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UFC Quick Quote: Frank Mir to add more strength to go with his technique

frank_mir

"In the fight with Brock, I really felt there was a huge difference in strength and power. Being 245, I just don't think I'll ever be able to compete with him at that weight.... One area of my game I'm really lacking at is physical power. Just training, lifting heavy weights, being explosive, being a powerful athlete.... I'm going to go back to drawing board, I'm going to win two, three fights in a row and get a rematch against him. And I don't have to sit here and complain about it, I'll get an opportunity to get locked in a cage with him and show him what I felt about [his post-fight antics]."

-- Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir tells CageWriter.com that his superior technique was just no match for the strength and power of Brock Lesnar in their most recent encounter at UFC 100 back in July. Mir -- who defeated Lesnar via first round submission in early 2008 -- did not make it out of the second round in the rematch, getting pinned under the 280+-pound monster and overdosing on a huge helping of ham hocks. He was visibly in the best shape of his fighting career, tipping the scales at a lean 245 pounds. However, it just was not enough. Now he intends to change up his strength and conditioning program by enlisting the services of former U.S. strongman representative and UNLV strength coach, Mark Phillippi. He'll get to put his improved power to the test when he takes on Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 on Dec. 12. Can Mir muscle his way back toward another crack at Lesnar in the near future or is the division now too stacked and wide open for it to happen anytime soon?

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Interesting..

by Hex on Sep 7, 2009 10:36 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

the point is: only brock can be that big, that strong and that quick

by shamo84 on Sep 7, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

all up Mir and Lesnar have fought for a combined time of about 9 minutes .. Mir was dominant for about 15 seconds in that whole time .. the whole other 8 minute 45 seconds he was getting bashed .
Frank just shut the F$%k up and concentrate on Kongop or he gonna beat u up 2

by yukdog on Sep 8, 2009 2:02 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Frank, I am a big fan of ya but I think that is the wrong approach. You need to just avoid the half guard which is not a big if and keep it on the feet. You did fine when you were on the feet. You may want to bulk up to 250 but anymore you may get slower. Brock’s only chance was to get you in half guard and he did. Anywhere else and he was toast.

by Kilby on Sep 7, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I agree what I think he is lacking is that explosive buck/burst of power from the bottom causing a split second opening/gap to retain full guard or go for a sub.

fedor is the master at that

by dia mette on Sep 7, 2009 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

are u sure 5 pounds is not too much ?

by shamo84 on Sep 7, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

It’s all in the hips and how flexible they are. But really if you have the technical acumen then it doesn’t matter, you should be able to time it. Look at someone like demian. His BJJ is far from explosive yet he taps out HWs all the time in grappling. Also i think added weight would just slow him down.

But anyways, am here to bash mir so yea, Kongo is gonna f him up. Mir can’t wrestle for sh!t and that’s where the fight will be decided, not on the ground.

by NameNotRequired on Sep 7, 2009 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Mir will destroy Kongo then we will see the rematch with NOG.

by Beaver on Sep 8, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kongo/Mir will get scratched, and NOg will DESTROY him!

by john G on Sep 8, 2009 12:29 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

mir really thinks he has the skills!! omg mir!

by gaara on Sep 8, 2009 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

mir does have skill gaara I dont think theres any denying that but I dont think he has enough skills in the takedown defense wich is what he really needs to work on to beat lessner and that might not even work cause even with good takedown defense is someone is way more powerfull than you they will still tak you down so I agree mir really does need to bulk up
anyways gaara where did you get that name do you carry a pot full of sand on your back?

by Nor Cal Mexican (formely Philicutioner) on Sep 8, 2009 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Two words:

WAR MIR!

If Mir thinks he needs to add some strength, then go for it. He’s not looking passed Kongo, or a Nog rematch. He’s just planning the return road back to title contention just like any other fighter. Can’t knock him for that.

WAR MIR!

by UFC Champ on Sep 8, 2009 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Mir wins this based on the fact that Kongo will be moronic enough to try and clinch. Enter : sub.

by OJR on Sep 8, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kongo wins this easily if he keeps it standing.

