In Frank Mir's comeback fight in the UFC, he needed only less than two minutes to knock out Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, proving his status as still one of the elite heavyweights in the sport.
Suffering his worst ever losing streak of four losses in a row, stretching from 2012 to 2014, Mir decided to temporarily exit the UFC.
After Mir's loss to Alistair Overeem in February of last year, there were already calls for his retirement as the man considered to be the craftiest ground fighter in the history of the UFC's heavyweight division is suddenly looking too slow for his opponents.
Mir admitted that after the fight with Overeem, he was already thinking about doing something else such as getting into the broadcasting team for the UFC. However, Mir said that his wife suggested that he should first take a rest to give time for his body to heal.
After resting for a year, Mir agreed to come back to the ring against Silva while promising to look completely different compared to the fighter that showed up in his last few fights.
Mir delivered, looking very nimble and quick inside the ring. He had steady head movement and showed no signs of tentativeness or nervousness. And perhaps most important of all, Mir was not using braces for his joints.
Mir took down Silva in less than two minutes, connecting with a left hook that knocked down Silva to the floor. Within a few seconds that saw Mir unleash a wave of elbows to Silva while on the mat, the fight was stopped.
Mir's win will likely put him into a big fight before the year ends, but even without nursing several injuries, it looks like his chase for the UFC heavyweight title is over. Mir has already cemented his place among the greatest fighters of the UFC even without going on another chase.
While Mir solidified his legacy with his comeback win, his victory could possibly lead to a third match with Brock Lesnar, the former heavyweight champion of the UFC.
Lesnar, who is currently under contract with World Wrestling Entertainment, has the option to come back to the UFC after the contract ends within the year. While speculations see Lesnar as no longer interested to coming back to fighting in the UFC, a match with Mir may sway him to do battle in the Octagon one more time.
"Absolutely, I think it would be a huge, big fight, and I think it would put my name even higher up. I think a rubber match between the two of us would be a phenomenal fight," said Mir of the possible third fight with Lesnar, admitting that he had to get the victory against Silva to keep the rematch within the realm of possibility.
This win. Redemption for Mir.
