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  - UFC 92: MIR SHOCKS THE WORLD; DOLLAWAY WINS
Sunday, December 28, 2008 - by Damon Martin - MMAWeekly.com
If there was ever a question if Frank Mir sat amongst the elite heavyweights in the world, the answer came in emphatic fashion as he tasted championship gold for the second time in his career by finishing Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the second round of their title fight at UFC 92.
At the very beginning of the bout, it was quite obvious that it was a much different Frank Mir that stepped into the Octagon to fight Nogueira, as he looked comfortable on his feet, throwing good punches and kicks in the first round.
Early on, Mir landed a solid shot that put Nogueira down, but shortly after moving to the ground the Las Vegas native let his opponent up as he felt an advantage on the feet.
With just seconds remaining in the first session, Mir hit another big punch that put the Brazilian on the mat, likely landing him a 10-8 round on the judges' scorecards.
The second round saw much of the same as Mir looked calm and collected as he threw and landed shots at will on the former Pride heavyweight champion.
A big left hook clipped Nogueira on the jaw and sent him crashing to the canvas one more time as Mir followed up quickly to hit quick and hit hard. A few seconds later, referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop the action as Mir quickly celebrated and a very wobbly Nogueira stood back up, realizing that he had just been finished for the first time in his storied career.
"I had no idea this fight could end faster than five rounds," Mir commented after the fight. "And if it was a short fight, I figured I'd be at the losing end of it. 'Minotauro' is the perfect name for him; I faced my mythological monster. I've never been more afraid in my life as I was when I walked to the ring tonight."
With at least one part of the UFC heavyweight championship around his waist, a very honest and emotional Mir addressed the crowd about his road back to the title.
"I faced such demons after my wreck, to come back and fight the best heavyweight to ever fight in the UFC and get a win over him after what I've gone through. It just shows, everybody right now look at your life, people always say you can't do (expletive). I'm proof you can do things. I didn't even think I could beat Nogueira," Mir stated. "If I was a betting man, I wasn't on Mir's side tonight. I came through this because of the love of my family, my children, my wife, everybody you know who I love. Thank you."
With the win, Mir now moves into a rematch with Brock Lesnar who holds the other piece to the UFC heavyweight title puzzle. Mir defeated Lesnar by submission in the first round of their match-up in February of this year.
"We'll see if he can make it out of the first round," Mir said about a rematch with Lesnar. "This time I'll make him famous on the break that I do to him."
Former All-American wrestler C.B. Dollaway moved to 2-0 in his career in competition against Mike Massenzio, as the middleweight stopped his former wrestling opponent by TKO in the first round of their fight on Saturday night.
Massenzio had made numerous comments heading into the bout talking about their previous match in wrestling, but he stayed composed early on and even landed a good punch that put Dollaway down on the mat. As the two fighters scrambled, Massenzio locked on a guillotine choke as Dollaway tried for the takedown. While the maneuver seemed tight, the former Arizona State wrestler worked his way out, taking advantage of the position soon after.
"I don't remember it," Dollaway said about the choke. "Yeah, maybe it was close, but I didn't feel it, got out, did what I needed to do and pounded him out."
What Dollaway did next was improve his position, taking the mount and almost immediately Massenzio rolled to his belly to avoid punches. It was that move that brought the end of the fight as Dollaway flattened his opponent out on the canvas and pounded him out with heavy shots from above.
"Mike's a tough competitor," Dollaway commented after the win. "I wrestled him in junior college nationals, he was tough there, felt strong out there tonight, so I was just glad to come out with a victory."
Dollaway has now won his last two bouts in a row in convincing fashion, as the Arizona Combat Sports team member moves on in the ever-competitive UFC middleweight division.
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