Heavyweight contender, Frank Mir (17-5) was on hand for today’s UFC 146 Open Workout. Although he took his time warming up, he went through a rigorous sparring session, followed by grappling with Ricky Lundell. The ever affable Mir stated in an interview with Karyn Bryant of MMA Heat: “I’ve got three small kids at home and two championship belts, so I need a third one now.”
When asked about facing Champion Junior Dos Santos: “All he can do is still stay above water, he defends the belt and he’s still the champthere’s no new accolades. He has everything to lose now and nothing to gain.”
On training, Mir had this to say: “I don’t spar as much as I used to, I started looking like a boxer who takes the first round and kind of warms up into it. I’ve given up the slow starter mentality, which is bad for our sport. I have Dan Hardy in my camp and we run a lot. We spar twice a week but we’re more intense and focussed.”
On being an underdog going into this bout against Junior Dos Santos, Mir said: “I was told I was a heavy underdog with no chance of winning. People bet more on emotions and intuition in our sport. They don’t break down that I’ve fought strikers in the past and I’ve beaten all of them. People focus on the last fight.”
That may be the case and despite being one of the more analytical fighters in the UFC, Mir seems to have forgotten at least one striker whom he did not defeat: Shane Carwin at UFC 111. Carwin, too, faced Dos Santos at UFC 131, which Carwin lost by decision. Mir’s confidence and skills have never been called into question, the only question now is: Will he come home with that third championship belt?
