Frank Mir ends four-fight skid, stops 'Big Foot' Silva in first round
Before his bout with Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, Frank Mir talked about reinventing himself as a fighter. The two-time ex-UFC heavyweight champion was on a four-fight losing streak and seemingly at the end of the line.
Mir wasn't ready to quit, however. He felt he wasn't training properly and wanted to give himself one last chance. In addition to preparing better, Mir worked long hours on his boxing with Angelo Reyes.
The results were extraordinary.
Mir needed only 100 seconds to dispose of Silva Sunday in the main event of a UFC card in Porto Alegre, Brazil, looking very much like the man who once was an elite contender.
Mir, who came out in a right-handed stance after boxing as a southpaw for years, also showed a new punch. Mir was never much of a jabber, but it was his jab which set everything up.
He landed a couple of good shots behind the jab early, and then the jab was the key to the finishing sequence. Mir, who was clearly quicker and more athletic than the ponderous Brazilian, landed a hard jab followed by a quick left hook. The left hook dumped Silva onto his back, and Mir hurriedly finished the job.
He followed Silva to the ground and finished him with a series of punches and crunching elbows before referee Mario Yamasaki jumped in to stop it at 1:40 of the first. The finish was Mir's 12th in the UFC, breaking a tie with Gabriel Gonzaga for the most in UFC heavyweight history. His win was his division-record 15th.
"Angelo Reyes, he's put me on a different level now," Mir said.
Mir, who is one of the best ground fighters in heavyweight history, knew he couldn't afford to stand in front of Silva and trade. But he felt he had more speed, quickness and athletic ability.
He felt that if he'd boxed smartly, he would be able to handle Silva, and he was correct. A lot of that was because of his jab.
"I came out looking for the jab," Mir said. "I knew, hey, he hits hard, no doubt behind that. He has a long right hand. ... My [coaches] said, 'Hey, switch back to orthodox,' and so I did that. It's why I took some time off. I learned how to box the correct way. I got back to the roots.
"The jab sets up everything, and I've never had a dominating jab. But a dominating jab sets up everything. It's the most important punch, especially in the heavyweight division."
Before his bout with Antonio "Big Foot" Silva, Frank Mir talked about reinventing himself as a fighter. The two-time ex-UFC heavyweight champion was on a four-fight losing streak and seemingly at the end of the line.
Mir wasn't ready to quit, however. He felt he wasn't training properly and wanted to give himself one last chance. In addition to preparing better, Mir worked long hours on his boxing with Angelo Reyes.
The results were extraordinary.
Mir needed only 100 seconds to dispose of Silva Sunday in the main event of a UFC card in Porto Alegre, Brazil, looking very much like the man who once was an elite contender.
Mir, who came out in a right-handed stance after boxing as a southpaw for years, also showed a new punch. Mir was never much of a jabber, but it was his jab which set everything up.
He landed a couple of good shots behind the jab early, and then the jab was the key to the finishing sequence. Mir, who was clearly quicker and more athletic than the ponderous Brazilian, landed a hard jab followed by a quick left hook. The left hook dumped Silva onto his back, and Mir hurriedly finished the job.
He followed Silva to the ground and finished him with a series of punches and crunching elbows before referee Mario Yamasaki jumped in to stop it at 1:40 of the first. The finish was Mir's 12th in the UFC, breaking a tie with Gabriel Gonzaga for the most in UFC heavyweight history. His win was his division-record 15th.
"Angelo Reyes, he's put me on a different level now," Mir said.
Mir, who is one of the best ground fighters in heavyweight history, knew he couldn't afford to stand in front of Silva and trade. But he felt he had more speed, quickness and athletic ability.
He felt that if he'd boxed smartly, he would be able to handle Silva, and he was correct. A lot of that was because of his jab.
"I came out looking for the jab," Mir said. "I knew, hey, he hits hard, no doubt behind that. He has a long right hand. ... My [coaches] said, 'Hey, switch back to orthodox,' and so I did that. It's why I took some time off. I learned how to box the correct way. I got back to the roots.
"The jab sets up everything, and I've never had a dominating jab. But a dominating jab sets up everything. It's the most important punch, especially in the heavyweight division."
