MMA's Full '38 2.06.08: Frank Mir is a New York Giant
Posted by Sid Needelman on 02.06.2008
Frank Mir was said to be the underdog in his match up with Brock Lesnar, just as the New York Giants were a huge underdog against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. With only that small chance to win, most people counted the New York Giants and Frank Mir out. Both this past weekend had huge victories by that method they needed to rely upon.
Frank Mir was said to be the underdog in his match up with Brock Lesnar, just as the New York Giants were a huge underdog against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. With only that small chance to win, most people counted the New York Giants and Frank Mir out. Both this past weekend had huge victories by that method they needed to rely upon.
With a huge weekend for both football and MMA alike, two Sportsbook.com underdogs went into their respective contests with many doubters. Frank Mir was taking on an NCAA star with a comic book-like body and the New York Giants were taking on the undefeated New England Patriots with Tom Brady leading the team.
With the Superbowl being the biggest game of the year and this past weekend's UFC 81 being a very heavily watched PPV because of the pro-wrestler Brock Lesnar taking on a former UFC champion, a lot was riding on the outcomes. Not everyone counted out the underdogs though. Some people thought the "point spread" for the Superbowl was too large and some straight out thought the Giants would win. However, if they were to win, most people agreed it would have to be because of their defense.
Similarly, not everyone bought into the "Brockmania." Many people recognized the limitations of Frank Mir's cardio or remembered his past defeats. The only way people thought he could pull off a victory was if he was able to survive the onslaught and work for a tricky submission. Most people, and the betting lines had Brock Lesnar as the favorite.
In both cases, the predictions came true. If the underdogs were to win, it would be the Giant's defense and Mir's submissions that would solidly their upsets. The Giants kept Brady on his toes and rushed the line of scrimmage with intensity but not with recklessness.
The Giants looked as if they were going to prove the majority of people correct and lose, but it was the strength some people saw, that they used to get the win. Mir also had to come from behind to win. The former UFC champion took a severe beating early in the first round. In what looked like an early stoppage, the ref stopped the action but it was only to save Mir from of the punishment from a few blows to the back of the head. In the end it was his sly submissions that earned him the victory.
While Frank Mir may not be a fan of the Giants or even watch football, coming off this past weekend in sports, I would nominate him for an honorary position on the team.
Just no...Very few people that thave followed MMA for a while or participate it thought Brock would win. Most only gave him a shot if Mir showed up in horrible shape. The only reason the odds were like they were was because pro wrestling fans that knew nothing about MMA would bet on him. Bookies have t guarantee they make money, this is similar to when Vera and Sylvia fought in October and Sylvia was the underdog because it is not as fun to bet on him. Comparing any of this to the Patriots who were one win from a perfect season is laughable.
Posted By: Vic (Guest) on February 06, 2008 at 01:29 AM
Yeah, I gotta say, I don't much follow MMA and rarely have I watched it. I was hoping for Brock to win, but I knew Mir had way too much experience. Too me, it sounded a little too much like Oleg Taktarov vs Tank Abbot one of the first UFC shows.
And you can't give all the credit to the G-men's D-line. The whole team outplayed the Pats on that night.
It's never that cut and dry.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on February 06, 2008 at 02:35 AM
Sid – Interesting take on things. Your analogy holds some water, but only to a certain degree. I would say that anyone with a little MMA knowledge didn’t necessarily count on Brock to win. I myself hoped he would perform well, but I didn’t think he would finish Mir if Mir came with his A game. Plus, after last year, how can anyone ever bet against the underdog again?
Posted By: Kuch (Guest) on February 06, 2008 at 10:08 AM
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