Frank Mir talks about game plan against Shane Carwin

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"I knew out in the open that I was a superior boxer. I just knew that he had a very good advantage in up-close fighting - against the cage. And I had said it leading up to the fight, also, that if I got taken down near the cage, and hadn't made improvements in my game, that I'd have a problem.

"I think it became a problem of over-training for one aspect. I think I was so obsessed with not being taken down. And you could see, when he shot on me, I was so appeased with myself, like, 'Look, you can't take me down, you're an excellent wrestler.'  I think I was celebrating mentally, like, 'Hey, look, I can avoid the take down now, I've improved my game.'  I forgot about getting punched in the face.

"Against the cage, I remember looking over at my coach. He's like, 'Ninety more seconds.'  I think, 'Alright, cool. I'm gonna wait about another 30 seconds. With a minute left, I'm gonna steal the round. I'll go ahead and push off the cage. I've used no energy so far yet in this fight whatsoever. Four minutes into it, he's done all the energy expenditure so far. One little flurry real quick, and I can sneak the round by on the judges. Go into the second round and maybe he'll be more desperate to make chances and shoot from far out. I'll get ahead and cause him to panic a little bit.'  And as I'm thinking these things, he bumps me - hits me with an uppercut. And the guy hits really, really hard."  - Frank Mir

Now that UFC 111 is over, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir recounted his latest fight in the Octagon to MMACanada.

Mir's fight against Shane Carwin was fueled by an urge to get back in the ring with Brock Lesnar for a third time. Because of this, Mir had gained 30 pounds of muscle in order to compete with the former WWE star. Therefore, he over-trained in certain areas that would help him win his bout against Carwin, and subsequently Lesnar, but failed to remember other aspects of fighting.

The size difference between Lesnar and Mir has always been a big hindrance for the former champion. Mir now feels that he needs to rethink his game plans, and is currently considering simply reverting back to what he does best, and sticking with it: jiu-jitsu. He feels like this would be his best option rather than attempting to compete with such big fighters like Carwin and Lesnar, in terms of wrestling and being a "muscle-head type of fighter."

Contemplating who his next opponent might be, Mir said that he could wind up facing either Ben Rothwell or Gabriel Gonzaga - both of whom are coming off of losses. For those who were looking forward to Mir competing again Junior dos Santos or Cain Velasquez, those match ups will have to wait, he said. The UFC usually does not pair up a guy coming off of a win with a guy coming off of a loss.