Mir: 'My feelings have been hurt' by UFC during trials with USADA
One of the UFC's longest-tenured fighters has some grievances to air.
Prior to being slapped with a two-year ban by USADA for a doping violation dating back to last spring, former heavyweight champion Frank Mir worked tirelessly to clear his name, even paying out of pocket to test supplements that may have done him in.
Monday on "The MMA Hour," the 37-year-old told Ariel Helwani the UFC bosses hadn't contacted him during the ordeal, and suspected they would've if the Fertitta brothers still owned the promotion alongside president Dana White.
"My feelings have been hurt, yes, if that’s what you’re asking," Mir said, according to MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi. "I don’t feel the same about the company as I felt years ago. And I’m seeing that even with some of the ways they’re handling things the way they handle them now. There’s been several times where I’m like, 'Wow, if Lorenzo was still there at the office, if Dana was still in full control and not just a minority shareholder, would that have ever happened?' I don't know about that.
"I don't know if this is the same company that I started with 15 years ago."
According to Mir, he and White built a brotherly bond over his 15-plus years in the UFC, but things haven't been nearly as chummy since Mir became embroiled in his trials with its anti-doping partner. The former champ claims to have reached out to White for guidance and to be present for his induction to the Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, calls that have gone unanswered, much to his dismay.
"I thought maybe this was another situation like that, but I guess not. I don’t know."
Now that he won't be reinstated until April of next year, the increasingly disenchanted Mir would rather be released from the UFC and in hopes of staying active in another promotion in the meantime, a move he admits is easier said than done.
"I’ve tried to just make things work as well as possible. But I don't even know if I’m allowed to discuss things with other organizations and find out if I can fight for them or not. I’m kind of in this limbo."