Mir: If Hunt won’t tap, could be end of his career
Frank Mir: “He’s going to have to make the decision of it he wants to continue fighting or go ahead and lose that fight.”
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has finished eight opponent’s with seven different submissions, breaking two limbs in the process. Mir applies his submissions just like a straight right is applied, to end the other fighter’s ability to continue.
Mir fights Mark Hunt in the main event of the FOX Sports 1-televised UFC Fight Night 85 on March 19 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. And in an appearance on MMAjunkie Radio Mir issued Hunt a warning.
I’ve worked a lot of leg attacks, said Mir, as transcribed by Mike Bohn for MMAjunkie. I love leg locks and heel hooks and kneebars. They’re complex and hard to avoid. I feel like if we get down to the ground, defending his legs is going to be very difficult, especially because his main concern is getting up – not worrying about his feet.
I have the hip drive that when I grab something, it’s not going to be uncomfortable. He’s going to have to make the decision of it he wants to continue fighting or go ahead and lose that fight. When I say continue fighting, I mean if he taps, he can continue on (with his career). Kneebars and heel hooks at his age could take him out of competition for an extremely long time.
Even when we’re striking, I feel very comfortable that I’ll be winning the MMA aspect of the standup fight. That’s because there’s takedowns involved. Mark can’t just come in and throw a four-piece combination and a low kick. He has to be worried about me grabbing his leg and taking him down and fighting his way back up. It changes the striking aspect. For my striking, I’ve learned to adapt it right off the bat for MMA. Even my jiu-jitsu, I adapt it very much for MMA.
I’ve finished fights from my feet, I’ve finished fights with my ground-and-pound, and I’ve finished fights from my back with a submission, from top with submission. You name it, and I’ve finished a fight that way. Mark can’t the same thing. If he hasn’t finished the fight by knockout or TKO, how can he finish the fight?
UFN 85 will be Mir’s 27th UFC appearance in the Octagon. It will tie Tito Ortiz for most fights in league history.
