• UFC 130

I'm the most likely man to beat Velasquez - Frank Mir

Frank Mir is fighting to propel himself into major title contention in the heavyweight division © Getty Images

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Frank Mir has encouraged fans to get behind him against Roy Nelson in a week's time, because he believes he is the best-placed heavyweight to challenge champion Cain Velasquez.

Mir takes on Nelson at UFC 130, and he has already delivered a warning to Big Country by claiming he hits harder than Junior Dos Santos.

Now Mir has made the further statement that he has the best skill-set to trouble Velasquez, who has already proved that he will not be overwhelmed by strikers or wrestlers.

"Right now in the UFC I believe I would give him the best fight and that's not taking anything away from him as I feel he is the best fighter in the world," Mir told the Bleacher Report. "I would really be hard-pressed to defeat him.

"The only reason I pose a bigger threat than some of the other guys is because we really don't know how well he defends submissions. I think it would take someone who could keep him down for a while and test how he fights off of his back. Obviously his wrestling is extraordinary as evidenced in his fight against Brock, but who knows how well he would do if he were put in a dangerous spot with a good submission artist.

"His striking is good, but he does throw short punches which got him in trouble with Cheick Kongo, but unfortunately for Kongo he could not stay on his feet.

"I think Carwin would be a good match-up for him as well. He punches hard enough to keep his opponents honest and is difficult to put down. Carwin would probably have a good chance at stuffing Cain's shot, but we really don't know how well Carwin fights off his back either."

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