Mania, you should also give props to John, for finding this out. He had mentioned it yesterday in a couple of threads.

That’s real..Crop Cop in the pic looks like father time is knocking on his door.

LOL, I was just going to say that it looks like Cro Cop aged at least 15 years during his fight with Kongo. Geez. My great-grandfather looks younger and better – even after getting kicked in the nuts. Its not like the nuts are located on the face, or if you get kicked in the nuts, the wrinkles transfer to your face.

Damn why does he look so old. He’s only 33 I don’t know why he think’s he’s too old to fight. Sure there’s a lot of young guys fighting now, but look at Randy. He’s got Crocop by 15 years and he’s the champ.

I’m sure every fighter feels that way when they’re getting beaten down. Hope he hangs around. I think he still has some fight left in him. Hard to continue after the knees and the rib.

At this point I dont really care what cro cop is gonna do. He has to be The BIGGEST disapointment in UFC History.

Thanks Mike!

They should feed him a couple of so/so fighters to lift up his spirits a bit and give him some confidence. I still think he could be the best heavy weight in the game. Have him drop down to 205 and kick the shit out of Bisbing????

man, this guy has some serious mental roadblocks to get past. it sucks to see such a talented striker not being able to “get off”. he was a serious force in pride, and if it wasn’t for fedor and big nog he would have been HW champ for a long time. i hope he gets his shit together though ~ he is the only guy i’ve ever seen hurt fedor. maybe ironhead fujita too.

come on Cro Cop whoop some ass in the cage!

At this point I dont really care what cro cop is gonna do. He has to be The BIGGEST disapointment in UFC History.

Thanks Mike!

Seriously. After hearing about him coming to the UFC I watched a bunch of videos on YouTube. I thought he was nuts, with the high kicks and all. The match against Sanchez was a joke. He should have ko’d him in a minute or less. He got KTFO against Gonzaga, and did absolultely nothing against Kongo. I’m not taking anything away from Kongo. I think he’s a solid fighter and he’s one of my favorite heavyweights. He did what he needed to do to get a decisive win and did it easily. I don’t think that Crocop threw more than 2 punches the entire fight. Sure he broke his rib, but people get injured in fights all the time. I don’t care if he retires after watching his last “performance”

It’s funny how at 33 Cro Cop is old. Randy Couture had his first fight in the Octagon at age 33. That was just the start of his career not the end. Chuck, Dan Henderson, both very productive well past 33. The difference with those three is that they evolved their fighting styles with time and Cro Cop is still one dimensional.

Cro Cop could have stop Congo easy if he came out and said forget the strikes, shot for a leg and took him down because Congo’s ground game is suspect. But stubborn Cro Cop thinks he’s gonna sprawl and brawl and knock everybody out.

He should quit if he’s not going to become more well rounded because the Heavyweight divsion now doesn’t have many Eddie Sanchez’s

Cro Cop could have beat the shit out of Kongo but he just needs to get his head in the game. Hang in there Cro Cop!

I was really disappointed with the last fight. Kongo looked great and put plainly Mirko got his shit handed to him. While I really want to see Cro Cop fight again. None of us want to see him tarnish his legacy by becoming another Ken Shamrock at the end of his career. Its just a shame that most American fans have never gotten to see him at his best. A lot of his earlier fights are truly impressive.

And John Mirko hasn’t lived up to our expectations for him yet, but it has proved that the Heavyweight division in the UFC was much more competitive than people had previously thought. Has he been disappointing.. yes, but the biggest disappointment ever… not even close.

krocop should of fought orlowski that would of been some match. he should get the chuck liddell vs wanda silva urgent. why the fuck does chuck have to fight jardine? sopposing chuck gets knocked out??

when wanda signed the contract with dana he said hell fight anyone so what was the problem fighting chuck straight away.. ]

now hes put wanda to fight till xmas december, what a waiste of time. with the people killing to see wanda coming in and now he aint fighting till xmas…
thir will be no chuck vs wanda.. if chuck gets knocked out.

dana white has his favoutites and waistes time to make his own money.

randy couture is dana’s favourite so he wont bring in fedor yet?? fedor is dying to come into ufc, but dana as usaull is waisting time…
fedor is an animal and will kill randy. and kick and rock ufc to pieces. so too will shogun..and of course wanda. but u see dana wants chuck to get his confidence back. cus he knows wanda is a killer.

im pissed at ufc at the moment. fights take too long. bring back pride or K1.

Violent Mike and everyone else, I found this cro cop news yesterday on ufcbetting.blogspot.com. This site lists threads from UFC mania, MMA on tap, and MMA HQ and it will connect you to the previously mentioned sites. I never directly go to UFCmania.com, I log on to this site and I click on the threads listed under UFCMANIA.com to blog. Check this site out, not only will it give you all the news from the previously mentioned websites, but it lists the betting odds for all the upcomming events. Its a real cool site, I would suggest doing your blogging from that site instead of logging on directly to UFCMANIA.com

Check the site out at ufcbetting.blogspot.com

I have to disagree that Kongo looked great in this fight. He did what he needed to do to win but did not provide any evidence that he is anywhere near to deserving a title shot. I seriously doubt he could get past Arlovski & would not make it past the 2nd round against Couture. If not for the broken rib Cro Cop probably finishes Kongo or at least earns a decision victory. Mirko will probably never be in contention for the title but could still be an entertaining fighter & I’d pay to see his next fight considering his past. He has to change his entrance music though. Anyone who comes to the ring playing Duran Duran deserves to get his ass kicked!