The real question is whether his small dinosaur brain will stay focused long enough to implement the obvious winning strategy.

by OJR on Sep 8, 2009 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

If you can’t beat him, copy him?

by prokstar on Sep 7, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Talk about a complete reversal of what he was saying prior to the fight. Mir would be better served to quietly go about his business, and focus on his next opponent. This sounds like BS, as many times prior to the Lesnar fight Mir talked about how fabulously conditioned he was, both in terms of strength and endurance. I’m also convinced the recipe to beat Lesnar is not about attempting to match his size and strength, but rather to be the quicker fighter and win the standup. As Lesnar has gained experience, I don’t see submissions working real well against him. He’s too powerful on the ground, and he’ll dish out too much punishment as Mir saw firsthand.

by CL on Sep 7, 2009 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

CL, Mir landed three good shots on Lesnar and then got man-handled. He was winning the standup which is why brock took him down. The recipe only works if you can stuff the takedown of a skilled wrestler that weighs 40 to 50 pounds more than you do. I think it is a combo of what you said and what Mir did in the first fight. Yes he took damage and looked like he was getting his A kicked before he pulled off the sub. But that’s one of the great things about BJJ. Winning from your back against a larger and stronger opponenet. Now if he can keep it on the feet for a while and at least stuff one or two takedowns, when lesnar eventually does take him down he won’t be so fresh. That’s where Mir’s new strenght and his BJJ base will come in to play. If he would have sprawled instead of throwing that knee, we might not be having this conversation. But how cool would it have been if that knee would have landed flush and sent brock to the mat? Axe Murderer/Rampage style.

by wAyNe on Sep 8, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

i think the way to beat brock is just simply survive for 3 rounds. all that muscle will tire eventually.

by Egads on Sep 8, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I enjoy watching frank Mir fight I enjoy listening to what he has to say. Im definitely a big fan

and I am looking forward to watching the triligy fight which I think will happen after a dominating performance over kongo

by dia mette on Sep 7, 2009 10:37 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Anyone with any ground skills will dominate Kongo. But even if a victory over Kongo meant something, I don’t think the UFC wants the rematch so soon.

by prokstar on Sep 7, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

3 fights means 1 and a half year. doesnt look like so soon

by shamo84 on Sep 7, 2009 11:16 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I’m not sure if I’m agreeing with you or disagreeing with y because I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, but if they each have about 3 fights in between, that would probably be a long enough wait. But to have the next fight after Mir/Kongo and Lesnar/Carwin be the Mir/Lesnar rematch would be way too soon.

by prokstar on Sep 7, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I’m not sure if I’m agreeing with you or disagreeing with you because I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, but if they each have about 3 fights in between, that would probably be a long enough wait. But to have the next fight after Mir/Kongo and Lesnar/Carwin be the Mir/Lesnar rematch would be way too soon.

by prokstar on Sep 7, 2009 11:24 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

The kongo fight isn’t decided on the ground. It’s decided in the wrestling. Seeing how mir doesn’t have any, he’ll get killed in the standup. He’ll definitely eat a knee or two (to the nuts i hope).

by NameNotRequired on Sep 7, 2009 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

lol, i am kinda rooting for frank though, considering he can be a treat to anybody with his jitz, while every decent wrestling in the hw division would smash kongo

by shamo84 on Sep 7, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That’s not what I wanted to hear today Mr. Mir… what I wanted to hear was that, “I’ll take on Nog anytime, just name the UFC event.” You don’t need all those muscles’ right away to beat Nog…right? Afterall, you beat him the 1st time on superior striking! I’d like to see u do that one more time…C’mon… for us fans… “MIR VS NOG” II !!

by DAVE A on Sep 7, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I am a huge fan of mir’s but he really has to sometimes just stop talking. he’s a very smart guy and speaks well but there are times where athletes just speak too much. He’s got a ton of skill and talent but he just needs to apply it and stop talking about it. His last three fights havent been the greatest. He was losing the first lesnar, beat a clearly injured nogeuira and got pretty dominated by lesnar again. i agree that frank needs to improve his strength but he also needs to work on his wrestling

by bobby o'shea on Sep 7, 2009 10:40 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Only the dumbest people on earth believe Frank Mir is intelligent. Wow!!!!!!!!!! people are stupid

by Julian on Sep 7, 2009 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yea so, Joe Rogan, Mike Goldberg, and every other mma analyst, broadcaster, etc., who says that mir is a very intelligent and well spoken guy must be an idiot to. Good call

by bobby o'shea on Sep 8, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think you are right. His wrestling is very weak. Strength cannot really help you if you are laying on back trying not to get your face caved in. It is obvious that the lay and prey approach will no longer work on Brock. Learn to defend the take down and stay on your feet. The whole issue of strength and power at this point is a joke. You did not take the second fight on one weeks notice. There was more than enough time to improve in this area before the second fight. If Mir cannot learn to wrestle at a higher level and defend the take down the gap between his ability and Brocks will keep getting bigger and bigger.

