UFC
UFC reportedly targeting Frank Mir vs. Andrei Arlovski for UFC 191 in Las Vegas
Jul 29, 2015 - 10:30:11 PM UFC reportedly targeting Frank Mir vs. Andrei Arlovski for UFC 191 in Las Vegas

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is targeting a heavyweight fight between former UFC Heavyweight Champions Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski for UFC 191 in September, according to a report from Wednesday's UFC Tonight program on Fox Sports 1.

Both fighters are riding high following a resurgent year. Mir has knocked out both Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Todd Duffee in 2015, halting a four-fight losing streak from 2012-2014.

As for Arlovski, who went through a four-fight losing streak himself from 2009-2011, he's back in the title hunt following his return to the UFC, as he beat Brendan Schaub in his return before knocking out Bigfoot and Travis Browne in succession.

Mir and Arlovski have been connected for years despite having never fought, as it was Arlovski who captured the Interim Heavyweight Title in 2005 after Mir's motorcycle accident. He was later promoted to the official Champ when Mir was unable to return, but they never wound up squaring off.

UFC 191 hits the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sept. 5, headlined by the UFC Flyweight Championship rematch between Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson.

Penick's Analysis: If Arlovski isn't getting the next title fight (and it seems increasingly likely that Fabricio Werdum is being held out to fight Junior dos Santos by year's end), then this is a very intriguing matchup. It's ten years late, of course, as the UFC would have liked to have seen Mir fight Arlovski for that title before the motorcycle accident, but it's one of those matchups that somehow hasn't happened. It's bound to be entertaining, and whomever wins keeps themselves relevant as a potential title challenger. That's more true of Arlovski, but Mir could yet make his way there.