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To hell with Tim Sylvia. This is more like it.
According to a report from USA Today, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir will take his talents to the Hexagon to challenge Daniel Cormier in his final Strikeforce fight sometime later this year in October or November.
The bout will be broadcast live on Showtime, as usual, and it will be surreal to see Mir, a former UFC titleholder, standing inside a Strikeforce cage. Yet, that's exactly what we're going to get.
Here's what UFC President Dana White had to say about the match-up:
"There has been a lot of speculation as to who Cormier would fight next, and this is the fight that makes the most sense. The reality is, Cormier is one of the best heavyweights in the world. He just won the grand prix and beat Josh Barnett. He needs to fight opponents of that caliber, and Frank Mir is that guy."
This fight does make the most sense. As stated, Cormier just won the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix tournament and he needs top flight competition. That's not what Sylvia represents. Mir, on the other hand, is one fight removed from challenging for the UFC heavyweight title.
Sure, he got blown out and was only in that fight due to Alistair Overeem and his failed drug test, but he's a veteran with a big name who can provide a stiff test to see if Cormier is really ready to make the jump to the Octagon.
UPDATE: Initial reports stating the bout would take place on Sept. 29 as the co-main event to the Gilbert Melendez vs. Pat Healy card taking place in Sacramento were apparently premature. Instead, the bout will take place at a planned event in Oct. or Nov. of this year, possibly as a main event bout, making it a five-round fight. Stay tuned, as we'll keep you up to date either way.