Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has been tabbed as one of two coaches who will appear on season eight of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), which will begin taping soon and is expected to debut on Spike TV on September 17, according to Yahoo!Sports.com.
His opposing coach is none other than UFC Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, setting up an eventual blockbuster title match on New Year's Eve 2008.
This is quite a reversal of fortune for "The Baddest Man on The Planet." Less than 18 months ago, most were quick to write off Mir as a gifted and technical fighter who could not replicate his previous exploits inside the Octagon after recovering from a near fatal motorcycle wreck.
In fact, he lost two of his first three bouts when he returned to action -- and his lone win over Dan Christison during that span was less than impressive.
But things began to turn around for Mir when he submitted Antoni Hardonk with a textbook kimura at UFC 74: "Respect" in August 2007. He did what everyone was waiting for him to do and he looked good doing it.
The "old" Frank Mir was back.
That was no more evident than when in his next bout Mir weathered a brutal attack from the massive Brock Lesnar at UFC 81: "Breaking Point" to pull off a crafty fight-ending submission (kneebar). It appears that the two back-to-back wins, as well as a visible re-dedication to training, has earned Mir another shot at championship glory.
First, however, he will have to train and manage a team of mixed martial arts hopefuls in front of a national television audience. That shouldn't be a problem because Mir is comfortable in front of a camera thanks to his role as ringside announcer at World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) events.
He also knows a thing or two about Brazilian jiu-jitsu and MMA overall. Mir has a ton of fight experience and he's not even 30 years old.
Nogueira -- who defeated Tim Sylvia to win the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 81 -- is the first man ever to hold Pride FC and UFC belts. He is undefeated inside the Octagon (2-0) and will look to win over several new fans (and students) while on the show.
Despite his talent and unrivaled accomplishments, it appears that Nogueira has yet to gain widespread respect and notoriety from casual fans. That could all change ... soon.
TUF 8 is expected to feature light heavyweights and lightweights, breaking from recent tradition of focusing on just one weight class. Filming is set to begin soon and the show will run from September through December.
Should be good ... and the eventual fight between Mir and Nogueira should be even better.
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