Frank Mir is one of the most dangerous submission fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, with nine out of his 16 professional wins coming via tap, nap or snap.
Even though the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt takes prides in his stand up abilities, at UFC 140 on Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this past weekend (Dec.10, 2011,) Mir reminded the MMA world just how efficient he can be once the fight hits the floor.
After getting caught with a perfectly placed right hand to the back of his ear, Mir went into survival mode by trying to shoot in on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Once the fight hit the ground, Nogueir -- who is widely considered to be the best heavyweight submission artist on the planet -- attempted a guillotine.
And that's when the tide turned.
Mir was able to escape and, in the process, trap "Minotauro" in the kimura seen around the world. With a strong inclination that Noguiera -- the proud and accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt -- wouldn't tap, Mir had no choice but to add a little bit more torque to secure the win.
Mir got the win, but only after Nogueira's arm snapped like a twig and Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.
After the bout, at the UFC 140 press conference, Mir wouldn't go too much into detail about the incident; however, speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Mir explained that he was just trying to earn the win. And even though it's a shame Noguiera has to get his arm repaired, he does not feel bad for what happened:
"I just locked it up and I wanted to make sure he didn't get out. I'm locking up a submission, and in my mind I want to keep applying force and don't lose it. By the time he tapped the injury had already occurred. I understand the mentality; you're trying to wait for the last second but once I pulled the arm back he could have tapped. But this is Nogueira, a great ground fighter, he's been in that move in practice and gotten out, so he hesitated I'm sure. I'm not going to let go of a hold until the referee tells me to break the hold. I would never do anything dirty or purposely hurt you. I just want to win the fight, the fact that you have to get medical treatment afterwards that sucks. He's another martial artist I hope he can go back to the gym Monday like everyone else.I feel bad that he has to go get it repaired, but I don't feel bad it happened. It would be like a quarterback apologizing for scoring a touchdown. If me and Nogueira ever rolled again, I could easily be the one on the receiving end of the kimura."
This isn't the first time that Mir has caused serious bodily harm to another opponent using his highly decorated submission skills. At UFC 48 in 2004, Mir became the UFC heavyweight champion by submitting Tim Sylvia with an armbar that also broke the champion's forearm just 50 seconds into the fight.
With his impressive win over Noguiera, Mir has now won three straight and is knocking on the door of a title shot. He, of course, has to play the waiting game to see the outcome of the monster number one contender eliminator fight between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, which is scheduled for UFC 141 on Dec. 30, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Unless Cain Velasquez and the promotion is up for his recent challenge.
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