Frank Mir actually feels refreshed and recharged following a few extra months off.
After losing to Andrei Arlovski this past September, the former UFC heavyweight champion returns to the Octagon Saturday night vs. Mark Hunt in the main event of UFC Fight Night 85.
Mir (18-10) has won just two of his last seven fights overall, but those defeats came vs. current champion Daniel Cormier and top contenders Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos.
“I was supposed to fight in December, but it fell through,” said Mir, during an appearance on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight. “I’m 36 years old. Training is tough and draining and I need the time off to recharge the batteries.”
A renowned submission specialist with nine career victories via tap, Mir showed off his stand-up skills in recent wins vs. Todd Duffee and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. His opponent, Hunt, has eight career knockouts to his credit.
“His strong suit is striking. He’s not a threat to finish the fight on ground,” Mir said. “I’m a threat at both. I have to be aggressive and play to get fight to ground. If I can make takedowns a threat, then that drops his standup down a level because he’ll have to defend more, and it increases my ability to do standup. If he commits to a standup fight, it’s easier to get him down.”
With the time difference taking a toll on some, Mir made sure to get to Australia well in advance of his weekend. In his 28-fight career, he’s only competed outside the U.S. twice, going to Brazil and Canada.
“That’s why I left Vegas last Thursday,” he stated. “It gives me lots of time to get adjusted. The plane trip was 14 hours. I needed time to get the kinks out of me and my body. I’m ready now.”
