Frank Mir reveals the hardest puncher he's ever faced, and it's not Brock Lesnar

01/09/2024 19:55

Throughout his incredible run in the sport of MMA, Frank Mir has been in with an array of heavy hitters, but there’s one man who stands out from the pack.

Blessed with remarkable Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills and a tremendous fighting IQ, the American brought a formidable skill set to the table, but in four-ounce gloves, anything can happen.

Frank Mir says Alistair Overeem is the heaviest puncher he ever fought

Utilizing his dangerous submission game, Frank Mir claimed the UFC championship against Tim Sylvia to cement his place in the promotion’s history books.

He later defeated Brock Lesnar in one of the greatest comebacks of all time, before ultimately losing in the rematch.

However, despite sharing two fights with the WWE legend, he doesn’t rate the monstrous competitor as the heaviest puncher he’s gone toe-to-toe with.

Nor does he put Mark Hunt or even professional boxers Steve Cunningham and Kubrat Pulev in the conversation.

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According to Mir, no one has hit him harder than Alistair Overeem.

He told talkSPORT MMA: “As far as punching power, I've fought everyone from Junior Dos Santos to… Alistair Overeem's knee to the head was pretty life-altering.

"He kneed me to the head early in the first round. I remember that was jarring; it felt like I got hit by a car."

Despite the power coming in his direction, Mir still managed to hear the final bell, losing via unanimous decision.

Alistair Overeem reveals the toughest opponent he’s fought

While Mir is adamant that nobody quite hit him with the same venom as ‘The Demolition Man’, his old opponent didn’t pay him the same respect when asked who the best opponent he ever faced was.

In his illustrious career, Overeem went toe-to-toe with some of the greatest to ever do it.

He’s shared the cage with Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, as well as claiming a victory over Lesnar himself.

However, there’s one fighter he insists gave him a tougher challenge than anybody else.

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