Frank Mir Will Face Shane Carwin at UFC 111-Interim Title a Possibility
According to MMA Fanhouse, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will likely take on #1 contender Shane Carwin for the UFC interim heavyweight championship. The bout is expected to take place at UFC 111, scheduled for March 27th in Newark, New Jersey.
Current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar recently underwent surgery for an intestinal problem. It is still unclear at this time when or even if he will return to action. UFC president Dana White had said that he would explore the possibility of an interim title fight during Lesnar’s absence. My guess would be that the fight would be made an interim title fight only if Lesnar’s condition when he gets checked out next month shows it will still be an extended absence for the champion. If Lesnar is expected back by mid-Spring or so, look for the Carwin/Mir fight to become a #1 contender fight instead of for the interim title.
Mir is coming off a convincing, first-round submission victory over Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 last Saturday. After the contest, Carwin said that he’d like to take on the former champ:
The main question I am getting is would I fight Frank? The answer is easy YES. I am not a fighter who decides who he fights, I fight who I am told to fight. I like it that way, I am not trying to build a legacy I am trying to fight the best fighters in the World and determine where I fit in. Mir is a multiple time Champion, who has been counted out more than Mike Tyson to only find himself right back at the top. He is a LEGEND of the sport and I would be honored to fight him.
Mir echoed the notion:
Carwin is a phenomenal match-up, and I think if I can’t fight Brock again to show that I’ve made improvements against that style, I think Shane Carwin is a more than an ample substitution. If anything, I think he’s a better version.
Carwin hasn’t fought since March, when he beat Gabriel Gonzaga in the first round. UFC 111 is expected to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between Georges St. Pierre and Dan Hardy. The fight between Carwin and Mir would likely serve as the co-main event of the evening.
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