Frank Mir warns Mark Hunt: Tap out or lose your career at UFC Fight Night 85

When UFC heavyweight Frank Mir locks in a submission, he rarely lets go unless the fight is over. He hopes UFC Fight Night 85 opponent Mark Hunt remembers that fact.

In terms of grappling credentials, the former UFC champion is an all-timer. He’s the only fighter to break two limbs inside the octagon and has used seven different finishing techniques to score eight career UFC submission victories.

Mir (18-10 MMA, 16-10 UFC) is relentless when it comes time to ending a fight with his jiu-jitsu skills. He holds a notable advantage over Hunt (11-10-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) in that area and warns his opponent that he won’t hold back from earning another crippling finish in the FOX Sports 1-televised main event on March 19 at Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

“I’ve worked a lot of leg attacks,” Mir, who’s ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings (Hunt is No. 11), told MMAjunkie Radio. “I love leg locks and heel hooks and kneebars. They’re complex and hard to avoid. I feel like if we get down to the ground, defending his legs is going to be very difficult, especially because his main concern is getting up – not worrying about his feet.

“I have the hip drive that when I grab something, it’s not going to be uncomfortable. He’s going to have to make the decision of it he wants to continue fighting or go ahead and lose that fight. When I say continue fighting, I mean if he taps, he can continue on (with his career). Kneebars and heel hooks at his age could take him out of competition for an extremely long time.”

The clash in styles between is about as clear cut as it gets. Mir has a handful of knockout wins, but his forte for the entirety of his career has been submissions. Hunt, oppositely, is a former pro kickboxer who transitioned to MMA. “The Super Samoan” carries arguably the most skull-rattling power in a division full of the sport’s hardest hitters. He can also take a shot like few others.

The contrast in strengths would seemingly indicate Mir has no other choice but to get the fight to the ground. He said that’s clearly his path of least resistance, but not absolutely essential. He said he could cause problems for Hunt on the feet, as well.

“Even when we’re striking, I feel very comfortable that I’ll be winning the MMA aspect of the standup fight,” Mir said. “That’s because there’s takedowns involved. Mark can’t just come in and throw a four-piece combination and a low kick. He has to be worried about me grabbing his leg and taking him down and fighting his way back up. It changes the striking aspect. For my striking, I’ve learned to adapt it right off the bat for MMA. Even my jiu-jitsu, I adapt it very much for MMA.”

Confidence has never been an issue for Mir throughout his career. He’s earned two UFC belts, and at UFC Fight Night 85, he makes his 27th UFC appearance, tying fellow former UFC champ Tito Ortiz for the most in company history.

Mir hasn’t won all of those fights, though, and his kryptonite has been hard-hitting knockout artists. Multiple fights have seen Mir’s offensive tactics thwarted and him stopped by strikes. That’s exactly what Hunt’s strategy is going to be, but Mir said he’s ready for it. He said he’s the more dynamic fighter overall, and while Hunt could certainly end the fight in one move, Mir could do the same, but from numerous positions.

“I’ve finished fights from my feet, I’ve finished fights with my ground-and-pound, and I’ve finished fights from my back with a submission, from top with submission,” Mir said. “You name it, and I’ve finished a fight that way. Mark can’t the same thing. If he hasn’t finished the fight by knockout or TKO, how can he finish the fight?”

For more on UFC Fight Night 85, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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