Frank Mir to return vs. Antonio Silva

          • Brett OkamotoNov 13, 2014, 10:53 AM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will return from a one-year layoff to face Antonio Silva at UFC 184 on Feb. 28 in Los Angeles.

          Also on the pay-per-view event at Staples Center, it was announced Thursday, is a middleweight bout between rising contenders Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Yoel Romero.

          Souza (21-3) is riding a seven-fight win streak, including a 4-0 mark in the UFC. The former Strikeforce champion submitted Gegard Mousasi via guillotine choke in the third round of a bout in September. The Brazilian underwent minor elbow surgery following the victory.

          Romero (9-1) is coming off a controversial TKO over Tim Kennedy at UFC 178 in September. Romero, 37, won the bout in the third round, immediately after a series of events allowed him extra time to recover between rounds. The Cuban middleweight was saved by the bell in the second round. Due to a combination of his stool not being removed and what was deemed to be an excess amount of Vaseline on Romero's face, there was a delay in starting the final round.

          The win improved Romero's UFC record to 5-0. A former Olympic wrestler, the American Top Team product has knocked out four opponents in the Octagon.

          ESPN.com ranks Souza and Romero the Nos. 3 and 8 middleweights in the world.

          Mir (16-9) will look to snap a four-fight losing streak. The 35-year-old fought Junior dos Santos for the heavyweight title in May 2012, losing via second-round TKO. He hasn't looked good since, suffering one-sided losses to Daniel Cormier, Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem. His last appearance was a unanimous decision defeat to Overeem in February.

          Fighting out of Las Vegas, Mir had been approved the use of testosterone-replacement therapy in his last bout. It will be unavailable to him in February, however, as California has banned TRT in combat sports.

          Silva (18-6-1) is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski in September. The Brazilian has been on a skid as well, going 0-2-1 in his past three bouts.

          A middleweight title fight between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort is scheduled to headline UFC 184.