Mir is Back in Orbit

I had all but counted out Frank Mir.  His two fights prior to UFC 130 were absolute atrocities.  In UFC 111, Shane Carwin pushed Mir up against the cage and unloaded some telegraphed uppercuts against a non-defending Mir.  When one considers that Mir may be the most well-rounded heavyweight in the UFC -- a submission genius and solid striker --, it was perplexing to see him get destroyed by a guy who is really nothing more than a puncher.  Yes, Carwin is a beast, but one should rightfully expect more from Mir than he showed in that fight.

And, of course, one should rightfully expect MUCH more than Mir showed against Cro Cop in their UFC 119 headliner.  Though Mir put the Croatian to sleep with a heavy knee in the 3rd round, it was easily the most lackluster headliner that I, and most other UFC fans, have ever witnessed.  To that point, Dana refused to award Mir a "KO-of-the-Night" bonus, even though Mir's was the only KO in the event.

So, after 119, I felt that Mir was heartless and washed up -- a waste of tremendous talent.  After his win over Cro Cop, he dropped out of my top ten in the weight class and off the radar.

However, UFC 130 changed my mind.  For 15 minutes, Mir utterly dominated Big Country Nelson everywhere that the fight took them.  Mir won the striking game (against a notorious striker), the wrestling game, and the grappling game.  He made Roy look like a second-tier heavyweight, who belongs back in the International Fight League.  Most importantly, Mir did this with a broken jaw and a broken rib.  There's a heart in that man after all.  And, although the fight went the distance, Mir unloaded some brutal knees in the clinch that would have crumpled many other fighters.

Frank is back.  He is a big, dangerous man, and the rest of the division should take note.

Who is next for Mir?  Well, with half of the division ailing, Mir is now in line.  And, what would make the most sense is to give him the loser of the JDS-Carwin fight.  Showing this kind of a resurgence in the ring, Mir could make a rematch with Shane a very interesting draw.  And, of course, a rumble with Junior would be a compelling spectacle.

But there is one other match-up that would be even more interesting.  Overeem.  Both men are massive heavyweights with multi-dimensional skills.  It would be a true test of the Demolition Man and would show where each man belongs in the big boy world.  If there is a need for UFC-Strikeforce interbreeding, it is in the heavyweight division.  But, for several reasons, that will be some time coming.  All we can do is wait.