UFC 130 Results: 5 Fights Frank Mir Can Take to Get Back into Title Contention

With his win over Roy Nelson at UFC 130, Frank Mir in once again a serious contender in the heavyweight division. However, there is a difference between being a contender and actually contending for the title.

Mir has been trying to regain the undisputed heavyweight title since losing it due to an unfortunate motorcycle accident back in 2004.

Despite the win over Nelson, Mir likely needs at least one more big win to earn a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship. So, let's take a look at some opponents that could help Mir get to where he wants to go.

Brendan Schaub/Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Frank Mir had been scheduled to fight in a rematch against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira a while back, but Nogueira was forced out of that bout due to a knee injury.

Now, Nogueira will be fighting Brendan Schaub at UFC 134 in an important fight for the heavyweight division. The winner of that would be considered one of the better heavyweight in the world and would be looking for a fight with a top contender such as Mir.

A win over one of these fighters wouldn't be one of Mir's best by any means, but it could be enough to give him a title shot if the UFC is short on options.

Alistair Overeem/Fabricio Werdum

Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum are scheduled to meet in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in June. The loser of this fight would still be considered one of the best heavyweights in the world and could become one of the first heavyweights to make the transition from Strikeforce to the UFC.

Either fighter would provide a challenge for Frank Mir and a win over either Overeem or Werdum could be enough for Mir to earn a title shot.

Fedor Emelianenko

This seems extremely unlikely at the moment, but if Fedor Emelianenko defeats Dan Henderson in a July Strikeforce event and Dana White does some convincing, then it is not outside of the realm of possibility that we could finally see Emelianenko inside the Octagon.

Mir would be an excellent option to welcome Emelianenko into the UFC and White would have no problem selling a win over Emelianenko as a legitimate reason to give Mir a title shot.

Junior Dos Santos

Junior Dos Santos is already scheduled to compete for the top contender spot against Shane Carwin at UFC 131. However, Mir would make for an extremely interesting opponent should Dos Santos lose to Carwin.

Even if Dos Santos loses, I don't think many would have a problem with giving him another immediate shot at becoming the top contender after all of the opponent switches he has been through during the last year.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is once again battling diverticulitis, but he is currently expected to return at the beginning of 2012. If Lesnar's recovery continues at that pace, a fight for the top contender spot with Frank Mir would be an excellent return fight.

The fight would complete a trilogy between the two behemoths and provide the UFC with a worthy and intriguing challenger for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

UFC 130: Fight Card, News, Predictions, Results, and More!

Sean Smith is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @seansmithMMA.