Heavyweight stirs pot with trash talk

Frank Mir is known mostly for his ground game, but he has pulled no punches when discussing the ability of his next opponent.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion will meet Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 tonight in Memphis, Tenn.

Mir is one of the best submission fighters in the history of the UFC heavyweight division, while Kongo generally struggles once a fight goes to the mat.

In fact, Mir said Kongo has some of the worst ground skills in mixed martial arts.

"Some of the mistakes he makes on the ground, he just basically scrambles to get back up to his feet," Mir said. "Honestly, he's probably one of the least dangerous (heavyweights on the ground)."

Mir says Kongo has become too reliant on the striking skills that enabled him to knock out three straight opponents before losing a decision to Cain Velasquez in June.

"Obviously, his strengths are going to be his standup. I just think that Kongo falls into the mental pothole of when you're good at something, it's hard to be humble and do other things," the 30-year-old Las Vegan said. "I get that to a point, but I think that hurts a lot of fighters out there.

"Sometimes you see fighters that are very proficient in one or two aspects of the game. Say they're a phenomenal wrestler. They don't want to go in there with an amateur boxer and train (in) boxing and get their face punched in. Everybody's watching, going, 'What's going on here?' They don't like to step out of their element. I kind of think sometimes Kongo might fall into that."

Mir has trashed the kickboxer's ground skills at every opportunity during the buildup to the fight.

On Thursday, Kongo made it clear he had been listening and isn't happy.

"He was a former UFC champion. He did a great job, and I respect that. But as a person, no," Kongo said at a news conference in Memphis. "I can't let anyone judge me or treat me like a piece of (expletive), and he did."

Mir says he is just being honest.

"I think everybody has this (belief) of we'll sit there amongst our friends and just have a talk, 'Oh, that guy. I'd kill him.' But then, you put the cameras on, and all of a sudden, it's like, 'I have a lot of respect for him. I think he's a really good fighter,' " Mir said. "You're going to fight each other anyway. Why don't you just say what you're thinking. If something's true, it's true. There's this weird thing where people say, 'You shouldn't say his ground skills are bad.' But they are."

Mir says this is an important fight for him coming off a thrashing at the hands of Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 in July.

It is unclear when Lesnar, who has been out with an illness, will be able to defend his title. That makes it difficult for Mir to say what this fight means for his place in the heavyweight division.

"With the Brock issue coming up, a lot less than normal," Mir said of how much focus he has on regaining the belt. "Becoming the champ again is almost a side note. Right now, I have to have a win."

The heavyweight bout is part of a card headlined by BJ Penn's lightweight title defense against Diego Sanchez.

Also, Kenny Florian meets Clay Guida in a lightweight fight, and Jon Fitch takes on Mike Pierce in a welterweight bout.

The pay-per-view broadcast airs live at 7 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.