Frank Mir suffered a first round KO loss to Mark Hunt at UFC Fight Night 85, but the 36 year-old former heavyweight champion has dismissed suggestions that it’s time for him to retire.
“I fought Mark Hunt and I got caught with a shot that he threw,” Mir said on his own Phone Booth Fighting podcast this week. “That’s kind of like getting caught by a submission by me. It’s kind of a list of guys. Had he pulled guard and armbarred me, maybe I would have thought about retiring.”
Mir did admit that the referee’s stoppage after Hunt walked off while he still lay dazed, but conscious on the floor was the right call.
“Yes, it was a good stoppage,” Mir said. “My lights were on, but I had no bearings on where anything was coming from. So the effectiveness of me being able to defend myself was very low at that point.”
Mir also revealed that, having been hit by a who’s who of heavyweight UFC stars over the years, he can confirm that Hunt packs the biggest punch.
“By far the hardest punch I’ve ever received in my career,” Mir admitted. “Immediately, I felt like I was under water. The lights were on, but for a good 10 to 15 seconds the room spun.”
So, Mir seems to be taking the loss in good spirits, but given that he now has just two wins in eight fights, and now equals Tito Ortiz for having had the most bouts (27) in UFC history, it does seem as if it would be a good idea to at least consider the possibility of hanging up his gloves.
UFC color commentator Brian Stann made a strong case for Mir to retire immediately following the fight, suggesting that he could successfully transition to a position as an analyst.
However, Mir appears to have his heart set on fighting for as long as he possibly can.
“I didn’t have anything to prove to begin with to anybody else,” Mir said. “I didn’t start out doing this because I wanted to win awards or titles. I like martial arts, I like training, I like the lifestyle. I want to constantly get better. Why not just keep fighting? Until I get told that I can’t anymore, then I’ll move on.”
