One and done?

Probably not, but former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion, Frank Mir, will not be returning to Bellator MMA for his next mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, thanks to a non-exclusive contract that allows him to compete elsewhere.

Like Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB), the Russian-based fight promotion that employs Mir as a stateside promoter (more on that here).

“Bellator came to me, and they’re talking about October,” Mir said on his “Phone Booth Fighting” podcast (transcribed by MMA Junkie). “I would like to get a fight in with the ACB before that, so I can just get more time in clocked under me so I can get my timing back on for fighting.”

Mir returned to competition following a two-year layoff, the result of a positive drug test under United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Despite early success, his Bellator 198 main event went down in flames after the longtime grappler abandoned his gameplan and transitioned to street fighter.

Getting airmailed by Fedor Emelianenko can do that do a guy.

“I lost my cool; I let my ego dictate how I fought,” Mir said. “I’m pretty good at being emotionless and trying not to let that enter, but as soon as I got thrown through the air, it was such a highlight-reel throw, my ego was very injured.”

“When we got up, I went into street fighter mode. Because I was pissed off that I got thrown through the air, all of a sudden I just went for the kill instead of trying to fight like a martial artist. I fought like a street fighter, and that didn’t fair so well.”

Mir (18-12), who turns 39 later this month, has now dropped three straight.