Frank Mir

Quick Hits: Strikeforce Inks Ribeiro, Thomson Injured Once Again & More

— Brazilian lightweight standout Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. The promotion is expected to officially announce the signing shortly. While Ribeiro may actually still be under contract with DREAM, the two organizations share a talent-exchange program. Ribeiro returned to active competition earlier this year after an 18-month hiatus, defeating Katsuhiko Nagata and falling to Shinya Aoki thus far. [Sherdog.com]

—Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will be sidelined until at least December after breaking his leg for the second time this year during training. The injury will now keep Thomson from a potential showdown against Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Rogers” event on November 7 in Chicago. According to Thomson, a return bout for him could be possible at a yet-to-be-announced event on December 19. [MMA Weekly]

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Reports: Henderson-Marquardt, Mir-Kongo Under Consideration to Headline UFC 105

The matchup that will eventually be selected to headline UFC 105 in Manchester, England on November 15 is anyone’s guess at this point, but for now, we at least have two fights that could be under consideration for the spot.

Despite reports stating that Dan Henderson isn’t interested in a showdown with fellow UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt, UFC officials are reportedly targeting a fight between the two as the main event of UFC 105 according to MMA FanHouse‘s Ariel Helwani.

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Lesnar and St. Pierre Dominant in UFC 100 Victories

Former WWE superstar, Brock Lesnar, successfully defended his UFC heavyweight title against interim champion Frank Mir on Saturday night at UFC 100: Making History.

Lesnar assumed the role of the heel before any punches were even thrown. Referee Herb Dean called both fighters to the middle for the pre-fight instructions and moments later Lesnar turned and stomped away, refusing to touch gloves with Mir.

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Lesnar Beats Mir: UFC 100 Results

Jon Fitch def. Paulo Thiago - Unanimous Decision
Brock Lesnar def. Frank Mir - KO Round 2 1:48
Georges St. Pierre def. Thiago Alves - Unanimous Decision
Dan Henderson def. Michael Bisping - KO Round 2 3:20
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Alan Belcher - Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Mark Coleman def. Stephan Bonnar - Unanimous Decision
Jim Miller def. Mac Danzig - Unanimous Decision
Jon Jones def. Jake O’Brien - Submission (D’Arce Choke) Round 2 2:43
Dong-Hyun Kim def. T.J. Grant - Unanimous Decision
Tom Lawlor def. CB Dollaway - Submission (Guillotine Choke) Round 1 0:55
Matt Grice def. Shannon Gugerty - Submission (Guillotine Choke) Round 1 2:36

All Fighters Make Weight for UFC 100

The official weigh-in results for UFC 100: Making History are in and all of the fighters successfully made weight in preparation for their bouts Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The card will be headlined by a UFC heavyweight title bout featuring champion Brock Lesnar taking on interim champion Frank Mir. UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre will defend his title against Thaigo Alves as well.

Main Card:

Brock Lesnar (265 lbs) vs. Frank Mir (245 lbs)
Georges St. Pierre (170 lbs) vs. Thiago Alves (170 lbs)
Dan Henderson (185 lbs) vs. Michael Bisping (186 lbs)
Yoshihio Akiyama (185 lbs) vs. Alan Belcher (186 lbs)
Jon Fitch (170 lbs) vs. Paulo Thiago (170 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:

Mark Coleman (205 lbs) vs. Stephan Bonnar (205 lbs)
Mac Danzig (154 lbs) vs. Jim Miller (155 lbs)
Jon Jones (206 lbs) vs. Jake O’Brien (206 lbs)
Dong Hyun Kim (171 lbs) vs. T.J. Grant (170 lbs)
C.B. Dollaway (186 lbs) vs. Tom Lawlor (184 lbs)
Matt Grice (155 lbs) vs. Shannon Gugerty (156 lbs)

Quote of the Day: Mir Wouldn’t Mind Coaching Lesnar in the Future

“Three or four years from now, if I decide to switch over into full time coaching, I would like to coach Brock,” said Mir. “I see a lot of things that he’s done in his last couple of fights that I think are mistakes that are not really his fault, they’re maybe his trainer’s faults. How can he be so talented, an NCAA champion, probably one of the best wrestlers to come out of college in the heavyweight division, and still make some of the real basic balancing and footwork mistakes that he’s making right now?”

