Cro Cop Leaves The UFC, Signs With DREAM
During a press conference held yesterday in Japan Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic announced that he has left the UFC and has signed with the upstart DREAM organization.
The promotion is a joint effort between FEG, the company behind K-1 and HERO’S, and former PRIDE executives.
Following four-straight wins in PRIDE, including victories over Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett, many expected “Cro Cop” to excel in the UFC. In his octagon debut Filipovic defeated Eddie Sanchez via first-round TKO. He was next handed back-to-back losses for the first time in his career by Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo.
“Cro Cop” will make his debut for the promotion on March 15th at DREAM 1 against a yet-to-be-named opponent. DREAM 1, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena is Saitama, Japan, will feature the opening round of a lightweight grand prix. Notable fighters scheduled to participate in the tournament include Shinya Aoki, J.Z. Calvancanti, Andre Dida, Caol Uno, Joachim Hansen, Gilbert Melendez, and Luiz Azeredo.
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Do you mean to tell me, besides Mir and Lesner, we’ve got Gonzaga, Werdum, Sokojou, and Kongo as the only heavyweights really under contract???
I’m not talking guys with one fight left (Sylvia, Arlovski, Vera) as they could easily leave.
My god, someone get Tank Abbott on the phone, post haste. LOL
Ahhh…The UFC should be able to build solid weight classes top to bottom with time. TIME! The heavyweight division definitely needs help though. I think the UFC should let cry baby Sylvia go and Cro Cop has not been impressive in the UFC thus far. I’ve always liked him…..but… you gotta win man. Maybe Sean Sherk, Tyson Griffin and Clay Guida can all move up to heavy weight. That would be fun to watch.
Heard Cro Cop said he didn’t like fighting in a cage, preferred fighting in a ring.
Disappointed.
More like, he didn’t like losing in a cage.
I’m sure Kris can correct me, but I believe the UFC released Cro Cop – he didn’t just leave the UFC.
Lowcash sokudjou isn’t a HW he’s LHW.. which makes that number even smaller… pretty soon it’s gonna be like the WEC with no HW division.
Sean – duh, my fault. I guess I’m on the same sedatives Sokoudjou was on in his last fight!
I actually was thinking Nogueira but said Sokoudjou.
Anyway.. my point was where the F are the HW’s???
Is there any official news on Arlovski? Last time I checked there was nothing on his official website or his MySpace page (I sound like a stalker)
Guess we have to wait til his interview after the fight (or the build-up shows).
He hinted on Inside MMA that it’s basically a ‘one and done’ deal. He has one fight under contract, and the UFC hasn’t expressed any interest in anything thereafter.
I was screaming at the TV at the thought of him leaving, so maybe I’m a stalker too. I really like watching him fight.
The ‘one and done deal’ is that with the UFC or DREAM? I’m curious to see if its one more fight with the UFC…
i say good cro cop likes like a sheep in the cage its easy to beat cro cop find good angles and get after him gonzaga and kongo both showed he cant fight backing up and he cant trap people in the cage like he does in the ring so screw him and who knows mayb afta rampage comes back hell scare some LHW to jump up to HW
at what weight did cro cop fight wandi? maybe he coulda gone down to 205 or am i just chatting **** haha
forrest might go to heavyweigh if rampage beats him i think the dude walks round at 240 and he moans about cutting weight so u never no!
Lowcash says:
He hinted on Inside MMA that it’s basically a ‘one and done’ deal. He has one fight under contract, and the UFC hasn’t expressed any interest in anything thereafter.
I remember reading an interview with Dana White where he said he’d get on a plane right there and then and fly to Chicago to negotiate. So one of them isn’t telling the truth
Arlovski did NOT hint on Inside MMA that he was a ‘one and done’ deal. I rewatched it to make sure and nothing of the sort was hinted. In fact, in my mind he really showed how much he LIKSE the UFC. Don’t forget they moved him here and until recently (due to his losses and poor fighting) have treated him like royalty. I don’t think he wants to leave UFC at all. We’ll see after this last fight though…
Oops I meant LIKES. As for Cro Cop, if he can’t beat Kongo…he doesn’t deserve to be in the UFC. But is anyone else getting the impression that the UFC is dying as the others are rising? I can’t wait to see Tank Abbott vs Kimbo Slice on EliteXC. Showtime THIS WEEKEND! Don’t forget!
