More history in Mir’s reach

It's only fitting that on the biggest night of heavyweight bouts in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, the organization's most accomplished big man has a chance to regain the title he has held twice before.

Las Vegan Frank Mir owns 14 UFC victories, four more than either Andrei Arlovski or Cheick Kongo for most by a heavyweight. His eight submissions also are best.

Tonight, Mir tries to equal Randy Couture's mark for holding the UFC heavyweight belt three times when Mir attempts to take it from champion Junior dos Santos in the main event of UFC 146 at the MGM Grand Garden.

The event is the first in which all five main-card bouts will be in the heavyweight division.

Mir, who turned 33 on Thursday, says equaling Couture's mark would be great, but he doesn't want to get caught up in focusing on historical relevance.

"My wife brings it up, and I kind of nod like, 'Yeah, that would be cool,' " he said. "Winning the fight is at the forefront of my mind. Everything afterwards will be stuff I think about on Sunday."

Mir expects he will come to appreciate all the accolades after his career is over. For now, he is more concerned with becoming a better fighter each day in the gym and measuring his success each time he steps in the cage.

"If you're a journalist and all you're trying to do is win a Pulitzer, that's kinda shallow. You're not tackling the task at hand," he said. "Now, it's nice to put those certificates on the wall and put the medals up on the mantle. But at the end of the day, if you're improving and you feel good about the quality of the work you're doing, then you have a happy life. You feel content. You're improving; you're striving.

"Not everybody gets the accolades and the medals, but they're putting in the work and doing a good job."

Dos Santos already is looking down the road at leaving a legacy when his UFC career is over.

"I want to defend the belt for years and years," he said. "I don't want to hold it for one fight, two fights; I want to hold it for a long time and when I retire be said to be the best heavyweight in the history of the UFC."

When all is said and done, it might be Mir against whom he is measured.

Mir has seen it all in the sport and says that experience in showcase fights, combined with his superior ground skills, will help him make dos Santos' championship run short-lived.

"My background and my history I think is one advantage that I have over dos Santos," Mir said. "This is not new to me. I didn't grow up far from the spotlight. Growing up in Vegas, I'm kind of used to the cameras and the glitz.

"Being in the UFC now for almost 11 years, this isn't a new thing."

The rest of the division could take on a new look behind the champion with four other heavyweight bouts on the main card that airs live on pay per view at 7 p.m.

Former champion Cain Velasquez meets former Strikeforce star Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, and oddballs Roy Nelson and Dave Herman square off. Also, Stipe Miocic takes on Shane del Rosario in a matchup of unbeaten top prospects, and Stefan Struve faces Lavar Johnson.

The televised preliminary card, which airs on FX (Cable 24) at 5 p.m., includes a middleweight bout between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and C.B. Dollaway. Unbeaten lightweight prospect Edson Barboza, a winner of three straight fight-of-the-night bonuses, will fight former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Jamie Varner.

Three fights will stream live on the UFC Facebook page, starting at 3:40 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.