Frank Mir broke Antonio Rodrigo's arm. Referee Herb Dean: I was hoping Nogueira would give up. Fight with Fedor

• Hell

  Do you know what real hell is? It is after death to see yourself as you could become...

• Breaking Tim Sylvia's arm

  If the audience wants me to rip a guy's arm off by the roots, I'll rip it off.

• About competition with PRIDE and Fedor Emelianenko

  For a long time we didn’t have the opportunity to compare ourselves with the guys from PRIDE. Then Nogueira and Mirko came to the UFC. I managed both. Fedor? I don't even want to hear about it.

• Before the fight with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

  I could enter the cage completely sick, but I would still be able to work with the techniques I had learned and stay out of trouble because of them. Nogueira lost the first fight because my striking technique was better than his. Perhaps because of this he will lose in the rematch.

• Breaking the arm of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

  When I took Nogueira's hand and started twisting it, it just burst like a bag of potato chips.

• About the fight with Brock Lesnar

  I can't stand him as a person. I want to break his neck in the ring. I want him to be the first person to die in the octagon from his injuries.

• About Brock Lesnar's Jiu-Jitsu Level

  I'm working on the nuances of the details of movements that he doesn't even know what they're called.

• Before Alistair Overeem's victory over Brock Lesnar

  Overeem does not have a black belt in jiu-jitsu and has not wrestled at the All-American level. Are you saying he's going to fight the national champion for five minutes? He'll definitely get hooked. I've seen guys with muscles like that, it's because of them that he'll fizzle out.

• About his percussion technique

  I'm much bigger than Junior dos Santos and I have a harder punch. One of my punches sent Cheick Kongo flying across the octagon.

On April 29, Fedor Emelianenko fights with ex-UFC champion Frank Mir in Rosemont (Illinois, USA). About why Frank is dangerous, why he often visits Russia and what his tattoos mean - in the material from Match TV.

Frank Mir was born and raised in Las Vegas, and his father was his first coach. Mir Sr. served in the police and was the owner of several martial arts schools. In 1993, 14-year-old Frank and his father watched the very first UFC tournament. They were both amazed by Hoyce Gracie, a master of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, who defeated three opponents in the evening using submissions and chokes. As a schoolboy Frank played American football, threw discus, earned a black belt in karate, but it was Brazilian jiu-jitsu that became the sport that determined his destiny.

Broken Bones

Mir made his UFC debut in 2001. Frank was then 22 years old, and in his first fight he broke the arm of two-time world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Roberto Traven. The fight lasted 65 seconds, and Roberto simply did not have time to surrender in time.

The fight set a trend further career Frank - quick victories and broken bones. Mir combines speed on the ground with an iron grip and a varied arsenal. If, say, Ronda Rousey caught her opponents with the same technique over and over again, then Frank was more sophisticated and unpredictable. Mir broke Pete Williams's shoulder, injured Tank Abbott's ankle, choked knocker Chick Kongo until he lost consciousness, and forced the incredibly powerful Brock Lesnar to surrender by breaking his leg. Finally, with a kimura technique, Mir broke the arm of ex-Pride champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, before the fight with whom he was pretty nervous. Frank admitted that Nogueira was the only opponent whose grappling skills were better than his. Mir himself has said more than once that he never tried to intentionally injure his opponent. For example, he signaled to the referee when he felt Kongo passing out due to lack of oxygen.

Frank committed his most famous act of self-harm in 2004 - it took Mir only 50 seconds to break the arm of UFC heavyweight champion, two-meter giant Tim Sylvia, Mir: “I broke his forearm, but he still tried to lift me with that hand and wanted keep fighting." The victory brought Frank not only the title UFC champion, but also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

At the same time, Mir always tried to be a versatile fighter and it was not for nothing that he sparred with world boxing champions - the winner of Denis Lebedev, Marco Hook, and the failed opponent of Alexander Povetkin, Bermane Stiverne. Left-handed Mir has learned to hit the side with his strongest hand and won his last two victories (over Antonio Silva and Todd Duffy) by knockouts.