— Interim UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir tells MMA Weekly that he would be interested in potentially coaching Brock Lesnar, his opponent in the main event of UFC 100 this July.

For what it’s worth, Mir is right. In all four of Lesnar’s professional fights, he’s shown multiple basic mistakes. Then again, we have to remember that he’s just getting started in the sport. It will take him years before he can be considered anywhere near a complete fighter.

What bothers me here is the fact that Mir is pointing these things out in regards to Lesnar even though he makes the same exact errors himself during fights. I really hope he’s not letting the win over an obviously less than 100% Nogueira go to his head…

Mir Continues to Prepare for Lesnar Rematch

In the above video courtesy of Raw Vegas, interim UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir discusses his upcoming title unification rematch against fellow champ Brock Lesnar, which takes place at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas.

In addition to the Lesnar fight, Mir also talks about his strategy going into his December win over former PRIDE star Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and why he would like a chance to eventually fight perennial heavyweight king Fedor Emelianenko.

Not Everyone is Happy With Mir’s Commentary

Especially Jordan Breen:

In case your TiVo exploded, here’s a recap: Mir, routinely celebrated as a stellar technical analyst, ignores any and all offense from Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki in otherwise brilliant fights while butchering the names of any and all brave enough to step into the cage with the UFC’s interim heavyweight champ on the mic (though I suspect Jameel Massouh may be used to it.)

Along the way, Mir confused grappling legend Saulo Ribeiro, who has no recollection of giving Jeff Curran his BJJ black belt (see: Pedro Sauer), before leaping into the cage during the main event to give Miguel Torres a sponge bath between the third and fourth rounds, though it may be hard to imagine why MMA’s bantamweight king would have needed one. According to Mir, he didn’t have to break a sweat over his 25-minute war with Mizugaki.

I’ve noticed Mir’s continual mistakes during WEC broadcasts long before Sunday night… so much so, that I essentially zoned him out during the Torres-Mizugaki fight. His bias towards fighters that he enjoys watching - Torres, Urijah Faber, and Jeff Curran for starters - is extremely clear and ultimately his biggest fault as a color commentator.

It’s one thing to point out a fighter’s strengths and assets, but to do it over and over again is tiring to listen to. And doing it to the point where it’s starting to blind your view of how a fight is going is when it has to stop, for both Mir and his listeners’ sake.

Sunday night obviously wasn’t Mir’s best performance, but it hasn’t destroyed his reputation. His past work still makes him one of the better commentators out there, at least in my opinion. Maybe Jens Pulver stepping in for Mir while he is training for a fight and vice versa could be the answer for the WEC’s color woes.

Round 5 Releases Series 3 Model Photos

Round 5, an uber-popular company currently putting out collectible MMA figurines, has released a series of photos promoting their third series of figures, which are currently slated for public release in May. UFC champions Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as well as referee “Big” John McCarthy will be featured in the latest series. Additional photos are after the jump.

 

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UFC 94 Notes: Penn Set to File Complaint With NSAC Over GSP Greasing

If you thought that the war between Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn was over, think again. Penn’s camp has informed Sherdog.com that they intend to file a formal complaint with the Nevada State Athletic Commission after officials spotted one of St. Pierre’s cornermen allegedly rubbed Vaseline on his back in between the first and second and then the second and third rounds.

“We are not trying to make excuses, but the NSAC needs to protect the fighters,” Penn told Sherdog.com via text message. “They never notified us or completely wiped his back with water and towels.”

Various reports are circulating that following the conclusion of the first round, Phil Nurse, who has been working St. Pierre’s corner for a number of years, was caught by someone sitting at ringside rubbing Vaseline on St. Pierre’s back and shoulders. It has yet to be confirmed that this person was former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, but “The Iceman” was the first to inform UFC President Dana White of the incident after the conclusion of the fight, which St. Pierre won via fourth-round doctor’s stoppage.

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