Probably the most achieved submission specialists in MMA historical past Frank Mir mentioned his a number of matchups towards Brock Lesnar. The bout, which ended with Mir submitting Lesnar through kneebar, marked one of many defining moments in each fighters’ careers. However behind the scenes, Mir revealed skilled frustrations from his spouse.
Frank Mir vs. Brock Lesnar
When Lesnar transitioned from WWE to the UFC, many dismissed him as a mere entertainer, however Mir shortly acknowledged the hazard Lesnar posed.
“The guy’s legitimate,” Mir mentioned. “The base of wrestling this guy has down is scary. But wait a minute, you guys think he’s only a pro wrestler? That scared me. I was like, Oh shit. No. I’m not fighting an entertainer. I’m actually fighting a guy who went into pro wrestling but has been wrestling since he was a kid.”
Brock Lesnar’s collegiate wrestling accolades, together with an NCAA Division I championship, had been no joke, and Mir understood that underestimating him can be a deadly mistake. Nonetheless, he additionally felt the strain of public notion. “I thought, Oh shit, people are gonna think if I struggle with this guy, ‘Oh, look, pro wrestling won.’ But I’m like, No, this ain’t pro wrestling, buddy. That guy’s actually a legitimate grappler.”
B-Aspect
Regardless of being a former UFC heavyweight champion, Frank Mir’s spouse felt sidelined within the promotion’s advertising of the struggle. He recalled being knowledgeable simply days earlier than the struggle that Brock Lesnar, regardless of being the UFC newcomer, would stroll second—historically reserved for the extra extremely ranked fighter.
“So, right off the bat, I was just the B-side guy,” he defined, “I was just showing up to be thrown to the wolves, you know? That was after my accident, and I really hadn’t come back that strong. I’d won a fight, lost a fight, won a fight—they didn’t know how my leg was doing.”
“I remember because that was one thing that actually irritated my wife. But my wife’s my pitbull, to the point where sometimes we get into fights because she’s so protective of me. It’s great. I’m easygoing—I don’t give a sh*t. So, I remember they called me up, like, two days before the fight, saying, “Hey, uh, we know you’re a former champion, but we’re gonna have him walk second, so you’ll be waiting for him in the cage.””
Trying throughout the cage on the behemoth Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir recalled pondering, “I need to get new management.”
Lesnar’s explosive energy overwhelmed Mir early, however Mir stayed composed, biding his time to capitalize on a mistake. “When he jumped over the top, actually, I thought I had the kneebar locked,” Mir defined. “Usually, when I do that move, people fall to their ass. Yeah, he jumped and dragged me with him. He dragged me like a little child. If you watch, he jumped over the top of me and dropped me about five feet, hanging off his leg.”
Frank Mir at UFC 81 shortly submitted Brock Lesnar and spoiled his debut within the UFC. The 2 would later rematch headlining UFC 100.
Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir
