When you get all the way up to the top of the MMA food chain. You find fighters who are no longer looking for an easy match up. They aren’t looking for pushovers that will help them get a step closer to a belt or title. When you get all the way up to the guys who have had belts around their waists and have been called the best at one time or another, you will find a different mentality. These guys sincerely want to fight the best. It’s not a bout a belt anymore and it’s not about money any more. The guys at the top usually have had both already. Now they just want to absolute best in the business to see where they are at. Here is a quote from Frank Mir that highlights this point.
“I’d rather fight Brock than Randy,” Mir said. “Randy has been dealing with MMA for a lot longer and he knows how to fight off submissions to a greater degree than Brock does. Brock’s only trained for two or three years. I’ve been doing it a lot longer.
“But Randy’s ability to stop my submissions would be about the same as my ability to stop his takedowns. He’s been wrestling for 18 years – I’ve been doing martial arts since I was four, so I’ve been practicing for 25 years. For him to catch up on the submissions game is going to be one heck of a feat.”
For many people, it might sound stupid that Frank wants to fight a guy that has a better chance of beating him. Frank’s point of view is obviously different, he wants to fight someone who he can feel good about beating…. the best in the world.