UFC’s HW division takes another hit, but it’s by no means devastating. This does put the pressure on Dana though to lock up Arlovsky. A couple of rough fights, probably all behind him now, and he should be a big timer in the division again. Not that it’s all that deep, but Arlovsky could be up on the top pretty soon.
It really seems as if Arlovsk will not return. I just get the feeling him and the ufc are not on there best terms right now. If he does not come back it will be a big loss.
0-2 in the octagon. I think Gonzaga jarred his brain lose. UFC is better off without him. I do feel its time for Dana to makes some moves on some fighters in the world cause competition is getting slim. It seems like the same 5 or 6 guys have just been alternating the ppv’s throughout the year. I still don’t want Syvia back. He needs to join boxing were running around the ring throwing jabs is acceptable.
#4 – The UFC put a clause in Cro-Cop’s 6 fight contract that they could “renegotiate” his contract should he lose 2 consecutive fights. It sounds like the UFC weren’t happy and neither was Mirko, so they used the clause to part ways amicably.
The UFC is not dying while others are rising! That is nonsense. Other promotions have been putting on great shows but a vast majority of the prime talent is in the UFC. You might be listening to critics too much and not thinking for yourself. There are sites that provide numbers and figures of most promotions in relation to business. Try looking one up. Kimbo vs Tank is fun, funny and amusing. I can think up 10 fights the UFC could put on I’d pay for over the free Kimbo vs Abbott fight. Kimbo and Abbott are literally two street fighters. I like more technical mma but I will be watching. Point being, UFC is on top and will be for a while.
man the UFC has got to get there game in check. they are losing all the big names in mma history first randy now cro-cop.. and other fighters like tito ortiz are pissed with dana white, and he faild to get the best HW in the whole world Fedor Emelianenko because he would not get off high horse and give him a non exclusive contract.. ufc is not invincible if there not careful they will lose there number 1 in mma again to pride or Dream in this case.
Dear Segablack,
What do you do for a living?
what good does a big name do if it cant produce wins? Sure Randy left while on top of his game.. but thats it…Cro Cop? Big name? Yes….a stud who is leaving the UFC on top of his game? NO! The guy was a joke….he WAS the man back in pride, but once he came to the UFC he was terrible…so if we lose a big name guy who cant win and bring in a nameless guy who can win… it will be better for the UFC!
As for Tito – its about the same, just wipe out the fights with Shamrock…those didnt count…that was like Hulk Hogan vs the Brooklyn Brawler….you knew what would happen and it wasnt going to be pretty…..in Tito’s other recent fights…he lost to Chuck…he BARELY beat Forrest, who in some eyes thought Forrest even won that fight…then he took on another reality show guy in Rashad and that was a draw where again, some people had rashad winning!! Tito has lost a step or 3…and I dont think he will win in May….so if thats the case, and he wants to leave…so be it….he wont be fighting for much longer anyways….
Jason N. please be careful when you talk because Forrest is also one of those reality star guys. He probably does not count because his name is bigger than Rashad’s right, but that would go against your whole arg. right. By the way if the ufc loses everyone they have a chance to in this year with what they pay these lower guys to win vs what they pay so called bigger guys to lose. These other venues can easily keep these guys. With all this taken in account the ufc struggles to prevent from fighting the same guys over and over lets be careful what we say sometimes we have to eat our words….
When I watch the UFC I want to see a good fight not some big name trying not to lose.I would rather see a no name kick ass then a big name not trying.so dana white keep putting on a good show ill be watching.
#22 – Agreed. Tito realizes that he isn’t a true contender in the UFC at 205. He does have name recognition and would be more valuable to another promotion (being a contender, being marketed as 1 #1 guy and getting $$ as a results). I like Tito, but won’t miss him in the UFC.
Fedor was never coming to the UFC. Dana offered him more money than any rival promotion and he was given bad advice by his handlers (they have a big say in his fights and will make money cross-promoting him with him in M-1). In the UFC, Dana calls the shots and Fedor’s people know that. Fedor in the UFC will never happen under his current managers and Dana won’t cross-promote.
Couture had his contract renegotiated more than once with Dana. He claimed to not receive bonuses (which he clearly did) and was being “disrespected” because others were making more money. You honor the contract you sign, and renegotiate a new one. That’s the way it works, end of story. I like Randy and saw him beat Sylvia live, but won’t miss him in the UFC. He wants Fedor and if the fight happens elsewhere, many of us will watch. It’s just not going to happen in the UFC. Oh well.