Ups and downs

Frank's career is clearly divided into two stages. The first ended in 2004 after defeating Sylvia. At that time, Mir was a champion with excellent track record(eight wins and one loss) and was preparing for his first title defense. The plans were disrupted by a serious accident: Mir was riding a motorcycle and was hit by a car. The femur of the leg was broken in two places and the knee ligaments were torn.

Few believed that Mir would continue his career, but he returned to the cage after a twenty-month absence. Frank weakly lost the first fight after the injury, controversially won the second, lost again, and when no one believed in him, the brilliant ones defeated the next three opponents. After 2006, Mir no longer won more than three fights in a row, but during this period he won his greatest victories and suffered his most crushing defeats.

With a knee strike, Mir knocked out the Pride thunderstorm, experienced kickboxer Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, and defeated professional wrestling star Brock Lesnar. Became the first man to knock Nogueira out and the first man to pin him down. At the same time, Frank lost his rematch with Brock. Broadcast of the fight that took place at the anniversary UFC tournament 100, was bought by a then-record 1.6 million people.

The last time Mir entered the cage was in March 2016 in Australia and was knocked out by Mark Hunt in the first round. After the fight, Frank's doping test showed a positive result for the steroid Turinabol. The drug improves strength performance and was used by the East German national team at Olympic Games since the early 60s.

Frank blamed kangaroo meat eaten in Australia. The “B” test confirmed a positive result, and Mir was suspended until April 2018. Frank managed to negotiate with the UFC to terminate his contract, but in order to avoid conflicts with the sports commissions, he decided not to fight until the end of his suspension.

Behind the cage

Frank does not hesitate to use trash talk to promote fights (for example, he once promised that Brock Lesnar, after a fight with him, would become the first person to die from injuries caused in the Octagon), but outside the cage Mir leads the life of an exemplary family man. Together with his wife Jennifer, they are raising four children (three together and Jennifer’s child adopted by Frank from a previous relationship). One of the daughters followed in her father’s footsteps and takes prizes in grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments.

The world admitted that it was his wife who inspired him to continue his career even in the most difficult moments. A sign of gratitude to my wife is a portrait of Jennifer on the left shoulder. “Even if we ever break up, she is the mother of my children,” Frank says. The world generally prefers tattoos with meaning - his entire back is occupied by a large composition in Japanese style, which centers on a samurai and a rhinoceros: “I like this animal, many people consider it ferocious and terrifying, but people often forget that rhinoceroses are vegetarians and never attack first.”

In his younger years, Mir combined performing with work as a bouncer at a strip club. The most important subtlety of this work, according to Frank, is to show only the necessary rigidity and never go too far. In the United States, where guns are freely available, bouncers are often shot at by offended clients. Frank later promoted to head of casino security. Considering that Mir lives in Las Vegas, we are talking about work that requires quick thinking, the ability to understand people and self-organization in stressful situations.

Over time, Mir began to commentate on fights - he has a pleasant voice, a good sense of humor, he not only sees the nuances of fights well, but is able to tell the audience about it. The ex-champion received praise from the most famous UFC commentator Joe Rogan and improved his skills over several years. Frank has commentated on several nights for the Russian promotion Fight Nights, but is now under an exclusive contract with another Russian promotion, ACB.

According to Frank, he is close to the promotion slogan “Less Show, More Fighting!” Together with his ACB colleagues, the American visited not only the traditional Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also Grozny, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don. In general, Mir has been coming to Russia regularly since 2013. As an honorary guest, the fighter attended the tournament of the “Legend” organization in Moscow and the “Terrible Battle” in Chechnya. Together with Chris Wideman and Fabricio Werdum, Frank danced the lezginka in front of Ramzan Kadyrov. With Werdum he posed in hats with the head of Chechnya.

Now Mir’s relationship with ACB is not limited to commentary work; in February 2018, it was announced that Frank had become a co-promoter of the company’s events held in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The world uses its connections, negotiates with sites and resolves organizational issues. Frank is well prepared for life after the end of his performances, but still has not lost his passion for grueling training camps and fighting in the cage.

