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ANTONIO “BIGFOOT” SILVA vs FRANK MIR
Frank Mir is currently on a 4 fight losing streak and hasn’t won a fight since 2011. He is a big underdog against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, but I believe that people are writing him off far too soon. On paper, Bigfoot Silva should walk right through Mir, but fights aren’t fought on paper, they’re fought in the cage and Frank Mir has a great chance of winning this fight. Frank Mir may have lost his last 4 fights in a row, but those losses were against some of the best fighters in the world. Each of those losses came at the hands of Daniel Cormier, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett and Junior Dos Santos and there’s no shame in losing to any of those guys. It’s also worth noting that none of those guys destroyed Mir and even though the majority of those fights were one sided, Mir managed to stay competitive until the very end. People have been very quick to label Frank Mir as a fighter on the decline, but it’s clear that Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is also on the decline. In fact, Bigfoot isn’t that far off coming into this fight on a 4 fight losing streak either. His record over his last 4 fights is 1-1-2. His single win in his last 4 fights came against Alistair Overeem and he was badly losing that fight until he landed a hail mary knockout in the 3rd round after being completely dominated up until that point. He then went on to lose a brutal, one sided fight against Cain Velasquez, before going onto draw against Mark Hunt. His fight against Mark Hunt was later ruled a “No Contest”, after Bigfoot failed his post fight drug test. He then went on to lose his last fight back in September 2014, after Andrei Arlovski brutally knocked him out in the 1st round. Before I give you my prediction on how I feel this fight will play out, I want to spend some time discussing just how bad Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva looked in his last fight against Andrei Arlovski… Silva suffers from a rare condition called Acromegaly, which is a form of Gigantism. This condition causes Bigfoot to produce low levels of Testosterone, which effects his drive and aggression. In order to boost his Testosterone levels, Bigfoot has used Testosterone Replacement Therapy throughout his career. This treatment was banned back in the Summer of 2014 and his fight against Andrei Arlovski was his first fight where he was unable to use this treatment. Silva’s performance against Arlovski was significant, because whilst the fight may have only lasted 3 minutes, Bigfoot looked a shadow of his former self. As he walked to the Octagon, he looked drawn out, nervous and frail and when the fight began it looked like he was fighting under water. Silva looked terrible and it was immediately clear that Silva’s lack of Testosterone Replacement Therapy was going to have a big impact on his career. We’ve seen this type of rapid decline in many other fighters who have had to stop using TRT, with many of them failing to pick up a single win since they stopped using the treatment. The difference between those fighters and Bigfoot, is that Bigfoot actually needs it due to a medical condition, whereas the other fighters were using it to boost their naturally low testosterone levels [often caused by years of taking other banned substances]. I believe that this is significant and it’s likely that Bigfoot’s lack of TRT will have a much bigger impact on his performances, than what we’re likely to see from a regular fighter who has had to give up the treatment. Frank Mir is also a former user of TRT, but he used it for very different reasons to Bigfoot and he wasn’t on the treatment anywhere near as long. I won’t go into detail explaining the differences between Bigfoot’s use of TRT and Mir’s use of TRT, because this article does a much better job: Frank Mir talks about his use of TRT (Thanks for the link MMA Dog!) When you compare these fighters skill for skill, I also favour Mir in almost every area that this fight could take place… Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is extremely slow. He may as well send his opponent a text message every time he’s going to throw a punch. In his last fight he looked like he was fighting under water and he hasn’t looked much sharper, even when he was fighting in his prime. Frank Mir will have a huge speed advantage over Silva and he’s a much more technical striker. Mir utilizes good footwork and head movement and he throws a far wider range of strikes. Bigfoot may have had 25 pro fights in his career, but he doesn’t move like an experienced striker. His technique is very sloppy and he’s most likely picked up a lot of bad habits over the years, just because he’s been able to knock people out with his insane power. Frank Mir is a Southpaw striker and I believe that Bigfoot is really going to struggle with Mir’s Boxing. Being a Southpaw is a huge advantage when you fight against guys who aren’t comfortable striking, because a Southpaw throws their strikes from unfamiliar angles. If you look at Bigfoot’s striking, he doesn’t look like the type of guy who’s going to know how to deal with an experienced Southpaw like Frank Mir. Bigfoot’s tactic of blocking strikes is to keep his huge hands high to protect his face. This is a great strategy for protecting himself against head strikes, but it leaves his body and legs wide open to Mir’s powerful kicks. Mir is a Southpaw, which opens Bigfoot’s body right up to powerful body kicks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mir finished this fight with a body kick, because I don’t feel like Bigfoot has the speed or reflexes to block them. I also give Frank Mir an advantage if this fight goes to the ground. Silva has the advantage of being stronger, but there’s no question that Mir has the better technique. Bigfoot really struggles when he’s put on his back and if Mir can gain a dominant position on the ground, Bigfoot’s going to be in huge trouble. Call me crazy, but I feel that Bigfoot’s only advantage in this fight, is the fact that it’s taking place in Brazil and Mir is experienced enough not to let the crowd get to him. Bigfoot is more powerful and it’s possible that he could win this fight by knockout, but he’s incredibly slow and his strikes are extremely laboured. You also have to remember that it is a lot less likely that a Southpaw will get knocked out in a Southpaw vs Orthodox stanced fight, because the Southpaw is naturally moving away from the Orthodox stanced fighter’s power right hand. Frank Mir also does a great job of staying light on his feet, which will make it even more difficult for Silva to land a knockout blow. I believe that Frank Mir has the skills to beat Bigfoot Silva wherever this fight takes place and I believe that Mir is an incredible value bet at these odds. [adrotate group=”74″] MY BETTING TIP: 1.5 Units [1.5% of your bankroll] on Frank Mir to win at odds of 3.70 | +270 | 17/10[divider]
