Cro Cop's Debut: Sizzle or Fizzle?

Despite what you say he is acting real weird. He’s quiet, but that doesnt mean you talk about Pride and walk out to Pride music, etc. He did this for the money and a retirement plan for his family, which I dont blame hiom for. He’s not into the UFC at all right now and its obvious. Even though he will retire a champion.

I couldn’t care less if he ever gives a decent interview as long as he keeps up the show in the ring. Rampage is funny and others are entertaining with their trash talk but it’s a big world of MMA and not everybody has to fit the same mold. Cro Cop is electric in a fight and I am just looking forward to more from him.

i agree completely, the man is a worldclass fighter. You saw him after the fight haha, he dident have shit to say, and he dident need to say shit. but i do think when he starts to fight more respected members in the cage he’ll loosen up, not that he really needs to.

First and Foremost, Great article Jesse. Keep up the good work. Now onto my two cents; Cro Cop is Awesome and he brings a higher level of legitimacy to the UFC. Up to this point UFC has been a little bit heavier on the “Entertainment” side. There has always been the looming question of whether or not UFC guys could ever hang with the PRIDE guys. With Fedor, Mirko, Rampage and Wanderlia all in PRIDE, UFC seemed like it was years behind. Now Dana and Zuffa have made a huge leap forward bringing in Rampage (even though he is not the same fighter from 3 or 4 years ago) and most importantly CroCop (Crobocop). UFC may never be #1 in Japan, but it is quickly capturing the top spot around the world!

As a hardcore fan and not one of these new fans that likes to boo everytime a fight slows for a second or two. I would hope to see more fighters like Cro-Cop in the UFC, he’s all business, isn’t about the fame and just like to fight. American fans could learn a ton from Japanese fans in learning how to respect the martial arts and their fighters. But I don’t se that will happen since in american it’s perceived as cool if your some “gangsta” or some piece of “white trash”. Most Americans will never understand the true respect behind one of the oldest art forms. Don’t get me wrong, it’s funny to hear guys like Rampage but I have alot more respect for fighters who come in a do their job and let their fists speak instead of their mouths.

It seems like all the hype I heard about Jesse is true, he does not disappoint! The UFC needs a fighter like CroCop to remind the masses that the UFC is not an extension of the WWE in an Octagon.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion; to me I disagree with this article(though, I like a lot of other articles you have written). Really, it don’t mean much what you do outside or before the fight. What matter most is what you do inside of the octogon. Everything else comes secondary…..
Once you start having that losing streak….not too many will care for you. Tito is a legend; he just happened to lose to the best. Personality is definitely a plus but winning and how you win still first.

What really matters to me is if Mirko can disconnect Tim Silvia’s body from his brain. The sooner – the better.

I think the UFC will find a way to market Mirko without Mirko having to do too much in the way of ‘face time’ with the media, fans and the whatnot. If they have to fly to Croatia (which I suspect they will do) and film Mirko working in Parliment, spending time with his family and training, etc…, they can use that footage with Joe Rogan doing the talking and be able to sell CroCop to the fans. I think it’s fitting that the UFC acquired arguably the quietest of MMA stars in Mirko at the same time they acquired one of the biggest personalities in the sport in Rampage. It shows fans the full spectrum of what fighters are like and the contrast between the 2 is interesting.

(Oh…Guy Mezger & Jenna Jameson)

Great write up Jesse…
Ironicly, I watched Gladitor the other day (just got an HDTV and upconversion DVD player… couldnt help it.) The UFC is just like the gladiator games back then, its about the Mob. But you look at argueably one of the most fierce and respected fighters in the world… Chuck Liddell and you see that other then a few sponsors, and hot beetches surrounding him, the guy is straight, cleancut and right to the point. He isnt show like Tito or Rampage. I think there are alot of MMA fans that arent bandwagoneers that see the true desire in fighting that Cro Cop shows and respects it (how else did Bonnar and Griffin win over so many fans outside of being on the show? Their roughneck approach to things.) Look at Matt Hughes… same thing. Guy comes, fights, thats about it.