Fight with Fedor

10 years ago, the fight between Emelianenko and Mir would have had every chance of becoming the greatest confrontation in the heavyweight division under MMA rules. Once they were the best in their field, now Fedor and Frank are honored, but worn out veterans in difficult battles.

The fight between Emelianenko and Mir now is as if Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather met in 2018, and Floyd would have lost to Andre Berto and Conor McGregor by this time.

It's difficult to determine a favorite. What is 38-year-old Mir capable of after almost two years of inactivity? How much is left of the old Fedor? Emelianenko is still fast, but with each fight he loses his sense of danger and becomes vulnerable to blows that he would never have missed before.

Most likely, Fedor will be faster and sharper than Mir in the standing position, but Emelianenko still needs to be wary of his opponent’s left hand. Frank has a good sense of timing and is noticeably more powerful than the Russian. In terms of ground fighting, Mir is the favorite; in recent fights he fought much more willingly than Fedor, and he acts much more varied than Fabricio Werdum, the only opponent who forced Emelianenko to surrender.

What makes the fight interesting is not only big names and past achievements, but also the risk-taking nature of both fighters. Fedor and Frank can hardly be called world-class athletes at the peak of their form, but each has clearly not forgotten how to finish fights ahead of schedule. In this situation, the reduced health of both only increases the chances that the battle will not go the full distance.

And here, from a reputation point of view, Emelianenko is in greater danger. Frank's defeat will not surprise anyone, but Fedor's broken bone could become a sensation and stir up even those Russians who rarely watch fights.

More about Fedor:

Text: Alexey Alekhin

Photo: Matt Roberts / Stringer / Getty Images Sport / Gettyimages.ru

Recalls the most striking victories of the World on the eve of the fight.

Mir is a great fighter and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Over a long career in mixed martial arts he won 18 fights, 9 of which by submission. Frank never stood on ceremony with his opponents: in his debut match in professional career he broke Roberto Traven's arm.

Frank Mir vs Pete Williams. March 22, 2002

At UFC 36, Mir fought his second fight under the promotion's auspices. His opponent was 26-year-old Pete Williams - a strong fighter, once a contender for championship title, in whose career a dark streak has come. By the time of the fight with Mir, Pete had lost twice in a row and dreamed of rehabilitating himself.

Rehabilitation failed. From the first seconds of the fight, Frank seized the initiative. He carried out a couple of successful combinations and then took his opponent to the ground, immediately closing the guard. Seconds later, Williams, with a grimace of anguish on his face, tapped the World in surrender: Frank performed a rare armbar move called a shoulder lock. Subsequently, this painful lock became known as the “Peace Lock.” And Pete Williams, who eventually suffered a fracture, never entered the octagon again and ended his career.

Frank Mir vs. Tank Abbott. February 23, 2003

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Tank Abbott returned to the Octagon after a long layoff. He decided to try his hand at pro-wrestling and for several years replaced real fights with staged ones. His opponent at UFC 41 was young prospect Frank Mir.

Abbott started the fight in his signature style: he rushed at his opponent, waving his huge arms. A single hit could end the battle early. Mir survived the initial onslaught of the 37-year-old Tank, quickly took him to the ground and began to actively work from below, alternating between changing positions and attempts to apply a painful armlock, which completely confused his opponent. Unable to grab the arm, Mir grabbed Abbott's painful foot, forcing him to submit. This was the first and only time in UFC history, when a fighter has won with this technique.

Viacheslav V. / YouTube

Frank Mir vs Tim Sylvia. June 19, 2004

On June 19, 2004, Frank Mir received the long-awaited title fight: he had to fight for the championship belt with compatriot Tim Sylvia, nicknamed Maniac. He received the nickname for a reason - by the time of the fight with Mir, Sylvia had won all 16 fights in his professional career, managed to win the UFC heavyweight champion title and once defend it.

