Frank Mir

Mir was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, and started practicing American Kenpo in a school run by his parents. As a teenager, he attained his black belt in martial art. The idea that learning to wrestle would help him avoid submitting was one of the main arguments used by Mir’s father to get him to start. Mir lost his first nine matches after joining the wrestling squad at Bonanza High School in his junior year.

In 1998, when he was a senior, he went 44-1 and captured the state title. On the school’s football team, which made it to the 1997 Southern Zone playoffs when Mir was a fullback and defensive end, Along with competing in track and field, he also threw the discus, setting a Sunset Regional record with a throw of 177 feet, 10 inches (54.20 meters).

At a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) academy, Mir met UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. Silva proposed that Mir enter a mixed martial arts competition after noticing his potential. On July 14, 2001, at HOOKnSHOOT: Showdown, Mir faced up against Jerome Smith for the first time as a professional. After two rounds, Mir prevailed by unanimous judgment. On August 31, 2001, at the IFC Warriors Challenge 15, he defeated Dan Quinn by triangle choke to win his second bout.

He continued to compete in the UFC from 2002 to 2004, where he swiftly rose to fame with only one defeat in six fights. He subsequently faced Tim Sylvia, defeating him, and went on to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Frank Mir was involved in a major motorbike accident and received many injuries, including two breaks to his femur. Tragic events were just around the bend for him. He returned in 2006 after a lengthy absence.

After that, he lost his first fight after coming back, but he also went on to have several important victories, like one over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, where he was crowned the interim heavyweight champion of the UFC, although losing the Unification match to Brock Lesnar. After losing quite a few fights in 2012, 2013, and 2014, Mir persisted in fighting and managed to win two more in 2015. Mir departed the UFC after his 2016 bout with Mark Hunt ended in a loss.

The news that Mir has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA was made public on August 16, 2017. At Bellator 198 on April 28, 2018, Mir took on Fedor Emelianenko in his first match with the organization. The Bellator Heavyweight Tournament’s first round of matches included the contest. Through a first-round TKO, he was defeated.

On December 14, 2018, Mir competed in his second match for the promotion against Javy Ayala at Bellator 212. By knocking Ayala to the ground and keeping him under control, Mir was able to win the opening round. Nevertheless, Ayala fought back in the second round, and Mir ultimately lost by TKO after submitting to blows that fractured his alveolar ridge.

On October 25, 2019, the main event of Bellator 231 saw Mir taking on Roy Nelson in a rematch of their UFC fight from 2011. He obtained a unanimous victory. Mir became a free agent when his agreement with Bellator ended on April 1, 2020.

Up to the 2010 WEC 47, Frank Mir served as a color analyst for World Extreme Cagefighting; Stephan Bonnar took his place. Mir said in a June 2012 interview with The Chronicle-Journal that when he stops fighting, he intends to pursue commentary. He stated, “I like analyzing fights, and I like doing color commentating,” he said. “It’s an opportunity I would take advantage of when I run into it. Hopefully it’s something I can do full-time”. Mir was hired as the color analyst for Absolute Championship Berkut in 2015.