For years, fans longed to see Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir clash, and that dream is finally becoming a reality. At long last, the two former UFC heavyweight champions are set to square off at an AIGA Global wrestling event in California. Still, fans aren’t particularly thrilled about the prospect of two legends facing each other.

Red Corner MMA shared a video of the face-off between Velasquez and Mir on social media, and it quickly went viral. The wrestling match is currently scheduled for November, but the organizers haven’t announced the exact date or venue for the marquee bout. That said, AIGA has previously held events in California, including in Long Beach.

Originally, UFC 146 was supposed to be headlined by Junior Dos Santos defending his heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem. However, the English-Dutch fighter tested positive for elevated testosterone levels just before the event. As a result, the UFC ruled him out of his title fight. With the main event vacant, Frank Mir, who was scheduled to fight Cain Velasquez on the card, volunteered to step in.

At first, Dana White refrained from moving the Vegas native directly to the main event. He even assured fans on Twitter (now X) that Mir’s fight against the Californian “will happen.” But in a massive turn of events, the UFC ultimately elevated Mir to the headliner against Dos Santos, while Velasquez faced Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva in the co-main event.

At the event, Dos Santos knocked out Mir in round 2 to retain his heavyweight strap. On the other hand, Velasquez scored a stellar victory over Silva, finishing him with punches in the first round. Despite sharing the same card, the UFC never managed to rebook the two heavyweights, and the fight never came to pass.

With such a rich history behind the matchup, it seemed fans would finally be thrilled to see two former champions share the stage. However, their reaction made it clear that everything has a prime, and both Mir and Velasquez have definitely passed theirs.  

Fans react to Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir’s face-off for wrestling match  

One fan quickly chimed in, writing, “Mir looks to be in terrible shape.” Another commented, “Father Time remains undefeated!”

Currently, Frank Mir is 47 years old, while his wrestling opponent, Cain Velasquez, is 44. Both are well past their primes from their UFC days, so that will surely factor into the anticipated match, and we can expect some lackluster maneuvers from them. Because of this, fans didn’t mince their words in calling out the former champs.

Another fan interestingly wrote, “Since it’s wrestling and no submissions, I think the answer is obvious.”

Here, the comment points toward the Mexican-American holding an edge over his opponent. Velasquez was known for his unparalleled cardio during his active UFC days, mauling most of his opponents without tiring, which is very rare for a big man. On the flip side, Mir was known for his amazing submission skills.

Even with that discrepancy in mind, we can’t say for sure who will come out victorious in their wrestling match. After departing the UFC in 2017, Mir competed in a grappling match against Satoshi Ishii in 2018 and also had a few boxing bouts. His latest fight took place in 2021 against Kubrat Pulev. 

Velasquez, however, hasn’t fought since losing to Francis Ngannou in 2019. On top of that, the Mexican-American endured years of legal turmoil before being released on parole in February this year. Given that, Mir’s being comparatively more active can favor him in the wrestling match. Still, one fan hopes Velasquez won’t get outwrestled, lest one of his biggest wins come into question.

The fan wrote, “I better not see Cain get out-wrestled by Mir after what healthy Brock did to him. We are going to have serious conversations about healthy Brock Vs Cain.”

The Californian dominated Brock Lesnar at UFC 121, earning a first-round TKO victory. However, ‘The Beast’ was battling a serious case of diverticulitis that many believe compromised him during the fight. 

Honestly, we can’t know whether the outcome would have been any different had Lesnar been in optimal health. Even so, if Mir outgrapples Velasquez, it would possibly just prove that his being a little more active played in his favor, rather than tarnish the Mexican-American’s win over Lesnar.

Another fan asked, “Why are they doing this? Probably make more with MVP in an MMA match.” Well, Jake Paul’s promotion did stage an event between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, but two heavyweights entangled in an MMA fight could seriously do damage that they wouldn’t want at this stage of their careers.

That said, even with questions surrounding the wrestling match, it’s nothing short of inspiring to see the two former champs still love the sport enough to return.