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Despite dropping his last four bouts in the Octagon, former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has a renewed confidence.
A former patient of the since-banned testosterone replacement therapy [TRT], Mir now believes the treatment only served as a stop gap helping to push through his larger issues.
"TRT was patchwork - it was putting a Band-Aid on the problem," Mir told MMA Junkie. "I went to a medical doctor, but I wasn't searching out TRT. I just purely went to the doctor and said, ‘Hey, I don't feel good, I have no energy, I've got no motivation, I'm kind of depressed. I'm constantly - guys are making jokes that I'm the most injured they've ever trained with. Every other day something breaks down on my body. What's going on?' Then they're like, ‘Oh, well this is available.'
"He did the blood work and found low testosterone. Now that they've banned it, I look at it and realized that wasn't really the problem. Improper training and nutrition was the reason; training too hard and excessive twice, three times a day, Monday through Friday. That was what was causing low testosterone. Looking back I realize that was just a symptom of the problem. I was just training improperly."
Mir believes his old habits of overtraining became a vicious cycle leading to injuries, then forcing him to train and fight around his broken down body.
"Recharging the batteries was a factor, but the main thing was just healing up from injuries in the proper way and giving them the proper time to perform," Mir said. "Most of my training was limited, not by what I needed to do, but having to train around injuries.
"I was having multiple surgeries after fights and not really addressing them the way I should have and having a proper off-season. So it was leading to more injuries and really making a strong influence on the way I was fighting. I was having to fight around injuries and not fight because it was the most efficient technique to use."
Hindsight being 20/20, Mir regrets the delay TRT caused him in finding a true solution to his issue.
"The good thing would have been if TRT hadn't been an option. I would have probably got the solution that I came to now sooner."
Mir faces Antonio Silva Feb. 22 in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
5 MUST-READ STORIES
'I don't think it's illegal.' Benson Henderson discusses his long history of competing while having a toothpick in his mouth.
What could have been. Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber were both offered title fights against UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw.
Monday Morning Analyst. Luke Thomas breaks down the techniques from UFC Fight Night: Broomfield, Bellator 133 and WSOF 18.
Fortunes changed for five. Dave Meltzer explains how Brandon Thatch, Max Holloway, Neil Magny, Kevin Lee and Daniel Kelly move forward following UFC Fight Night: Broomfield.
'The system is working.' Royce Gracie doesn't believe MMA has a PED problem. 'How many people got caught [recently]? Five? Five of how many we have in the sport all over the world? I don't think it's a problem.'
Watch The MMA Hour with Frankie Edgar & Urijah Faber at same time, Benson Henderson, Robbie Lawler, Josh Barnett, Cris 'Cyborg', Matt Mitrione and Al Iaquinta.
MEDIA STEW
BJJ Scout previews Ronda Rousey vs. Cat Zingano - takedowns and striking.
Zingano ready to 'wreck shop.'
Ronda rolling with BJ Penn at Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy, where I get beat up every day.
Ronda Rousey and BJ Penn sparring at AOJ from Roots of Fight on Vimeo.
Bas Rutten vlogs his way through WSOF 18.
Alexander Gustafsson's mom almost punched Jon Jones at the hospital.
Jon Fitch broke Joe Rogan's heart.
TTTHS.
Long watches.
Knuckle Up #378: The Turning: Slowly Rediscovering What MMA Has to Do to Save Itself
...
Urijah Faber: Frankie Edgar, Featherweight, Fighting the winner of Aldo vs McGregor, TJ Dillashaw
...
TWEETS
Snow boxing.
No matter what the weather is like,now it's time to work hard. next stop Vegas may 23.... http://t.co/jVso5iSgZ6
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) February 17, 2015
Staredown.
Me vs Uriah. It's been along time coming. Respect before the fight all business once the d... http://t.co/oNVHY4IpmG pic.twitter.com/wb2uVFGtek
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) February 17, 2015
PPV.
You ain't ready champ "@Chan95Jones: Realized @JonnyBones retweeted that article but didn't say he wanted to dance in the octagon "
— Jon Bones Jones (@JonnyBones) February 16, 2015
One left.
Ronda has to beat me before the mens, says Bethe to Dana's joke. http://t.co/G5A2boXHlL @MMAjunkie @guicruzzz @FOXSports
— Bethe (@bethecorreia) February 16, 2015
Maybe.
@DustinPoirier Maybe we'll do it again one day at Lightweight :)
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) February 16, 2015
@CubSwanson :) come on big boi!!
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 16, 2015
Good move.
Halftime at the NBA AllStar Game and I had to go find the Wayne Gretzky display. Can never get enough hockey! pic.twitter.com/Pjy4VAzWNv
— Georges St-Pierre (@GeorgesStPierre) February 16, 2015
More '50 Shades' love.
50 Shades of #SHITE #dontwasteyoutime
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) February 17, 2015
Real men don't dominate and abuse women-they cherish and protect them; and real women don't submit to immature fiends like Christian Grey.
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) February 17, 2015
Funsize.
Thanks to my little bro Carlito for the Rice Krispie treat lol http://t.co/cnfebzz5NP
— Ray Borg (@tazmexufc) February 16, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Feb. 16 2015)
Mark Hunt vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC Fight Night 65: Hunt vs. Miocic
Jake Heun vs. Teddy Holder at WSOF 19
Timur Valiev vs. Ed West at WSOF 19
Krasimir Mladenov vs. Clifford Starks at WSOF 19
Yui Chul Nam vs. Phillipe Nover at UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Faber
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today's Fanpost of the Day comes via tigerlee.
The Outsiders: Top 25 Welterweights Outside the UFC, Bellator, and WSOF
While most of the best talent is under the UFC banner and Bellator and WSOF have seemed scooped up the rest, there is still plenty of talent yet to be signed by the top promotions of the MMA food chain. These are not necessarily 'free agents' or even prospects, they are (mostly) top 100 ranked fighters who are navigating the nebulous seas of regional and international fight promotion for whatever reason.
Will anyone on this list be signed by a major US promotion in the near future? Your guess is as good as mine, but they should at least be considered if promotions hope to compete for top talent.
...
Check out the rest of the post here.
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