When Mir decapitates Nog next week, he will have to be considered a top contender for the belt. After he reminds the hardore fans that the "old" UFC champ shitkicked the "old" Pride champ AGAIN, it should be apparent. Mir has some embarrassing loses on his record that most haters will point to. The worst IMO - Cruz - but that was in 2006 coming off a 2 year layoff. Some like to forget about the accident and bring this loss up to discredit his accomplishments.

For some reason I get excited to watch Mir. I understand that some people hate him because they think he is a douche. Those same people probably think Jones is fake and Sonnen is a "stupid jerk!"

My point is that I think Mir is a talented fighter and one of the best HWs in the world right now. While the division is considered weak, he has had some recent success. Beating Cro Cop, Nelson, and Big Nog will have to put him near the top of the divison and close to a title shot. He will need one big fight after this and if he wins he should not be denied a title shot.

I would recommend him fighting Cain after he smashes Nog back to 2003. If not Cain, he should fight Overreem, that is, if Overreem is still willing to compete in MMA after the nasty things Lesnar does to him. Either way, Mir will be one fight away from the title after his fight with Nog.