Josh Barnet vs Frank Mir set for UFC 164

UFC ‏@ufc22s

#UFC164 gets a heavyweight clash of entertainers - @TheFrankMir vs @JoshLBarnett! Tix now on pre-sale http://www.ticketmaster.com/ufc-164-milwaukee-wisconsin-08-31-2013/event/07004AA896193A6D?artistid=806762&majorcatid=10004&minorcatid=830 … #HD110 #MKE

* Edited at 05.29.2013, 9:12 PM ET *

Rooting for Barnett but damn did Mir look good after being at Jackon's.  

Count me on the side of Team Mir. Plus my gf would hurt me if I choose against him haha.

I think Mir about to get dominated. He not as good of a striker, he has less power, he not as big, he not as strong and he has no where near the chin. Mir also is significantly lacking in the wrestling department when compared to Barnett. I think he will get bullied and beat up on. I dont see him being able to take barnet down. I think Barnet is more then good enough to hang on the ground with Mir, but will opt to beat him standing. Though he may mix it up a bit.

This is about as tough a pick for me as JDS/Mark Hunt. I'm such a huge fan of both Josh Barnett and Frank Mir, that my heart won't help me choose. When I pick intelligently, I lean towards Barnett, but Mir showed a fantastically improved cardio in his last fight with DC. It wasn't the most exciting fight, and Mir was more apt to stay in survival mode, but going 3 rounds with DC, says a lot for Mir, but then Barnett went 5 rounds with DC, so there's no real help there.

I think that Barnett has a better wrestling game and the better stand-up, but Mir has been known to have power come out of nowhere, and he's improved his takedown defense training with Greg Jackson. Mir's offensive submission game is one of the most dangerous in the world, but Barnett is also dangerous in the submission department.

It's like neither fighter is leaps and bounds better than the other fighter anywhere the fight takes place, so it's a real tough pick for me, then you factor in how much of a fan of both fighters I am, it just makes it that much tougher.

My head and heart is going to spin on this one for quite a while.

Good on the UFC's part for giving the fans the fight they wanted to see in Barnett's return.

Barnett is the better striker of the 2, has the better striking and better wrestling; on the ground they're equal, but I'd still favor Barnett by either second round KO or by unanimous decision.

I think Dana forces Mir to retire and maybe gives him a corporate job after this . I dont think the UFC will cut him but after this it will be obvious he wont be much better than top 5 if hes lucky again.

There's no need for Frank Mir to retire. Is he getting up there in age? Sure. But until he loses to guys that aren't in the top 10, I think the retirement talk is a bit premature. 

Yeah, there are tons of longtime UFC veterans who've never cracked the top 10.

The ranking system is a small step above a joke. TJ Grant was the SAME fighter a week ago but he wasn't as highly touted in the rankings. There are guys that make it into the top 10, or move up after beating fighters that have never sniffed the top ten, its ridiculous! They are just people's opinions. Tim Sylvia used to be the #1 ranked HW, that's how silly ranking systems are.

^ agreed... why were these rankings created anyway?

Mir still has qyite a bit of fight left in him. He' 34 or 35, I think. Still a couple of years left and he's still fighting top competition. Now, I don't think he'll ever get the belt again, but I also don't see him falling out of the Top 10 anytime soon and when he is ready to retire, I see him retiring as a current UFC fighter. I don't see him ever getting cut.