Combate recently interviewed former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who shared on why he still dislikes his old rival Brock Lesnar, his rivalry with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and more. Below are some highlights:
Mir on if he would accept a rubber match with Lesnar: “I think that his comeback would be good for MMA. He’s still popular, people know who he is and he brings attention. We are tied with one win each. I would enjoy a rubber match. I would like to welcome him back to the UFC.”
Mir on his rivalry with Nogueira: “Nogueira and I are very competitive but I have nothing against him outside the octagon. I like him as a person, so, sometimes, it’s hard to the fans understand. However, when we face each other, I always want to win. People think that you always have to talk about your rival. It’s the case with Lesnar because I don’t like him as a person.”
Mir’s thoughts on Nogueira and his career: “He has a tremendous career, he’s a legend of our sport, he has a champion’s heart and was the number 1 guy for a period at PRIDE FC. He has been around for a lot of time and I think that his injuries harmed his career. I don’t think that he’s old but I believe that he’s fighting tough guys. My second fight against him is my favorite. I was very close of losing and was able to overcome the adversity and win.”
Mir on his submission of Nogueira where he broke his arm in their rematch: “I started to pressure and he was very flexible. I started to look in referee’s direction waiting him to stop the fight, so I wouldn’t need to keep pressure. I don’t think that I was slow enough but his arm was strange. At the moment, I thought that I had dislocated his arm, not broken. When I arrived at my home, my wife’s friends had recorded the fight and we watched together. I stopped when Nogueira’s arm popped, I couldn’t watch. They asked me why and I answered: ‘I remember differently. He was punching my face at that time. Watching it from my couch isn’t nice.”