UFC 81: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir
The UFC has officially announced that newly signed heavyweight, Brock Lesnar will be fighting former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Frank Mir in his UFC debut. The two will square off in the octagon at UFC 81 which is scheduled to take place on February 2nd, 2008 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Superbowl weekend.
Brock Lesnar, who currently holds a professional MMA record of 1-0-0 will look to make a statement and prove all doubters wrong at UFC 81. Over the past several weeks, many have questioned Dana White’s decision to sign the former WWE star. However, White has stated on several instances that he believes that Lesnar’s wrestling credentials, combined with his strength and athleticism will make him a serious force in the UFC’s heavyweight division. Dana had mentioned in his press conference two weeks ago that he intends on testing Lesnar’s potential immediately. Frank Mir, a seasoned MMA veteran with a professional record of 10-3-0 will definitely look to test whether or not Lesnar is ready for the major leagues. In White’s opinion, this is going to be a very appealing fight.
“It’s an interesting matchup,” said UFC President Dana White. “Lesnar is a great wrestler, a good athlete, and this is definitely gonna be a big test for him. Frank Mir is a former world champion who is coming off a big win over Antoni Hardonk, and he’s looking to get his career back on track while Lesnar’s looking to walk into the UFC and prove what type of fighter he’s gonna be by trying to knock him off.”
Good match-up. Really glad Dana didn’t just throw Lesnar a softy to mangle in the first round.
i think it will be a good fight i think frank mir is a tough but got oppoment against lesnar i do think lesnar will win be decsision
AWESOME! I can’t wait to see this fight. I am a Mir fan, and this will be a fantastic test for either of them. A loss by either of them won’t be shameful, because even as un tested as Brock Lesnar is, he will be a force to recon with. And Mir is a contender, no matter what he has looked like recently(though his last fight he looked much like the Mir of old) he has mass skills. I hope to see the winner of this fight fight Tim Sylvia . No matter what I want to see a Sylvia/Mir rematch someday.
P.S. When do we get a new POLL? I would like to see how many people are planning on ordering the next PPV. I already have, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a drop in buys for this one. I am excited to see the Houston Alexander fight amoung others on the card.
i agree…houston alexander is the only reason i want to see 78 but he needs to be tested by someone real who can take a punch like forrest griffin or someone…however i dont agree wit the lesnar-mir bout…they coulda gave him someone better cuz ya’ll would be lying to urselves if u didnt think that brock is gonna walk right through mir right into a title shot…give him someone who can test his chin never mind his ground game…which is what mir is good at…brock is a heavy dude and i wouldnt want him on top of me pounding the shit outta me….i give this fight to brock but i guess we’ll have to wait and see
Mir will submit him in the first round. I don’t think Lesnar will have enough submission defense skills. Don’t forget that Mir broke Tim Sylvia’s arm with a armbar. You read it here first - Mir - 1st round - Armbar.
hahahahaha sure mir has wicked skill in bjj but lesnar is jus wicked rough and raw i see a broken eye socket from lesnar to mir
besides…..try and work ur skills around muscles that big
You guys forget. Mir is one of the larger heavyweights. He is no midget. H
true dat…but lesnar is like a physical anomaly if thats how u spell it…that dude mir is gonna get his ass handed to him…its not like brock is all that big either…hes like what 6′1” maybe 6′2” hes got power and u shouldnt count him out
Frank Mir has not been the same since he was hurt in that crash. I don’t think he can handle someone with Brock’s size and power. Brock will win by decision.
Firstly,it wasn’t Dana who made that decision but Brock who choose Mir,and guys,u have no idea how strong Brock is…Brock will destroy the shitty former HW ufc champion in Round 1 via brutal strike.Btw,Brock is weaker than back at the wwe, anyway, i know he’ll destroy everyone in MMA.Even Fedor won’t stand a chance against Brock.
lesnar definatly has it with strength but if he has little knowledge of submission game he will be tapped out.we will learn alot about lesnar and his all round game in this one.mir may not be the force he once was but still has great ground game and is always a threat.
Yeah, Scotchy….I almost ordered that 3 fight package from directv….but I ended up moving and gettin cable. I think I am going to go out the bar and watch this one instad of paying for the fights…but if they were not showing the fights anywhere, I would buy em. I really want to see how Bisping and Evans respond to everything. As far as this one…I dont think that Lesnar has the expeirence to beat Mir….but it shouldnt be a walk in the park for Franky either. I was kinda hoping Lesnars first opponent would be Sylvia.
Mir sub’d Tank Abbott who used to raw bench around 650lbs.
Lesnar is a beast. The only question is his chin. I don’t think Mir or Sylvia are strong enough to submit Brock. I believe its going to be interesting to see who in the future is going to be able to stand up to Lesnar’s takedowns and how it will evolve the heavywieght division.
