Frank Mir confirms rematch with Brock Lesnar postponed

Several reports have been published recently attributing quotes to UFC President Dana White claiming that a planned UFC 98 main event on May 23 between UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and interim UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was “still on.”

In a report by Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, a quote is attributed to White in which the UFC President denied any knowledge of a Mir injury.

“UFC president Dana White said after the weigh-in for UFC 96 at the Nationwide Arena that he knew nothing of an injury by Mir,” wrote Iole, who later reported in his story that sources close to Mir had confirmed that the interim heavyweight champion underwent knee surgery last week.

The stories were issued in response to FiveOuncesOfPain.com’s exclusive report earlier in the day revealing that Mir had sustained a recent injury and that the planned Lesnar vs. Mir II main event had been scrapped for the card.

Despite White’s refusal to go on the record and officially announce that the bout was off for the originally scheduled date, Five Ounces of Pain stuck by its story, as sources had revealed that Mir’s camp informed the UFC on Thursday that he had been forced to withdraw and that UFC officials informed several fighters on location in Columbus, Ohio for UFC 96 of the new development.

While the UFC is withholding an official announcement, Mir himself has now publicly confirmed that the match will not be happening as scheduled and that it will have to be rescheduled.

During a bodybuilding webcast conducted at a fit expo in the Columbus area held in conjunction with this weekend’s “Arnold Classic,” Mir responded to a question about the date of the fight at the 1:26 mark by saying, “Hopefully (it will take place) the summertime. It was May 23 but I needed to get a scope done to my knee so I got it done immediately last week. It would be rushing it to try and fight that soon because I can’t really train for four to six weeks as far as sparring and wrestling and the real forms of training. Obviously I can hit the treadmill but that’s usually not a good idea to be getting in shape for a fight on a treadmill.”

Sources also informed Five Ounces of Pain that while the UFC has yet to make a public announcement regarding the cancellation of Lesnar vs. Mir II at UFC 98, the company is already exploring options for a replacement main event. One scenario believed to be under consideration is moving Rashad Evans’ first defense of his UFC light heavyweight title that had been planned for UFC 100 on July 12.