Frank Mir has announced that he has signed a deal to fight for Bellator MMA. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion announced his plans via his podcast.
Mir was issued a two-year suspension by USADA after testing positive for a banned substance. Mir claims the positive test may have been a result of eating kangaroo meat while in Australia. He fought Mark Hunt in March 2016 in Australia.
Mir announced his release from the UFC contract on July 9th.
He stated that he signed with Bellator because he did not want an exclusive deal. He stated that his options came down to the Viacom-owned company and ACB, Absolute Championship Berkut. He stated that he has a broadcast deal with ACB.
He noted on the podcast that he will be paid more in Bellator than he did in the UFC. He has a 4 fight deal with Bellator. He stated that his contract includes a “Right of First Refusal” with Bellator with a “Gentleman’s Agreement” that he would be able to solicit offers and fight with other promotions.
Mir’s last reported payout from a UFC fight was his second-to-last fight at UFC 191 where he made $200,000 in a loss to Andrei Arlovski.
Mir noted that he was unhappy with the Reebok deal and would be able to solicit sponsors again.
Payout Perspective:
Mir is 38 years old and has not looked good in his last couple of fights with the UFC. But, he still is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion that the company can promote. Mir’s explanation of not wanting tot be pinned down to an exclusive deal with a promotion probably reflects his concern of not being able to maximize his limited time left in MMA. The good news, is that he will likely make a fluid transition into broadcasting. In my opinion, he is one of the better analysts of MMA based on his days in the WEC. It will be interesting to see how Bellator deals with Mir’s two-year USADA suspension. Based on his suspension, he would not be able to fight until April 8, 2018. Will the company allow him to fight prior to this or will they utilize him in more of a promotional role until then?
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