Yahoo Sports Career Survival Leads Frank Mir to Rediscover His Roots
After losing his last four fights inside the Octagon, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir could have retired from mixed martial arts. He’s a future Hall of Fame inductee that’s accomplished all there is to accomplish. Instead, the 35-year-old took some time off, re-evaluated his career. and accepted another fight because he loves to compete.
“I took some time off. It was an easy solution. Close friends and training partners tell me the four guys I fought are highly ranked and tough. But I took time off and addressed some things to be a better athlete and be at my full capability,” Mir said during a recent appearance on UFC Tonight.
“I have the same motivation as I did in the beginning. I want to compete. I love to fight. The lifestyle makes me who I am. The accomplishments that come with it are just a result of doing what I love to do. But I’m not doing it for records. It’s the lifestyle I’ve lived for last 14 years,” he added.
Mir faces Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the UFC Fight Night 61 main event on Sunday, and plans to be aggressive.
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“I think Bigfoot has a good counter right hand and a long reach. If you’re aggressive and take it to him, you can be successful. But if you let him off the hook, you’ll be unsuccessful,” he said.
It will be the first time the former titleholder competes in Brazil, and he believes if he wasn’t facing a Brazilian that he would be the crowd favorite.
“I just spent the summer hanging out in South America, and spent a week in Sao Paulo. I had a real warm welcome. So that gave me the notion I could fight there. If I wasn’t fighting a Brazilian here in Brazil, I think I’d be the crowd favorite.”
