Sherdog has up some comments from Frank Mir on Brock Lesnar. Most revealing are his thoughts on what it was like to be in the cage (and underneath) Brock:
“He was more like getting hit by a car that’s moving very slowly and you can’t get out of the way,” says Mir. “It bumps and knocks you over and is just overwhelmingly powerful.”
Clinging to the underside of Lesnar’s hulking, 6-foot-3, 280-pound frame, Mir hadn’t realized he had gone for two armbars in the scuffle before transitioning to the fight-ending kneebar until he watched the tape later.
“I didn’t know where he was half the time,” he says. “It really felt like I was underwater and somebody was beating the s—-t out of me. I was just drowning under him.”
That fight was a battle of fight instincts where Mir was able to just use techniques pounded into him over years to eventually catch Lesnar in a mistake. But for a guy like Mir to say that he felt so helpless for most of the fight is very revealing. Size isn't the only factor in a fight but at 6'3" and over 240 lbs Mir is a large heavyweight and was left feeling like he was drowning. Randy Couture is not a large heavyweight and while his moxy and solid strategy usually allows him to overcome the size issue he has had problems with large heavyweights with strong top games in the past.
Also Mir explains why he isn't upset over Lesnar getting such a high profile title fight:
“I can get why Brock Lesnar’s getting the fight,” he says. “It’s not like I think it absurd. If Brock Lesnar was fighting some bum off the street, it would be a main event card. That’s Brock Lesnar. If ‘Kimbo Slice’ came into the UFC tomorrow, he’s probably going to be above me. That’s just the way it is. It’s name recognition.”
In Lesnar, who’s demonstrated a strong work ethic since joining the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy for his training, Mir sees a respected peer, albeit one who needs more time to develop his skills in the cage.
“A guy like Brock Lesnar doesn’t upset me at all, says Mir. ”I think he has the potential to be a very legitimate martial artist. … So when I stretched out his leg and felt him tapping, I didn’t even try to extend it even further. But somebody like a ‘Kimbo’ or somebody like that who I don’t think respects the sport, like a ‘Krazy Horse,’ I don’t think they have a place in it. The referee couldn’t get to me fast enough.”
UPDATE: Just a quick tip of the cap to Mythbuster who posted a fanpost on this that I somehow completely missed. Read it here.
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