This is a Win-Win for the UFC. If Mir wins, it makes him relevant again (I’d really like to see Mir v Sylvia II). It also wouldn’t hurt Brock that badly since he lost to a former champion.
If Brock wins (and I’m sure he’ll be favored) it catapults his stock immediately and he’ll be the talk of MMA. Losing would definitely hurt Frank but it’d be worth it to the UFC to have Brock debut and beat a former champion.
I like the match and the possibilities it presents.
My 2 cents.
Brock can NOT beat Sylvia, not yet at least. The problem is if Dana puts Brock against someone weak and he loses, then he is done. If he faces someone too tough for him right now, like Sylvia, he could be done if he loses. Mir is a much easier fight. Mir will look to take it to the ground, were Brock can hand himself. Sylvia will stand and knock Brock out easily. Brock doesn’t have any striking skills yet. His hands hang too low. This is a better fight for him.
all this talk about how strong brock is but how much gas will he have in his tank. we all know HW gas quiker annd with all his nerves coming into this fight i dont think he will be much by the 2nd round (if it gos that far). i got mir to take this one for sure
I’ll give him the dirty taco and submit the crock!
Brock is a wrestler. Both pro and amature. They don’t gas like a striker will. Mir gases like crazy now. He is no longer in the shape that he once was. The rumor on Mir is that when he got hurt after the motorcycle crash, he knew he was done, but he wanted to get a few more pay checks. Judging by his past few fights, this is the case. I will bet my money on Brock to win.
Since when does a loss in the octagon ruin your career? Tank Abbott only won about 50% of his fights, and they had him fighting in the Ultimate Ultimates. Randy Couture got KOed twice by Chuck Liddell, now he is bigger and better than he ever was. Everybody looses in this sport. It’s part of the learning process. Brock will loose some fights(especially this early in his career, HE ONLY HAS FOUGHT 1 FIGHT YOU GUYS!) I too think he will be a champion….. eventually.
Loses don’t mean as much, but Brock is a big name and you don’t want his 2nd fight to be too tough or against anyone too weak. If he comes in and gets his A$$ handed to him, against some no name, it can hurt his image. The UFC is spending a lot on him, so they need to put him into the right fight. Chuck and Randy lost after having won MANY big fights. It is different for them. And Tank lost 50% of his fights because he refused to stop wearing shoes. So he never learned to fight with kicks. And was easy pray for submission fighters, who could use his shoes to hold him in place. Way different story.
Brock may not have the experience but he has the cardio, we all know Mir’s cardio is suspect. I think Brock wins, Mir is overated.
Wow! I am so surprised that Lednar is getting such a tough guy for his first opponent. I thougt Lesnar would get a guy from the Ultimate Fighter Show like Brad Imes or a guy like Tom Murphy or maybe a guy like Hardonk. All three guys in Hardonk, Imes and Murphy are decent fighters, but not at the caliber of Mir. I think Mir will win, but I will be rooting for Lesnar.
I’m very impressed with the UFC being able to put these two in the octagon, though it’s a bit of a a risky move. While I am extremely excited to see Lesnar and Mir face off, it could be a lose-lose situation for both fighters. If Lesnar wins then he only gets so much credit, since so many within the MMA community question Frank Mir as a contender these days, and since the UFC is hyping Lesnar so heavily. If Mir wins then he won’t get as much credit either, since he is assumed to be that much more experienced and well rounded than mma noob-Lesnar. Should be a very interesting fight either way and will likely draw huge PPV numbers. One must wonder if Mir will really try to take down Brock Lesnar’s large frame and work a submission. I’m also curious to see if Lesnar can put on a decent boxing display. If thats a big weakness in his game, then Mir might be able to exploit that and try to keep it a stand up fight as opposed to his traditional style. So many possibilities….
lesnar wont make it to the octagon it’ll be to hard for him to put down the roids.
Yo guys, Brock lesnar is an outstanding athletes,true Mir is a formet ufc champ but he is NOT the caliber of Brock Lesnar.The man will simply overpowering him overwhelmingly so that Mir will tap out.I know Brock Lesnar will destroy Frank Mir via Brutal strike Round 1.Think about Josh Barnett who is just an “average” Pro wrestler who is doing good in mma.Well Brock Lesnar is an elite Top “A” Pro Wrestler,he’ll destroy Barnett.Brock Lesnar will win that one.No doubt.
Barnett can punch…..somewhat. Can Brock? Is his one MMA fight available online anywhere? I’d like to see that.
go to You tube and type in his name, u should be able to get it. I seen it and it was pretty dominating…I still think he is gonna lose to Mir, but he was impressive as well.
Don’t forget guys mir’s striking is pretty good so he can take it to the ground or choose to stand were brock is going to want to take it to the ground a bjj’s world brock doesn’t have the experience he’s going to try to ground and pound mir and is just going to get his arm caught in an arm bar like sylia did 1st round tap mir victorious.
