It's been a busy 24 hours for those of us following the story that broke Friday afternoon that Frank Mir was going to have to pull out of his UFC 98 rematch/Heavyweight title unification match against Brock Lesnar due to a knee injury.
Then, UFC President Dana White said he hadn't heard anything to that effect and as far as he was concerned, the May 23 fight was still on.
But Mir ended all speculation while at the Arnold Fitness Expo in Columbus, Ohio, Friday night, telling an Internet bodybuilding show that he had to postpone the bout due to surgery on his right knee last week.
The surgery was to repair damage to his meniscus, the same leg he injured in his much-publicized motorcycle accident years ago.
Mir said he hopes to be able to train in four to six weeks and do the Lesnar fight in the summertime. The UFC has yet to confirm or comment, but putting it on UFC 100 in July seems pretty obvious to me.
UFC 96 is live Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio, headlined by Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson (29-7) taking on Keith Jardine (14-5-1).
White said Friday that if Jackson wins, he will get a Light Heavyweight title shot against Rashad Evans. If Jackson loses, Lyoto Machida will be next in line for a title shot.
One comment I did love from White regarding Evans and Jardine saying they would never fight each other even if they kept winning:
“He says they won’t, but I guarantee you they will, and we’ll be making the Rashad Evans/Keith Jardine fight. What happens if Rashad holds the title for the next three years? I’m sure they’re not that good of friends. He’s going to have to get his shot here soon.”
Tremendous and 100 percent accurate. You can't have two top guys saying they don't want to fight each other, it's a buzzkill for a promoter. Say what you will about White, but he's not above making two friends get in there...or else.
Other fights on the card include:
—Gabriel Gonzaga (10-3-1) vs. Shane Carwin (10-0). This is a heavyweight clash that will tell a lot about how the rest of the year in the UFC's heaviest division will go. Carwin is seen as a rising star, while Gonzaga is looking for another highlight reel knockout that will give him a title shot.
If Gonzaga can get the win, I think he'll be in line for the winner of Lesnar/Mir. A Carwin victory could get him the loser of Mir/Lesnar, but more likely someone on his level so they don't burn out the flame too quick.
—Pete Sell (8-5) vs. Matt Brown (11-7). It's hard to believe that Sell has fewer pro fights than Brown. It feels like he's been around a lot longer.
—Matt Hamill (7-2) vs. Mark Munoz (5-0). There's a lot of buzz about the potential of this battle of young 205ers with great wrestling backgrounds. This will be Munoz' UFC debut after the WEC divisional merger.
—Gray Maynard (7-0-1) vs. Jim Miller (13-1). Words like gritty, steel, dirty and blue collar come to mind in looking at this fight. These two are going to work—add a lunchpail/hard hat/workboots analogy here.
For the rest of the 10-fight card, including what could be stay-or-go bouts by Brandon Vera and Kendall Grove, here you go.
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