But Im with you, doesnt matter. I see him wiping the floor with all but MAYBE 2 fighters in the UFC Heavyweight division. Just hope he sees Arlovski soon… great matchup.

i dont exactly understand why so many people are hyped on arlovski beating cro cop. i think sylvia has the best chance at beating him by far. trust me when i say that i like andrei a hell of a lot more than that behemoth douchebag, but the fact remains that he is a good and freakishly tall stand up fighter. and since neither him or andrei would be actively looking for a take down against cro cop i just dont see how anyone has a better chance than sylvia. an 80" reach combined with being 6’8 is the best weapon anyone has against cro cop right now. just my opinion

Sylvia’s reach won’t help him because I’m pretty sure CroCop’s leg is longer then 80 inches. The only way to stop CroCop is to take him down and Sylvia and Arlovski will have a hard time with that. Good article by the way, keep it up.

CroCop’s no different that the rest of us.

Punches in, goes to work.
Punches out, leaves work.

And for crying out loud, its his first time in UFC, do they really expect him to be so cuddly with them? I mean, even in pride, they don’t expect him to be cuddly at fans. Give him time and I’m sure he’ll give out those interviews and such. BTW, I read that he wasn’t informed that he was supposed to attend the press conference after the fight. Although he’s answer to rogan was classic :D

There is no doubt that Cro Cop is not into the UFC right now. He knew very well that he was going to be used as an exhibition tool for the UFC against Eddie Sanchez. But he’s a very smart man,he knows what it’s going to take to get the belt from Tim Sylvia. I think that Cro Cop is world class hero and a very hard working fighter. He takes his job seriosly,there’s no need for him to make press confrences,especially after a fight against Eddie Sanchez. O well,it wont be long until we see Cro Cop fight the way that we all know he does.

I think Cro Cop sizzled.

I personally find more fault in Eddie Sanchez’s post-fight interview. The floor was too slippery to implement his “game plan” and Cro Cop’s kicks didn’t hurt that much? WTF?

I thought Crop Cop left his position at the Croatian Parliment? I remember reading somewhere that he left stating that it was too hard for him to get any leverage in such an enviroment.

Good article none the less

He’s still in Parliament but most likely won’t seek a second term in 2008. He’s fed up with the nonsense. I guess politics are the same everywhere.

ive followed crocop through pride fc and if you watch pride its format is completely different,the crowd are nearly silent compared to the ufc.The ufc is a complete different atmosphere,crocop comes to do a job and thats that,he was never gonna be tito kind of person.

He cant speak english worth a shit but damn that guy can fight. So he’s in the same boat as Arlovski, but i think is truly unstoppable against the Ufc heavyweights

Mirko cant speak english worth a shit?

http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=Fighter.relatedMedia&gid=4390&ss=Cro Cop

Cro Cop & Rampage Jackson Both Fizzle at UFC Debut

 First I must commend Jesse for his exquisite writing style and flare for words! I believe Jesse, that Tito first lost to Lion’s Den Member Frank Shamrock, who was Frank Shamrock’s younger brother.

I thought that Cro Cop was okay, his kicks were solid.. I wasn’t too keen though on his outdated shorts and whole appearance. He does not have on screen personality and energy like other well rounded fighters such as Ortiz, Randy, Lieben etc…

And as for Rampage, his interiews and howling as he walked in..got us UFC fans all hyped up for nothing but a huge dissappointing mediocre fight.

On any given day Arlovski would beet Cro Cop, and Eddie Sanchez? could he have gotten an easier opponent?

As for Rampage, I know for sure, I guarantee it that Chuck Liddell would kill him in the ring!

Sunny SantorO

There u heard it people – Cro Cop has outdated shorts and doesn’t have personality and energy like other well rounded fighters such as Tito Ortiz

And yeah on any given day Arlovski would “beet” Cro Cop :)

I agree with Luppers, aside from the booing morons who dont know whats going on unless wild punches are being thrown, there are a lot of fans who can appreciate the kind of personality Cro Cop has. Me for one. I dont like Tito’s, he can crawl back into the hole he came from for all I care. I think people are looking at fighters differently now since the TUF shows. Soft spoken guys like Liddell, seem to have a way with the audiance, cause they dont boast, but still kick ass. As for the Sanchez slipping around and not being able to implement his game plan, hey, give him a break, someone defecated in his boots!

