Frank Mir
From FightWiki
 |
Name | Frank Mir |
| Nickname | N/A | |
| Association | Las Vegas Combat Club | |
| Weight Class | Heavyweight (240 lbs.) | |
| Height | 6' 3" (191 cm) | |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Kickboxing | |
| Birth Date | May 24, 1979 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Country | USA | |
| Frank Mir Pictures | http://www.frankmir.com/ |
Francisco Santos "Frank" Mir III is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where he is the current UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
He was also one of the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 13 - 4 - 0 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 2 (T)KOs 8 Submissions 2 Decisions 1 Other |
| Losses | 4 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 0 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Cheick Kongo | Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) | UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez | 12/12/2009 | 1 | 1:12 | |
| Loss | Brock Lesnar | TKO (Punches) | UFC 100 | 7/11/2009 | 2 | 1:48 | For undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira | TKO (Punches) | UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008 | 12/27/2008 | 2 | 1:54 | Won UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship |
| Win | Brock Lesnar | Submission (Kneebar) | UFC 81: Breaking Point | 2/02/2008 | 1 | 1:30 | Won Submission of the Night Honors |
| Win | Antoni Hardonk | Submission (Kimura) | UFC 74: Respect | 8/25/2007 | 1 | 1:17 | |
| Loss | Brandon Vera | TKO (Punches) | UFC 65: Bad Intentions | 11/18/2006 | 1 | 1:09 | |
| Win | Dan Christison | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 61: Bitter Rivals | 7/08/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Loss | Marcio Cruz | TKO (Punches and Elbows) | UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 | 2/04/2006 | 1 | 4:10 | First fight after motorcycle accident |
| Win | Tim Sylvia | Technical Submission (Armbar) | UFC 48: Payback | 6/19/2004 | 1 | 0:50 | Won Vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship; Later stripped of title when he could not defend it; Earned his Black-belt in BJJ after the fight |
| Win | Wes Sims | KO (Punches) | UFC 46: Supernatural | 1/31/2004 | 2 | 4:21 | |
| Win | Wes Sims | DQ (Kicking a Downed Opponent) | UFC 43: Meltdown | 6/06/2003 | 1 | 2:55 | |
| Win | David Abbott | Submission (Toe Hold) | UFC 41: Onslaught | 2/28/2003 | 1 | 0:46 | |
| Loss | Ian Freeman | TKO (Punches) | UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall | 7/13/2002 | 1 | 4:35 | |
| Win | Pete Williams | Submission (Shoulder Lock) | UFC 36: Worlds Collide | 3/22/2002 | 1 | 0:46 | |
| Win | Roberto Traven | Submission (Armbar) | UFC 34: High Voltage | 11/02/2001 | 1 | 1:05 | UFC debut |
| Win | Dan Quinn | Submission (Triangle Choke) | IFC WC 15: Warriors Challenge 15 | 8/31/2001 | 1 | 2:15 | |
| Win | Jerome Smith | Decision | HOOKnSHOOT: Showdown | 7/14/2001 | 2 | 5:00 | |
Biography
Born into a martial arts family, a young Mir learned the basics of combat from his father's Kenpo Karate school in Las Vegas. While watching the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event, UFC 1: The Beginning, Mir was not yet convinced of the benefits in learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu:
- "I was fourteen watching the first UFC with my father and everyone was getting taken down and choked out by this scrawny Royce Gracie. I could not believe it was happening! My dad wanted to learn what they were doing right off the bat, but I defended what I already knew. I thought I could adjust for it. I felt I could defend against jiu-jitsu instead of being humble and trying to learn it." His father convinced him to begin wrestling, on the basis that it could help him avoid submissions; however, "I was covering up a weakness rather than fixing one," Mir suggested. Despite losing his first seven wrestling matches, Mir went on to win the state Heavyweight wrestling title in 1998.
In 2004 after defeating Tim Sylvia at UFC 48: Payback Mir received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Ricardo Pires after only 5 years of training.
