UFC’s Big Show Main Event Is In Jeopardy
Earlier yesterday, our friend Stevie J from AngryMarks sent us a note that we posted on our Twitter page.
We’re hearing from a variety of sources this afternoon including Sam Caplan at Five Oz. of Pain and Oliver Copp from Tough Talk that Frank Mir has suffered an injury which will force him to pull out of his schedule UFC 98 heavyweight unification bout with Brock Lesnar.
It is probably UFC’s biggest match of the year and the timing is especially frustrating because just this week, tickets for UFC 98 went on sale for Fight Club members. I (and Stevie J too) bought a ticket just this week.
Dave Meltzer, who is in Columbus, Ohio for UFC 96 tonight, just posted that Mir and Lesnar are actually in Columbus and Mir is saying he can’t spar right now.
UFC has at this point not addressed anything on the status of Brock Lesnar’s match with Frank Mir scheduled for 5/23 in Las Vegas.
As noted yesterday, Mir had arthroscopic knee surgery earlier in the week. Mir is in Columbus, OH, as is Lesnar, at sponsorship booths at the Arnold Fitness Expo taking place few blocks from the Nationwide Arena, where UFC 95 takes place today.
Mir said that he can’t do any sparring or grappling for four to six weeks, and said he was hoping for the match to take place over the summer.
I’m sure that while UFC 96 is at the forefront of Dana White’s mind, a very close second is figuring out a plan B for UFC 98. If Mir is truly out and the winner of Shane Carwin vs. Gabriel Gonzaga comes out of the fight in good shape, I think you have to try to put that person against Lesnar. They would have just over 2 1/2 months to be ready, which is a short time frame, but it could happen.
You’d be risking Lesnar vs. Mir, which is going to be huge, but you also risk many angry ticket buying fans if Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra is the main event of the show.
I will update this story as I hear more.
