Mir, Nogueira, and Pre-Fight Injuries at UFC 92

In every sport athletes have to deal with injuries.  Bumps and bruises that hinder athletic performance seem to always be present.  MMA is no different.  In the latest UFC fight card reports are starting to surface about the injuries that TUF coaches Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira had prior to the fight.

Antonio Nogueira was finished for the first time in his long and illustrious MMA career.  In the very disappointing loss he looked sluggish and off of his game plan.  Granted most of this was due to the great game plan of Frank Mir and the surprising level in which Mir was fighting.  However, it turns out that there is more to the story than just a poor performance.  Nog has not made any excuses about his loss and has acted like a true champion, but reports from his camp are that he suffered a severe knee injury during his training.  Details about the injury or the true severity of it have not been released.  Additionally Dana White has went on record stating that the former interim champion suffered from a staph infection as well.

At first thought it may not seem like a big deal, but for a fighter on this level it is a huge deal.  Any change in training can lead to the physical or mental breakdown of a fighter.  As always when a fighter loses random rumors start to fly and it seems as if more attention is being paid to the damage Nog has taken through his career, and questions are surfacing about his eye sight.

Frank Mir fought the best fight of his career at UFC 92.  You wouldn’t imagine that he was the recipient of any type of injury prior to the fight, but Nog wasn’t the only one that wasn’t 100%.  The Wrestling Observer is reporting that during his training Mir suffered a herniated disk in his back.  Millions of people around the world suffer from the same thing, but they aren’t fighting in cages.  Where the problems come in, is when the disk pushes against the nerves in the back, and causes severe pain.  This pain can be debilitating preventing a fighter from any type of training, let alone top notch training.  Rumor is the injury almost caused Mir to pull out of the historic fight.

All fighters suffer through injuries.  It is a part of the fight game.  Often times these injuries play as much a part in wins and losses as the training.  If a wrestlers back is injured he will not be able to rely on his ground and pound and wrestling skills.  If a boxers shoulder or wrist is severely injured he may have trouble throwing the devastating punches.  I for one hope the rumors about Nog are not true and would like to see him return to the cage in top form.  He is a legendary fighter and a fighter should go out on top, not by an unfortunate injury.  However not everyone is that lucky and for every Brett Favre there are ten Bo Jacksons.