Getty Frank Mir speaks to media.
Former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir revealed his plans to return for a final bout after more than two decades as a professional.
The grizzled veteran enjoyed a decorated career during his competition days under the UFC banner, which spanned 16 years. He holds the record for the most finishes and the most submission victories in UFC Heavyweight history. He was also the first man to knock out and submit Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, one of only three men to have held the championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and UFC.
The 43-year-old decided to step away from fighting inside the octagon in Oct. 2019 for a switch over to boxing. His daughter, Bella, followed in his footsteps and is currently unbeaten in her young career as a professional mixed martial artist.
Mir Wants His Daughter To Headline the Card for His Retirement Fight
In an appearance on “Fight Night Flashbacks” with former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, Mir shared his plans to return for a final fight. He wants to create history by competing on the same card as his daughter, who he wants to headline while he opens it.
“I’m trying to heal up a lot of my injuries and stuff and take this seriously. Next year, I’m gonna go and fight again because I actually want to fight once on the same card with Bella as my last fight,” Mir said. “She can headline the card, I can open it, that kinda thing. How many times is that going to happen in history?”
Mir was against the idea of serving as the co-main event for the card as he wanted to be in the corner of his daughter when she would take to the cage. Bella has ambitions to continue her winning run in MMA and plans to return next year. She’s also juggling her college wrestling career, which can make scheduling fights difficult at times.
Mir Left the UFC After Receiving a Drug Suspension
In Apr. 2017, Mir took to his Facebook account to clear the air after his post-fight sample from Mar. 2016 got flagged for a trace metabolite. He vehemently denied any allegations of knowingly “taking anything that would violate USADA’s guidelines.” However, he would end up testing positive for a banned substance and got handed a two-year suspension.
Following a skid that saw him drop six of his last eight outings, with two wins coming over Todd Duffee and Antonio Silva, UFC granted the release of Mir from his contract with the promotion.
Mir signed with Bellator and went on to compete three more times. After an unsuccessful debut and another follow-up defeat, Mir snapped his four-fight losing streak and pulled back a win over Roy Nelson in his last outing at Bellator 231 in Oct. 2019.
He transitioned to boxing and got pitted against Steve Cunningham for his first fight, where he lost by unanimous decision. Mir would then face Kulbrat Pulev, a multi-time heavyweight champion, at Triad Combat in another bested contest, with Pulev earning a brutal first-round knockout.