I was really disappointed with the last fight. Kongo looked great and put plainly Mirko got his shit handed to him. While I really want to see Cro Cop fight again. None of us want to see him tarnish his legacy by becoming another Ken Shamrock at the end of his career. Its just a shame that most American fans have never gotten to see him at his best. A lot of his earlier fights are truly impressive.

And John Mirko hasn’t lived up to our expectations for him yet, but it has proved that the Heavyweight division in the UFC was much more competitive than people had previously thought. Has he been disappointing.. yes, but the biggest disappointment ever… not even close.

For the amount of money that Dana has invested in cro cop, and how dominating cro cop was before comming to the UFC. I would have to say that he is the most dissapointing signee of the UFC. Mirko is only 33 years old, he isnt too old, He is just flat out dissapointing.

It’s funny how at 33 Cro Cop is old. Randy Couture had his first fight in the Octagon at age 33. That was just the start of his career not the end. Chuck, Dan Henderson, both very productive well past 33. The difference with those three is that they evolved their fighting styles with time and Cro Cop is still one dimensional.

When considering how ‘old’ a fighter is, two things must be considered, their age, AND the amount of punishments and beatings they have taken to thier head/brain. The human head was not designed to be repeatedly hit with overhand rights and high kicks. Many boxers are forced into early retirement simply from the amount of damage done to their head and brain over thier career.

Before competing in MMA, Cro Cop competed in K1, which is kickboxing, so it is obviously more brutal than just plain old boxing. Plus, the hands are padded, but the legs are not. So before Cro Cop was in PRIDE, his head and brain had gone through some big time punishment while competing in Kickboxing. Fighters even take beatings during training, not just ‘during the fight.’

On the other hand, Randy Couture and Dan Henderson were both GrecoRoman wrestlers before the UFC. GrecoRoman wrestling is also a very high level combat sport, but there is no striking involved (does that go against the definition of combat sport – I’m not sure). Therefore, Randy and Dan were not taking beatings to the dome-piece on a daily basis before coming to the UFC.

This has a lot to do with why Randy is still able to compete at this age – simply put, he has not taken the same amount of punishment to the head and brain as a wrestler that a boxer, kickboxer, or MMA fighter would. Just about all of today’s up and coming stars of MMA began their MMA training at an early age. Much earlier than the stars of today, and yesteryear. Hopefully this does not lead to the early retirements of some of our favorite fighters. For example, I can’t imagine Leonard Garcia going through 5 fights a year against Roger Huerta (assumming the fights go the same as their first fight) for 15 years. He would probably be a vegetable by the age of 27.

But the topic of conversation is why Cro Cop looks so old. My post could help explain why Cro Cop FEELS so old, but how he got to looking like an Albino California Raisin is anybody’s guess. Wow, is he wrinkly for 33!

he,s just used to the ring. he also needs to work on his ground game he has more talent than tito and tito just signed a big deal and tito is a punk

Mania forgot to tell everyone this is a pic of his great great great great great … great great great great grand father. …. lol

kongo should of been disqualfied for his low blows after the nut shots mirko was’t the same

You guy’s need to calm down on the Randy’s 44 and Cro cop is 33 and shouldn’t be complaining about “being to old.” You guy’s have to remember between K1, Pride and the UFC, Cro Cop has fought about 60 fights. That’s a buttload of fights. I think there is a reason why he looks so run down. Not to mention how busy his personal life is.

If Couture or Liddell was being kneed in the balls like that you can bet your ass points would have been deducted.Cro Cop had every reason to get upset during that fight. Big John wasn’t doing his job.

Cro Cop justs needs some time off.

One other thing….just because he lost two fights doesn’t mean his career is over. Cro Cop has provided us with alot of great fights and great highlight reels over the years. Show the man some respect.

Alot is being made of this comment that, personally I feel isn’t there to be made.Mirko swore and felt down in the heat of a fight being both down and in pain no doubt.

We all say things we don’t mean, I don’t buy the argument he is only in it for the money, or the view he is disrespectful…christ people say “f**k this” when asked to do things at work but they don’t hold that view permanently again heat of the moment.

He just needs some time to sort his head out and get a win under his belt. If he went on to win his next 3 fights he would be back in the title picture (obviously depending on manner of victory) and if he could be then persuaded to sign for three further fights it would not be imrpobable to believe the second one could be a title shot.

And after that anything is possible….
His next fight will be the make or break….His last one just made everything from now on even more crucial, and the worry for Mirko is seemingly his inability to handle pressure.

maybe most fighters figure out what really needs to beat crocop,
watch for the left kick & kongo done a great job blocking all cropcop’s kick,mirko’s weapon is lethal,one clean hit then you’re done,
but i think most fighter learned how to neutralize it as time goes by,
but still im pissed of regarding knees to the nuts. & rgrding broken ribs,just watch BJ penn vs matt huges 2,BJ wasn’t the real BJ anymore when he got his rib broken. so same as crocop

Cro Cop will be back. He is too good to continue losing like this. Fans would still pay to see him fight the loser of Sylvia vs. Vera. I know for sure fans would pay to see Cro Cop take on Arlovski, too.

