Frank Mir (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

Frank Mir will return to action for the first time in over a year tonight, and although he’s lost four straight, the former UFC champ believes he remains a top tier, heavyweight.

Following his decision loss to Alistair Overeem last February, Mir elected to take some time off, and let his body recuperate. Despite the fact Mir underwent two surgeries in 2012, the feared submission artist returned to fight Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett in 2013.

Mir (16-9) recently spoke to UFC.com about tonight’s bout with “Bigfoot” Silva, and while discussing his time away from the cage, he stated:

“I was having a bad streak there for a while, so I’ve taken a year off to evaluate what I needed to fix and address, and I feel like I’ve given myself enough time to heal up properly and have a proper off-season and build up my physical activity again,” he said. “I worked on mobility so I can be more efficient and proficient in fighting. And that’s what this fight is. It’s an opportunity to show I’m still able to perform the moves that I know how to do.”

Silva (18-6-1), meanwhile, is coming off a KO loss to Andrei Arlovski in September, after he battled Mark hunt to a draw in December, 2013.

UFC FN 61 will be hosted by Porto Alegre, Brazil.