Humbler Mir in position to reclaim UFC crown

By Jeff Haney

Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 | 2 a.m.

An adage from the realm of bullfighting occurred to radio personality Ron Gerrard in the aftermath of Saturday night’s year-ending Ultimate Fighting Championship show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

It applied specifically to the co-main event on the UFC 92 card, which resulted in Frank Mir’s second-round stoppage of Antonio Nogueira for the interim heavyweight title, the most unlikely and inspiring upset on a night filled with them.

Aficionados of bullfighting, according to tradition, believe any reckless wildman can jump into the arena if he’s not aware of the danger the bull presents, or if he doesn’t care about it. Foolishness, not bravery, could easily be driving his actions.

Only the truly courageous toreros, or matadors, acknowledge their fear yet proceed anyway.

Mir did just that, freely admitting in the days leading up to the fight, as well as afterward, that he had never been so afraid of an opponent in his life. Nogueira has lost five times in 38 professional mixed martial arts fights, but had never been stopped before Mir finished him off.

“Walking into that, looking at it on paper, I would have given him the fight,” Mir (12-3) said. “I was being honest. I can look at the odds. He has a formidable record, he’s fought champions. He’s a better fighter on paper.”

Even Nogueira’s longtime nickname is fearsome, Mir said: “Minotauro,” a reference to the beast in classical mythology with the head of a bull on the body of a man.

“That was the monster I trained for,” Mir said.

The stoppage, which came at 1 minute, 54 seconds of Round 2 after Mir floored Nogueira with a straight left, pounced on his opponent and followed with a barrage of unanswered punches, was the second consecutive marquee victory for Mir. He beat current heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar by submission in a nontitle fight in February.

Mir has won four of six UFC fights since his comeback fight in 2006 after a 1 1/2-year layoff following a serious motorcycle crash in September 2004 in which Mir sustained a broken left femur.

“I used my wreck and my (travails) to make me into the warrior I am,” Mir, a Bonanza High grad, said. “Maybe because of that, I don’t have an ego when I’m training. I got beat up a lot in practice, and that was tough. I wouldn’t have done that two years ago. I had too much of an ego. Then I realized that’s not the way to go.”

The victory against Nogueira, as well as a revamped training and conditioning program, will send Mir into a rematch with Lesnar in the best state of mind of his career. The heavyweight championship fight, likely to take place in 2009, looms as the most anticipated bout of the coming year in the UFC.

“A win over Nogueira is huge,” said Mir, who owned the UFC heavyweight title before his crash. “People who have wins over Nogueira are high-quality individuals ...

“The issue was I panicked too much (before previous fights). I’ve improved drastically with this fight and with my work ethic. Before I’d walk into the octagon terrified of getting tired. I wasn’t thinking about the guy I was fighting. I was thinking, ‘man, if this fight doesn’t end in two minutes, I’m in a lot of trouble.’ Now the fight could go 10 rounds and it doesn’t matter. I could be here all night long.”

Mir’s performance highlighted a card that showcased a tripleheader of headliners, with Rashad Evans stopping Forrest Griffin for the light heavyweight championship, and former light heavyweight champ Quinton “Rampage” Jackson knocking out Wanderlei Silva to put himself in line for another title shot.

Jackson said he craves another opportunity to fight for the belt, but also wants to avenge his loss to Griffin. “That’s the fight that haunts me when I go to sleep and have nightmares,” Jackson said.

For his part, Mir had a personal message for Lesnar, who also has revenge on his mind.

“Be careful what you wish for,” Mir told his rival.