The fight began with a couple of successful attacks from the champion - first Tim reached Frank with his hand, then dealt him a noticeable knee blow to the body in the clinch. The world snapped its feet well. Instead of continuing the pressure in the standing position, Sylvia for some reason decided to take the fight to the ground - he grabbed his opponent’s leg during one of the blows and performed a takedown. The world seemed to be waiting for just this.

On the ground, Frank began to actively work from below, and after a few seconds he was already performing the signature “elbow lever”. The huge Sylvia struggled to stand up with the World hanging on his arm. At some point, Tim's bone broke - this is clearly visible on the replay. Referee Herb Dean stopped the fight in horror, which caused a storm of indignation among Sylvia: the champion claimed that he was ready to continue the fight.

Sylvia offered Mir revenge - right here and now. But after the fight he had to cool down: his bone was broken in four places at once.

Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar. February 2, 2008

WWE and UFC fans were eagerly awaiting the fight between living wrestling legend Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, a top-notch mixed martial artist. In September 2004, Mir was in a serious accident and suffered a leg injury. It took almost a year and a half to recover. After his return, Frank was not like himself: by the time of the meeting with Lesnar, he had won two victories and suffered two defeats (twice as many as in the nine fights fought before the accident).

Before the signal to start the fight had sounded, Lesnar had already taken Mir to the ground and began to attack him with powerful blows with his fists and elbows. Frank was helped by chance: one of Brock’s blows hit him in the back of the head, and the referee suspended the fight, deducting a point from Lesnar.

The opponents returned to the stand, but not for long - with one blow Lesnar shook Mir, and he again found himself on the canvas. Brock rushed to finish off his opponent, but did not lose his head - in one episode of the fight, Frank was close to catching Lesnar with an elbow lever.

At some point, the giant hung over Mir, but he managed to catch him by the leg and apply a painful lock to his knee. A frustrated Lesnar had no choice but to give up.

Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. December 10, 2011

“The second fight is against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira,” Frank Mir answered when asked which fight was the most difficult of his career. The American admitted that this was the only time an opponent surpassed him in jiu-jitsu.

They had already met two years earlier - then Mir left the Brazilian no chance, ending the fight with a technical knockout. The Minotaur (Nogueira's nickname) thirsted for revenge. He started the fight actively and quickly pinned Frank to the net. The fuss, first in the clinch, and then on the ground, led to nothing. In the middle of the round the couple finally returned to the stand, Mir missed a strong beat and “floated”, Nogueira rushed to finish him off. Under the hail of Hammerfists from his opponent, the American remained conscious, although he moved into a horizontal position.

Nogueira would not be himself if he did not try to take advantage and force his opponent to submit. He tried to put a guillotine through Mir's arm, but Frank survived that too. Next was a magnificent kimura - the Minotaur was defeated and his arm was broken. Nogueira lost by submission or choke for the first time in his career.

“The submission of the century,” is how UFC President Dana White described the end of the fight.

First off, Frank, how does it feel to beat a fighter who is considered the No. 2 heavyweight in the world? Last time you defeated Nogueira by knockout, and now with a very impressive submission. Your victory is unlikely to ever be forgotten.
- I am very pleased, I think you understand that it is a great achievement to be the first to knock out Nogueira. Anthony is a very serious opponent, he percussion technique considered one of the best, and he himself is at least an excellent boxer. As for our second fight, I seriously thought about how to conduct it correctly, how to show myself with the best side. I was very serious, I entered the ring, worked hard and won by submission, I showed what I was worth.

I had to get out of the guillotine many times, and you know, even considering the fact that I was not in the best condition after all the blows I missed, Nogueira was not fast enough, he was slow.

Before this fight... or let's say, with this fight in mind, considering it, do you consider the first victory over Nogueira to be your greatest achievement?
- It seems to me, yes, at least at that time for sure.

