UFC: Frank Mir is Heavyweight Division's Odd Man Out

Looking ahead to the heavyweight matchups the UFC has listed in the near future, there are 18 men scheduled for showdowns inside the Octagon. The one man that you will not see with a fight is the UFC's current third-ranked heavyweight, Frank Mir. 

Mir, who has posted a record of six wins and two losses in his last eight fights, sits idle and waits as the majority of the division is scheduled for action. Oddly enough, Mir is one of the largest draws in the heavyweight division today, while being one of the most known and popular fighters on the roster.

This leaves Mir in a really interesting position. Could he be waiting to fill in for either Junior Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, Brenden Schaub or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? With all of the injuries that have been happening of late that isn't a far-fetched thought.

The only other scenario is that the UFC is simply just not scheduling Mir for a fight for unknown reasons or for a lack of depth in the heavyweight division. This leaves Mir with another long layoff between fights. In the UFC, a fighter is supposed to fight roughly three times a year. In 2011, Mir will likely only fight one time, without having a injury preventing him from competing.

The six other heavyweights in the UFC that do not have an opponent include Aaron Rosa, Christian Morecraft, Jon Olav-Einemo, Heath Herring, Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar.

Of those names, it's hard to believe that Mir will be facing any of those opponents.

Lesnar and Carwin are the only opponents listed who are on his level in terms of rankings, but either is unlikely to be Mir's next opponent. Lesnar is not scheduled to return until next year, and that depends on if his recovery goes as planned. Carwin has lost his last two fights and should be looking at fighting a non-top-five opponent.

The upcoming fights that are scheduled look like this:

• Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic
• Rob Broughton vs. Travis Browne
• Pat Barry vs. Stefan Struve
• Dave Herman vs. Mike Russow
• Mark Hunt vs. Ben Rothwell
• Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
• Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson
• Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Brendan Schaub
• Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez (UFC Heavyweight Championship)

With the unlikelihood that Mir will have another fight in 2011, where does that leave him in terms of the rankings inside of the UFC?

Will Mir be passed over by the likes of a Brendan Schaub or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for a chance at a championship fight?

Will Mir be thrown into the Octagon against Brock Lesnar for a match-up that has no real positive effect on Mir in terms of rankings?

I will reiterate again, this leaves Mir with another long layoff between fights. Inside of the UFC, a fighter is supposed to fight roughly three times a year. In 2011, Mir will likely only fight once without having a injury that forced him from being scheduled.

I will not say it too many times but this is a clear case of Joe Silva and the UFC brass dropping the ball in terms of scheduling.