Frank Mir is one of the most amazing MMA fighters to ever step into the UFC octagon. Throughout his career, the former Heavyweight Champion has scored most of his wins through knockouts or by forcing his opponent to tap out. For 15 years, Mir was one of the top heavyweights in the UFC. He has also showcased his skills in Bellator, professional wrestling and boxing as well. There have been many important moments in Mir’s career that fans should know about. So let’s take a look at 10 things about his career that you might not know.
10) Debut
Frank Mir made his professional MMA debut in 2001. After fighting two matches and winning them, he made his UFC debut at UFC 34. Mir’s first professional fight was against Jerome Smith, which he won by decision. His second fight was against Dan Quinn, which he won by a triangle choke submission. At UFC 34, Mir faced Roberto Traven and scored an impressive win by armbar.
9) First Championship
Within four years of entering the UFC, Frank managed to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Advancing to his first title shot, Mir had notable victories against Tank Abbott and Wes Sims. At UFC 48, he faced Tim Sylvia for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship. During the fight, Mir displayed his incredible skills and locked on an armbar, defeating Sylvia by technical submission within 50 seconds of the first round.
8) Stripped of the title
Mir’s first title reign in the UFC didn’t go as planned. Unfortunately, just three months after winning the title, he got into a motorcycle accident that caused him to not compete for nearly two years. The promotion tried to give Mir time to recover, but after not being able to fight for over a year, the promotion stripped him of the title. After returning to the sport, Mir lost two of his three fights. However, he went on a three-fight win streak, resulting in his next title win.
7) Rivalry with Brock Lesnar
Frank Mir faced Brock Lesnar for the first time at UFC 81 in 2008 and made the beast submit to a knee bar. After that, they became arch rivals. This led to one of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history. Both faced each other at UFC 100 in 2009, where Mir was defending his Heavyweight championship. The fight ended with Lesnar defeating Mir by technical knockout and becoming the new champion.
6) Won the Interim title
Mir got his career back on track in 2007 when he scored a submission victory over Antoine Hardonk at UFC 74. A few months later, Mir won his highest-profile match against Brock Lesnar. After two consecutive wins, Mir got a title shot at the Interim Heavyweight title. At the time, current UFC champion Randy Couture was going through a contract dispute. So Mir faced Antonio Nogueira for the title and defeated him by technical knockout, winning the UFC title once again.
5) Last title shot
After his loss against Lesnar at UFC 100, Mir experienced mixed results in the UFC Octagon. In his next fight, Mir defeated Cheick Kongo via technical submission and was put into another interim title fight against Shane Carwin, which he failed to win. Following this loss, he won three consecutive bouts to earn another UFC Heavyweight title opportunity. After defeating Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson and Antonio Nogueira, Mir found himself in a title match against then-champion Junior Dos Santos. In 2012, at UFC 146, Dos Santos defeated Mir by technical knockout. This was Mir’s last fight for UFC gold.
4) Suspension by USADA
After losing to Junior Dos Santos, Mir fought seven more bouts in the UFC, but he could only win two of them. Following a knockout loss to Mark Hunt in 2016, Mir was tested positive for turinabol metabolite and as a result, he got suspended from the sport for two years. During his suspension, Mir was released from his UFC contract, ending his 15-year tenure with the promotion.
3) Entered Bellator
When Mir’s suspension ended, he returned to the sport and signed with Bellator. He made his Bellator debut in 2018 and fought MMA veteran Fedor Emelianenko. The fight ended within 48 seconds of the first round, with Emelianenko winning by knockout. Mir returned at the end of the year, but once again suffered a knockout defeat, this time at the hands of Javy Ayala. In his third and final Bellator fight in 2019, Frank got a unanimous decision win against Roy Nelson.
2) Professional Wrestling
Mir made his professional wrestling debut in 2019. He wrestled fellow former UFC fighter Dan Severn at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport. Mir won his professional wrestling debut and made headlines by calling out Brock Lesnar after his match. That weekend, “The Beast” was competing in a world title match at WrestleMania. However, Mir did not receive a lot of publicity for the callout due to his threat to kill Lesnar in the ring.
1) Boxing
Mir made his professional boxing debut on the undercard of a highly anticipated Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren bout. Mir suffered defeat by boxer Steve Cunningham, who was competing in his 40th fight. Cunningham won the match by a unanimous decision. While Mir has shared the cage with some of the best MMA fighters around the world, Cunningham also had the experience of sharing the ring with arguably the greatest boxers.
Also Read: Frankie Edgar’s 10 Best Performances During His UFC Career
