Is there a way to use gcc to convert C to MIPS?

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GCC can produce assembly code for a large number of architectures, include MIPS. But what architecture a given GCC instance targets is decided when GCC itself is compiled. The precompiled binary you will find in an Ubuntu system knows about x86 (possibly both 32-bit and 64-bit modes) but not MIPS.

Compiling GCC with a target architecture distinct from the architecture on which GCC itself will be running is known as preparing a cross-compilation toolchain. This is doable but requires quite a bit of documentation-reading and patience; you usually need to first build a cross-assembler and cross-linker (GNU binutils), then build the cross-GCC itself.

I recommend using buildroot. This is a set of scripts and makefiles designed to help with the production of a complete cross-compilation toolchain and utilities. At the end of the day, you will get a complete OS and development tools for a target system. This includes the cross-compiler you are after.

Another quite different solution is to use QEMU. This is an emulator for various processors and systems, including MIPS systems. You can use it to run a virtual machine with a MIPS processor, and, within that machine, install an operating system for MIPS, e.g. Debian, a Linux distribution. This way, you get a native GCC (a GCC running on a MIPS system and producing code for MIPS).

The QEMU way might be a tad simpler; using cross-compilation requires some understanding of some hairy details. Either way, you will need about 1 GB of free disk space.

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