OK, I will admit it; I’m not the biggest Mir fan. I think he’s an entertaining fighter with good jui jitsu, but I don’t understand the blind admiration for this guy. He’s downright hilarious with his trash talking, so that doesn't bother me. I can get over someone’s personality and respect the fighter. I respect him as a fighter, but I don’t understand the extent of the Mir hype. People make him out to be the biggest thing in the HW division. People say that Brock and Cain are overhyped and that Mir is a proven MMA veteran with better skills.
Let’s be honest. What notable victories does Mir have? Lesnar (who people say is overrated), Nog (who was in a weakened state), Kongo (who has notable victories over a shell of CC….???), and Sylvia (who doesn’t stand a chance in today’s UFC HW lineup).
Lesnar – Mir looked awful in both fights against Lesnar. He pulled off a lucky (the stand up when Lesnar was 10 seconds away from ending the fight was BS) sub against an MMA newbie in Lesnar in the first fight. People say that he was tagging Brock in the second fight before the knees, but if you watch the replays he missed every single strike leading up to the short elbow and missed flying knee (which was an act of desperation). Lesnar has dominated 95% of their time in the Octagon.
Nog – I believe this fight is a much different fight if Nog is healthy. Will Mir win the rematch? Possibly, but Nog is better on the ground and is no slouch when it comes to striking. This is a touch matchup for Mir.
Kongo – I will admit that I was surprised at how this fight went. Kongo made one HUGE mistake that ended up costing him the fight. I don’t think that Mir’s standup is superior to Kongo, but Mir made Kongo pay. Hands down, Mir won this fight. You can’t take that away from him. However, Kongo isn’t even a top 10 fighter. Mir was expected to win this fight. Kongo was coming off a loss to Cain.
I believe that Mir will continue to be a force in the HW division, but I don’t see him dominating the division. He has A LOT of trouble with strong wrestlers. I think the fight against Carwin will be a big test for Mir, but I’d be more interested in seeing him fight Cain or JDS. There’s no way Mir wins a standup battle against JDS, and from what I understand, JDS has some good BJJ. If Mir wants to dominate the HW division, he’s going to need to MAJORLY improve his TDD and wrestling skills. The HW division is under attack from large wrestlers, and Mir is going to have to confront this at some point. Otherwise, he will be nothing more than a gatekeeper for the next 3-5 years.
I know I am going to get blasted for this, but it’s my opinion at the moment. I’m not a homer and don’t have it out for Mir, so I could certainly change my opinion if he improves his TDD and wrestling noticeably in his next few fights (which will likely all be against big wrestlers… Carwin, Cain, and Brock). I’m not on board the Mir hype train yet, but I am getting on board the JDS hype train for now.
Let’s be honest. What notable victories does Mir have? Lesnar (who people say is overrated), Nog (who was in a weakened state), Kongo (who has notable victories over a shell of CC….???), and Sylvia (who doesn’t stand a chance in today’s UFC HW lineup).
Lesnar – Mir looked awful in both fights against Lesnar. He pulled off a lucky (the stand up when Lesnar was 10 seconds away from ending the fight was BS) sub against an MMA newbie in Lesnar in the first fight. People say that he was tagging Brock in the second fight before the knees, but if you watch the replays he missed every single strike leading up to the short elbow and missed flying knee (which was an act of desperation). Lesnar has dominated 95% of their time in the Octagon.
Nog – I believe this fight is a much different fight if Nog is healthy. Will Mir win the rematch? Possibly, but Nog is better on the ground and is no slouch when it comes to striking. This is a touch matchup for Mir.
Kongo – I will admit that I was surprised at how this fight went. Kongo made one HUGE mistake that ended up costing him the fight. I don’t think that Mir’s standup is superior to Kongo, but Mir made Kongo pay. Hands down, Mir won this fight. You can’t take that away from him. However, Kongo isn’t even a top 10 fighter. Mir was expected to win this fight. Kongo was coming off a loss to Cain.
I believe that Mir will continue to be a force in the HW division, but I don’t see him dominating the division. He has A LOT of trouble with strong wrestlers. I think the fight against Carwin will be a big test for Mir, but I’d be more interested in seeing him fight Cain or JDS. There’s no way Mir wins a standup battle against JDS, and from what I understand, JDS has some good BJJ. If Mir wants to dominate the HW division, he’s going to need to MAJORLY improve his TDD and wrestling skills. The HW division is under attack from large wrestlers, and Mir is going to have to confront this at some point. Otherwise, he will be nothing more than a gatekeeper for the next 3-5 years.
I know I am going to get blasted for this, but it’s my opinion at the moment. I’m not a homer and don’t have it out for Mir, so I could certainly change my opinion if he improves his TDD and wrestling noticeably in his next few fights (which will likely all be against big wrestlers… Carwin, Cain, and Brock). I’m not on board the Mir hype train yet, but I am getting on board the JDS hype train for now.