UFC 146 Results: Is Frank Mir Still a Threat in the Heavyweight Division?

After the UFC’s original title fight between Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem was blown up due to Overeem’s suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the UFC had only one credible contender left to try and take Dos Santos’ UFC heavyweight title away from him: Frank Mir.

Prior to last night’s bout with Dos Santos, Mir was riding a three-fight win streak with dominant wins over Mirko Cro Cop, Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He had been quickly finding a way to climb closer and closer to get a chance to earn back the belt that was taken from him by Brock Lesnar back at UFC 100.

Once he finally got a chance to do just that, the results weren’t very pretty.

Everyone with any sort of knowledge of MMA knew that Mir’s best shot at walking out of Las Vegas with the belt around his waist revolved around his ability to get JDS down to the mat and submitting him. After just one failed takedown attempt, Mir decided to stand and trade with the man who is quite possibly the best boxer in all of MMA.

Once Mir was left to hold his own on the feet against “Cigano,” it wasn’t long before we realized that it was only a matter of time before Mir hit the canvas. After a close call that saw Dos Santos run out of time to finish in the first round, JDS finished Mir with a beautiful combination and some brutal ground and pound to seal the victory in the second.

It was a fight that Mir never looked like he had a chance at winning, and it was likely the last huge fight of his MMA career.

With top young fighters like Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez now ruling the heavyweight division, the days of Mir running through the upper tier of the division are gone, and the odds are that Mir will never fight for a UFC belt again.

Despite all of his talent, Mir just isn’t good enough to be taken seriously as a title threat in the current heavyweight division. After watching him get beaten down and battered last night, one has to wonder if Mir should keep fighting at all.

The former champion has been on the receiving end of some of the most punishing knockouts in UFC history over the years. Since he isn’t going to be anywhere near a title fight soon, he may be better off taking one last fight and finishing his career with a win.

It isn’t easy for a fighter to walk away, especially after a huge loss, but Mir’s time at the top of the division is over. If his days of fighting for a title are over, he might as well not fight at all.