One other thing….just because he lost two fights doesn’t mean his career is over. Cro Cop has provided us with alot of great fights and great highlight reels over the years. Show the man some respect.

i respect CC a great deal, and i’m sure most people on this site do too. i think we just had so high of expectations when we heard he signed that we can’t help being a little dissapointed.

but on a good note, he did beat Sanchez (he better of) he lost to GG by brutal head kick that would of KOd pretty much anyone, and he lost a decision to CK after a broken rib and a couple nut shots.

i doubt he’s done ~ he just ran into a little bad luck. if the tide turns and he hits a run of good fortune, i’m sure we’ll all be able to enjoy a couple more highlight reel KOs (of his opponents, not him :P) and he could definately be right back in the mix in HW with a 2 or 3 fight win streak, which i’m sure would make him and DW want to extend his contract.

CroCop’s problem is strategy, everyone has figured his out and how to defend against it to the point that if he doesn’t change it then his beatings are just going to continue.

I was under the impression that he said this after the knees to the nuts, as if he was trying to get Big John to do something about that

One other thing….just because he lost two fights doesn’t mean his career is over. Cro Cop has provided us with alot of great fights and great highlight reels over the years. Show the man some respect.

i respect CC a great deal, and i’m sure most people on this site do too. i think we just had so high of expectations when we heard he signed that we can’t help being a little dissapointed.

but on a good note, he did beat Sanchez (he better of) he lost to GG by brutal head kick that would of KOd pretty much anyone, and he lost a decision to CK after a broken rib and a couple nut shots.

i doubt he’s done ~ he just ran into a little bad luck. if the tide turns and he hits a run of good fortune, i’m sure we’ll all be able to enjoy a couple more highlight reel KOs (of his opponents, not him :P) and he could definately be right back in the mix in HW with a 2 or 3 fight win streak, which i’m sure would make him and DW want to extend his contract.

There is no way the UFC is extending this guys contract. He will officially go down as the biggest bust the company has ever signed!

Dana White will see if CC is still a marketable fighter and what division, CC won’t fight probably til Spring 08 if ever. He is kind of small for Heavyweight with no wrestling ability, and lightheavy weight is too stacked, but there could be some exciting matches CC vs Chuck, Rampage, Bisping, Tito. I think AA is in the same boat, I would mind seeing CC vs AA in December.

The thing is if we are talking marketable as in sales and ppv draws it doesn’t matter how many times he gets k.o’ed he will bring in buys so I feel Dana would extend his contract.

The thing is if we are talking marketable as in sales and ppv draws it doesn’t matter how many times he gets k.o’ed he will bring in buys so I feel Dana would extend his contract.

Why would he bring in buys? The guy had almost no name recognition in North America before he came to the UFC, and since then has been walloped twice. The casual fans aren’t going to think much of him now.

krocop should of fought orlowski that would of been some match.

lol that has to be the worst spelling of arlovski and cro cop I’ve ever seen.

I think its funny that you posted an OLD picture of Cro Cop from after the GG fight. Could have picked a different pic and not insulted a legend…. All you haters can take a hike.

I just wish everyone would stop saying “suspect.” Every damn thing that’s questionable is “suspect” now that one person said it…funny.

I too hope Cro Cop can get his head right… he still has fights on his contract so I don’t think he can just “quit” yet.

At the end of the day Mirko is still “crocop” and that will never change.
I think he could use some time off and could stand to bump down a weight class while in the ufc.

I think its funny that you posted an OLD picture of Cro Cop from after the GG fight. Could have picked a different pic and not insulted a legend…. All you haters can take a hike.

Good point.

This has a lot to do with why Randy is still able to compete at this age – simply put, he has not taken the same amount of punishment to the head and brain as a wrestler that a boxer, kickboxer, or MMA fighter would. Just about all of today’s up and coming stars of MMA began their MMA training at an early age. Much earlier than the stars of today, and yesteryear. Hopefully this does not lead to the early retirements of some of our favorite fighters. For example, I can’t imagine Leonard Garcia going through 5 fights a year against Roger Huerta (assumming the fights go the same as their first fight) for 15 years. He would probably be a vegetable by the age of 27.

Excellent point, ViolentMike: “The first MMA fan to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated!!”

I think its funny that you posted an OLD picture of Cro Cop from after the GG fight. Could have picked a different pic and not insulted a legend…. All you haters can take a hike.

Does it really matter whether it was taken before or after the fight? You can primp his face with make-up all you want, but his fighting style will always be outdated…He’s getting absolutely exploited! I can only imagine Dana White taking out his frustrations out on his poor peons.

A man who has a couple consecutive losses, with as many respectable fights as Crocop, will continue to draw a crowd and make money for the business of mma. Shamrock drew a record breaking crowd in Tito vs Shamrock 3. Even if Liddell loses, people would still pay to see him redeem there after. Who is going to tune in to the next bout of Silva vs Franklin? A sh*t load. Not only because Anderson is great, but it’s b/c people know that Franklin had respectable past fights. I could go on with the list of ‘must watch’ fighters, regardless of there record, but you get the point.

Who is going to tune in to the next bout of Silva vs Franklin?

The reason I will pay to watch that event is because I am a die-hard fan of mma, and I order every UFC PPV, so the fact that the card sucks, doesn’t change the fact that I will be buying it.

