Image via “The Reem” documentary.
You ever had to fight for a job? Well, Frank Mir and Alistair Overeem can tell you a thing or two about it.
On Thursday, UFC President Dana White said that Overeem and Mir will be fighting to stay in the UFC, as the loser of their UFC 167 heavyweight bout will likely get cut by the organization.
“Yeah, definitely,” White answered at UFC 165 Media Day when asked if the loser of the match-up will be cut.
Both Mir and Overeem are in positions that they have little experience in – being on significant losing streaks. In Mir’s case, he’s the loser of three straight fights for the first time in his long career, while Overeem turned high expectations from a UFC debut to a lackluster two-fight skid.
Mir’s last sighting in the octagon included a first-round loss to Josh Barnett by technical knockout at the UFC’s Aug. 31 pay-per-view. The two previous losses were a decision to former Strikeforce Heavyweight GP champ Daniel Cormier and a failed shot at the UFC crown against then-champion Junior dos Santos.
Overeem was picked by many to become the heavyweight champion when the muscular striker made his move from Strikeforce, where he was the promotion’s title holder, to the UFC. He dismantled former heavyweight king Brock Lesnar in his debut, but Overeem then suffered two consecutive knockout losses, one to Antonio Silva at UFC 156, the next to Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26.
UFC 167 takes place on Nov. 16 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by a UFC welterweight title bout between champion Georges St-Pierre and challenger Johny Hendricks.
