Can Frank Mir Do It Again? Or Will Nogueira Be Next for the Rodeo?
With Brock Lesnar the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world, one piece of the heavyweight puzzle is complete, and now the other piece must be solved.
Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will battle for the Interim Championship at UFC 92 on Dec. 27. Both of these men are coming off the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, as opposing coaches and are known as the two best Jiu-Jitsu heavyweights of all time.
Mir was the Heavyweight Champ back in 2004, but due to a horrific motorcycle accident was unable to defend his title and fulfill his unfinished legacy. Since his return to action, Mir has had monumental ups and downs.
On his first fight back he was stopped by Marcio Cruz, he then managed in his next fight to get his first win back against Dan Chrisitison in a lackluster performance. Was the old Mir back? In his next fight, most people thought not, as he was obliterated by Brandon Vera at UFC 65.
However, since that brutal loss, he has managed to get to Submission wins against Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk, but more importantly he managed to overcome an early Brock Lesnar bludgeoning at UFC 81 and secure a vital victory via sublime kneebar.
The man he will lock horns with at UFC 92 is perhaps one in a million. He is the former Pride Heavyweight Champ and current Interim Champ of the UFC. Nogueira's Pride victories included Josh Barnett, Cro Cop, Heath Herring, Ovreem, Werdum, and Coleman.
His UFC carrer hasn't been too shabby either, with victories over Heath Herring again, and the man he defeated for the Interim Championship, Tim Sylvia. One thing that is extraordinary about both these fights is how Nogueira managed to get the victories.
Against Heath Herring, he was on the receiving end of a left shin to the jaw, which sent him thundering to the canvas and apparently DONE. However, Nogueira managed to overcome the odds and secured the decision win. He then got his chance for the interim title at UFC 81 against Sylvia and on the same night that Lesnar and Mir dueled. For two-and-a-half rounds, he was battered but somehow managed to secure the guillotine and get the win.
So who will win? I get the feeling that Nogueira may pull out the win. But can he then beat the monster Brock Lesnar? I think he can, as Nogueira has never been stopped, not even by Fedor, on both occasions, and he is a wizard off his back. But before that, he will have to overcome the somewhat mirror image in Frank Mir.
