On Feb. 22, after knocking out Antonio Silva to earn his first win in nearly three years, UFC heavyweight Frank Mir knew he had just cemented a trilogy fight against long-lost rival Brock Lesnar.
But then, on March 24, Lesnar took his talents to the WWE.
Well, Lesnar decided to keep his talents in the WWE. The 38-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion and professional wrestling superstar, who had not fought since 2011, announced on SportsCenter that day that he was officially closing the door -- forever -- on a return to mixed martial arts.
The news was surprising to Mir, as he had been all but guaranteed a third meeting with Lesnar in 2015. The two fought twice previously, in 2008 and 2009, splitting the rivalry 1-1.
"It threw me for a loop," Mir told ESPN.com. "I was actually in conversations that went, 'Make sure you win the 'Bigfoot' fight so we can make this third fight happen.' Brock was coming back, there was even talk about it being at Madison Square Garden.
"Those were the conversations I was having with the powers that be. So, to hear within a few days of those conversations that [Lesnar had retired] -- that one threw me."
Mir (17-9) is not crying over spilled milk. Certainly, he would have loved to fight Lesnar a third time. He says he would also love to fight Bruce Lee, but that isn't happening, either.
Instead, Mir will face 29-year-old knockout artist (and former training partner) Todd Duffee (9-2) at UFC Fight Night on Wednesday inside Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The two briefly shared a boxing coach in 2010 in Las Vegas. Duffee now trains out of American Top Team.
It goes without saying: Wednesday's fight against Duffee is not quite on the same level. A trilogy fight against Lesnar at Madison Square Garden would have been. In fact, when Duffee first brought up the matchup on social media, Mir admits he saw no value in it.
It was not until Duffee started to make things personal, accusing Mir of looking for a payday, that the former UFC champion agreed to the fight.
"When I found out what he was saying about me on social media, that's when it upset me," Mir said. "He made comments that I'm just in it for the payday. Wait a minute -- you're an idiot. You're the payday. You're unranked. I'm trying to fight Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. I'm trying to climb the ladder. I get paid the same to fight those guys as I do you. Are you saying you're more dangerous than they are? I'm not avoiding tough fights -- I'm avoiding you because all you are is a payday."
Duffee, who is coming off a 33-second knockout over Anthony Hamilton in December, said it's not his style to call out opponents -- but he wanted someone in the top 15, and Mir was the only one without a scheduled fight.
It did not hurt matters, though. He is confident he has a leg up on him.
"He was the only one available at the time, it's pretty simple," Duffee said. "At that time, they were basing Reebok sponsorship pay off rankings, so I did it for that reason and also just my career. I need to start moving up.
"I'm very confident. I've trained with him, and I know what he has to offer. He saw me when I was 23 years old and I know how he felt about me back then. I can't imagine him being as confident as he portrays. I feel good. It's a fight I should win. I'm the better fighter."
Despite a 1-4 record in his past five fights, Mir says he does not see many ways he can lose to Duffee. Although the two didn't train one-on-one together a lot, Mir recalls sitting down with Duffee ahead of a 2010 fight against Mike Russow at UFC 114. According to Mir, Duffee was intimidated by Russow going into that fight (he eventually lost via third-round knockout) and does not believe that is something that changes over time.
"I have the mental advantage because I know how he is in the locker room," Mir said. "He might think he can change, and it's a good thing he has people around him who are positive -- but I kind of know where he's going. We're playing a game of cards, and I already know the direction he's going."
