Me in Mir vs Kongo

First of all I thought Frank had the MMA advantage in this fight. Kongo is a great fighter but Frank has been in the biggest fights of the UFC's history and a three round co-main event is just another day in the office for Frank.

I was surprised that he used his striking to set up his submission but I was not surprised he submitted Kongo. It is very hard to judge much of anything when a fighter wins so dominantly. My initial thoughts were how would Cain vs Mir look? Cain had trouble with Kongo and he is supposed to be one of the elite contenders. Will Nogerias experience be too much for Cain?

A win like Frank had last night surely propels him to share the top of the division with Nog, Cain and myself. If beating Kongo was enough to propel Cain to number two contender status, destroying Kongo might edge Cain out. What is more compelling is that Mir made it our of that fight injury free so not only is he at the top of the division he is likely ready to fight sooner then later.

The main question I am getting is would I fight Frank? The answer is easy YES. I am not a fighter who decides who he fights, I fight who I am told to fight. I like it that way, I am not trying to build a legacy I am trying to fight the best fighters in the World and determine where I fit in. Mir is a Multiple time Champion, who has been counted out more then Mike Tyson to only find himself right back at the top. He is a LEGEND of the sport and I would be honored to fight him.

My situation is this. When Brock was finally down and out with his illness UFC matchmaker Joe Silva said to rehab my injuries and get better. I am doing just that (no surgery was required) and fell as if I am getting better. I am sparring and grappling again which are the big steps in getting in fight shape for any of the top HWT's they put in front of me.

On February 11th my wife Lani is expecting our first child together, (I have a son we take care of) a girl named Lexi. This has been a tough pregnancy that has kept us on edge throughout the term. This is why I was unable to attend the fight with Cain in Australia that was offered.

In essence I have to fit into the UFC's plans. I am waiting to see what they have planned for the division and where I fit into the overall plans. I am getting better every day, training hard and I know my time will come.

Thanks to all the TeamCarwin members for all the support and love, it really makes the hard days that much easier. Thank you to my sponsors for believing in me and my family and taking care of us during these times of uncertainty.

Much respect to Frank Mir who displayed why he is one of the best HWT's ever.

-Shane

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Comment by Tom Mintzer on December 16, 2009 at 7:41am: Pretty much everything I wanted to say has been said so far. After I saw Mir destroy Kongo, my only question was when you would face him for the Interim belt. I'm almost positive that it's a case of when this fight will happen, and not if. Best of luck to you, sir. Leave nothing to be desired in the gym. We know you're physically prepared, but now it's just time to keep that up and prepare mentally.

Comment by Joe King on December 16, 2009 at 6:41am: You and Frank for the interim title? Wow I'm not gonna miss that one. My two favorite fighters squaring off, not so sure I like that much as somebody has to loose and I want to see both of you two win. Oh well. Just keep one thing in mind, pay no attention to Franks mind games he'll just be tryin to get in your head.

Best of luck Shane

Comment by Mark Hazlip on December 15, 2009 at 11:55pm: Mir's fight showed why he is a champion and a legend, and he would be a great opponent for you to show why you are going to be the next champion! I'm a huge Mir fan, but he obviously has difficulty with strong wrestlers like yourself. Yes Mir has some of the best jitz in MMA, but a strong wrestler can nullify that and control the fight on the ground. Just ask Ronnie Yahya (3x Mundial champ and ADCC champ) about that after he took 5 round beating on the ground from Chase Bebee in 2007. Also, Mir's jitz isn't any better than Gonzaga's and you were able to get back up after getting stunned and turned his lights out.

About Mir's new-found size...you know this as much or more than I do. Size is one thing, but endurance is another. Muscles learn and build not after a 8 -10 week training camp, but after years of development. Mir's size is all slow twitch and it tires out faster, and you have been training fast twitch for MUCH, MUCH longer. I see his arms getting heavy and slow after the first round.

All that said, I hope you get Mir. I hate to see you sitting out and waiting on Lesnar.

Comment by Samuel McDonald on December 15, 2009 at 11:03pm: Hey Shane...

Im sad you could not make it to Australia so i could watch you fight but of course the birth of a child is a much bigger deal :). I wish you all the success for the future and im sure one day i will see you entertain. From your mate down under lol

Sam

Comment by mikfin210 on December 15, 2009 at 8:41am: Mir is hands down a harder fight then Brock's one dimension game that also happens to be your forte.

I love that you took a hard punch and it woke up the dragon against Gabe, but let's be real, everyone has a shut off button, and Mir's boxing is in another dimension compared to any of your prior opponents.

Using angles and head movement is the key to beating Mir, or similar to Gabe, Mir will sneak a few through.

Frank has been training to improve wrestling, and wrestling defense/counters, as well when you take him down his submission arsenal is top 5 in MMA.

On the other hand, your prep for Brock is nothing like prep for Mir, so back to square one. Frank holds his hands high and out-front; the shoot brings the hands down and sets up the short right hand. After the short right take him down, he has shown a strong wrestler can hold him down and pound him out, just bring a little more of what he has seen from Brock, and I think it’s a winner!

Legend or not, he is taking the food out of your new babies mouth if you let him get in your head!

Comment by twodragunns on December 15, 2009 at 6:09am: Your all class Shane and I always look forward to seeing you perform, and as for the Mir fight I hope it happens as it would be a classic match up, however Shane train like you never have before as Mir is a handful for anybody in the division and he looks much improved since the Lesnar drubbing.