However, if I was more of a casual fan, there is NO WAY that I would order that PPV!!!!!!!!!

Okay, numerous points here.

1. That picture was after his loss to Gonzaga.

2. Crocop is old in fighter terms, at least mentally. Lengthy K-1 and Pride career. Check out his career, tonnes of fights.

3. I would say he is moreso old mentally than physically. Physically he still has the means to do it.

4. His heart isn’t in it anymore.

5. I didn’t buy into this whole, ’I’d hate to be Mirko’s next opponent after that loss, he always comes back stronger’. Not the case, look at him against Kanehara an absolute can albeit he won the fight.

6. Like 4 he already expressed his desire to retire before he even inked the UFC contract.

7. He never wanted to fight in the UFC but the money was too good. (Not actually a fact, just my honest opinion, apologies for stating it like a fact.)

8. His skill level in terms of standup is way down. Bonjasky and Yvel said he was at like 40% skill wise of his K-1 days.

9. CC at 80% of his K-1 standup up skill cleans out the division, that’s according to his former coach.

10. His training was all wrong, again according to his old coach. Too many different coaches and yes men. Trained for brute strength (weights extensively) rather than working on explosive power and plyometrics. In other words his old coach said he was fit and in great shape for something, but not for mma.

If he is to have one last crack at it I’d say bring back his old coach, see a sports shrink, take 6 months off and come out to some bitchin’ music and fight like his son Ivan’s life depended on it.

If his heart really isn’t in it, I hope he does the right thing and walks away from it all it’s not like he needs the money really.

dont now what to think about cro cop, wish someone could explain. it has to be mental, what a waste!

Even if he doesn’t quit, I’m not sure I want to keep watching him. I just feel bad afterwards. What the hell happened? Its like, all of the sudden, everyone figured him out.

I can’t rag on the guy too much because I didn’t watch or order too much pride when he was over there cleaning house…I do have to say though…he’s stinking up the joint here. The Gonzaga loss is pretty legitimate because I say he holds the belt within the next year and has it for some time..But the loss to Kongo? Yeah he might of had a broken rib or kneed in the ball sack a few times…but where is his devastating kicks and strikes? He should of ended that fight well before his balls got shattered….And this pic…He looks like an old, retired KGB member…

Cro Cop’s next fight…. Cro Cop 235 lbs vs Father Time 245 lbs. Father Time defeats Cro Cop 35 seconds in to the first round via Old Man Fatigue.

I love how everyone calls out Cro Cop because of two bad performances…give the guy a break. He’s coming off the worst KO loss in his career, then fights a guy who breaks his ribs in the first round….having broken ribs before, I can’t imagine what it’d be like to try and fend off a 240lb guy trying to kill you. Fighters win, fighters lose, and most of the time it takes a few loses to get your head straight. Cro Cop isn’t gonna quit, he’s just not mentally fit for competition right now, he needs some R&R back home, and then he needs to fly over to Canuck land with GSP and have some one on one with a shrink.

And everyone who claims Cro Cop sucks, look at his Pride fights for god’s sake….complete domination unless he’s fighting Fedor, Big Nog, and Hunt. I don’t count the Randleman loss either, simply because he choked the hell outta him in the rematch.

ViolentMike I think you were the first to point out the lengthy stints he has had in other org’s very good point.

However when you look at Jeremy Horn he makes 60 fights seem like the number for novices, he has had over 100 fights with his last being just this month. However I do agree that being in K-1 and then Pride will batter your brain in Cro Cops defense.

I think his time is done, when you are doubting yourself it takes that edge away from you, you no longer train, think or fight the same way.

I don’t know who has bigger problems Cro Cop or Tanner!

A broken rib totally imobilizes your body. I have great respect for him for not quitting and finishing the fight. I mean to stand up there and take even more punishment is incredible. I have more respect for Cro Cop now. And I lost respect for Kongo who I used to be a fan of, if you have someone who cant move or get any power in his kicks and punches and you cant knock them out. I dont know what to tell you.

Oh and by the way rather than calling a man who has given us some of the greatest fights in MMA history a dissapointment wether true or not, we should focus on and thank him for the years he has put his body through punishment for our entertainment.

His only mistake is that of many great fighters of yester not adapting with changes in the sport, in short he hasn’t evolved while MMA is evolving everyday.

does anyone else get the feeling Joe Rogan has a “hate one” for Cro Cop? All fighters lose and go through bad times. after the GG loss Rogan was on him in interviews. now I am sure Rogan hears lots of other fighters talk in the ring. Why pick this one to talk about in the press? just a thought.

ViolentMike I think you were the first to point out the lengthy stints he has had in other org’s very good point.
However when you look at Jeremy Horn he makes 60 fights seem like the number for novices, he has had over 100 fights with his last being just this month. However I do agree that being in K-1 and then Pride will batter your brain in Cro Cops defense.

Yes I was, thanks Holdin Ropes.

And to add upon Jeremy Horn. I think that the two most amazing things about Horn is that in 1999, he had 21 fights and went 20-1 including a win over Chuck Liddell. ALSO, prior to his rematch with Chuck, he was NEVER knocked out in over 90 professional MMA fights. To quote Joe Rogan, “THAT’S INSANE!!!!!!”

Either way Crocop will fight one more time, Wandi lost twice and he is coming back, but if he looses the third time, Dana White will terminate his contract.

