Frank Mir was said to be the underdog in his match up with Brock Lesnar, just as the New York Giants were a huge underdog against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. With only that small chance to win, most people counted the New York Giants and Frank Mir out. Both this past weekend had huge victories by that method they needed to rely upon.
With a huge weekend for both football and MMA alike, two Sportsbook.com underdogs went into their respective contests with many doubters. Frank Mir was taking on an NCAA star with a comic book-like body and the New York Giants were taking on the undefeated New England Patriots with Tom Brady leading the team.
With the Superbowl being the biggest game of the year and this past weekend’s UFC 81 being a very heavily watched PPV because of the pro-wrestler Brock Lesnar taking on a former UFC champion, a lot was riding on the outcomes. Not everyone counted out the underdogs though. Some people thought the “point spread” for the Superbowl was too large and some straight out thought the Giants would win. However, if they were to win, most people agreed it would have to be because of their defense.
Similarly, not everyone bought into the “Brockmania.” Many people recognized the limitations of Frank Mir’s cardio or remembered his past defeats. The only way people thought he could pull off a victory was if he was able to survive the onslaught and work for a tricky submission. Most people, and the betting lines had Brock Lesnar as the favorite.
In both cases, the predictions came true. If the underdogs were to win, it would be the Giant’s defense and Mir’s submissions that would solidly their upsets. The Giants kept Brady on his toes and rushed the line of scrimmage with intensity but not with recklessness.
The Giants looked as if they were going to prove the majority of people correct and lose, but it was the strength some people saw, that they used to get the win. Mir also had to come from behind to win. The former UFC champion took a severe beating early in the first round. In what looked like an early stoppage, the ref stopped the action but it was only to save Mir from of the punishment from a few blows to the back of the head. In the end it was his sly submissions that earned him the victory.
While Frank Mir may not be a fan of the Giants or even watch football, coming off this past weekend in sports, I would nominate him for an honorary position on the team.
