Frank Mir, a highly decorated UFC heavyweight known for his grappling skills and numerous submission records, has a reputation for breaking opponents’ limbs both in competition and training, emphasizing the importance of tapping out to avoid injury.
Frank Mir? Not someone to take lightly.
He’s a legend in the heavyweight division, known for his grappling prowess. A former UFC heavyweight champ, Mir’s got records for days: most submission wins (8), fastest submission (45 seconds), and the only toehold submission in UFC history. Impressive, right?
Mir’s also one of the few who’s finished multiple fighters via technical submission. Remember Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira? Both refused to tap, and Mir broke their arms with an armbar and kimura. Ouch. Happens in training too, believe it or not.
“I do a submission, I do it slow,” Mir shared on the JAXXON podcast with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. “Apply pressure, break limbs if they don’t tap. If you won’t tap, don’t train with me. Simple.”
“Sometimes I think I don’t have it, then bam! Their limb explodes,” he added. It’s happened before—rarely, but still.
He recalled a D1 wrestling champ he caught in a kneebar. “I thought I had it; next thing his leg folds. He screams. Forrest Griffin just watches. ‘Should’ve tapped,’ he says.” Brutal honesty there.
Quinton Jackson, another MMA veteran, chimed in with his own tales. Mentioned Jason “Mayhem” Miller as a guy who wouldn’t tap either. Mir had firsthand experience with him too.
“It happened once with us,” Mir said about training with Miller. “He screamed.”
Training at Marc Laimon’s gym was intense. Laimon told Mir to finish someone before practice ended. So he did—everyone.
With Mayhem, Mir put him in a guillotine; chaos ensued when Miller ran up the cage trying to escape. Weird move, really. Then came the kimura—no mercy this time. “Today you’re gonna learn!”
Lesson learned: Leave your ego behind when rolling with Frank Mir.