFC's heavyweight championship, and he's done it twice. He is also the author of one of the great comeback stories in the sport, climbing his way back into the title picture, then to the top of the mountain, after a serious motorcycle accident almost ended his career.
Mir is the only fighter to have defeated Brock Lesnar, and he did so in the first round back in February 2008. When he fought the rematch with Lesnar, it became the biggest pay-per-view event in UFC history, and the fourth largest single-event PPV event ever.
As someone who takes his profession very seriously, and is very sensitive to the science of training, it was an enlightening experience as he sat down with BetFlix reporter Danielle Ford to discuss how he goes about doing what he does.
Frank Mir, a native of Las Vegas, started with kenpo katate at the age of four, and over the course of time, but rather quickly, picked up other athletic pursuits.
"I concentrated on football in high school, and then got into wrestling," he says. Mir won a Nevada state title in wrestling, and says that when he graduated from high school he was looking for something else to get into, which is when he started to box. Shortly afterward, he found a jiu-jitsu gym, and that led him on the road toward becoming a mixed martial artist, and he already had a good head start, with experience in a number of disciplines.
Mir wanted to test himself in MMA, even though reaping any considerable financial benefits was probably the furthest thing from his mind. After a coupe of pro fights, he came into UFC 34 as a substitute for an injured fighter, and the rest is history.
UFC history, that is. Mir's first championship moment came in only his ninth fight, when he broke Tim Sylvia's arm and forced a submission. Then came the accident, which left him unable to defend the title and guaranteed him a tough road back.
As for what it's like being referred to as a legend, he explained that it's hard for some people to believe he's still only 30 years old, but says "Hopefully I still have more to add to it."
Mir is very good at submissions, and indeed that is how he put away Lesnar, but says that "I really enjoy the stand-up game, and enjoy finishes." He is constantly working to expand and refine the repertoire, working with a boxing coach and a former Muay Thai world champion. All the disciplines demand attention in the world of MMA. That doesn't mean he likes all of them.
"I have a hard time with the wrestling. It's kind of boring," says Mir. "It's great for positioning, but you know, ground-and-pound is just not my style. Obviously you have to train at everything to be well-rounded, but definitely at the beginning of a wrestling practice I'm not as excited as I am if you say we're going to do jiu-jitsu or we're going to do striking."
Mir maintains that one of his strengths as a fighter is his mindset. But pure physical strength is a priority. "In my loss I had against Brock Lesnar, when we fought the second time, I really felt the difference in our strength." He has begun to work with a strength coach from nearby UNLV, and says he's already seen the results. "I've become quicker and stronger and a lot more explosive."
The diet is important to his regimen as well. He is in the 270's right now, and likes to stay within 10% of that weight at any conceivable point during his training period. Toward that end, he has both a nutritionist and a chef. "The hard part about diet is consistency," he says. "Everybody knows how to eat right. It's whether you can do it for weeks after weeks, months after months. and then that's when you're going to see results."
As far as upcoming UFC 111 fight (for the interim UFC heavyweight title) with Shane Carwin is concerned, Mir definitely sees himself with some natural advantages, particularly in technique. "I'm a better striker. I'm a better submission artist. His strength would be his wrestling."
Speaking of submissions, when asked which is those moves was his favorite, Mir did not hesitant much - the choke.
"There's something different about feeling someone go unconscious when you're holding them," says Mir. "When I hold your body and I feel you go limp, it's pretty awesome. There's something better about the quiver."
Fedor Emilianenko is considered by many to be the gold standard as far as heavyweight competitors is concerned. At some point in the future, it's not impossible that Mir could find himself in the cage with the Russian, and he obviously would like his chances in such a matchup.
"I think Fedor is extraordinarily tough mentally," he points out. "Every time he would change levels to throw his overhand punches, I would just match him. I really don't have to worry about kicks coming from him, and he really doesn't throw straight punches very hard. If you watch all his punches, he kind of wings them at you. So I would just stay in front of him and stay down low, and use my reach.
"On the ground, I'm stronger, faster. And I feel that his grappling and my grappling match up pretty well. I think we'd probably stall each other out."
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