Looking at the Legacy of Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir

Although much has changed throughout the years in the heavyweight division, one man has been through it all.

That man is former UFC champion Frank Mir. The Las Vegas native has been competing professionally in MMA since 2001 and made his UFC debut all the way back at UFC 34.

He may not be considered a title challenger, but given the fact Mir is still a relevant name in the heavyweight division in 2013 points to how great of a fighter he's been inside the Octagon.

As his career winds down, fans will undoubtedly look back upon one of the most accomplished heavyweights in UFC history. But is he Hall of Fame material? Looking at the numbers, it'd be hard to find a heavyweight with a better career inside the Octagon than Mir, but he's certainly had some extreme lows that will be hard to ignore.

The Early Years

Frank Mir began his UFC career with two first-round submission victories, including one known as "the Mir lock" that seemingly came out of nowhere.

He did suffer a minor setback against Ian Freeman, but given the controversial nature of the stoppage, few counted it as a loss for Mir. He was able to get back into the win column by tapping out Tank Abbott due to a toe hold. Abbott's mystique had certainly faded, but he still carried a big name that helped propel him back up the rankings.

Mir's next two bouts would become one of the stranger "rivalries" in the early part of the decade. Facing Wes Sims at UFC 43, Mir looked to secure an armbar in the early going. Sims slammed his way out of the armbar and in a blatant disregard for the rules, stomped on Mir's face.

Amazingly, Sims thought he had somehow won the bout after the referee stopped the fight. Mir would be awarded the victory via DQ and the two men were paired up once more at UFC 46. Mir was able to pick up another victory after he stopped Sims with a combination of a knee and punches.

The win set Mir up to face the mountain of a man in Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight championship.

Reaching the Mountain Top

Sporting a 7-1 record with all seven wins coming via submission or TKO, Frank Mir looked to be a serious title challenger. Standing in Mir's way of a title reign was the 6'8" Tim Sylvia, who held an undefeated record at 16-0.

Both men were adapt at finishing their opponents and it was quite the matchup. Could Mir implement his jiu-jitsu game on the mammoth Sylvia? Or would the heavyweight champion use his superior length to topple another foe?

It wouldn't take long to get our answer, as Mir quickly slapped on an arm bar from the bottom. Looking to finish the hold, Mir popped his hips and snapped Sylvia's forearm. The break was clearly visible to referee Herb Dean, but fans were left scratching their heads initially as it didn't look like Sylvia tapped or gave any indication of submitting.

Replays later confirmed Sylvia had broken a bone despite his best attempts to wave his arm around. Sylvia likely didn't feel the break due to the adrenaline flowing through his veins, but there's no doubt about the severity of a broken bone.

It appeared as if we would have another dominant heavyweight champion for years as Mir was just 25 years of age.

But as with any story, there's always a pitfall.

The Accident

Like any young man, Frank Mir loved the feeling of adrenaline flowing through his veins. After winning the UFC heavyweight title, Mir was riding on his motorcycle when he was involved in an accident.

You can hear the severity of the injury from Mir's own words. As a result, the champion was stripped of his title. Mir wouldn't step back in the Octagon until until February of 2006.

When you consider Mir broke his femur and tore all the ligaments in his knee, it's amazing that his career wasn't over following the accident. In the weeks leading up to his bout with Junior dos Santos at UFC 146, Mir did acknowledge that his career began to spiral downward after the accident.

Judging by his performances upon his return, it wasn't hard to see.

Hitting Rock Bottom

Frank Mir returned to the UFC at UFC 57, facing BJJ grappler Marcio Cruz. The bout seemed to be billed for Mir to showcase his grappling skills as Cruz was inexperienced in the MMA scene.

In a shocking turn of events, Mir was stopped via TKO due to strikes from the BJJ black belt. Mir was able to bounce back against Dan Christison at UFC 61, but it was hardly inspiring. Mir didn't only look rusty in the technique department but was visibly not the same fighter as he once was.

Still, Mir was promoted to a No. 1 contender's bout against the surging Brandon Vera. Vera was considerably smaller than Mir, but that didn't stop Vera from rocking Mir with a straight right. Vera then utilized the Muay Thai clinch to batter Mir and eventually, "The Truth" secured a TKO stoppage against the former heavyweight champ.

The loss to Vera put Mir on the shelf for nearly a year. Yet this time when Mir returned, he did so with a vengeance.

Climbing the Mountain Once More

When Frank Mir returned at UFC 74, it was vintage Mir. The BJJ black belt slapped on a tight kimura and submitted Antoni Hardonk. Following the victory, Mir made it clear to tell everyone, "I'm back."

