The Las Vegas native struck gold on multiple occasions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, rebounded from a career-threatening motorcycle accident and helped move the needle at some of the sport’s highest-profile events. Mir captured the undisputed heavyweight crown when he snapped Tim Sylvia’s forearm just 50 seconds into their UFC 48 co-feature on June 19, 2004, only to be stripped of the title due to crash-related inactivity 419 days later. Despite the fact that he has not competed inside the Octagon in nearly six years, his 16 victories sill rank third on the UFC’s all-time heavyweight list behind Andrei Arlovski (21) and Derrick Lewis (17). Mir signed with Bellator MMA in 2017 and went 1-2 with the promotion before his contract was allowed to expire. Now 42, he remains a free agent.
As the MMA world awaits word on Mir’s next move, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his journey:
Wes Sims
The 6-foot-10 Hammer House product made certain he would be remembered for all the wrong reasons when he was disqualified against Mir at UFC 43 after repeatedly stomping the downed heavyweight. The end came 2:55 into the first round of their June 6, 2003 encounter at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Mir executed an immediate takedown, framed a kimura and eventually progressed from side control to full mount, at which point he cut loose with punches and transitioned from an arm-triangle to a rear-naked choke. Sims somehow withstood the attack, only to wind up mounted a second time. From there, Mir shifted his attention to an armbar—a decision he likely regrets. Sims slammed his way out of the maneuver, grabbed fence with both hands as he stood above the Las Vegas native and delivered a series of illegal stomps to the face. Soon after, Mir was deemed unfit to continue and declared the winner by disqualification. They met for a second time some eight months later at UFC 46, where Mir brought a definitive conclusion to their two-fight series and punched out the Mark Coleman protégé a little more than four minutes into the second round of their rematch.
Brock Lesnar
History did not repeat itself when Mir squared off with the World Wrestling Entertainment superstar in their hotly anticipated rematch atop UFC 100 on July 11, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. A little more than a year after his Octagon debut was spoiled when he submitted to a kneebar from the longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Lesnar exacted some serious revenge and retained the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title by stopping Mir with second-round punches. Referee Herb Dean rescued the former champion 1:48 into Round 2, his face so damaged from the sustained beating that he was barely recognizable. Lesnar outlanded the Las Vegas 53-0 in total strikes in the first round and executed a takedown early in the second. From there, he picked the bones with ground-and-pound until Dean had seen enough. Lesnar’s subsequent post-fight tirade—frothing at the mouth, he fired a shot across the bow of chief UFC sponsor Bud Light before promising to mount his wife in celebration—became the stuff of legend and only served to enhance his notoriety.
Shane Carwin
The monstrous and imposing Coloradan smashed through Mir with punches and captured the interim heavyweight championship in the first round of their UFC 111 co-headliner on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Carwin drew the curtain 3:48 into Round 1. He wiped out Mir in the clinch, where he landed a series of left uppercuts against the cage that crumpled the Las Vegas native in his tracks. The former champion fought valiantly to stay in play, but Carwin was relentless in his pursuits and ultimately far too powerful. He hammered Mir with heavy punches from behind until he lay prone and motionless, forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to intervene to prevent further carnage. Carwin connected with 74 strikes by the time it was over and absorbed only three in return. His efforts resulted in a $65,000 bonus for “Knockout of the Night.”
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Not many fighters can say they have beaten an all-time great twice, much less finished him, but Mir got the best of the Brazilian icon on two different occasions. He first met “Minotauro” in the UFC 92 co-feature on Dec. 27, 2008 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where he stopped the notoriously durable Nogueira with two left hooks in the second round and captured the interim heavyweight championship in what was at the time a career-defining performance. Mir brought it to a close 1:54 into Round 2. Some three years later, they locked horns again at UFC 140, and the results were far more devastating for Nogueira. Mir became the first man to submit the former Pride Fighting Championships titleholder, as he put him away with a gruesome first-round kimura. The hold snapped the bone between Nogueira’s shoulder and elbow, eliciting an immediate tapout. Nogueira had the Las Vegas native badly hurt before the stomach-churning submission. He landed a right hook, backed it up with a left and set Mir on wobbly legs. It then went to the ground, and Nogueira swarmed with punches, closing fast on the finish. Somehow, Mir survived. During a scramble that ensued, Mir caught the arm, locked up the kimura and wrenched. Nogueira tried to roll free, but Mir only cinched the shoulder lock deeper. Ultimately, the arm snapped before Nogueira tapped in visible pain.