UFC 184: Frank Mir's future hinges on 'significant performance' against Bigfoot Silva

After dropping four consecutive fights, many believed Frank Mir's time inside the Octagon was near an end.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, however, isn't ready to call it a day just yet, as he has been booked to take on Antonio Silva at UFC 184, which goes down from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 28, 2015 (details).

Still, the thought of retirement did creep into Mir's mind, but after taking a year off, he's ready to show the mixed martial arts (MMA) world that's he's still a dangerous player in the fight game.

He talked about his recent struggles, contemplating retirement and his upcoming bout against "Bigfoot."

"I did (think about retirement). If I wasn't able to have a proper off season and see what I could get my body level of fitness up to, then I would have considered it," said Mir on The MMA Hour.

"Just because at that point, I don't want to go in there and have a bad performance and keep getting worse and worse. It wastes people money and at the same time, it just waste time for my family. If you can't perform at a high level or at least at an optimal level, then it's time to call it," declared Mir.

Frank has accepted his losses with no excuses, saying that even if you show up your best on fight night, you won't always walk away with a victory when you constantly fight the best in the world. And that's exactly what he has done, as his four losses have come against Junior dos Santos, Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett, and Alistair Overeem.

"I haven't fought the easiest of opponents, they didn't want to cooperate," he joked. "The strongest factor, fighting Junior dos Santos, and Cormier; fighting top levels guy night after night, you can show up at your best and still not come out on top."

And when he steps back into the Octagon in just a few short months, Mir will be facing another fighter who hasn't had the best of luck inside the cage, either, as Silva has dropped four of his last seven UFC bouts.

Despite his recent track record, Mir knows "Bigfoot" is no light task, as he labels the massive Brazilian a well-rounded fighter with no true weakness. And though Mir has no plans on retiring anytime soon, he knows his next bout could be a crushing blow to his career.

"I think they all are (do or die). Yeah, I think I have to come out with a very significant performance."