Guys, let’s not count out Cro Cop. Let’s look at Hermes Franca. He lost a few fights in a row. He got his skills together and fought Sherk for the title. If Franca can fight for the title in a stacked division; Cro Cop can definately make it, too.

Oh and by the way rather than calling a man who has given us some of the greatest fights in MMA history a dissapointment wether true or not, we should focus on and thank him for the years he has put his body through punishment for our entertainment.

His only mistake is that of many great fighters of yester not adapting with changes in the sport, in short he hasn’t evolved while MMA is evolving everyday.

well said my man, you made me feel bad.

Guys, let’s not count out Cro Cop. Let’s look at Hermes Franca. He lost a few fights in a row. He got his skills together and fought Sherk for the title. If Franca can fight for the title in a stacked division; Cro Cop can definately make it, too.

the only problem is the ufc is not gone to pay his top dollar price to keep fighting franca was able to stay bc the ufc did not mind paying his 8 thousand. i like to watch cro cop but he is no longer an A level fighter so the ufc will not pay his as so.

Very Sad for mma

not only was he in K1, and pride getting messed up, he was in the Special Forces in anti-terrorism in his country, i’m sure that along with serving in politics took years off his life! look at the majority of his losses. they all came from MONSTER hits (gonzaga, hoost, randleman). cut the guy some slack. the last i checked i had cro cop winning the first round against Kongo. even with broken ribs he was throwing that high kick on someone like 6’5 in Kongo. he did take kongo down at the end of the first and was giving him some GNP but then the round ended. round 2 happens he breaks his rib and catches like 4 or 5 vicious dead on low blows

Well at least he broke a rib, and didnt suck just because. I expect an Eddie Sanchez beatdown in his next fight.

I would hate to see one of the most devastating strikers leave the game but I think his time might have past

Cro Cop looks like he is 50 years old in that picture.

Maybe it is time to hang it up for Cro Cop. I for one will miss his fights. It is sad that he never truly adjusted to or atleast had some good fights in the Octagon. I will hope he makes one more go and hopefully gets it right. Farewell, to a great MMA fighter!

QUESTION: Where is FEDOR? Who was it the Swore Fedor has signed. “Relax” they said. Lossing Cro Cop and seeing him a fraction of him former self leaves me wanting some good news! Was it you PhilNQY? HW division needs Fedor and Fedor needs the UFC to stay the best!

I have been a huge fan of UFC but something about cro cop i just can’t get enough of watching him when he fights was it in K1 pride and ufc, just something about him and i don’t care if he lost two in a row, everyone has their ups and downs. I would pay to see cro cop fight for sure at any price. I hope he doesn’t quit

Oh and by the way rather than calling a man who has given us some of the greatest fights in MMA history a dissapointment wether true or not, we should focus on and thank him for the years he has put his body through punishment for our entertainment.

His only mistake is that of many great fighters of yester not adapting with changes in the sport, in short he hasn’t evolved while MMA is evolving everyday.

couldn’t have said it better myself.

lol that has to be the worst spelling of arlovski and cro cop I’ve ever seen.

 
    Word.

Hes got a busted rib and took a couple cup checks seriously he did pretty good considering..

And yea how did you manage the spelling on that one…although not gonna lie that would have been a badass matchup..the one i was really hoping for…

It’s funny how at 33 Cro Cop is old. Randy Couture had his first fight in the Octagon at age 33. That was just the start of his career not the end. Chuck, Dan Henderson, both very productive well past 33. The difference with those three is that they evolved their fighting styles with time and Cro Cop is still one dimensional.

Yeah, like how Chuck can KO you with the right or the right.

Haha Chuck is very one dimensional. But on CC, I feel for him man, it sucks, he just pplain out lost it, simple as that.

Either way Crocop will fight one more time, Wandi lost twice and he is coming back, but if he looses the third time, Dana White will terminate his contract.

No he won’t.

kongo should of been disqualified for his low blows after the nut shots mirko wasn’t the same

Thank you, one of the few people that state this. All I hear is how great Kongo looked, those frickin knees to the balls didn’t look good.

Kongo landed TWO illegal hits, he should have been disqualified.
People were appalled with the taps that GSP gave to Matt Hughes, but these were straight shots, right in the baby maker.

I AGREE WITH SOME EARLIER COMMENTS THERE IS ALWAYS 205

Damn why does he look so old. He’s only 33 I don’t know why he think’s he’s too old to fight. Sure there’s a lot of young guys fighting now, but look at Randy. He’s got Crocop by 15 years and he’s the champ.

I think what Cro Cop needs is some time away from the game. When it starts becoming a job and not a passion, that’s when you get into trouble.

I agree 6 months off with his old coach. The way to beat CC is to Straight after him with your hands up. he is the opposite of chuck, chuck has success backpedling.

Let him at herring.

mirko could still be a top level fighter

perhaps an octagon is not the best place for him to compete

perhaps his skill set (pure striker) doesnt transfer well at all

in a pride ring without elbows it seemed pretty easy for guys to get back to their feet with minimal damage if they wer traken down

perhaps he needs to go fight somewhere else

k1 or bodog vs fedor if both were free agents would be a huge match regardless of if mirkos lost a couple

how many fights are meant to be left on his ufc contract ?

i seem to recall a 6 fight deal so 3 left unless dana pays him off and terminates

i still think there are some sdecent fights in ufc for him
tim sylvia, arlovski , chuck and wanderlei

im sure chuck would happily waive the weight limit and goto HW to fight CC

kongo wasn’t impressive at all in this fight! he looked like a killer against christian welsch but his fight with carmello marerro was just emberassing. his ground game looked a little better against crocop but randy couture is an EXTREMELY bad match up for cheick. he couldn’t stop randy’s takedown for his life!