- And the second victory? Considering how the battle went and in what manner you won.
- You know, yes, this is a very worthy victory. In this fight, I really had a really hard time in a couple of moments, but I still managed to win. I managed to change position and perform a painful hold. You see, it’s one thing to defeat opponents who prefer striking techniques or stand-up wrestling by submission, but I managed to apply a submission on a fighter who is known for his victories with submissions. This is a completely different level.

Surprisingly, it turns out that he can knock you out, defeat you by submission, but if you manage to knock him down, then victory is almost in your hands, but no... Frank, tell us what happened at that moment when Nogueira, so to speak, reminded you about your presence and you found yourself on the floor.
“He really managed to take me by surprise; I wasn’t focused enough.” I don’t know how to explain it, I probably lost my vigilance, Nogueira turned out to be faster than me. When Antonio pinned me against the cage and I missed a few punches, I thought: “Okay, let him get tired, let him waste his energy.” In a way I was stalling, but it was stupid, I need to change something in my training to avoid this in the future. I really slowed down at this point. Well, when Nogueira grabbed me... it was the best thing he could do for me. I tried to assess the situation, he hit me, I sent a blow back and then I felt that my legs were shaking slightly. When he moved away and tried to strike a few more times, I immediately tried to reduce the distance to a minimum. This is a standard maneuver in such a situation, remember boxers, they always go into the clinch so as not to miss more blows.

In our case, you can try to grab your hands or make a pass to your legs, this is certainly better than striking back. When I was on the floor, I put my hand on the ring to somehow move and control the position of my body. I took a few hits to the head and then Nogueira tried to guillotine, but he couldn't get his leg over his head fast enough, which allowed me to change position. I had to get out of the guillotine many times, and you know, even considering the fact that I was not in the best condition after all the blows I missed, Nogueira was not fast enough, he was slow. After he grabbed my hand, I started, so to speak, playing with my “legs.” Rodrigue did not have time to roll over in time, and I managed not only to free my hand, but also to change my position. I ended up on top and tried to do a kimura, the first time Nogueira managed to roll, but I didn’t care anymore. I made sure his hand did not encounter any obstacle and played by his rules, allowing him to roll over. Many people think that this is a pretty bad position for Kimura, however, when your opponent's hand is trapped and completely controlled by you, then he has no chance. I turned him over again and managed to throw my legs over Nogueira’s head, I found myself in an advantageous position, but then it was a matter of technique and strength.

When the fight ends with a kimura, it really looks very impressive, especially when you manage to pull off this technique on such a serious opponent. Frank, you damaged the Minotaur's arm quite badly. How did you feel at that moment when you realized that you had broken it?
- To be honest, I didn’t feel like I was breaking his arm, I thought it was the joints or something else. They always say that brute force is not enough to apply a painful one, you need to find the right leverage, a good fulcrum, apply correct technique, you are completely immersed in this process. When I started to hear something like a crunch, my brain gave me the message: “It’s not the elbow,” but when I saw Big Nog lying in the ring for so long, I only then realized that it wasn’t the joint or the something else, I broke his bone, but still my brain could not understand how it happened.

Your crushing submission victories are truly very memorable. Don’t think that they are trying to make you out to be some kind of sadist, but still, how do you feel about the fact that after 10-20, or even 50 years, people will say: “Frank World! Yes, this is the guy who broke a lot of guys, he applied the locks so hard that it hurt his opponents so much.”
- For me this is a very pleasant compliment. I think everyone is remembered by some similar features. You see, this is a sport, this is fighting, no one is deliberately trying to apply cruel pain, it sounds very threatening. You see, being knocked out is a completely different matter. Believe me, the guys who were knocked out today are now having a blast at the party, but in the case of a painful one, everything is completely different. The guys go to the hospital, are examined, they are put in a cast... this is all much more serious. If they ask me what I would prefer, a submission or a knockout, I will say: “Knock me out!”

You see, being knocked out is a completely different matter. Believe me, the guys who were knocked out today are now having a blast at the party, but in the case of a painful one, everything is completely different. The guys go to the hospital, are examined, they are put in a cast... this is all much more serious. If they ask me what I would prefer, a submission or a knockout, I will say: “Knock me out!”

