It's Official: Lesnar vs. Mir 2 @ UFC 98 on May 23rd | www.cagepotato.com

(Image courtesy of the UFC.)

From a new bulletin on UFC.com:

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – Long considered the most prestigious title in mixed martial arts, the UFC Heavyweight Championship currently rests in the hands of two men – Champion Brock Lesnar and interim belt holder Frank Mir. On Saturday, May 23rd, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Lesnar and Mir will meet to not only determine an Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, but to settle some very personal business they began in this same city over a year ago.

“Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir put on one of the most intense one round fights I’ve ever seen at UFC 81,” said UFC President Dana White, referring to Mir’s submission victory over Lesnar in February of 2008. “But when it was over, both guys saw things very differently. Lesnar blamed his loss on inexperience and being too aggressive, while Mir saw his win as a triumph of his technique, something he says will happen every time they fight. On May 23rd, each fighter has his chance to prove his point, and while a lot has happened for these two since that first fight, I know the rematch is going to be just as intense as the first one, especially considering that the winner walks away as the UFC Heavyweight Champion.”

This matchup has always been interesting because the position where Lesnar is the strongest (slugging from the top) alligns with the position where Mir is the strongest (subbing from the bottom). So it’ll be interesting to see if Brock opts for the same strategy this time around — taking Mir to the mat right away and trying to overwhelm him with ground-and-pound. As he learned at UFC 81, that’s a good way to get caught in a freak kneebar. Could we be seeing an epic standup war in the rematch?

Tickets for UFC 98 go on sale March 5th for UFC Fight Club members, March 6th in a newsletter presale (password: grudge), and the remaining scraps will be released to commoners on March 7th. Though no other bouts are currently featured on UFC 98’s fight card page, a full lineup’s worth of matchups have been rumored or confirmed through other sources:

Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Wilson
James Irvin vs. Drew McFedries
Houston Alexander vs. Andre Gusmao
Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop
Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
Tim Hague vs. Patrick Barry