Frank Mir in photo by Josh Hedges
The bout pitting one of the best Jiu-Jitsu stylists in the UFC against one of the best strikers in the history of the sport this Saturday at UFC 119 had all the makings of a great spectacle.
However, the so-called “moment of truth” in Indianapolis turned out to be quite the opposite. Mir sought the clinch throughout, never relying on his specialty, whereas Cro Cop was far from the form that produced the spectacular performances that brought him to fame, playing a bureaucratic game, and showing signs retirement may be nigh.
In the very last minute of the three-rounder, Mir ended the affair with a single knee. Although it had the distinction of being the only KO of the evening, even so it didn’t merit the knockout-of-the-night bonus, due to the lackluster quality of the performance leading up to that point. Mir breaks it down:
“I need to improve my wrestling and his takedown defense is really good,” says the winner.
The fight lacked in everything, but in the end, Mir’s statement expresses the raw truth:
“Shoot, all I did was go for victory over Mirko without Jiu-Jitsu. It was kind of ugly, to tell the truth, but an ugly win is better than a horrible loss.”