Report: Former UFC Heavyweight Champ Frank Mir Signs With BKFC

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship has arguably made its highest profile acquisition.

On Friday, Fight Bananas first reported and a BKFC representative subsequently wrote that former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Frank Mir (19-13) has opted not to retire from combat sports. The 41-year-old recently became a free agent after his Bellator MMA contract ended, and he has reportedly elected to join the ranks of bare-knuckle boxing. He will become part of an organization with a roster that includes other ex-UFC names like Gabriel Gonzaga, Antonio Silva, Thiago Alves and Chris Leben, to name a few.

One of the most dangerous grapplers to ever set foot inside the Octagon, Mir left the promotion with eight submission wins on his ledger – good for the most in UFC heavyweight history. In Mir’s last eight victories, four came by knockout; this number accounts for 80 percent of his total victories due to strikes. On the other hand, Mir has been knocked out 10 times as a professional including eight times in the UFC. Both he and fellow heavyweight Gonzaga share the lead for the most knockout defeats in UFC divisional history.

Mir has dropped four of his last five bouts in MMA, but his final fight came in a rematch against Roy Nelson at Bellator 231 in October 2019. Taking a decision over Nelson, Mir earned just the fourth of his 19 wins on the scorecards. Mir does not currently have a date or opponent in place for his BKFC debut, but there is a slew of prospective opponents that could welcome him including Gonzaga, Silva and Ricco Rodriguez.