Frank Mir vs. Justin McCully Removed From Official UFC 86 Fight Card
A long-rumored heavyweight showdown between former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Justin McCully has been removed from the official UFC 86 fight card. No official announcement has yet been made by the UFC regarding the bout being dropped.
Regardless, reports of Mir appearing opposite current interim UFC heavyweight title holder Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 8 may be behind the curious move. It would appear that Mir and Nogueira will indeed be the coaches on the next season of The Ultimate Fighter, which is set to debut in the fall, and will then face off for the heavyweight strap following the conclusion of the season.
Though Mir would have entered the bout with McCully as a large favorite, the UFC likely dropped the bout to avoid a potential upset that could have messed up plans for the reality series and following title bout. With the heavyweight division lacking in depth and challengers, a move the preserve Mir’s top contender status just makes sense.
Stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com for official confirmation if/when it becomes available.
For more on UFC 86 check out the MMAFrenzy.com rumors section.
They give title shots in the HW division way too easy while other fighters in other divisions have to fight and scratch their way just to make it close.
Yeah Dirty, there’s a clear reason why that is…because the HW division sucks. You have to consider Tim, Andrei, Barnett, Randy, and Fedor top 8 or so. Oh yeah, and they all are fighting elsewhere. Time for some instant stars- Tuf HWs. Just add water and some random dudes with brown belts, stick them on TV and they are the next big thing. You gotta love the UFC. I heard rumors about some WEC events going to Pay-per-view. Anyone heard that?
Yeah I agree with both you guys. The UFC has to some how find a way to liven up the HW division, ecspecially since it appears that all the big name fighters in the division have left the company. I also see a pattern starting to develope here. More and more well known fighters are starting to high tail it out of the UFC and even more are actually starting to think about leaving as well. Could there be some truth to what different fighters are saying about how the UFC treats certain fighters better than others????
As far as I know, big Nog doesn’t even speak English. Is there going to be a translator following him around everywhere on tuf? Seems kinda stupid to me.
I think you’re right about all the best HW’s leaving the UFC, but I think that this is the only division about which Dana needs to be worried. Randy, Fedor, Tim, Barnett, and Andre are def. 5 of the top 10, and they are all fighting elsewhere. This isn’t really the case with the other divisions.
They really need to beef this card up - pretty lame right now. Given that Tyson G beat Gliesen, why are Stevenson and Gleisen on the main card, while Tyson G is on the undercard? Shouldn’t they have the two fire hydrants fight each other?
I have to agree with mburten an others about Big Nogs english, that will be a major issue especially with audiences….Personally Mir getting a title shot so soon is a bit dramatic, maybe if him and Werdum tangled and he won THEN I can see it but Werdum if anyone deserve the shot right now..Which is a sign of HW’s problems
cut the sloath division and bring in feather and bantamweights im sick of them the last good heavyweight fight was randy vs gonzaga everything since then has been crap wit the only possible exception bein sylvia vs nogs just cuz i hate big doofy cut the weight class and have the next tuf season b coached by faber and tyson griffen so at the end of the season they can fight cuz griffens the one dude to beat faber and id like to see that even if its non-title
The larger issue is the monopolization in MMA by the UFC. The UFC can keep its payouts down while still bringing in $20 to $30 mil in revenues per event. They don’t see the need to pay more to bring in top fighters.
The Pride FC acquisition was the worst thing to happen to MMA. A lack of competition in any industry defies the spirit of free market capitalism and results in customers and employees suffering.
I agree CC, this card is SUPER weak right now. Ither than Rampage-vs-Griffin, the rest of the fights aren’t really that intriging in my opinion. There aren’t any other big names on the card other than the two main event fighters. They should through Franklin-vs-Henderson on this card that would add immediate value to it. If they leave as is, they can’t possibly expect to put this on PPV!!!
Now as for McCully, this guy has to be getting frustrated a bit. First he was suppose to Lesnar. The UFC pulled Lesnar out to match him up against Coleman (Lesnar should win easily). Then they match McCully up against Mir and now they are pulling Mir out to prevent a possible upset which would mess up there future plans (really a smart move business wise). Now the man doesn’t know who he’s fighting or if he will even be on this particular card at all. They could through Gonzaga, Kongo or Herring in there with him maybe.
This time last year the HW division looked STACKED! The UFC had all the big name top heavy weights except for Fedor and Barnette. Now they on have one top big name heavy weight and that’s Nog….maybe Mir considering that he is an EX UFC HW Champ….and maybe Herring and Werdum considering their international MMA experience….and i did say MAYBE!!! Think it maybe time for “The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy weight addition” to get some new blood in!