“Cro Cop” To Fight in January
Posted by Kris Karkoski on Nov 10, 2007 at 10:11 am ET20 Comments
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will likely return to the UFC in January, according to an interview on his official website. His opponent is not known.
Filipovic is coming off of back to back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 and Cheick Kongo at UFC 75. Following the loss to Kongo “Cro Cop” underwent surgery on his nose which should be fully healed in time for the bout. A January return at UFC 81 in Newcastle, England will also continue the trend of having the Croatian fighter compete at European UFC events.
Following the back-to-back losses there was speculation that he may retire but he put the rumors to rest in the interview stating that he has at least 5 or 6 fights left before he would consider retiring.
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[...] Cop to fight at UFC 81 (England AGAIN!) “Cro Cop” To Fight in January | UFC Daily Wow, i really hope he wins this one, i wish i got tickets now, its probably too late to get the [...]
Of course he’s fighting i England again. That way the UFC doesn’t have to release his pay. again.
good to see cro cop back.he may not have been a force lately but hes still a good fighter who at his best is exciting and good to watch.
I am a Cro Cop fan and I hope to see him get a win. If he loses, then I guess he is never going to get a Title Shot. I think Cro Cop will fight Herring again, only time will tell if he does.
I cannot imagine him loosing for a third time. He better have been changing his game plan, and I hope the best because the UFC could use a force like the Cro-Cop that was so frightening in PRIDE.
Has he totally dismissed the idea of dropping to 205?
I wouldn’t recommend him dropping to 205lbs, he’s pretty solid at 220 and would likely lose some power if he dropped down. Perhaps if things get worse and he gets desperate enough he will consider it, but I think CroCop still has a decent shot at fighting his way back to the top as a heavyweight.
The last that I read, he was actually trying to beafen’ up, rather than drop down in weight. He said something to the effect that he felt kinda pushed around by his heavier opponents and was going to gain weight gradually so he could focus on not slowing down due to the increased mass. I don’t recall his target weight though…
Herring or Arlovski are the only current UFC fighters I could see him fight. Unless Andrei and his team agree on another contract, I don’t see it being Arlovski…
Randy-no, Sylvia-no if Randy leaves, Gonzaga vs Werdum, Kongo II-no, Sanchez II-no, Mir vs Lesnar, O’Brien-injured still? and Wellisch-maybe.
Am I forgetting any other current HW? I agree with Red, unless they bring in someone from outside the UFC.
I want to see him get a good win and dominate like he used to. He was cocky against Gonzaga, so thats his own fault. Against Kongo he just got picked apart…so I think he is going to be the aggressor in this next fight.
Arlovski would be a good match-up then, because Andre has been anything but aggressive in his post Sylvia III matches.
[...] the interview stating that he has at least 5 or 6 fights left before he would consider retiring. “Cro Cop” To Fight in January | UFC Daily lol How come he always fights in England? [...]
Crocop vs. AA——make it happen dana!
I think Cro Cop’s style just doesn’t fit well in the octagon. It is just too big a space, and just doesn’t work out well for a guy who likes to stalk his prey. Maybe if he would finally move down to light heavyweight. I think he could be a force.
I think either the cage is still intimidating him or the competition he is facing in the UFC is far above the competition he faced in pride. I agree with a few others that have stated he should go to 205. I mean he’s only what 220-225 now. If he cut 15-20 lbs he would not lose much if any power.
I like the idea of Mirko at 205, except that there is so much depth at Light Heavyweight. If Cro Cop loses to the likes of Herring however, then either a move to 205 of retirement would be best suited.
Light Heavyweight would not only rejuvenate him, but also present some interesting match-ups.
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mirko will be a monster at 205 but they should let him fight at 80 maybe a debut guy or something
Mirco will be a champion of UFC!!!
Mirko himself has said he couldn’t make 205 if he tried. He said he would have to cut off a limb. He’s listed everywhere as 220 but maybe he has never had to cut that much or he actually walks around at 230/235.