5 Reasons to Watch: UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee
A special Wednesday night card will take place this week, with former heavyweight champion Frank Mir looking to pick up another win as he faces lightning-fast finisher Todd Duffee in a five-round main event from San Diego (FOX Sports 1, Wednesday, coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET).
Mir was dealing with the roughest patch of his career recently when he dropped four in a row and contemplated retirement. Rather than walk away completely, Mir decided to take some much-needed time off to allow his body to recover and get healthy.
When he returned this past February, Mir stormed through Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in less than two minutes, and now he faces Duffee with the chance to get his second win in 2015.
Also on the card, streaking lightweight Tony Ferguson looks to add another veteran to his list of wins as he faces former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson.
The women will also get the spotlight during Wednesday night's card as former boxing champion turned undefeated MMA prospect Holly Holm takes on Marion Reneau.
With six fights on the main card and a solid undercard, there are plenty of reasons to check out this special Wednesday night show. And we're going to give you five reasons to watch UFC Fight Night: Mir vs. Duffee.
HEAVYWEIGHT ICON
Having Frank Mir back in the heavyweight ranks is a good thing for the UFC.
There's no better way to describe Frank Mir than "iconic" when it comes to heavyweights who have competed in the UFC.
A former two-time champion, Mir has been one of the best fighters in the world since he first made waves in the Octagon back in 2001. Originally known as a devastating submission artist, Mir currently holds the UFC record with eight finishes coming on the ground.
Mir also holds the record for the most wins (15) and finishes (12) in UFC heavyweight history.
With nearly 15 years of experience inside the Octagon already under his belt, Mir is likely a first-ballot UFC Hall of Famer when his career is over, but at 36 years of age with a rejuvenated body after taking some much needed time off, he's feeling better than ever.
Mir being re-injected into the heavyweight ranks makes for some very exciting fights, and this is the next one.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
Don't blink when Todd Duffee is in the Octagon.
Several times during his career, Todd Duffee has been called "the next big thing" thanks to his explosive power and ability to shut the lights out on any heavyweight he stepped into the cage with over the years.
Duffee is a spectacular athlete who developed into a knockout puncher on the day he started training in mixed martial arts, and that hasn't changed much since he first debuted in 2007.
Duffee has nine career wins -- all of them coming by way of knockout or TKO, and with only one of those fights making it past the first round. He holds the record for the fasted knockout in UFC heavyweight history when he snuffed Tim Hague in just seven seconds at UFC 102.
It took Duffee just 33 seconds to dispatch of Anthony Hamilton in his last fight, and throughout his career the American Top Team-trained fighter has five finishes that happened in less than one minute's time.
In other words, don't blink, because if Duffee is swinging for the fences, something massive is probably going to happen.
ULTIMATE PROVING GROUND
Tony Ferguson has quietly been putting together one of the most impressive win streaks in arguably the toughest division in the sport as he's wrapped up five victories in a row at lightweight.
Ferguson's tear can be attributed to a ton of hard work and equal parts confidence as he's been sniping opponents one by one for his past five fights.
During his recent run, Ferguson is not only 5-0, he's finished four of those opponents, with only one of those happening past the first round. Ferguson has proven to be a very tough customer at 155 pounds, but this week he faces a truly tough challenge in former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson.
Thomson has dropped two bouts in a row and gone just 1-3 in his last four fights, but that doesn't even begin to tell the story on how good this lightweight fighter has been throughout his career.
Thomson has faced the best of the best, and he will be the toughest test, by far, that Ferguson has taken on since starting this current win streak. If Ferguson can find a way to eliminate Thomson the way he's done his past fight opponents, it will make a huge statement as he tries to conquer the UFC top 10 at 155 pounds.
Thomson is no joke, and he'll give Ferguson everything he can handle and more -- and might even leave San Diego with a smile on his face after ending his opponent's win streak.
THE NEXT BIG THING
Holly Holm has been one of the most talked about additions to the women's bantamweight ranks.
The women's bantamweight fight between Holly Holm and Marion Reneau taking place on the main card for this Wednesday's event may very well determine a future opponent for champion Ronda Rousey.
Holm has been one of the most talked about additions to the women's bantamweight division ever since she arrived and now she gets a chance to show why. Holm struggled in her first UFC fight, dealing with those notorious Octagon jitters, but she's hoping to knock out the butterflies in her stomach and show what she's capable of doing this Wednesday night.
Holm is an 18-time boxing champion with some of the best hands in the division, and she's got knockout power from everywhere. She will be a tough test for any fighter on the feet, but she's facing another powerful striker this week.
Reneau famously wanted to compete on "The Ultimate Fighter" that was coached by Rousey and Miesha Tate, but she didn't make the final cut for the show. Instead, Reneau just worked her way into the UFC organically and now she's 2-0 with two very impressive victories.
Reneau has great power in her hands and a devastating submission game on the ground. She might be an underdog in this fight, but don't think that Reneau can't pull off the upset and derail the hype around Holm in a hurry with her performance on Wednesday.
When it's all said and done, Holm and Reneau might just steal the show because these two women both know how to put on an exciting fight. This matchup is a barnburner.
MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE
Alan Jouban might be a model outside the Octagon, but whenever he's in the cage, this Louisiana native is trying to send his opponents to the plastic surgeon after beating them up for three rounds.
Jouban is an exciting fighter who averages over five significant strikes landed per minute with over 51-percent accuracy. He's an offensive juggernaut who never stops moving and always looks to go on the attack.
His opponent, Matt Dwyer, will definitely give him everything he can handle, especially after showing off a little flash and flare in his last fight where he knocked his opponent out with a Superman punch.
Jouban and Dwyer are two fighters who definitely enjoy the art of the knockout and this fight should be a great way to kick off the main card on FOX Sports 1 on Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET.
