Brock Lesnar and
Frank Mir will meet to unify the heavyweight championship in the main event at UFC 98 “Lesnar vs. Mir 2” on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC made the rematch official on Monday.
Lesnar (3-1) captured the heavyweight crown in just his fourth professional bout at UFC 91 in November, as he stopped hall of famer
Randy Couture on second-round strikes. The former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar has won back-to-back bouts since his submission loss to Mir in his promotional debut at UFC 81 in February 2007. At 6-foot-2, 265 pounds, Lesnar has emerged as one of the sport’s most intimidating figures. Based at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, he leans on an impeccable amateur wrestling background inside the cage.
Mir (12-3), meanwhile, became the first man to finish Brazilian legend
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 92 in December. The 29-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt showcased improved boxing skills and conditioning, as he won the UFC interim heavyweight title from Nogueira with an impressive second-round stoppage and did what
Fedor Emelianenko,
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and
Josh Barnett could not.
Since his 2001 debut, Mir’s career has taken wild turns. He first won the heavyweight belt as a 25-year-old in 2004, only to surrender it a few months later when a motorcycle accident left him with a career-threatening leg injury. Out of action for nearly two years, Mir returned in 2006 and succumbed to strikes against
Marcio Cruz and followed the defeat with an uninspiring victory against
Dan Christison. A brutal technical knockout loss to
Brandon Vera came next, and many wondered if Mir had seen his better days. He has since rattled off three wins in a row, including his 90-second submission against Lesnar 13 months ago.
Other bouts rumored for UFC 98 include a welterweight showdown between former champions
Matt Hughes and
Matt Serra, along with a lightweight tilt pairing former titleholder
Sean Sherk with
Frankie Edgar. The event will also likely feature the return of welterweight contender
Josh Koscheck in a match with Team Quest veteran
Chris Wilson.
Brock Lesnar vs.
Frank Mir
Matt Hughes vs.
Matt Serra
Sean Sherk vs.
Frankie Edgar
Josh Koscheck vs.
Chris Wilson
James Irvin vs.
Drew McFedries
Patrick Barry vs.
Tim Hague
Houston Alexander vs.
Andre Gusmao
Phillipe Nover vs.
Kyle Bradley
David Kaplan vs.
George Roop
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