Mir worked as a bouncer at the Spearmint Rhino strip club in Las Vegas before entering the UFC, and continues to work as Director of Security there while pursuing his UFC career. In addition to fighting, Mir also is a color commentator for World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Mir met UFC matchmaker Joe Silva at a school Silva was visiting. Silva saw potential in Mir as a future UFC fighter and suggested that he first prove himself against some fighters in the mixed martial arts community. Mir would make his professional MMA debut against Jerome Smith at HOOKnSHOOT: Showdown on July 14, 2001. Mir won the bout by judges' decision after two rounds. He won another match by submission at IFC Warriors Challenge 15. After these events, Silva proposed a match up between Mir and Roberto Travern, a new UFC fighter; Mir accepted the offer.
UFC Debut
Mir defeated Roberto Travern by armbar at 1:05 of round one at UFC 34: High Voltage on November 2, 2001. The submission earned Mir the "Tapout of the Night" award.
Mir's next match in the UFC was against Pete Williams and took place at UFC 36: Worlds Collide on March 22, 2002. Mir submitted the veteran Williams (who had never been submitted before) with a shoulder lock (that has since been named after Mir) in only 0:46 in the first round.
He faced Ian Freeman, at UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall, held in London, England on July 13, 2002. Despite several leglock attempts by Mir, Freeman achieved side control at around four minutes into the first round, landing numerous elbows and punches on Mir's head. After Freeman separated, the referee signaled an exhausted Mir to stand back up. A time out was called due to an apparent cut on Mir's face, and the referee stopped the fight when a wobbly Mir had difficulty standing up.
On June 26, 2003 Mir fought Wes Sims at UFC 43: Meltdown. Mir won by disqualification at 2:55 of round one after Sims stomped down on Mir's face after slamming his way out of Mir's armbar attempt. They would rematch at UFC 46: Supernatural on January 31, 2004. Frank Mir won by knockout at 4:21 of round two.
Heavyweight Championship
On June 19, 2004, Mir faced Tim Sylvia for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship at UFC 48: Payback. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight at 50 seconds into the first round when Mir's armbar visibly broke Sylvia's right forearm.
Mir trapped Sylvia’s right arm in an armbar attempt. When Sylvia tried to pull out of the hold, Mir jerked back harder and Sylvia’s radius bone snapped about 3 inches below his elbow. Sylvia repeatedly claimed his arm was not broken, even touching it and moving it around to show he was fine. Sylvia was taken to the near by hospital where an x-ray showed that his arm was in fact broken.
With this TKO win Mir became the new UFC Heavyweight Champion and later received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black-belt for his performance in the fight.
Motorcycle Injury
On September 17, 2004, Mir was knocked off his motorcycle by a car. The accident caused a break in Mir's femur and tore all the ligaments in his knee. The bone had broken in two places but the injury did not end Mir's career as a fighter. Major surgery was needed to repair the bone in his leg. An interim Heavyweight title was created whilst Mir was recovering from the injury, which Andrei Arlovski won. On August 12, 2005, the UFC learned that Mir was not able to fight Andrei Arlovski in October as scheduled, thus Mir was stripped of the title after 14 months, and Arlovski was promoted to the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Return to the UFC
Mir recovered from his motorcycle accident and fought Marcio Cruz at UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3 on February 4, 2006. In a shocking upset, Mir was defeated by the relative newcomer in the first round by TKO due to strikes. Initially, referee Herb Dean called for a break to check a large cut on Mir's face. Mir was given the opportunity to continue, and did so.
Mir returned to the Octagon on July 8, 2006 at UFC 61: Bitter Rivals and faced Dan Christison. Mir had gained a considerable amount of weight since his last appearance and quickly became exhausted. Mir won by unanimous decision after three rounds, the judges all scored the bout 29-28.
Mir next faced Brandon Vera at UFC 65: Bad Intentions. Mir was unable to mount any significant offense against Vera, and lost by TKO at 1:09 of the first round.
Frank Mir was scheduled to fight Antoni Hardonk at UFC Fight Night 9 on April 5, 2007, but had to drop out due to a shoulder injury. Mir recovered from the shoulder injury and fought Antoni Hardonk at UFC 74 and won via kimura in 1:17 of the first round.
