Frank Mir says he’s now officially a free agent.
The former UFC heavyweight champion still had one fight remaining on his Bellator contract when it expired on April 1 but, due to the current global landscape with the COVID-19 pandemic, neither Bellator nor Mir (19-13 MMA, 1-2 BMMA) can fulfill their obligations to the other with regard to that final fight.
But, rather than the situation pitting Mir and Bellator at loggerheads, the two parties have come together to discuss the situation and have found a solution.
Speaking on his “Phone Booth Fighting” podcast, Mir told co-host Richard Hunter that he had come to an agreement with Bellator president Scott Coker over his contractual release, though he will still honor the last fight on his deal.
“Basically I had a good conversation with Scott Coker,” he said. “(I’m) still going to have a fight with them, just because there’s a fight left on my fight contract. Scott was very easy to talk to about it – their company’s shut down, he hasn’t even left his house in three weeks – so, once they start up, there’s going to be a backlog of fights because they have so many fighters on their roster.
“So now I’m basically, not basically, I am a free agent. Even though I would still do fights for Bellator, I’m not beholden to any contract to anybody now. So I can try out the free market and see whoever opens up to fighting first.”
It means that Mir can now field offers and opportunities from elsewhere, both inside the cage as a fighter, and outside the cage as a broadcaster. The 40-year-old said he’s keen to explore both avenues.
“It has always been a dream of mine to fight in Japan,” he admitted. “I remember watching the old PRIDEs back in the day, and RIZIN looks like they have a card coming up in August. So now I’m opened up to where now I can actually start talking to other companies and seeing where to go, which is great for commentary stuff, as I know before being exclusive fight-wise with Bellator I think hurt me as far as maybe commentating for the UFC. So maybe it’ll open up that avenue to where I could start commentary for UFC fights again and other organizations.”
Mir admitted that he doesn’t want to impose himself on people during this difficult time, but said he’d certainly be open to being contacted if promotions out there are keen to reach out.
“Through the social media and through the show, I’ll put it out there that now I’m a free agent,” he said. “It’s not impossible to get a hold of me. Just DM me on my Instagram or send me a message through Facebook, I’m going to get it.
“But as far as me right now hounding guys down, I don’t know. I’m just under the impression that most people will have much bigger issues right now than signing me. So right now, it’ll be slow until once I see the quarantines lift and we get on the downside of the bell curve and life starts picking up like it does. Then I’ll probably be more adamant about being on the phone and making contact with guys. But right now, I guess I’ll just do a passive approach, let it be known that I’m out there and I’m available, but I’m not going to be blowing up anybody’s mailboxes right now.”
As a free agent, Mir says he’s open to all offers, but he did mention one promotion whose heavyweight division has intrigued him as he scans the MMA landscape for a potential landing spot.
“KSW looks like a phenomenal show,” he enthused. “Man, their production value is crazy. They have some interesting fights over there in the heavyweight division.”
He even suggested a potential matchup that would get his competitive juices flowing again.
“I dunno, fighting the strongest man in the world, (Mariusz) Pudzianowski – that would be interesting!”
Frank Mir announces he's a free agent, ready to field offers as fighter or commentator