Frank Mir wants UFC release to try pro boxing and kickboxing

In April it was announced that former UFC heavyweight champion Frank failed a test for Oral Turinabol metabolites. He speculated that it might have come from the ingestion of kangaroo meat. However, kangaroo meat in Australia is not farmed. It is, in fact, the world’s largest consumptive mammalian wildlife industry. So while Mir could have taken it in a tainted supplement, the kangaroo theory is implausible.

Mir faces a two-year suspension, and cannot work as a color commentator or analyst for FOX during that period. However, the fighter served as a color commentator at Absolute Championship Berkut Fights 48 in Moscow, Russia this past weekend.

In an extended interview with Ivan Sin for CageSide.ru, the fighter says he is asking for his release from the UFC so that he can compete in professional kickboxing and professional boxing.

CageSide.ru: Are you still under contract with the UFC?

Frank Mir: I am. But I am trying to get out of it. They are not going to utilize me as a fighter and I am not getting any younger. And even if they do not let me go after my suspension, I’m up and I am able to fight again. I really would like to step outside. UFC is not going to be able to get into Russia. Here you already have phenomenal leagues. Obviously, UFC is a very big thing in the US, Canada, Brazil. But I like coming over here, I like the culture, the people. Fighting here and in Japan are two dreams of mine to be able to accomplish.

And also fighting in different types of fights, as right now UFC only allows me to fight MMA. I am gonna have to retire, eventually time’s gonna catch up to all of us and I am no difference. I have never got to do kickboxing matches. I have only fought an amateur boxing match. I want to do a professional boxing match. You know, I always wanted to test myself and find out different things. And UFC wants to protect me like any other fighter under the contract.

Conor McGregor would have one hell of a boxing match with Mayweather and they are not going to allow that. So they will never gonna let me so… They have already made a lot of money, they are very famous, very important and I am very grateful for what they helped me accomplish. But right now I am being limited in what I am gonna be able to do before I enter into full coaching. I want more experience in different aspects of the sport. My goal is to do at least five K-1 rule kickboxing matches, five professional boxing matches before I retire.

And even the combat sambo, I like watching it and I would be interested in entering the tournament. However, the UFC limits it because they do not want me to go out and take adventures. I think that they are afraid of their guys going up and maybe losing, but we are warriors, we are fighters, we are gonna lose, we are gonna win. But if you do not go out there and push yourself, it makes us weak and I think now that’s almost the culture we’ve created where you see some of the other organisations starting to catch up and if not exceed us in skills and ability because their fighters fight other places and are very active and our fighters are not, so once you get to a certain level, all of a sudden, you fight once a year and how could can you possibly get if you’re only fighting once a year?

CS: If you are released, will you be able to fight somewhere else?

FM: The next day.