Interim Epidemic: A History of Heavyweight Placeholders

Frank Mir did the unthinkable at UFC 92. | Photo: Sherdog.com

UFC 92 “The Ultimate 2008”
Dec. 27 2008 | Las Vegas
Frank Mir def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira -- TKO (Punches) 1:54 R2
HOW WE GOT THERE: The same night Nogueira submitted Sylvia, another momentous heavyweight matchup occurred. Brock Lesnar made his UFC debut, tapping to a first-round kneebar from Mir. MMA purists breathed a short-lived sigh of relief; the future of the division seemed to be comfortably in the hands of technical fighters, not overhyped personalities. This set up two pivotal fights: An unscathed Lesnar would fight later that year in a dominating win over Heath Herring, and Mir would become the second ever interim title contender. Meanwhile, Couture, who was never stripped or defeated, arrived at an agreement with his longtime employers, partially due to the implausibility of a fight with Emelianenko taking place and partially due to the unrelenting march of time that loomed over the aging fighter’s career trajectory.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT: Lesnar defeated the returning Couture for the heavyweight crown, and Nogueira’s history of surviving wars caught up to him. With only four losses to his name -- two of them split decisions -- he had always seen the final bell closer to consciousness than unconsciousness. Mir, on the other hand, had made a noticeable turnaround since his accident. His two-fight winning streak made him look like the Mir of old, with both of the wins coming by way of first-round submission. After a dominant striking clinic in the first round, punctuated by a pair of knockdowns, Mir went on to become the first man to finish Nogeuira, claiming the interim championship in doing so. Only 42 days had come and gone between Lesnar’s victory over Couture and Mir’s interim win.

UNDISPUTED: Mir tasted the sour bite of revenge in his unification bout against Lesnar, as his hopes of being the undisputed champion were dashed in brutal fashion. He was pounded out in the second round at UFC 100.

Finish Reading » He enjoyed a short-lived tenure as the division’s interim titleholder, eventually becoming the final victim of certain World Wrestling Entertainment star’s championship reign. The behemoth fought once more before injuries forced him to call it quits.