What’s Next for the Main Event Winner at UFC 119?

Added on Sep 18, 2010 by Bill Jackson in

UFC & MMA

On September 25, former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir and MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop will battle it out for heavyweight relevancy in the main event of UFC 119. Both fighters take with them a long list of accomplishments within the sport, but most would speculate that their best days are behind them.

Mir is 1-2 in his last three, most recently suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Shane Carwin. Mirko is on a two-fight win streak for the first time in his UFC career, but it has been a long while since he looked like the juggernaut we came to know back in Pride Fighting Championships. Mirko’s only other main event appearance in the UFC was a disastrous one, being brutally knocked out in the first round by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70.

As Mir continues to entertain the possibility of attaining UFC gold once again, Cro Cop seems more content to just make a few more big fights with other veterans of the sport. So, while one looks to solidify the past and the other hopes to improve his future, what is next for the winner?

For Mir, his next fight can depend on the outcome of the main event at UFC 121 in October between champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez. If Brock were to lose his title, the UFC would look to keep their cash cow in a marketable fight. A rubber match with the mouthy Mir would work as an attractive main event, even if Lesnar was coming off a loss. Mir has repeatedly voiced his desire to meet Lesnar again in the cage and I’m sure Lesnar would have no issues with attempting to further shut Mir’s mouth.

If Brock is able to retain his title against Velasquez, there are very few logical next steps for Mir that would close the distance between himself and a title shot.

A bout with TUF winner Roy Nelson would undoubtedly be a very intriguing match, but Nelson is coming off a shutout decision loss to Junior Dos Santos and a win over him would not offer Mir much in terms of title implications. Still, if Nelson could get a win in the meantime, this would be a perfect match. Dos Santos is getting a title shot for besting Nelson, so Mir could make the argument that he should too.

A rematch with Shane Carwin probably wouldn’t look too attractive to anyone. The first fight was a blowout and the UFC would have a hard time garnering interest from the fans in a rematch. There is always the option that if Cain Velasquez fails against Lesnar, he could be a decent match for Mir. If Mir could look equally as good as Lesnar did against Cain, then the UFC would have something to build on for a Mir title shot. Or if Brendan Schaub gets past Gabriel Gonzaga impressively at UFC 121, they could also put him against Mir.

Realistically, Mir is always going to have a tough time with the top heavyweights in the UFC. Mir is from an era of MMA that is coming to an end. He made his bones by beating Tank Abbot and Tim Sylvia and although he has looked tremendous over a faded Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Cheick Kongo, Mir is one of the old men of the division.

I can’t help but think how much better Mir would fit in Strikeforce’s heavyweight division rather than the UFC’s. I’m not saying one division is better than the other, but in Strikeforce the big men seem to rely on technique and experience more while the UFC heavyweights are more based on a physical advantage. However, that is an article for another time. Mir is a Zuffa guy and will be for the foreseeable future.

For Cro Cop, the options are numerous. He has stated that if he continues his career, it will just be to fight other legends of the sport. Granted, that was before he accepted this fight with Mir on short notice, but his feelings will likely stay the same. There was some talk of him meeting former UFC champ Randy Couture before the Mir fight was announced. If Cro Cop can get a win here, it would only make the Couture clash that much bigger.

There is also the option of a rematch with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The two first met in 2003 when Cro Cop was pounding Nogueira all over the ring for ten minutes before falling victim to the notorious armbar of Nogueira. That would be a terrific matchup, especially for the old-school fans. Mirko also stated that he would be very interested in avenging his loss to Gabriel Gonzaga, but unless Gonzaga can put some solid performances together, the UFC would have a hard time selling that fight.

On the other hand, if Cro Cop were to beat Mir in a fashionable style, maybe he would feel reinvigorated for another run at the UFC title. Possibly he would want to test how far back up the ladder he could take himself before his career sputters to an end.

The real question here is: where does the winner want to go?

Pushing yourself towards the top of the division can be a dangerous task and after you fail in your attempt at greatness, a pink slip is never far behind. However, if you’re content to make attractive matches with other fan favorites and legends from the previous era, your worth could have a longer shelf life.

Does Mir really want to possibly face another crushing knockout from the elite big men in the UFC? Will Mirko be content to stay away from the top of the mountain and face other twilighters for a paycheck and no chance at a trophy?

I think the character of both men answers those questions already, but, as Mike Tyson originally said and Mirko has continually repeated, “everyone has a plan ’til they get punched in the mouth.” And in any single fight, giving or receiving a punch to the mouth can make you change your goals in a heartbeat.