Over the weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was granted his release from the UFC. The release was a long time coming as Mir had been asking to be let go since last year, after testing positive for oral turinabol metabolites in a USADA test and receiving a two-year suspension which would keep him out of action until April 2018. And now with his release finally granted by the UFC, Mir has big plans for the future.
Speaking with Helen Yee of NBC Sports Radio, Mir addressed his release saying that it was an amicable split with the UFC and that now he has the opportunity to pursue some big fights, most notably one with long-time Pride heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko.
“We had to come to terms on the situation and the end result was a mutual release. Right now I’m trying to weigh all my options. We talked about who could possibly be opponents out there, so I’m thinking, more or less, what show offers who to fight. Fedor would be an awesome fight. I think we talked about maybe even Brock. So there’s different ideas out there and really there’s just endless possibilities.”
Emelianenko is currently signed with Bellator MMA and last competed at Bellator NYC where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione. Afterwards, Emelianenko said he intends to continue fighting. Mir himself is coming off a pair of losses to Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski, and says that despite Mitrione beating Fedor, he’d still prefer a fight with the Pride legend.
“It wouldn’t be my first choice, to be honest with you. I think Matt Mitrione is a super tough guy, very athletic but I think that I’d probably get more pay-per-view buys if I fought Fedor. Mitrione would probably elevate my status more, a victory over him at this point, towards moving up the rankings but I’m kinda past that part of my career. I’d rather fight named fighters and Fedor’s somebody I’ve always wanted to fight and I think that it would be nice to be able to complete that kind of Who’s Who of my resume.”
Bellator CEO Scott Coker has been more than willing to sign a number of fighters unhappy with or released by the UFC in recent years and a former heavyweight champion and multi-talented personality like Mir would be a prime candidate. Mir currently works as a commentator with the Absolute Combat Berkut organization and previously received praise for his work in the booth for WEC. Moreover, Mir says he’s still a long way off from retirement, meaning he could be a long-term asset for Bellator.
“I enjoy fighting. I want to fight for as long as possible. I don’t think I can fight at the same capacity that I fought in the past. The days of fighting three times in a year is probably over with. Once is probably gonna be more or less [the goal], or almost twice or three times in two years. Just enjoy martial arts, enjoy the lifestyle, and fight big fights."
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Morning Report: After being granted UFC release, Frank Mir seeking fight with Fedor Emelianenko
