A matchup 14 years in the making: Velasquez, Mir set for wrestling bout

A matchup between two former UFC heavyweight champions that fell apart 14 years ago may finally happen — not inside the Octagon, but on the wrestling mat.

MMA Mania and other combat sports outlets reported that former UFC heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez, 44, and Frank Mir, 47, are scheduled to compete in a wrestling match at the AIGA Global event in California in November.

However, the outlets added that the faceoff could be a promotional event rather than a competitive bout.

The backstory stretches back 14 years. Velasquez and Mir were originally scheduled to meet at UFC 146 in May 2012, with the winner set to earn the next shot at the heavyweight title. The card's main event was a heavyweight title fight between champion Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem.

Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test, triggering a cascade of matchup changes. Mir stepped in to challenge Dos Santos for the title in Overeem's place, while Velasquez was rebooked against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

Mir lost to Dos Santos by TKO in the second round, while Velasquez stopped Silva by TKO in the first. The UFC never rescheduled the Velasquez-Mir bout, and the matchup between the two former champions never came to pass.

Both fighters' circumstances have changed considerably since then. Velasquez has not competed in MMA since a KO loss to Francis Ngannou in February 2019. He was arrested in 2022 on charges including attempted murder and held until his release on parole in February.

If the wrestling match goes ahead, it would mark Velasquez's first serious foray into combat sports since his parole.

Mir's health is also a factor. According to MMA Mania, he underwent emergency spinal surgery lasting about nine hours last year after temporarily losing sensation in his legs.

In their primes, both men defined the UFC heavyweight division. Velasquez captured the heavyweight title twice, relying on elite wrestling, relentless pressure and seemingly limitless cardio. Mir held both the undisputed and interim UFC heavyweight titles and built his reputation on world-class jiu-jitsu and submission grappling.

Now in their mid-to-late 40s, the two former champions who never shared the Octagon are preparing to finally meet — not with strikes or submissions, but with wrestling.