It really makes me sick how quick fans can turn on a fighter after they lose a couple fights. This isnt boxing. The best fighters in the world will lose several fights before they retire or get retired.

1. Gonzaga knocked him out by a sick head kick that would knock anyone in world out. Especially after eating a few elbows. It’s tough to come back from a vicious knockout like that for anybody no matter how tough, even crocop.

2. Against Kongo, he came out strong in the first round until he broke a rib. Have any of you ever had a rib broken? Those of you who have probably arent the ones dumping on him & know how bad it hurts to even breath let alone move around and try kickbox with some gigantic monster while getting repeatedly kneed in the balls.

3. Crocop is still a top 5 contender, and by far one of the most exciting fighters to see in the cage. He had two consecutive bad showings, but I think they were more bad luck than anything else. He will be back & he will be the champ soon (if randy ever retires – maybe when he’s 50 or so).

Thank you, one of the few people that state this. All I hear is how great Kongo looked, those frickin knees to the balls didn’t look good.

Kongo landed TWO illegal hits, he should have been disqualified.
People were appalled with the taps that GSP gave to Matt Hughes, but these were straight shots, right in the baby maker.

Kongo, did not impress me at all, he didnt even come close to finishing crocop and the guy had a broken rib!

I think he only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract so what’s the point? Maybe he should just hang it up. He WAS a great fighter as late as 2005. Stick with Croatian parliment buddy.

I think he only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract so what’s the point? Maybe he should just hang it up. He WAS a great fighter as late as 2005. Stick with Croatian parliment buddy.

he still has 3 fight contract left, maybe if he win his next 2 fights then he’ll have a chance for title contention, but if he loose in his next fight,then i think that it for him

I think he only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract so what’s the point? Maybe he should just hang it up. He WAS a great fighter as late as 2005. Stick with Croatian parliment buddy.

Actually he won the Pride GP in September of ‘06, destroying Wandi (who weighed 221 for that fight) and Barnett in a single night. I find it hard to believe that he aged so quickly which makes me feel that it’s the mental that is weighing him down. So really he WAS at the top of his game a year ago almost to the day.

crocop losing his spirit

There is no way the UFC is extending this guys contract. He will officially go down as the biggest bust the company has ever signed!

I was really disappointed with the last fight. Kongo looked great and put plainly Mirko got his shit handed to him. While I really want to see Cro Cop fight again. None of us want to see him tarnish his legacy by becoming another Ken Shamrock at the end of his career. Its just a shame that most American fans have never gotten to see him at his best. A lot of his earlier fights are truly impressive.
And John Mirko hasn’t lived up to our expectations for him yet, but it has proved that the Heavyweight division in the UFC was much more competitive than people had previously thought. Has he been disappointing.. yes, but the biggest disappointment ever… not even close.

I hardly think he will become a Ken Shamrock, But I don’t see why everyone is so surprised,that he lost to 2 beasts who can kick just as hard (probably harder, they both did break bones their last fights). CC never fought anyone in Pride where their kicks compared to his. There is alot of bad matchups for him in the UFC , but his ground game has improved and against the right guy I think he could look impressive and I don’t mean Eddie Sanchez.

he still has 3 fight contract left, maybe if he win his next 2 fights then he’ll have a chance for title contention, but if he loose in his next fight,then i think that it for him

Is that you hammil? hA

randy couture is dana’s favourite so he wont bring in fedor yet?? fedor is dying to come into ufc, but dana as usaull is waisting time…
fedor is an animal and will kill randy. and kick and rock ufc to pieces. so too will shogun..and of course wanda. but u see dana wants chuck to get his confidence back. cus he knows wanda is a killer.

.

Funny thing is so many people talk about how Randy is going to get mauled by Fedor. I really do not think Fedor is going to come and run through Randy. I think personaly it is going to be 25 minutes of backs to the cage “Imposing Wills”, as Randy says, dirty boxing. I love Fedor one of my favorite, more so then Randy, but to think Fedor is coming to the UFC and basically just going to the ring grab, the belt, pimp smack Randy and walk outis nuts. That is the picture that lots of people are painting. Randy right now expecially is going to be hard for anyone to beat.

Haha Chuck is very one dimensional. But on CC, I feel for him man, it sucks, he just pplain out lost it, simple as that.

Chuck chooses to win by Ko, he uses his exellent wrestling skill defencivly, to stay on his feet. If Chuck was one dimensional there is no way he would have stayed champ that long. I guess Anderson Silva is one dimensional also.

A broken rib totally imobilizes your body. I have great respect for him for not quitting and finishing the fight. I mean to stand up there and take even more punishment is incredible. I have more respect for Cro Cop now. And I lost respect for Kongo who I used to be a fan of, if you have someone who cant move or get any power in his kicks and punches and you cant knock them out. I dont know what to tell you.

Any idea on how many ribs he broke? I broke 3 of mine about 6 months ago in a bike accident, and when it happened it took me a few minutes to even stand.