Cro-cop. Buh-bye. I’ll give him one fluke fight loss to Gonzaga, but his loss to Kongo was a flat out embarrassment and disappointment. Kongo is a fighter that has limited (although improving) ground skills. Mirko chose to stand with a Mui-Thai fighter and lost. If he’d have taken it to the ground, I think he’d have won. I think he knew this and also knew the contract clause if he loses 2 consecutive fights. Not trying to start speculation and conspiracy theories, but I won’t miss Mirko either.
As for the rest of the UFC Heavyweight picture… Big Nog vs Mir… that’s the fight I want to see. Frank has won me back as a supporter (although he’s terrible as an announcer/in ring interviewer). O’Brien is returning from an injury to face the “departing?” Arlovski. I think Jake has a good chance in this fight and while it won’t air on the PPV, this is the 2nd most anticipated fight on the card I look forward to seeing in person in a few weeks.
The UFC is more about the brand than it is the fighters. Right or wrong, that’s just the way it is right now. This will keep the UFC strong, especially in the 205, 170 & 155 divisions. Herderson/Silva will create a buzz in 185 and Dana will bring excitement and anticipation back to the Heavyweights by years’ end.
If Silva beats Henderson who is left that would be good comp. Don’t say Dana will go out and get someone out of these other org. their not up to the ufc, or is that until we need them…
#25 – GSP has stated that he plans to move up to 185 once he fights Serra. GSP vs A. Silva could be the fight of the decade. There are several other fighters who will look to drop from 205 or move up from 170. In addition to that, I won’t say Dana will get 185 fighters from other promotions……….but you know he will.
…and…Dana has 32 Middleweights coming in to compete in the next installment of TUF. While that doesn’t guarentee a top contender to rise from that group, it does show that Dana recognizes where he needs to infuse talent and depth.
Remember, almost without exception every fighter in the UFC has fought in a rival or smaller promotion prior to coming to the UFC, so Dana will continue to bring in fighters from other promotions.
KOuch why do you want to know what my job is…lol
my view on the subject as a fan of MMA for the sport to grow you need Coss-Promotion its good for the fans its good for business its good for the sport! more and more fighters are upset with the pay and contract issues in the ufc and we will continue to see bigger and better fighters make the jump to either M-1 or Dream. i always watched ufc but you cant get hung up on labels
Randy is great but old. Sylvia is a cry baby boring fighter. Crp Cop lost twice after all the hype. Other contract issues I’ve read about remind me of boxing. What is your job?
DAMN CRO COP WAS ONE OF MY FAVRIOT FIGHTERS TO!
Cro cop is one of th best fighters but he just wasn’t himself in the UFC he clearly did not have the same energy and power. he was not comfortable when he is comfortable he is a very dangerous fighter
this all started off talking about the heavy weight division being weak…i just wanted to throw out there that according to this site that the next TUF…after forrest and rampage….is going to be a heavy weight season…so lets hope that brings in some real competition to add to the HWs
I think when Cro cop step in to the cage, it became a different fight. He came from Pride they use a ring, so you close in on your oppent. The only thing he has is his kicks. Plus everyone that has come from Pride has sucked ass.
two “pride” fighters are holding UFC gold
yeah man there are a lot of fighters that have came from pride and are doing good and there are really 3 former Pride fighter hold belts Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Quinton Jackson. and there big named others like cro-cop, Dan Henderson and Wanderlei Silva that are not perfoming well right now they need time to make the switch to ufc in the ufc there is a different ring, Rules and restrictions these fights come over and face off with top of ufc to start thats a big jump.
Ya I guess not all fighter from Pride suck ass.
But I have not seen one fighter use any elbow strikes. Thats great strike but, you can’t strike with an elbow in Pride. I’m saying guys in the ufc know the cage. Guys from Pride are not very good moving in the cage.
yeah, i forgot about nogueira…but really even dan henderson didn’t fight bad…the rampage fight was good in my mind and im excited to be seeing him fight at 82…more excited that im going and will be sitting front row along the fighers entrance
This is really too bad… such a good guy. Just couldn’t adapt as others have said.
Maybe he’ll put that octagon that he bought to train in on eBay, huh? ;-P
# 37 royal Assassin
You have not seen pride guys use elbow strikes???? did you miss the one shogun used to open up the gash in Forrests head. He now sports the harry pottor scar.
BTW Forrest next LHW Champion