His next contest against Brock Lesnar was one of the most hyped in MMA history given Lesnar's WWE career, and it didn't disappoint. Although Steve Mazzagatti nearly botched the entire fight on multiple occasions, Mir was able to lock in a knee bar for the tap-out victory.

Following the victory over Lesnar, Mir was picked to coach opposite Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on season 8 of The Ultimate Fighter. When the two coaches met at UFC 92, it was expected to resemble a BJJ clinic.

Instead, Mir used his boxing skills to brutalize Nogueira. Mir knocked down the Brazilian numerous times and eventually became the first man to stop Nogueira via TKO.

The victory over Nogueira set Mir up for a rematch with what would become his arch nemesis in Lesnar at the historic UFC 100.

UFC 100 and the Transformation of Frank Mir

This picture would be a familiar scene at UFC 100. Despite some of the best trash talk leading into a bout, Frank Mir proved to be no match for the behemoth that is Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar dominated Mir using his superior wrestling and size as well. The beatdown forced Mir to rethink his training methods, and the former champion began a personal transformation.

Taking time away to bulk up, Mir came into his UFC 107 contest considerably larger than normal. For the first time, Mir was forced to cut down to 265 pounds and looked like a completely different fighter than the one we had previously seen.

Mir wouldn't need to showcase his new-found muscle, as he dropped Cheick Kongo with an overhand right and put him to sleep with a guillotine choke.

UFC 111 and the Slow Decline of Frank Mir

Frank Mir would next face Shane Carwin at UFC 111. Mir appeared at a loss during the contest with Carwin, as the latter completely controlled Mir throughout the first round.

Carwin held the former UFC champion against the cage and worked his clinch game to negate Mir's boxing and jiu-jitsu skills. It seemed that although Mir had put on a considerable amount of muscle, he hadn't learned how to properly use it.

The loss to Carwin sent Mir back out of the title picture, and his subsequent victory over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic did little to convince fans otherwise.

Mir followed that up with a unanimous decision victory against Roy Nelson at UFC 130 and although he did look better, it still didn't appear as though Mir was the same dangerous opponent he once was.

UFC 140 and One Last Run

At UFC 140, Frank Mir was once again matched up against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. With the Brazilian claiming a bad case of staph infection being the cause for his lackluster performance at UFC 92, Nogueira promised different results at UFC 140.

It looked as though he would be correct, as he visibly wobbled Mir in the early going. However, rather than looking to end the fight by strikes, Nogueira went for a guillotine choke. Mir was able to defend the submission hold and would eventually reverse his fortunes.

In perhaps one of the most shocking submission finishes in UFC history, Mir would snap Nogueira's arm en route to another submission victory. Mir became the only man (at the time) to not only knock out Nogueira but also the first to defeat the Brazilian via tapout.

The victory, along with some bad decision-making by Alistair Overeem, put Mir back in title contention. 

UFC 146: The Night Frank Mir Became a Gatekeeper

Frank Mir definitely is a dangerous opponent on the ground, but he failed to utilize his strengths at UFC 146. Instead, Mir was effectively knocked down to gatekeeper level by Junior dos Santos.

The loss took Mir out of the title picture and given the quality of heavyweights near the top of the rankings, it became increasingly harder to believe Mir stood a chance against them.

He looked to erase the doubt against Daniel Cormier in April of 2013 but instead saw Cormier employ a strategy similar to Shane Carwin. The much smaller Cormier was able to hold Mir against the fence and work him over like Cormier was working against a heavy bag.

The back-to-back losses have pushed Mir far down the heavyweight rankings. He's still a dangerous opponent for any fighter, but it's clear Mir is on the downslope of his career. Despite not being one of the division's top stars, Mir can end his career knowing he has a resume that few UFC heavyweights can or ever will match.

Hall of Fame?

As his career winds down, the question of Frank Mir being Hall of Fame worthy will undoubtedly come up.

Judging by the numbers, you'd be hard-pressed to find an UFC heavyweight more worthy of induction. He sports the most wins in UFC heavyweight history along with the most finishes. He's also a two-time UFC heavyweight champion and has defeated a number of fellow UFC champs as well.

But if you choose to ignore the numbers, it's easy to see why fans will laugh at the thought of Mir becoming a Hall of Fame inductee. He's been incredibly inconsistent following the motorcycle accident and all of the HOF inductees can credibly say they were dominant/great over a long period of time during their careers.

Mir was a very good heavyweight, but I don't think anyone can proclaim him to be dominant or great for a long period of time.

We will see what fans choose to look at when judging Mir's career, but if he can add some more wins over credible competition, the former UFC champion could certainly help his cause for being Hall of Fame worthy.