I think he only has one fight remaining on his UFC contract so what’s the point? Maybe he should just hang it up. He WAS a great fighter as late as 2005. Stick with Croatian parliment buddy.
Actually he won the Pride GP in September of "06, destroying Wandi (who weighed 221 for that fight) and Barnett in a single night. I find it hard to believe that he aged so quickly which makes me feel that it’s the mental that is weighing him down. So really he WAS at the top of his game a year ago almost to the day.

I’ve heard every excuse in the book except for the most obvious, THE UFC HW DIVISION NEVER WAS SECOND RATE TO PRIDE HWs.

Damn why does he look so old. He’s only 33 I don’t know why he think’s he’s too old to fight. Sure there’s a lot of young guys fighting now, but look at Randy. He’s got Crocop by 15 years and he’s the champ.

I don’t think you could ever compare CroCop and Couture. CroCop wants to quit with a broken rib, Couture fights through a broken arm to retain his championship. His age isn’t the problem, it is his desire.

I’d just like to make the point here, particularly to those that have only seen Mirko’s UFC bouts, that vintage Mirko would massacre nearly everyone in the division, Couture included. However at the moment he is not the same man.

Yes Mirko isn’t great on the ground and never will be but to be honest his bread and butter, his standup is what’s letting him down. This was the type of guy that you couldn’t stand with unless you wanted your head taken off and you couldn’t shoot in because as soon as you did it would be lights out. He even had a fantastic sprawl. He was effectively similar to Chuck stylistically, but of course more polished.

That stuff I mentioned applied to about 95% of fighters, exceptions being the likes of Fedor, Nog back in the day because you could hit him in the head with a sledgehammer and the hammer would give first lol.

Basically at the moment Mirko is CroCrap. You can’t say he’s been found out because he’s not the same fighter anymore. He needs to train striking extensively again if he decides to continue. If he brings that K-1 heat he’s back in business.

An unfortunate turn of events for Mirko. Everyone (pro athletes or not) has bad streaks throughout their lives, we’re human, bad streaks are natural (we just have to hope that the good streaks outpoint them in the grand scheme of things). MMA is such a competitive world though so these bad streaks are emphasized more than many athletes in other sports will ever know.

Here is a man who gave us years of wonderful performances and demonstrations of true heart and courage. Yet, he gets knocked out and then breaks his rib(s) in a second fight leading to a loss and people question him beyond belief.

The fall from grace in MMA is astounding. Babalu went from a title fight to the prelims with 2 losses. Cro Cop went from 2006 OWGP champion to what we see before us with 2 losses.

Mirko is truly amazing and I applaud all he has done, no matter what direction he chooses to take from here forward.

Crocop is still a top 5 contender, and by far one of the most exciting fighters to see in the cage. He had two consecutive bad showings, but I think they were more bad luck than anything else. He will be back & he will be the champ soon (if randy ever retires – maybe when he’s 50 or so).

I would have to disagree Horvor. After two straigt losses, Cro Cop is definately not in the Top 5 of the division.

Currently above Cro Cop are the folling fighters (not in order)

- Randy Couture
- Big Nog
- Gabe Gonzaga
- Tim Sylvia
- Andrei Arlovski
- Chiek Kongo
- Brandon Vera
- Possibly even Fabricio Werdum. Yup, that’s right, I just said Fabricio Werdum.

That puts Cro Cop no higher than 8 right now.

As a matter of fact, Cro Cop needs to fight an opponent who is ranked lower than he is. BUT, that’s what he did in his last 2 fights, and he lost them both. I think that Fabricio Werdum would be a perfect next oppononet for Cro Cop.

As a matter of fact, I have Cro Cop currently in the same category as Heath Herring. They are both 1-2 in the UFC, but Herring hasn’t been finished like Cro Cop has. Plus one of Herring’s losses was against Big Nog. That Herring fight seemed a little fishy to me. LOL Herring, fishy…

- Possibly even Fabricio Werdum. Yup, that’s right, I just said Fabricio Werdum.

That puts Cro Cop no higher than 8 right now.

As a matter of fact, Cro Cop needs to fight an opponent who is ranked lower than he is. BUT, that’s what he did in his last 2 fights, and he lost them both. I think that Fabricio Werdum would be a perfect next oppononet for Cro Cop.

Violet Mike, that is just blasphemy. But, I eo have to agree to give crocop a warmup type confidence building fight. Sad for me to admit, but I would actually be a little nervous to watch crocop fight werdum (CC is one of my favorite fighters obviously). I think he needs to fight eddie sanchez again, pretend those 2 straight loses never happened, and continue with the momentum he had after winning that fight.

I think he needs to fight eddie sanchez again, pretend those 2 straight loses never happened, and continue with the momentum he had after winning that fight.

LOL, that’s actually pretty funny!

