Imagine going 6-foot-3, 245-lbs. and feeling like a child as you're being punched in the face by Brock Lesnar. That's what happened to Frank Mir during his loss at UFC 100 against the heavyweight champ. In the weeks after, Mir was in freak out mode. He was buying into the excuse that Lesnar was too big to compete with at only 245.
Mir employed the services of former World's Strongman Contestant Mark Philippi and began to pack on the pounds. He said his goal was to add enough weight to walk around at 285 and then cut down to the 265 limit just like Lesnar does.
It worked to a certain degree. In less than five months, Mir added about 20 pounds and was around at 272 before his fight against Cheick Kongo at UFC 107. But when he got home he wasn't adding anymore weight. He had to admit that genetically there was only so much productive size he could add.
"I was obsessed with it at first but being around people who are very intelligent when it comes to strength training like Mark Philippi, I realize strength doesn't always necessarily mean size," said Mir.
Mir then realized something many fans still haven't processed about the gigantic Lesnar.
"I think mentally i had to come to grips with the fact that it wasn't all strength that Lesnar beat me at on the ground," said Mir. "I think that was an early excuse and a mental weakness on my part. There were some technical aspects that I had issues with. It was kind of a cop out on my part to say it was just because he was stronger."
Mir mentioned mistakes that he made with his half guard, hips and spacing.
"I didn't make certain adjustments because of my own ego on the gorund," said Mir, who's now working more with Mike Whitehead, an MMA fighter and former college wrestler. "Instead of me trying to move somebody else [now I'm] moving my own self out from underneath him. Certain principles, that are real basic fundamentals, through my own success that I strayed away from."
Before his press conference last week, Mir said he weighed in at 264. And he's fine with that. He doesn't want to deal with weight cutting. Most importantly, through his training with Philippi, he feels stronger and faster than ever. It showed during the win over Kongo when he knocked down the dangerous striker with one punch and then mauled him on the ground. Shane Carwin next week at UFC 111 is a good trial run for another Lesnar fight. Carwin, a former NFL offensive line prospect, is mammoth as well at 262. Mir gets to show off his new physique and more importantly, revamped mental approach.
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