Mir Out, McCully In Versus Hardonk

By Josh Gross

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir has fallen off April 5's UFC Fight Night Card with an undisclosed injury, Sherdog.com learned Wednesday. Taking the 27-year-old Mir's place versus Dutch striker Antoni Hardonk is UFC newcomer Justin McCully.

Mir (9-3-0) has fallen hard since suffering serious leg injuries stemming from a motorcycle accident in Sept. 2004. Returning to the Octagon last year, Mir went 1-2, losing in the first round to Marcio Cruz and Brandon Vera while taking a close decision against Dan Christison.

McCully (7-3-2) had not fought for three years before winning twice in Oct. 2006. Losing to Evan Tanner in the finals of Pancrase's 1998 New-Blood tournament, McCully fought actively until 2000. Today he is best known for being a training partner of former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.