Hi Sunny,

Thanks for the very kind words. It was actually Guy Mezger who handed Tito his first loss at UFC 13. Frank Shamrock didn’t beat him until UFC 22, nearly two years later.

Oh, and Cro Cop wears checkered shorts to represent Croatia, not the 1970’s.

Yes, I am aware of the checkered shorts representing Croatia, but whats up with the style of shorts? This is a world class fighting conglomerate that is aired World Wide. Just like Ansar Chalangov, with the neon blue cycling shorts.. Whats ups with these eastern block Europeans? These guys need to be more contemporary. If they ever want Gucci to sponser them they better get some style! Just kidding, but really, it’s just disgusting, this is 2007 people, not circa 1982!

I guess time will tell, but I guarantee you all one thing, the way that Pride was outdated, so are there fighters, Cro Cop doesn’t stand a chance against Couture, who will beat Sylvia, and Rampage will be howling in pain after Liddell crushes his face in!!

Sincerely,

SunnY SantorO!

Sunny you pretty much dont know what youre talking about..

Im with Luppers…People like Forrest because hes a hardass and goes toe to toe with anyone…xyience and him being funny is a bonus.

Franklin knocks dudes out…everything else a bonus
Same with Chuck
 Matt Hughes beats a lot of top notch guys, but still has time to go over the fight with joe rogan for the sake of the audience..

Truth be told, MMA is for the fans. Just like any other sport. The fans are the reason athletes get payed so much. If youre getting payed that much money, i think you can take the time to atleast humor the fans with a couple words, maybe even a whole segment. If cro cop fights just to fight, join the croatian army and kick peoples head off when it means something…He fights MMa where a lot of people admire him, little kids im sure want to be him..he can respect that and be somewhat of a showman

MMADude is right. You really don’t know what you’re talking about Sunny. How could Couture possibly beat Cro Cop? Couture is only getting worse because of his age and he wasn’t that great to begin with. Cro Cop has always been in his prime and is a barbaric warrior.

“Yes, I am aware of the checkered shorts representing Croatia, but whats up with the style of shorts? This is a world class fighting conglomerate that is aired World Wide. Just like Ansar Chalangov, with the neon blue cycling shorts.. Whats ups with these eastern block Europeans? These guys need to be more contemporary. If they ever want Gucci to sponser them they better get some style! Just kidding, but really, it’s just disgusting, this is 2007 people, not circa 1982!

I guess time will tell, but I guarantee you all one thing, the way that Pride was outdated, so are there fighters, Cro Cop doesn’t stand a chance against Couture, who will beat Sylvia, and Rampage will be howling in pain after Liddell crushes his face in!!

Sincerely,

SunnY SantorO! "

So.. Your pretty much joking right? Outdated shorts? What the hell is this? A goddamn fashion show? You clearly dont know anything about MMA, im 15 years old, and i have never had any formal training in any type of fighting. Cro-Cop wears those shorts to reprisent Croatia (best country in the wolrd), and as for the length of them, he cant wear baggy shorts because he isn’t able to kick high in them, they tighten up where they lift high, so your pretty much on crack, or serious heavy medication. COUTURE BEATING CRO-COP? WHAT. If couture beats Sylvia, ill commit suicide. thats how confident I am. Rampage vs Lidell will be a great fight, possibly decisions, but i think rampage will win. Sunny, youve been in the sun too long, its affecting your brain.

Couture beat sylvia. oh my jesus. "If couture beats Sylvia, ill commit suicide. thats how confident I am. " – Me. wow. couture suprised me like crazy. but he still wont beat crocop, sylvia fought like a pussy. worst fight ive ever seen him fight. it was terrible. not like sylvia at all

Why are you still here Boris?

Just kidding. I felt the same way about Babalu.

Same, when i saw babalu come out, and having watched his other fights. i thought he was going to kill that poor guy. but that stumpy mofugga came out swinging and knocked his ass out. wow.

