Frank Mir MMAMemories.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on February 26th, 2009

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Status: Two-time UFC Heavyweight champion.

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 240

Born On: May 24, 1979 In: Las Vegas, Nevada

Childhood Heroes: “The typical, Bruce Lee. I liked Muhammad Ali. Jack Dempsey. Dan Gable. I’ve always been interested in really technical athletes.”

Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Well, of course, time with family. And martial arts is a big part of my hobbies, my time. Everything about me is martial arts. I find so much in life involved in martial arts. I like to read Eastern philosophy. I like to read fantasy books by Robert Jordan. I’m pretty one-dimensional, everything I do relates to martial arts…cross training, weapons training, survival things like camping, even urban warfare. Also like boxing, baseball and basketball.”

Favorite Movies: “The Gladiator. Batman Begins. American History X. Semi-Pro. Boogie Nights. Four Brothers. Fight Club. Last of the Mohicans. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

Favorite TV Shows: “Scrubs. UFC. The Ultimate Fighter. 30 Rock. Curb Your Enthusiasm. Miami Ink. Inked. West Wing.”

Musical Tastes: “Huge spectrum, I like everything from Eminem, 50 Cent, Josh Groban, T.I., Rolling Stones, to even music like Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson [smiles].”

Favorite Books: “DaVinci Code, The Heartbreak Kid, Dr. Octagon.”

First Job: “I was20an usher at the Act III Movie theatre at the Texas Station casino (age 15).”
First Car: “A beat up old 1980 yellow Ford Mustang. WIth no exhaust [smiles].”

Childhood Dream: “Greatest martial artist of all-time. (What inspired you?) Just the culture in general. Both my parents are martial artists, my father still teaches. I grew up one and I just kept wanting to take it a step further. I grew up in a home where there constantly were punches and kicks being thrown. We were always practicing and discussing techniques.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “I always make a joke. You know the part in the movies right before the good guy is about to throw the first punch? How the bass rumbles? Like right before Bruce Lee throws the first blow? That’s the intensity I feel. The whole world is humming in my head. I feel like, Okay, I’m on. I’m so intuned. Focused. I mean, I can see a fly on the wall across the room, I can count his legs. That’s how focused I feel. Always a little nervous right before the introductions. You go through the What ifs? You feel the nervousness. All the waiting, all the interviews are done. I’m always relieved when they finally shut the cage door. You know, it’s kind of like dating a girl. You know, you feel the nervous energy, Am I gonna score? Then, once you’re in the bedroom…[smiles].”

Favorite Meal: “Pizza. Can’t beat-it. Dip my pizza in ranch (dressing).”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Cocoa Pebbles.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Rocky Road.”

Funny Fighting Memory: “My loss to Ian Freeman. I was just so mentally out of it for that fight. He punched me in the head and it knocked my mouthpiece out. It shot out. I remember looking over at it…a nice, deep blue mouthpiece. It was a substitute mouthpiece I was using for the first time. I remember looking at it as he’s throwing punches down on me – my concern was not the punches but I liked the color of the mouthpiece. You know, I like blue, I’m gonna use blue from now on [smiles]. It just goes to show how out of it you can be in a fight.”

Early UFC Memory: “Well, I think coming back, proving all the naysayers wrong. Beating Tank Abbott (by toe hold submission at UFC 41). He was considered to be a much harder striker than Freeman. Basically I walked through him. It was an important win for me. It said, Look, I’m young, I learned my lessons from losing to Freeman, I’m back. That win turned it all around for me.”

Greatest Sports Moment(s): “Winning the UFC Heavyweight title, June 19, 2004, while attempting an armbar submission on Tim Sylvia. The fight was stopped by the referee when I snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm during my attempt to submit Sylvia by armbar. My best win so far was the20defeating of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira – a man who has never been stopped in his life – I did it in round two.”

Most Painful Moment: “My loss (to Freeman by TKO at UFC 38). That was hard to take at first, being young and undefeated. I lost even before I walked into the ring. Before that fight, I felt almost invincible. I was beginning to think, Oh, I only need to really train for the big guys. I can get by on my submission skills alone. Losing that fight I found out that not training and carrying in outside issues will affect you. You can’t just shut out the outside issues and just walk in there and fight. You can’t walk in there and expect to be at your best if your head’s really not into it like it should be, 100% focused on the fight. I consider myself more of a mental fighter. If my mind’s off, that means my mind is no longer in my arsenal. You have to be ready to go every second in this game. I have to do everything right to beat the best guys in the world.”

Worst Injury: “Broken leg. Messed up a throw on a mat wrestling. Had a guy like 200 lbs. fall across the instep of my leg. It just cracked.”

Favorite Fighters To Watch: “I like Rumino Sato. Bas Rutten actually. He’s an interesting guy, makes things up as he goes. Creative. I like watching creative guys. Some guys learn an armbar and they do it exactly the same way the rest of their lives. He’s c onstantly experimenting and changing. I like ‘Minotauro’ Noguiera. Roy Jones is a phenomenal mental athlete. Chuck Liddell actually interests me a lot. He’s well-rounded in all aspects. He doesn’t just depend on one thing. Jack Dempsey. I had a guy from Chicago (named Babe Morganti) who helped me out with my boxing. He said I looked like Demspey when I used to shave the sides of my head. He said Dempsey used to do that. He told me he saw both Dempsey and Mike Tyson punch the heavy bag and Jack Dempsey hit it harder…and he was only 180 lbs. He said Jack Dempsey used to do 30-40 pull-ups no problem. He said Dempsey was different, it was almost like he wasn’t human. That’s how strong he was.”

Favorite Vacation Spot: “Brazil, Rio.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “The ability to follow through. When people set a goal and they actually follow through with it. It shows you’re a winner. You find ways to succeed, whether it’s easy or not. And accountability. I like to see when people are accountable for their actions.”

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