Mirko Cro Cop vs. Junior dos Santos Possible for UFC 103
As speculated earlier Wednesday, heavyweight up-and-comer Junior dos Santos has told GracieMag that he’s likely to fight veteran Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 103 on September 19 in Dallas.
“I think I’ll fight September 19. They took me off the August 29 show,” said dos Santos. “My opponent’s changed. I’ll probably face Cro Cop. If I beat him I’ll be in really good standing. If that’s truly the case, I’m guaranteed on the main card and in the main event of the evening. If I were to fight now it wouldn’t be on the main card.
“To me it’s incredible. When they asked me if they could change the fight date I was a bit bothered, because I wanted to fight right away. I’ve been away for some time now. But the Fertitta brothers asked me and I accepted,” he continued. “After that I found out it would be against Cro Cop and was overjoyed. It’ll be a big opportunity in my career. Lots of good things have happened in my life and this is one more. I’m going to make the most of it.”
Dos Santos (8-1), who’s never gone the distance in any of his 9 career bouts, is currently riding a 3-fight win streak that includes back-to-back first-round knockouts of Fabrico Werdum and Stefan Struve inside the Octagon. “Cigano” had been scheduled to fight Justin McCully in late-August on the UFC 102 preliminary card, but news broke on Wednesday that he was pulled from the event in favor of a better matchup.
Nearly two years after leaving the Octagon following back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo in 2007, Cro Cop (25-6-2) returned to the UFC in June, defeating Mostapha Al-Turk via first-round TKO at UFC 99. Filipovic’s future in the UFC was jeopardized when he nearly signed with DREAM following the victory, his third-straight, but UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta was apparently able to convince the popular veteran to return to the Octagon with a contract he “couldn’t refuse”.
Rich Franklin is likely to headline UFC 103 against an opponent to-be-announced with Mike Swick vs. Martin Kampmann, Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg, and Efrain Escudero vs. Cole Miller also rumored for the card.
For the latest UFC rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.
[Pictured: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic]
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This is the equivalent of Dana White tea-bagging CroCop, because his chances of success are slim against a BJJ purple belt working with Big Nog and I think Anderson Silva.
Yes, as an undefeated kickboxer and an up and coming UFC HW, he’ll start things upright and exchanging, but if CC does somehow ever show a flash of his old Pride-ful self in the Octagon, dos Santos will take him to the mat, where CC has been shall we say less than successful, to be polite.
If this fight happens I like dos Santos by either T/KO or more likely submission.
This should be an interesting match up for sure. This card is sounding better with this fight added. Now we’ll just have to wait to see who Franklin will get matched up against, if he even ends up on the card.
Well its gotta be him or Wandy who headlines. I cant think of anyone else theyd leave in charge of main eventing this thing.
you call this main event dana?
This just in.. UFC hates texans…
disgusting
Whoa whoa whoa…slow down there buckaroo…why don’t you wait until the UFC announces Rich Franklin’s opponent, and finalizes the rest of the 103 card before assuming that Dana White likes to mess with Texas…
don’t get me wrong i love me some rich franklin. but his days as being a “true” main event (top 5 vs. top 5) are over. i would be pleased if it was against luiz cane as it will make this card a somewhat solid card. its what they have to do since their is no “true” main event.
Question for the people who have been to ufc events… do you recommend going early for the prelim. bouts??
I’ve been to about a dozen like UFC events over the last 9 years or so, and I’ve always gotten there as early as possible.
I’ve never been disappointed in that the prelim guys while not being at the GSP level of MMA performance, have a great energy and really help prep you for the rest of the card.
I get to every MMA event I go to, to see the first fight.. I want to experience it all and have a great time, I’m not there for just the main card I’m there for the event taking place.. Some of the best bouts I’ve seen have been “undercard” bouts
You pay for the prelims in your ticket price anyways, why not go watch it, especially if you’re already complaining about the card strength and not exactly getting your money’s worth.
haha i only complain cause i’m still mad about the shane carwin fight being pushed back a month.. for whatever reason..
