White won't say if UFC 169's Overeem vs. Mir is loser-leaves-town fight
It certainly would appear that the loser of a heavyweight bout between ex-champions Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir at UFC 169 can’t fall much further in their respective octagon careers.
But whether that translates to a pink slip for one of the fighters? UFC brass isn’t sure.
“It appears that way,†UFC President Dana White told reporters on Monday in Los Angeles. “I don’t ever like to make those calls until I see the fight. What if that fight’s a (Mark) Hunt vs. (Antonio) ‘Bigfoot’ Silva fight?â€
Overeem (36-13 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Mir (16-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) serves on the pay-per-view main card of UFC 169, which takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Drug testing issues aside, a bar-burner such as Hunt vs. Silva would certainly do a lot for either Overeem and Mir, who are on the higher end of the pay scale as veteran headliners and yet grapple with career skids.
Overeem, a former Strikeforce champ, has lost his past two bouts via knockout, falling first to Silva and most recently to Travis Browne. Once labeled a No. 1 contender, he lost a title shot when he failed a pre-fight drug test in advance of a fight at UFC 146 against then-champ Junior dos Santos. He then slipped in his return to the cage more than one year later.
Ex-UFC champ Mir, meanwhile, has lost his past three, with two defeats coming by way of knockout. Most recently, Josh Barnett stopped him at UFC 146, though Mir contended the bout was stopped early by the referee.
In any event, both are in desperate need of a win, or a career-defining performance.
Whether White sees that is something for Saturday night.
