Why Mir is nervous heading into Fedor fight

Bellator MMA heavyweight Frank Mir has been fighting professionally since 2001, and has done it all. For some fighters with his experience, stepping into the cage is a day at the office – Dan Severn famously used to nap shortly before fights. However, Mir says he’s feeling nerves heading into the fight with Fedor Emelianenko in the main event of Bellator 198 on Saturday night.

It’s not that he’s coming off a two-year layoff for failing an anti-doping test. It’s not that he’s facing the greatest heavyweight of all time. It’s not that with a win in the heavyweight tournament, he next faces Chael Sonnen, and the finals. It’s that he’s 38 years old.

This is the thing all fighters my age are going to have to deal with: One bad performance, said Mir to Matt Erickson for MMAjunkie. I can go smash Fedor. I can smash Chael and look like the best version I’ve ever presented. And let’s say I fight Mitrione in the finals – Bader, King Mo, whoever – and I go out there and have a bad performance, the very first conversation when I walk out of that cage will be, ‘Are you going to retire?’

They were talking about retirement when I was 28. I can’t imagine when I’m 38 what they’re going to say. That’s the part that’s been apprehensive – another fighter can have an off night, but if you’re an older fighter and you have an off night, all of a sudden the fat lady’s standing up getting ready to belt one out for you: ‘You should retire.’

Bellator MMA World Grand Prix 2018 heavyweight tournament Opening Round
•Chael Sonnen beat ‘Rampage’ Jackson via Unanimous Decision at Bellator 192 on January 20.
•Matt Mitrione beat Roy Nelson via Majority Decision at Bellator 194 on February 16, 2018.
•Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir at Bellator 196 on April 28.
•Ryan Bader vs. Muhammed Lawal at Bellator 199 on May 12.

Tournament alternates are Javy Ayala and Cheick Kongo.