Mir then fought Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 on February 2, 2008. Early in the first round, Lesnar took Mir down and, while striking from Mir's guard, landed a couple of illegal punches to the back of Mir's head, drawing a foul and a one-point deduction from referee Steve Mazzagatti. They were stood up and Mir was given a brief recovery period, but Lesnar quickly took Mir down again. When Lesnar escaped an armbar attempt, Mir caught him with a kneebar, causing Lesnar to tap out at 1:30 of the first round.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 8
SpikeTV, on May 12, 2008, announced that the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and former champion Frank Mir would be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir.
The season, which premiered on Spike TV on Sept. 17, returned to the two-weight class format. It featured Light Heavyweight and Lightweight fighters. Production on season eight began in late May, with the entire cast announced in September, and concluded in December.
Interim Heavyweight Champion
Frank Mir fought Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 for the UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship. Frank Mir won in the second round via TKO due to strikes, showing much improved striking by knocking Nogueira down twice in the first round, and once in the second. He also scored a Judo-trip takedown in round one. Herb Dean stopped the match at 1:54 of the second round.
Nogueira's loss marked the first time he had lost a fight by TKO. In a post fight interview, Mir credited his improved striking to a drastic improvement in conditioning.
Frank Mir's victory over Nogueira set in place a re-match with the UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who defeated Randy Couture for his title, for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship. However, Mir has stated, that in his opinion, holding victories over former Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at UFC 81 is enough to recognize him as the owner of the ‘real belt’.
Uniting the Heavyweight Belt
The four-man tournament for the Heavyweight title was set up by the UFC, to unify the Interim Heavyweight title with the actual title, held at the time by Randy Couture, who was able to deal with his feud with the UFC and come back to fight for the promotion. With the return of Couture, he took on Brock Lesnar, while Interim title holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira took on Mir. Lesnar defeated Couture for the Heavyweight title, while Mir defeated Nogueira for the Interim title.
Lesnar and Mir were expected to fight one another in order to unify the belt to decide the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, but Mir had to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury and a surgery he had to undertake, so the fight took place at UFC 100 once Mir had recovered. Mir came in very confident, but Lesnar controlled the fight, ending it via TKO (Punches) in the second round, making Brock Lesnar the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Lesnar's post-fight reaction was extremely controversial and disrespectful, as he not only gave both middle fingers to the crowd, told them to keep booing, as well as trying to get in Mir's face as Mir tried to regain himself.
Post-Title
Mir's return bout, after his loss to Brock Lesnar, would take place on December 12, 2009 at UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez, against French striker Cheick Kongo, who was coming off a unanimous decision loss to Cain Velasquez.
- "Honestly, I want to go out there and get a win," Mir said before the fight. "His ground game is definitely his weakest compared to his standup game. So regardless how I feel about my standup or my ground, I want to fight my opponents at their weakness."
It was rumored, before the fight, that Mir had put on up to 25 lbs, meaning he would have to cut weight to reach the 265 lbs limit. Indeed, this turned out to be true as Mir weighed in for his fight against Kongo at 264.5 lbs. Mir stunned Kongo with a left hook early in the fight, dropping him and trying to follow up with strikes until securing a guillotine choke victory at 1:12 in the first round. Kongo refused to tap and was rendered unconscious by the submission.
It was learned on December 15, 2009 that Mir had verbally agreed to a fight with Shane Carwin, which would take place at UFC 111 in March of 2010. Carwin was expected to get a title shot against then-current champion Brock Lesnar, but continuing illness has sidelined Brock, forcing the UFC to implement an Interim UFC Heavyweight title that the two fighters will compete for. The bout was finalized January 2, 2010.
Personal Life
Frank and his wife Jennifer have two children together, Isabella and Kage, while Jennifer has a son, Marcus, from a previous relationship who Mir helped raise and is in the process of formally adopting. The couple is expecting their third child, a girl, in June 2009.
Ranks and Titles
Grappling Credentials
- Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Pires
- Pan-American Championships:
- 2001 Blue Belt Pesadissimo: 1st place
Mixed Martial Arts
- Former UFC Heavyweight Champion (defeated Tim Sylvia at UFC 48: Payback)
- Former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion (defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92: The Ultimate 2008)
- Coach on The Ultimate Fighter 8: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir
Miscellaneous
- 1998 Nevada State Wrestling Champion
- 2007 NAGA Absolute Division Champion