Thanks fixxer, Youtube had it. That was quite impressive, but it seemed clear that he’s going to be very one-dimensional for a while, which is to be expected. Every good fighter has their bread and butter style, and that’s what they fall into when they get in trouble in the ring. I don’t know if wrestling alone will be enough to beat Frank Mir, but we’ll see. OH, I know someone is going to write and ask if I know Brock said he’s trained in BJJ and all MMA for over 2 years, so yes, I know, but he’s still a wrestler.
I think this will be a good fight
I think it’s going to be a good fight but I don’t see any way Mir is winning this one. Lesnar wasn’t just some hack amateur wrestler for crying out loud, he went something like 120-4 in his entire college career. He’s a brute and I think his power will overwhelm and tire Mir out quickly. I see it as a referee stoppage due to strikes in the second round.
mojo if mir trys to armbar lesnar even from side control lesnar will posture up and slam his ass hes just to strong
Brock Lesnar take that one.He will crush Mir in less than 2 min.
If you’re doubting Lesnar’s chin, let’s just say a dude tried to fight Lesnar here back in Minnesota, punched Brock in the face and broke his hand on Lesnar’s jaw.
Am I the only one who thinks Lesnar is going to be totally unmasked as a useless mixed martial artist in the coming year? Yes, he was a great amateur wrestler years ago and he’s a big guy. So what? That’s nowhere near enough of a resume to expect him to come in and be a factor over anyone of note in the division. Mir as even a shadow of his former self will submit him. It’s only a good match up if Mir is officially a tomato can, which is what he’ll be if he loses to a guy who has been wrestling “professionally” the whole of his post-collegiate career. Mir’s been in actual fights, and lots of them. If it wasn’t for the motorcycle accident and whatever lingering damage still might be there, this would be a no contest. It’s not a weight lifting competition. He doesn’t win when Mir’s shoulders are pinned to the ground. No foreign objects are allowed. If he can GnP Mir, then fine, watch what happens when he faces Arlovski or Vera or Silvia or anybody of note who can strike. Gonzaga will kick his head like a football through the uprights. He’s not ready for the UFC and won’t be for awhile unless they bring him along slowly.
Lesnar will sell tickets and PPV’s. Anything else is a bonus, especially if he wins a few. It would definitely be surprising should he actually be good enough to compete for, let alone win the title. For now though at least he’s an interesting diversion from the chaos that has become the UFC HW Division.
this is how it is gonna go brock is gonna win because that is what will be best for the ufc. That will bring more fans more money, and by the way I could kck both of their asses at the same time and I’m a bodybuilder you see muscle mass always wins I don’t need bjj or wrestling or boxing I’ll just flex my biceps and the opponent will be so amazed and impressed that during this I would kick him in the ball sac, game over b****es!
First of all brock has 1 fight. Mir has been at the top. An has fought some tough guys. Lesnar is a bigguy yeah but lack of fighting exp. WWE doesn’t count. Mir will lose the fight if he comes in piss poor shape like we have seen him before. Other than that brock don’t have a chance.
Mir looked to be in better shape his last match and I expect him to be closer to his championship shape as opposed to his embarrassing return to the octagon.
I give kudos to Brock for taking a quality opponent and to Mir for taking a potentially dangerous fight, knowing a loss could pretty much kill his chances at a title shot.
It is obvious that u guys doesn’t know who brock lesnar is…….
Lesnar is going to “massacre” poor Mir Round 1 KTFO.
and you do from the 1 fight he’s had against one of the worst fighters in the hw division in mma lets see what happens when he fights mir who is a great fighter maybe not the fighter he once was but a very good fighter then we can all talk
While Mir is predominantly known for his BJJ, he does have a solid wrestling background and that does work in his favor. Brock is a monster and who’s more or less a raw talent right now. He’s extremely strong, very explosive and just needs more experience. I’m sure if the WEC had a heavyweight division, they would have sent him there for more seasoning. But this is a good match up. Mir is more technically sound but Lesnar is more in the mold of Rampage. Not always the most technical but can overwhelm an opponent with raw power. So let’s wait until Feb 2 and let’s see who beats who.
GO BROCK GO BROCK GO BROCK
UH HUH
GO BROCK
DO UR THANG
UH HUH
BROCK OWNS
U PPL WHO COMMENTED B4 ME..CURSE U ALL
AND GO BROCK
UH HUH
Brock in my eyes is just a tool or a pawn to get Randy Couture to come out of retirement. Brock will dominate the UFC in time. Just watch and see. He will establish himself as a great fighter. Then Couture will want a piece. Then Couture will crush him.
who even comments anymore?
Mir will heel hook Lesnar and blow out his knee.
brock will be ufc champion in a year trust me