LOL! that was good Boris. Reminding us of ur quote. Great fight last night but randy will hand that belt over to cro cop. and after that babalu fight… I just shook my head. What happen to him??

Tim Sylvia is going to murder Cro Cop in the pentagon. And, after that, Tim Sylvia will take over Cro Cop’s position in Croatian parliament and pass legislation allowing men to marry their sister’s – like they do in Sylvia’s home state.

Tim Sylvia is going to murder Cro Cop in the pentagon. And, after that, Tim Sylvia will take over Cro Cop’s position in Croatian parliament and pass legislation allowing men to marry their sister’s – like they do in Sylvia’s home state.

“tim sylvia is going to murder cro cop in the PENTAGON.”

Why are you posting on this site, your clearly not a ufc fan by 2 comments in this post (same sentence). 1. “Sylvia will murder Cro-Cop.” Sylvia, i was a fan, thought he would crush couture. but he lost, terribly. He cant even beat a lightweight, he needs serious training. 2. PENTAGON? its an octagon you tool :P. your obviously a goerge bush fan :P haha. anyways, look out for Cro-Cop vs Gonzaga on the 20th, or 21st, not sure. UFC 70.

Why are you posting on this site, your clearly not a ufc fan by 2 comments in this post (same sentence). 1. “Sylvia will murder Cro-Cop.” Sylvia, i was a fan, thought he would crush couture. but he lost, terribly. He cant even beat a lightweight, he needs serious training. 2. PENTAGON? its an octagon you tool

Ha! I’m the tool?!? Anyone with an IQ over 70 could have figured out that my post was a joke. By the ways, who the hell would ever be a fan of Tim Sylvia? The guy is a big redneck, fat, and absolutely retarded. My post was making fun of him (i.e.: passing legislation in Croatian Parliament to allow brothers marry their sisters – REDNECK!)

Cro Cop will destroy him when they fight. And, I had my money on Courture. That being said, I don’t understand your “goerge” -or rather George – Bush comment. How does that apply? Are UFC opinions indicative of people’s political preferences? I’m Canadian, and I sympathize for Americans as they have had their country severely damaged (and not by their choice, i.e.: 2000 election) by that idiot. Even more regrettable is the damage done to other countries by George Dubbya Bush.

No emotion? Are you kidding? Cro Cop has always talked very politely during prefight interviews and in bushido 4 he was seen joking around with Bas Rutten about his suit. Every time I seen him he has a smile on his face and an intelligent thing to say. Just because he isn’t Quinton Jackson, who says stuff like “ooh damn that boy just got socked in the face!” and “MMaaann, have you eva seen a black sumo wrestler?”, doesnt mean he has no character.

CRO COP is a true champion and he will crush who stap on front of him. Respect to all CRO COP fans.

I just heard about this and thought I share it:

Post-Fighter interview with Scott Ferrell on the Sirius Radio show, Eddie Sanchez said some interesting things. Here are snippets:

“Crocop doesnt kick hard, in fact my girlfriend kicks harder”

“I wish they didn’t stop the fight becuase I was gonna put it on him in the second round.”

“I cant wait till he wins the title so i can get a rematch and take the title from him.”

“My manager is already putting in for a rematch becuase the fight was stop short.

“Europeans smell like shit. I had to ask my corner man if i had any of that stink in my hair.”

Oh, regarding the source (just to be correct), you can download a copy of the show here: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=V049RXJ6

The trashtalking starts at minute 138. What a wanker – I’d like to see him say that into Cro Cops face. When Cro Cop fought Dos Caras in Pride and KOed him really bad, Dos Caras was also badmouthing him afterwards.

Cro Cop on his fight with Dos Caras Jr.: “I grazed his head with my left leg, after that he had 6 stiches. If I had kicked him instead of punching him after that KO, I would have killed him. If I knew before what was he talking about me and how arrogant he was before the fight, he would’ve ended up even worse” :D

Eddie Sanchez can talk but I have seen his fight he was running from CRO COP like little kid.He was lucky thay stoped fight or will be bad for him.