As we begin to approach February, the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir matchup is beginning to see more sunshine in the media. Dave Meltzer wrote an article today profiling the stylistic matchup, the fanbase split between WWE fans and UFC patrons, and the reasoning behind Lesnar's paycheck. All interesting details and opinions revolving around a matchup that pits a fake wrestler with actual wrestling credentials against a broken down submission artist who may have one of the most dynamic and vast ground skillsets in the UFC. Why should you be interested?
A Tough Sell
This matchup is a tough sell for a number of reasons. Although it should sell great to the fans as it will work the angle of WWE fans wanting to see the fake entertainment wrestling icon take on real fighters, it looks like a David vs. Goliath matchup in many regards.
Lesnar has what is said to be unbelievable power. He has been lifting grown men for years above his head and dishing out what looks like immense punishment for the cameras for quite some time. Dealing with his physique alone in the cage will be a task in itself. Can Frank Mir really withstand an onslaught from Brock Lesnar and show that jiu-jitsu prevails over brute power? Is this a Royce Gracie seminar in the making?
It's very tough to tell, and the fanbase is even more split than originally thought. Many fans claim it's a cakewalk for Lesnar. Brute power with huge size on top of Mir will just crush him. Others claim that Mir just needs that one opening and one transition to end it. The fans are correct in both arguments, but which will happen first?
The X-Factor for Mir: Confidence
There is one aspect of Frank Mir that hasn't been mentioned in quite some time, and it regards his sudden turn around. Interviews that were done after his last fight indicated his new found confidence in his leg, horribly broken in a motorcycle accident back in September 2004. He also suffered massive tendon and muscle damage from the accident.
One of the comments Mir stated was that in his fight against Hardonk, it was the first time he had felt that his leg wasn't going to break at the instant a kick hit it. He wasn't scared to take a shot to his leg. According to Mir when questioned about previous fights, he mentioned that he was very unconfident in the ability of his leg to withstand a shot or submission hold.
I found these comments to be intriguing because if you watch some of the tape on those fights, it's evident that in some instances, Mir is protecting the leg and is flat footed because of it.
People make excuses, but the bigger story here is that Mir simply wasn't confident in his abilities to win. He had lackluster performances, and he took a few defeats in the process. Can Frank Mir prove to us in February that his confidence is back, and that his skills in the Octagon can defeat the Goliath? A confident Frank Mir with the amount of jiu-jitsu skill that he possesses could prove to knock off the giant.