Frank, what do you think is your current status in the UFC? You yourself say that you didn’t quite believe in your last victory.
- Rating is such a fickle thing, a couple of bad fights will immediately throw you to the bottom, and a couple of beautiful victories will immediately take you to the top. Honestly, I think my last few fights weren't very interesting, I didn't take much risks, there weren't any shocking or interesting moments. But my last fight was really exciting. When I entered the ring I looked very confident and then I didn't show my best side, you know what I mean. But the fact that I still managed to recover from all the missed blows and finish the fight so impressively, despite the fact that I was almost knocked out, added tension and some zest to this fight. If Lesnar and Overem don’t have an interesting fight and all three rounds go quietly and calmly, then I have a chance to be in the same position with them in the ranking.

Tell me, is it all about your persistence and perseverance? What allowed you to return to the octagon after injury, after being knocked out many times? What do you remember most about the second fight with Nogueira?
“What I’m most happy about is that I finally stopped hearing that voice that was in my head in several previous fights. I think everyone has heard that voice that says, “Dude, this sucks! It will hurt! Give up! Now I finally don't hear that voice, it's disappeared, I don't know why, but it is. Now when things go wrong for me, I just shrug my shoulders. I realized that time is passing and there is no way I can stop it, I must move on and fight to the last. The fight is not over until the referee starts breaking us up, and even if I lose 40 minutes of the fight, I always have a chance to show something worthwhile at the very end and come out victorious. Previously, when my opponents knocked me down or I missed a lot of punches, for some reason I began to give up, but not in this fight. Despite all the blows I missed, even when I almost got knocked out, my mind remained clear, I continued to act, to fight - I did not want to retreat.

After UFC 140 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira(33-7-1(1)) went to the hospital with a broken arm. After receiving the help he needed, he made several entries on his blog at NogeiraBrothers.com, explaining his views on the reasons for his defeat in the fight with Frank Mir (16-5).

At the UFC 140 tournament, already at the beginning of the fight, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira managed to shake his opponent with a series of accurate blows and was close to ending the fight with a victory by technical knockout, as happened in the fight with Brendan Schaub. However, despite his success in the standing position, Nogueira tried to apply a choke, allowing Mir to recover and taking a dominant position on the ground to carry out painful hold(kimura), as a result of which the Brazilian's arm was broken.

Many observers suggested that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira's change of tactics in the fight was prompted by his personal preferences. However, the Brazilian veteran himself refutes this opinion, saying that the reason was the referee’s demand Herba Dean, who ordered to stop hitting the back of the head Frank Mira.

In his blog on NogeiraBrothers.com he writes:

"It was the first time I lost by submission. This bad news, but that's part of the sport. All actions inside the cage happen very quickly and the fighter relies mainly on his instincts, and not on reasoning..."

"I know I made the mistake of trying to finish the fight with a choke when I was close to winning by knockout. But I heard the referee demand to stop hitting the back of the head and therefore decided to switch to choking"

"Frank managed to recover and won a beautiful victory. But I watched the replay and noticed that I didn't hit him in the back of the head, it was the side of his head where punches are allowed. But I'm not making excuses. I lost. I will heal my broken arm and compete again, probably at the second UFC in Rio de Janeiro in 2012"

Despite the disappointment of losing for the first time in his career by submission, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira is confident that this will be a lesson for him:

"I think I learned a lot from this defeat. I am sincerely grateful to everyone for their support, especially to Dana White, who sent a personal message, writing: “We are not going to save money, the best specialists will take care of your health and take care of your well-being".

"I'm sure I have many more years of performing ahead of me. I fight because I enjoy it and because this is one of the best times of my career."

On Saturday morning, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was at the Stedman Clinic, Vail, USA. There he received additional assistance and sixteen support pins were installed in his arm. In addition, he required treatment radial nerve. According to minimal estimates, Nogueira's return to the Octagon will require at least six months.