Clark Kent
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12-03-2009 02:45 PM:
Frank Mir knows better than anybody that conditioning is a huge factor for fighters in the 240-265 pound range. When the former champ was on the comeback trail from his 2004 motorcycle accident, he often struggled to make weight and then gassed badly in fights against Marcio Cruz and Brandon Vera. You simply can't fight effectively if you've only got two minutes of steam. That scenario unfolded way too many times during the early part of season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter" and frankly it was embarrassing. Wes Shivers, James McSweeney, Matt Mitrione, Scott Junk and Wes Sims all looked terrible just minutes into their early fights.
"You have to know how to move properly," Mir told Cagewriter during a conversation in the middle of the season. "A lot of these heavyweights go out there and they're fighting like it's a street fight. They're trying to win in the first 30 seconds."
Experience is the only way to get an understanding of how important pacing is:
"If you fight improperly, you can be in great shape, run marathons, swim 200 meters and I can still gas you in two minutes of a fight. If you don't know how to fight, it doesn't matter."
Mir said it takes a lot training to crossover from other sports unless you have a previous "fighting" understanding like Brock Lesnar did. He also calls out football players saying there is no trip to sidelines in fighting. There are no breaks.
Mir finally got his diet right and his dedication is back. It all led to a title run in 2008. Mir now walks around at maximum 260 pounds and is adding strength by working with former international strongman competitor Mark Philippi.
Mir had good things to say about Wren. He had a chance to roll with the Texan. Let's hope Wren, McSweeney and especially Mitrione really dedicated themselves with a 6-to-8 week training camp to get ready for Saturday's fights.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
Frank Mir knows better than anybody that conditioning is a huge factor for fighters in the 240-265 pound range. When the former champ was on the comeback trail from his 2004 motorcycle accident, he often struggled to make weight and then gassed badly in fights against Marcio Cruz and Brandon Vera. You simply can't fight effectively if you've only got two minutes of steam. That scenario unfolded way too many times during the early part of season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter" and frankly it was embarrassing. Wes Shivers, James McSweeney, Matt Mitrione, Scott Junk and Wes Sims all looked terrible just minutes into their early fights.
"You have to know how to move properly," Mir told Cagewriter during a conversation in the middle of the season. "A lot of these heavyweights go out there and they're fighting like it's a street fight. They're trying to win in the first 30 seconds."
Experience is the only way to get an understanding of how important pacing is:
"If you fight improperly, you can be in great shape, run marathons, swim 200 meters and I can still gas you in two minutes of a fight. If you don't know how to fight, it doesn't matter."
Mir said it takes a lot training to crossover from other sports unless you have a previous "fighting" understanding like Brock Lesnar did. He also calls out football players saying there is no trip to sidelines in fighting. There are no breaks.
Mir finally got his diet right and his dedication is back. It all led to a title run in 2008. Mir now walks around at maximum 260 pounds and is adding strength by working with former international strongman competitor Mark Philippi.
Mir had good things to say about Wren. He had a chance to roll with the Texan. Let's hope Wren, McSweeney and especially Mitrione really dedicated themselves with a 6-to-8 week training camp to get ready for Saturday's fights.
More...
Yahoo! Sports.
Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.
