An end of an era is over in the UFC’s heavyweight division.Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir had a historic tenure while competing in the largest MMA (mixed martial arts) promotion in the world. However, his time has come to an end. The former two-time heavyweight champion recently announced his release from the organization on his official Twitter account.Mir, who holds an 18-11 MMA record) made his promotional debut back at UFC 34 in November of 2001 and has been with the UFC ever since then. He has been campaigning for the UFC to cut ties with him for some time now after he was tagged by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USDA) for a violation following a fight in March of 2016 with hard-hitting Mark Hunt.

The veteran received a devastating blow when he was handed a two-year suspension retroactive to the date of the test. Despite the fact that he maintained his innocence for the suspension, he did reveal several potential sources for the positive test, including eating kangaroo meat while in Australia for the fight. Even with his honesty, USADA gave him the maximum punishment.

The former UFC heavyweight champion wrote the following after finally getting his wish to part ways with the company on Saturday night (July 8th, 2017):

The 38-year-old fighter has expressed his interest in continuing his MMA career outside of the UFC which is where he has been for the last 16 years. What is going to be interesting is if state athletic commissions go along with his USADA suspension, which is under until April 2018. USADA only has ties to the UFC in MMA. Now, that he is a free agent, he is free and clear to compete for organizations that may not adhere to USADA’s oversight.

The former UFC champion holds numerous heavyweight records including most fights (27), wins (16), stoppages (13) and submissions (eight). Bellator MMA is the most likely place that Mir will sign with as they are the #2 promotion in the world. Several former UFC fighters have signed with the Viacom-owned promotion including Roy Nelson, Benson Henderson, and Ryan Bader. If drug testing is an issue, then he may go to Rizin FC.

Which promotion do you want to see Mir compete in next? Bellator MMA? Rizin FC? Or maybe even the PFL (formerly known as World Series of Fighting). Let us know in the comment section below.