Frank Mir Faces A Possible Fifth Consecutive Loss at UFC Fight Night 61

At UFC Fight Night 61, former two-time UFC champion Frank Mir (16-9) and Antonio Silva (18-6-1) will face off in a bout that will most certainly define each fighter’s career.

Despite claiming the UFC gold on two separate occasions against Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mir has been unable to produce a win since 2011. He is 0-4 in his last four bouts and rumors of retirement have surfaced due to the former champion’s lack of performance. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Mir expressed his continued desire to win and to perform at a high level, despite his recent downfalls.

“I’ve been given another opportunity by the UFC to go out there and show that I can still perform at a high level. At the end of the day, we all want wins. But at this point, I just want to perform at a high level again and show what I’m capable of doing. Going out there and not only losing, but going out there and not performing at what I know I’m able to perform at? That hurts. That’s even more painful than a loss.”

Silva, on the other hand, despite having scored wins over Alistair Overeem, Travis Browne, Andre Arlovski, and all-time mixed martial arts great Fedor Emelianenko, has not experienced a victory inside the Octagon in more than two years.

Nevertheless, this Sunday will see Silva fighting in front of his countrymen in Porto Alegre, Brazil, at the Ginásio Gigantinho. Per MMA Fighting, Silva expressed an increase in motivation, particularly after his last defeat.

“Nobody wants to go through a losing streak like that, so we’re both hungry to get the victory. I always fight better when I’m coming off a loss. That’s my goal for this fight. Frank Mir is a former champion and is very popular here in the United States. We’re both coming off a loss and we both need this victory, so it’s going to be a great fight for the fans.”

Combined, both Mir and Silva are 0-6-1 in their last seven bouts. However, the stakes appear even higher for Mir in particular. Following his fourth consecutive loss at UFC 169 against Overeem, per MMA Mania, UFC president Dana White considered releasing Mir from his contractual obligations with the largest MMA organization in the world.

“It’s not a decision (releasing Mir) we will make tonight. We will get together next week and we will figure out what we want to do.”

To Mir’s delight, the UFC decided to allow him to participate in another bout and breathe life into his otherwise fading career. However, a fifth consecutive loss would more than likely force White’s hand, possibly even signifying an end to Mir’s 14-year UFC career.

[Featured Image Courtesy of Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images]