Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
In an awesome heavyweight matchup on the main card of UFC on Fox 7, Frank Mir takes on Strikeforce-import Daniel Cormier.
Many MMA fans, however, are counting out Mir and assume Cormier will coast to an easy victory. While Cormier is an accomplished wrestler and is undefeated in his MMA career, he holds little power and has not been tested against a grappler at the level of Mir. In fact, Mir likely has the better overall skill-set, as he has shown with his knockout and submission victories over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Taking his striking and grappling skills into consideration, Mir should have the advantage wherever this fight ends up. That is, of course, assuming Mir shows up in top condition.
Mir has a history of showing up for big fights in less than optimal shape. In his fights against Mirko Filipovic and Roy Nelson, Mir quickly ran out of gas and had difficulty beating his over-matched opponents.
During his training camp leading up to Saturday’s fight, Mir took a smarter approach and feels he is in top condition.
In a recent interview with MMAheat.com, Mir discussed his current condition.
“I am actually feeling really good,” Mir said. “I definitely approached [training] a lot more intelligently. I was training and trying to prevent as many injuries as possible.”
While many MMA fans give Cormier the advantage if the fight goes to the ground, Mir feels he can put his opponent away with his Jiu Jitsu.
“I feel that once the fight goes to the ground, it’s in my favor,” Mir said. “In the end, the ability to finish the fight is in my corner.”
If Mir does show up in shape, he will likely finish Cormier. With a victory Saturday night, it will be impossible for the UFC to keep overlooking Mir when selecting contenders for the next heavyweight title fight.