by graymg1 on Sep 8, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

i’m so tired of frank mir talking. the dude is a massively smug windbag. just…be quiet. plz.

by Phil Baloni on Sep 7, 2009 10:43 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

whoever helped Mir come up with that decision should be slapped.

by Shin on Sep 7, 2009 10:46 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Hahahahahahahah……….ok but Frank c’mon Hahahahahahaha

by PhaQ on Sep 7, 2009 10:47 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

WAR MIR!!!! I hope his plan works.
There is a lot of haters here!

by TRIKZ on Sep 7, 2009 11:06 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Wasn’t Mir talking just a few months ago about how he was actually stronger than Brock? I believe he was saying that while Brock may be able to bench more, that he could still deadlift and squat more than Brock?

Hmmmm.

by Collin on Sep 7, 2009 11:09 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Mir please…shut up.why wont u jus stop.and let ur actions do the talkin.please jus stfu.please

by mike peanut on Sep 7, 2009 11:16 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Mir jus please shut up

by mike peanut on Sep 7, 2009 11:17 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

We get the message bitch.

by jayshogun on Sep 8, 2009 12:24 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I think he’s going to have to go through Nog before he faces Lesnar again.

by Fred on Sep 8, 2009 12:29 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

There is no way Frank wants to jump in the cage vs Brock again..
Brock will kill him…..

Also, Frank talked a lot of shit about Brock, so he should just take it and get ready to lose whoever he fights next..

by nath on Sep 8, 2009 12:38 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

lol this is all a moot point…frank is not going to win 2 or 3 fights in a row again for the rest of his career.

by warwagonmma on Sep 8, 2009 12:42 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Frank has gotten by with his submissions talent and hasn’t faced a lot of quickness at heavyweight. Personally, I don’t think he can be explosive (too slow) and he accepted that bad position Lesnar had him in without much effort to scramble. If he gets knocked down in a fight, he rarely scrambles well to get back to his feet always relying on grabbing an arm or leg for some submission. With a guy like Lesnar on top, the last spot Mir should have been was on the bottom pressed up against the cage. He’ll still beat a lot of guys, but Frank needs to scratch Lesnar off his list.

by sudnvictory on Sep 8, 2009 12:47 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Frank, please shut up already.

by Jay on Sep 8, 2009 1:06 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Hahahah so first Mir makes fun of Brocks training before UFC100 and saying all he does is lift weights and that doesn’t help hahahah and know he wants to copy him

by Moe on Sep 8, 2009 1:36 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Mir has some lousy planning.

Spar with Forrest when taking on Lesnar?

That really helped.

by Jonny on Sep 8, 2009 1:43 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

is frank mir making “excuses”? :D

by battery on Sep 8, 2009 5:24 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

frank who???

by fuckinwankers on Sep 8, 2009 8:48 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Does the term…Put a Cork in it, make any sense here. Holy crap, Mir just gets crazier and crazier by the interview. By the end of the year he is going to be claiming he can walk on water, out wrestle Brock, and out box Wvladimir and Vitali Klitschko. I understand the arrogance it takes to be a pro athlete, especialy a pro fighter, but whatever happened to the idea of letting your actions speak louder then words. His career is not all that impressive and I hope he gives Nog a rematch. Obviously, Mir needs to be humbled sometime real soon, before he makes anymore outlandish claims!

by Da Monkey on Sep 8, 2009 8:53 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I thought he sounded very humble. He said he wouldn’t be able to compete with the strength and power of lesnar being 245. He also said he wasn’t going to complain about it he was just going to try to get stronger and settle it in the cage. How is that making a fantastic claim like walking on water or out wrestling brock? I don’t get it, Monk. They are 1 and 1 in case you forgot. I know you’ve got some excuse about the ref stoppage as you do about Nog being sick. Lesnar still tapped and Nog still got KTFO.

You know every interviewer who talks to Frank asks him about Lesnar. What do you expect him to say? He’s not trying to improve? He doesn’t want to fight for the belt again? He doesn’t want a rubber match with Lesnar to settle the score? C’mon, man. These guys are fighters this is what they do. This interview was far from talking crap and your man-love for the elder Nog is blinding you.

by wAyNe on Sep 8, 2009 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sorry Wayne, Monkey is right. Mir saying he was gonna win three fights in a row is about as fantastical as it gets. Mir is gonna get totally exposed next year for the second rate fighter he is. He’ll probably get past Kongo only coz Kongo’s too stupid to try and keep the fight standing. No way in hell would he get past a fully fit Nog, Nog destroys him in every area. Carwin, Gonzaga, Cain would all destroy him too, come this time next year I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been cut.