Yes, Tech some of the best fights come off the prelims, I went to UFC 69 in Houston and the prelims were decent and give you more energy leading to the main card
i do they both are going to slug it out hell yes
turning out to be a decent card
THis is going to be effing awesome. CroCop has been very disappointing as of late but I need to think about this more (more research on Dos Santos and rewatch the CroCop-Al Turk fight again) before I commit to picking a winner.
IMO the main event for this one isnt going to be that great no matter who franklin fights. It’s the rest of the fights that are making this card kool.
Junior Dos Santos has many advantages in this fight. He’s younger, stronger, has momentum going, and he’s a lot more well rounded to state the obvious. We havent seen his ground game but training with nog and being a purple belt, i bet it isn’t too shabby. Santos by tko in the first.
Is santos wins he should get the loser of mir lesnar.
I don’t see this fight going to the ground AND i’m not going to count out Cro-cop because Dos Santos is a short Heavyweight which will give Cro-cop more of a chance to land his left kick.
I think that Cro Cop is scared to use his left kick.. I really havent seen him use it in the UFC, hence leaving this fight in a boxing match where he will get destroyed by Junior. He will get flopped like he did against Gonzaga.
I wonder if the absence of wrestling shoes has an effect on if CC throws that left kick. Those make a huge difference in being able to keep your ground foot underneath you when throwing a high kick (just ask Ken Shammy Shamm who I swear fell on a high kick in 3-4 consecutive fights).
The height advantage didn’t help Stefan Struve very much…
but Stefan Struve isn’t Cro-cop
True Cro Cop is better than Struve, I’m just saying that the height advantages isn’t a guarantee of anything.
Struve is an FING warrior respect
I don’t even know why I posted this
true, now and days height doesn’t gurantee victory, i agree, lots of fights where the favorite was the taller fighter ended up in upsets
Can somebody tell me how cro cop came back to the ufc didnt he sign with dream?
never mind i read the article
well there u have it, must have been an offer he couldn’t have refused
what the ****… cro cop needs to be gone he’s boring and disrespectful bad choice ufc, how do you let clementi go and then sign a guy like cro cop.. idiots
well CC helps in the european market he is more of a draw than Clementi is and/or was, sooo this being a business why is making a strong financial investment make them idiots persay? Mind you I totally get what you’re saying, Rich is entertaining and well I like him to but I do believe this was a sound a decision from the part of ZUFFA and well Rich is injured anyways rightnow so he is unfortunately on the shelf… Furthermore, the HW divison is in the need of some “big names” just think perhaps early next year or even late this year you can have Big Country v CC now that fight I would like to see.. Look at the “bigger picture”, this works for many reasons imo..
mmmm ole big country… do you think dana will let kimbo fight in the ufc even if he doesn’t win?? since he uses the “losers” of the show compete on some prelim. cards..
I think he will get his one fight on the TUF Finale and that kinda will decide things… I don’t think that Kevin Ferguson will win TUF but you never know, I do think he will get a fight in the UFC (technically)
if Kimbo doesn’t win TUF, like fr702 said, i’m sure he’ll get a fight in the finale. I’m personaly rooting for him beacuse i like the story of a guy coming off the streets and becoming a legit fighter AND he’s an exciting guy and i admire his willingness to try and become “legit” in this sport.
fr702 – you’re more optomistic than I am as it relates to Mirko’s outlook in the UFC. I’m not sure he’ll even be around long enough to mix it up with Roy Nelson, or if the UFc would waste what little drawing power Mirko has on a relative nobody like Roy Nelson.
Look at it this way: if Mirko beats dos Santos, and they decide to jump him up into a title shot, he’ll get killed by Lesnar or most likely submitted by Mir. If Mirko beats dos Santos and the UFC asks him to fight again before getting a title shot, his odds of winning against any number of UFC contending HW’s is pretty small, other than maybe the promotion’s HW punching bag Heath Herring, who was once unbelievably dubbed the “number one contender”.
Mirko has already lost to Nog, Kongo and Gonzaga, and would have zero chance against Shane Carwin or Randy Couture. Maybe Cain Velasquez in his fight back after Carwin?
