UFC
Frank Mir says he thought UFC 191 opponent Andrei Arlovski would get next title shot
Aug 31, 2015 - 12:30:54 PM Frank Mir says he thought UFC 191 opponent Andrei Arlovski would get next title shot

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I thought that [Fabricio Werdum's win over Cain Velasquez] actually mixed up the division by having him take over as the champion. I thought Andrei was actually going to get the title shot, and I thought that was extremely interesting. But for Cain to get the immediate rematch, the guy is a great champion so I guess you give him that opportunity. A lot of people want to put it to the oxygen was very thin there, and I don't know. I wasn't in Cain's training camp, I don't know how much that really contributed to it. I know that Fabricio was fighting in [elevation], so I think that Fabricio just really had a great night...

Andrei is right, it is just business. That's the next fight they wanted me to go and fight. Obviously I admit that I would rather have had more time. I thought that maybe this fight had so much history behind it, that maybe a build-up longer than six weeks would've been better for us... At the same time, I think both of us represent so many of the same great qualities of persevering through adversity. I would've liked it if one of us had the title and the other one came up and was the one who challenged so many years later. I think when you write the story at the end of our lives, that would've been a much more interesting read than just kind of hurried, rushed, let's fight each other now, with both of us right now at this point of our success."

-During a media conference call for UFC 191, Frank Mir talks about the UFC Heavyweight Title shakeup with Fabricio Werdum's title win, and why he felt a longer build up to his fight with Andrei Arlovski may have suited them better (transcribed by MMAFighting.com).

Penick's Analysis: Given their history and the fact that they never did wind up fighting a decade ago, having this one get a more significant build up to tell that story properly could have been good. Still, the fight itself is a great addition to this UFC 191 card, and is a big piece of support on an event headlined by a historically low-selling division. Mir's right that it did seem like Arlovski was in line to get the next fight, but with the UFC deciding to go with the rematch, this was as good a fight for Arlovski as they could make given the story of it. Both are trying to cap off a resurgent run, and a win here will bring them one step closer to another shot at that UFC Heavyweight Title, something that seemed massively unlikely for both just a couple short years ago.

[Frank Mir art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]