UFC News: Frank Mir Toying With Dropping Down To Light Heavyweight?

Imagine what former heavyweight champion Frank Mir (13-5) would look like in the  light heavyweight division.  Sounds a bit far fetched but fans might actually get the chance to see just that if Mir was being serious with his most recent comments.

The former champ last fought back in March at UFC 111 against undefeated knockout specialist Shane Carwin (12-0). The fight didn’t go as planned for Mir as he was knocked out in the first round, ending his bid for a third fight with rival Brock Lesnar (5-1).

Now, Mir is left to pick up the pieces and figure out where to go next.

In a recent interview with mmafigs.com , Mir stated he had, “actually been toying with the idea of maybe going down a weight class.” 

Using the time off and watching what he eats, Mir wants to see where his natural weight will land.

Citing his light heavyweight training partners like Forrest Griffin, Mir said, “sometimes I stand next to Forrest and I think I'm in the wrong weight class.”

Griffin typically walks around at roughly 230 pounds before cutting down to the light heavyweight mark of 205 pounds.  Mir didn’t mention a make or break number he would need to achieve to push his idea into reality, but the 230 pounds of Griffin should be about right.

In his previous heavyweight fights, up to his UFC 100 defeat to Lesnar, Mir would usually come into a fight weighing about 240 pounds.  He then bulked up for the last two fights by extensively lifting weights in an attempt to compete with the big boys at heavyweight who had to cut to make the 265 pound limit.  

Walking around at 280 pounds will never allow Mir to be able to cut the weight needed to make 205, but at 240 pounds, with hard work, it’s a real possibility. The hard work part will be key as Mir will need to push harder than ever to cut down to 205.

If he has what it takes is unknown.  

The thought of Mir at light heavyweight is intriguing and would open up some interesting matchups for Joe Silva and Dana White.  At 205, Mir could actually fight Anderson Silva instead of talking about it, knowing they are two weight classes away.

What about Mir versus Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz? Okay, Ortiz–-not so much, but think about it. Mir against any of the top light heavyweights would be fun to watch.

How he would do at the lower weight class is hard to say, but with his much improved striking, in combination with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, it's hard to argue against such a move if he can pull it off.

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