Finally, if Mirko loses to dos Santos the way I and a lot of the “frenzied” think he will, he’s basically one more fight away from getting cut. Guaranteed the fight will be against some grapple-happy, Hulk-like up and coming HW who Mirko’ll have little to no chance to make it out of the first round with.
I understand why Mirko was brought back to the UFC. He serves multiple purposes, but lets not get ahead of ourselves or confused here. Mirko is being brought back as cannon fodder for the HW division, and as a front man for the UFC’s European expansion effort.
He’s going to get chewed up and spit out in the cage, and that’s a regrettable way for him to end his MMA career, but it was his choice…
Ofcourse he is being brought back for Europe, no doubt I don’t believe that CC will be fighting for the title anytime soon.. Perhaps he is being “brought back” to be brutalized in the cage… Yet with CC I do believe that he does have a chance against some fighters you mentioned such as Mir, Courture, a rematch with Kongo might be ok, he could take on the TUFFies.. I do think that Big Country is known by more people than you give credit, what CC might have 2 fights left on his contract or did they come to a conclusion of a new “signed” 3 fight deal? Either way ZUFFA is going to get their money out of CC and well we all know that he will end his career in Japan anyways…
It is (for europe) a good business decision for ZUFFA imho
fr702 – truth on Mirko ending his days in Japan.
I should have probably said stateside MMA career, or maybe big show/major promotion MMA career, or something like that.
I do think the UFC could get a few decent fights out of Mirko not sure if its going to be 2 or 3, if they threw him some friendly matchmaking. Junior dos Santos doesn’t seem to be friendly matchmaking to me.
IMO an example of friendly matchmaking would be as you say a Kongo rematch, maybe a Nog rematch if he loses to Couture, or some sort of “legends/dream” farewell match with Couture if he loses to Nog, but I need to check on Couture’s contract status. However if Couture or Nog return to form, throwing Mirko in with them seems pointless. Nog’s already submitted Mirko, and a resurgent Randy Couture would most likely get a title shot, and if he didn’t would take it out on Mirko something fierce out of spite.
Also yeah, depending on the TUFfie it could work out, or even something with Kimbo Slice if he shows some improvement on his overall MMA game.
Yet somehow I don’t see that happening, even though it would work out better than just throwing him to the Neanderthals like I think the UFC is planning on doing.
Hopefully I’m wrong, as Mirko deserves better than getting used and abused in the Ocatgon.
I know of Roy Nelson from the defunct IFL. He never struck me as a serious MMA fighter, but more as one of those sideshow guys you see fighting in Japan for pro wrestling promoters.
“Come, one and all, see the great big fat man who fights like an athlete!”
I definitely can’t see him going three 5 minute rounds in the cage, but from what I’ve read he reportedly has decent cardio for someone who appears to be training with Ben and Jerry.
His physique makes it sort of hard to take him seriously, but if you think he has more “cred” and skills than I’m giving him credit for, I’ll definitely stand corrected, and wait to see how he performs in the cage.
how much does CC weigh?? and would it be possible for him to move down to 205 where he , imo, has a more realistic chance at competeing. Or does he choose to be at HW..
also in my personal opinion i think big country might be the favorite to win it all.. dunno how his ground game will be, which he will have to improve with their being 4 ex-nfl players in the mix.. the way nelson looks has to do more with genetics than eating ice cream, but hey i could be wrong
I think Mirko weighs in at something in the neighborhood of 235-240 pounds. When you factor in his walkaround weight is maybe 250 after a decent supper and a couple glasses of beer, it seems unlikely that Mirko could make 205.
I’m sure Justipedia or someone more in the know than I am could check that for you and post authoritatively.
~230 is accurate. I don’t know about his walk-around weight being that high, maybe if he didn’t train at all and completely went off diet. He’s not exactly a specimen at his current weight, so I do think with maybe a strict diet and some sauna time he might make it down to 205, but considering he’s never cut weight (as far as I can tell) that might not be a good idea.
Mirko did cut weight for a fight in japan he cut 5 kilos down to 98 for some reason. I can’t remember why exactly. It was in the documentary thing that somebody made on him.