Currently a free agent after his contract with Bellator MMA expired in 2020, the 42-year-old heavyweight carries a 19-13 record that features 14 wins by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Father Time has not treated Mir all that well, as evidenced by the fact that he has lost four of his past five bouts. He last competed at Bellator 231, where he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Roy Nelson in the three-round main event and improved to 2-0 in his head-to-head series with the former International Fight League champion.
As the MMA world awaits word on Mir’s next move, here are five things you might not know about him:
1. No one can question his athletic credentials.
Mir was a multi-sport standout at Bonanza High School in Las Vegas, where he competed in track and field, played football and wrestled. He went 44-1 and won a state championship as a wrestler during his senior year and set the school record in the discus throw at 54.2 meters.
2. Two wheels made him a what-might-have-been talent.
The Las Vegas native made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at the age of 22 and went 6-1 through his first seven assignments inside the Octagon—a technical knockout loss to Ian Freeman at UFC 38 was the only blemish—before a motorcycle accident interrupted his career and forced him to the sidelines for nearly two years.
3. He belongs to an elite club.
Mir became the ninth man to capture the undisputed heavyweight crown when he submitted Tim Sylvia with an armbar just 50 seconds into their UFC 48 pairing on June 19, 2004. He was later stripped of the title due to inactivity caused by his aforementioned traffic mishap.
4. He left his imprint on the record book.
While has not fought in the UFC since 2016, Mir still ranks first on the promotion’s all-time heavyweight list in finishes (13), first in submission wins (eight), first in submission attempts (21), second in appearances (27), third in wins (16), third in submission average per 15 minutes (2.02), seventh in takedowns landed (21), eighth in shortest average fight time (5:46) and ninth in knockdowns landed (eight).
5. Stiff competition did not faze him.
More than one-third of Mir’s career outings have come against former UFC, Strikeforce or Pride Fighting Championships titleholders: Sylvia, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (twice), Brock Lesnar (twice), Fedor Emelianenko, Andre Arlovski, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Daniel Cormier and Junior dos Santos. He has also fought 2001 K-1 World Grand Prix winner Mark Hunt, former EliteXC champion Antonio Silva and 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix winner Mirko Filipovic.