MMA Fighter Bios: FRANK MIR

FRANK MIR

BORN: Las Vegas, Nevada
6’2, heavyweight

Analytical, methodical, calm and a serious tactician, Frank Mir has been a two-time UFC champion and secured some excellent finishes with some slick submissions over the course of his MMA career.
Born into a martial arts family, with his father running a Kenpo Karate school, Mir always had a mindset and philosophical basis for martial arts, in addition to the technical aspect. At high school he picked up a solid wrestling base and won the Nevada state wrestling championship in 1998. But once he got a hold of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mir was able to learn rapidly and excel at very intricate and detailed moves. His quickness for a heavyweight was remarkable.
Mir began MMA in the summer of 2001 where he was able to secure two wins, and offered a chance to fight in the UFC, after catching the eye of matchmaker Joe Silva. Mir made his Octagon debut against Roberto Travern. Who was a Submission Wrestling World Championship champion, yet tapped out in a minute and five seconds via armbar by Mir. It was obvious there was something special about Mir.
His next fight only confirmed that further. Mir submitted veteran Pete Williams 46 seconds into fight with a shoulder lock rarely ever been employed successfully in the MMA world.
Mir would take on British fighter Ian Freeman and suffer his first defeat via TKO after Freeman barraged Mir with punches on the feet and ground. But the American would bounce back and made the most his opportunity in fighting David “Tank” Abbott, a well known MMA fighter making his return to the UFC Octagon in 2003. Mir defeated Abbott via another superfast submission—46 seconds via toe hold.
2 wins later and Mir had the chance of a lifetime in fighting for the UFC heavyweight title and he made it count. Once again in under a minute, Mir defeated Tim Sylvia via armbar after breaking Sylvia’s right forearm. Unfortunately the champion was not able to defend his crown, as a terrible motorcycle accident broke Mir’s femur and tore ligaments in his knee. After a major surgery and recovery, Mir would return to the cage, but had to be stripped of the title after 14 months of inactivity.
A return to action in 2006 drew concerns from Mir faithful. A loss to Marcio Cruz, a lackluster win over Dan Christison, and a defeat at the hands of Brandon Vera via TKO, and all of a sudden everyone was quite concerned Mir would never been able to return to championship form. But Mir dug deep, vastly improved his conditioning regiment, amped his confidence back up and came back strong. He defeateed Antoni Hradon via kimura, took out Brock Lesnar in his UFC debut via kneebar, and would have an opportunity to fight for the UFC Interim Heavyweight belt after Randy Couture made a temporary spit with the UFC. His victory over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira earned him the UFC heavyweight gold.
FAST AND FURIOUS
Mir has one 3 fights in under minute, via submission:
Pete Williams, 46 seconds
Tank Abbott, 46 seconds
Tim Sylvia, 50 seconds
MMA GOLD
Former UFC Heavyweight champion
Former UFC Interim Heavyweight champion