Mir comes back from brink of defeat to be Big Nog

Frank Mir has been hearing it ever since his first victory over Antonio Nogueira, that Big Nog wasn’t completely healthy going into the fight, watering down Mir’s impressive victory. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion put those stories to rest as he defeated the former Pride Heavyweight Champion, stopping him for the second time during last nights UFC 140.

In a high-profile fight with possible title shot implications for the division, Mir and Nog didn’t disappoint as both fighters went at it, with Nog stunning Mir mid way through the first round with a flurry of punches, dropping Mir and putting him in a world of hurt.

I was stunned. He caught me,” Mir acknowledged after the fight.

With Mir on his face and Nog on top, the Brazilian attempted a choke, but couldn’t get it locked in as Mir recovered, escaping the hold and switching positions on the battle tested fighter. Mir locked in a kimura, which Nog attempted to roll out of. Mir kept with it, rolling through and sinking the submission up deeper, forcing Nog to tap out to the hold, with the submission visibly breaking Nog’s arm.

“Now I’m the first person to knock him out and the first person to submit him,” Mir told Joe Rogan during the post-fight interview.

While Mir celebrated his win, he acknowledged his respect for the former champion and legend in the sport.

“I idolized him. It’s just a game. When you’re as big as we are, things happen; you can get caught,” said Mir. “It takes nothing away from Nogueira.”

Mir has now won three straight fights in the UFC, putting him in line for possible shot for the championship behind the winner of Lesnar and Overeem later this month.

Tags: Alistair Overeem, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Heavyweights, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, UFC, UFC 140

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