He’s had two of the biggest breaks in the history of the sport (taking on a totally green Lesnar and a 10% fit Nog) and he’s ran with it. But his luck’s run out now. No way will he get a rematch with Lesnar!

by attakdog on Sep 8, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

no attack dog wayne is right. you mir haters are just to damn stubborn to realize his talent and im not gonna sit back and write a novel to you but we will see whos right when he wins his next 3 fights then beats lesnar again.

by darren on Sep 9, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

When he loses to Kongo he’s gonna say that he lost cause Kongo is too tall so he’s gonna have his trainers pull on his legs while he’s hanging, lol. What a copycat.

by Realmma on Sep 8, 2009 9:29 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Frank I would prey the ufc never put me in the cage with brock again if I were you, he cleaned your plow just for the thing your doing now, running your mouth, you need to fight Nog when hes not on his death bed and prove you can compete at heavy weight, 1 fluke win and 1 win over a sick fighter dosent mean your a conter for the belt

by steve on Sep 8, 2009 9:31 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Very true steve, excellent post.

by attakdog on Sep 8, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Steve, see my above post responding to CL.

by wAyNe on Sep 8, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

his post fight antics were based on what frank said about brocks trainers, so frank basically is a moron.

by Chris on Sep 8, 2009 9:41 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Sorry Wayne, Monkey is right. Mir saying he was gonna win three fights in a row is about as fantastical as it gets. Mir is gonna get totally exposed next year for the second rate fighter he is. He’ll probably get past Kongo only coz Kongo’s too stupid to try and keep the fight standing. No way in hell would he get past a fully fit Nog, Nog destroys him in every area. Carwin, Gonzaga, Cain would all destroy him too, come this time next year I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been cut.

He’s had two of the biggest breaks in the history of the sport (taking on a totally green Lesnar and a 10% fit Nog) and he’s ran with it. But his luck’s run out now! No way will he get a rematch with Lesnar!

by attakdog on Sep 8, 2009 10:07 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

in the pre fight smack talking didn’t murr say something like …. Only thing brock trains harder than me in is lifting weights, that’s not gonna be enough to beat my skill set

now he is going to start working on his stregth?? shut up murr brock beats you everytime you fight just face it you have no chance against him!!!

by TheDragon on Sep 8, 2009 11:25 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

This guy contradicts himself more than anybody I’ve ever seen. Before fighting Brock, he kept saying “skill and technique beat power any day”. Also said he was stronger than Brock. What a joke.

by Jay on Sep 8, 2009 9:13 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Mir is one and one with Lesnar. Who was winning up until a fighter is submitted has zero bearing on which fighter gets the notch in the win column, just like people saying Arlovski was beating Fedor for the two minutes it took Emelianenko to seperate Andrei from consciousness.

    Adding strength and perhaps some bulk definitely sounds like a sound strategy in approaching a rematch with Lesnar. To repeat the same behavior and expect different results is textbook insanity, so to hear Mir looking at possible solutions to the Lesnar dominance sounds like a savvy fighter trying to get back into the heavyweight mix. Ten pounds of muscle gives Mir a more powerful punch, and some heavy squats and deadlifts might give him the added force to buck his hips against Lesnar’s mass. Mir will never match Lesnar’s natural speed and athleticism, but Brock made one mistake in their first fight, which the more experienced Mir took advantage of. If Mir can lull Lesnar into another error, another submission could easily follow. He’ll just have to figure out a way to avoid the ground and pound disaster that cost him Mir/Lesnar II.

by mu_shin on Sep 9, 2009 12:32 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Finding a roid specialist that will match Brocks extensive knowledge in cheating doesn’t sound like a bad idea actually. He did fairly well in lowering himself before the last game by faking that injury and juicing up, but he’ll need some more time and a definite uppage of dosage if he’s gonna amount to the level of cheating Brock’s at. Maybe he could also hire Serena Williams or Marion Jones? I mean, there’s a lot of HQ cheaters in the doping nation that could help Frank to reach the upper echelon of cheating.

(God, I wish Fedor would just come in and set it all straight. This bulking up hype sickens me and it has nothing to do with MMA. If anything – having the state athletic commission hound fighters for steroids only benefits those with the cash and connections to execute good cycling and avoid getting caught…. and we all know the americans are world champs at it…)

by Tom on Sep 9, 2009 3:01 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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