Cro cop should drop down a weight class. I think he would be a better fighter at 205.

now hes put wanda to fight till xmas december, what a waiste of time. with the people killing to see wanda coming in and now he aint fighting till xmas…
thir will be no chuck vs wanda.. if chuck gets knocked out.

dana white has his favoutites and waistes time to make his own money.

randy couture is dana’s favourite so he wont bring in fedor yet?? fedor is dying to come into ufc, but dana as usaull is waisting time…
fedor is an animal and will kill randy. and kick and rock ufc to pieces. so too will shogun..and of course wanda. but u see dana wants chuck to get his confidence back. cus he knows wanda is a killer.

im pissed at ufc at the moment. fights take too long. bring back pride or K1.

wow zobondo your an ignorant one…….. get your facts straight b4 you critizice it will do you a favor….. first of all… the point was to build up a title contention match between arlovski and cro cop… cro cop needed another win first after getting ktfo, so it was supposed to be mirko beats kongo… then we see cro cop vs arlovski.. not any more obviously…. Chuck Liddell and wandy were supposed to fight almost a year ago… pride contract disputes didnt allow it, now that they have him they were supposed to fight in october, wandy didnt want to fight in october he wante dto fight in november. chuck wanted to fight as soon as possible to get back on track…. chuck fights jardine to get his confidence back and to see if jardine is really a contender. dana doesnt pick fight outcomes (rampage ring any bells?) if it were up to him chuck would still b champ… but its not his decision… and what you said about fedor is (with all respect) the dumbest crap ive ever heard of… dana was having meeting with fedors agents every week but they couldnt reach an agreement because he is in moscow and this is USA.. the UFC was offering him the most money… hes not “dying” to b here if that was true he would b here by now…. he would not KILL randy… randy was supposed to have gotten KILLED by vitor in their first fight… supposed to have gotten KILLED by Rizzo, KILLED by Randleman… KILLED by chuck the first time…. KILLED by Tito, EATEN ALIVE by tym Sylvia, and OUTWORKED by Gonzaga. shouldnt we have learned something by now, the odds are definetely against him i have my thoughts on fedor winning but not KILLING, and i would never bet randy out, not anymore

oh and fabricio werdum and cro cop were close training partners and wredum was mirkos jiujitsu coach…. that fight is highly unlikely

Some of you guys are way too quick to jump on the CroCop sucks bandwagon.
It’s true, Gonzaga surprised the ish out of Crocop and dominated him. But that’s one fight.
A broken rib is a different story! Do you know how painful a broken rib is? Please don’t act like you would be able to continue fighting (and well) with a broken rib if you’ve never experienced one.

Ive been sayin for days now that CC needs to suck it up and drop down to LHW cuz almost everyone of his bouts he is the smaller opponent.And its gettin old hearin Randys name when someone mentions CC retiring.Not every athlete has the same endurance.Some fighters just become battle weary quicker than others and really Randy is a damn freak of nature!(But as soon as he decides to Fedor will impose His will on ole Captain A.!KNOW THIS!)

Old is when you know your body feels old. Age has nothing to do with what you feel if whether you can still fight or not. I think Cro cop feels he isn’t his old self anymore. Randy Couture on the other hand has maintained a great healthy lifestyle and it must be some lucky genes to be good at that age. Plus Randy Couture’s best skill is his clinch and wrestling which is an advantage if your an aging stand-up fighter.
I think Cro cop can still win a lot of fights but he won’t be as good as he used to be. And another disadvantage is that people know his moves too much already. He has never changed nor improved his style since before

A quick analysis of Crocop; The most legendary striker fighter

Weakness:
-Easily identifiable strategy when pressure is applied
-Defined Set of styles, combition of kicks and strikes
-Neglected use of additional weapons: Elbows, Clinch, Takedown
-Neglected use of wrestling and submission techniques
-Neglected use of forward thrust Thai Kick (ie buakaw vs masato fight)
-Right leg strikes
-one dimensional takedown defense, (fedor sambo dominated)
-Leg strikes are much slower that of punches and elbows
-Alternating LH, RH strikes during progression of attack
-Unfamiliarity of the octagon
-One – Dimensional same strategy for all fights
-Style of fighting is not the best for Octagon
-Lacks Turnaround agression
-“runs away” from pressured attacks strikes (fedor fight)
-“choosy, waiting for target fighter”, requires more instinct and control technique

Strengths:
-Utilization of powerful strikes, highly accurate, only in close combat
-Left High Kick, fastest, most powerful and dominant striking weapon in MMA Combat cranium crackers
-Left Mid Kick, tremendous power, possible to shatter rib bones
-Momentum, forward moving agression
-Style of fighting suited for ring environment
-High Level of instinct and control, has to be furthered
-Punches are devastating, not easily countered
-Counter attack is automatic
-Extremely Unpredictable striking, highly instinctive fighters have a chance to evade
-One of the best, the best K1 Level Striker for weight class
-Proabably the Top “striker to striker” fighter in the world
-Prior knowledge of opponent techniques etc.

Striking and long range attacks:

An attack / strike has to travel a longer distance than an elbow, submission attempts can actually
be a much faster tool from Point A to B. Striking is more detectable to instincts because of the
required movement of the human body, much more obvious than ground submission movements.

Striking can be much more devastating technique as there are numberous targets for the striker to choose, at the same time, grappling is just as effective because of the very small distance required
to attain hold in clinch position.

I believe that the UFC unknowingly set Mirko up for failure.You bring in someone who was considered no. 2 or 3 in the world and put him against a virtual nobody.No disrespect to Eddie Sanchez but lets be serious.Mirko barely broke a sweat in that fight.That fight I believe set the tempo for his next match.I also believe Mirko underestimated and probably undertrained for Gonzaga which resulted in that loss.Which was also a brutal KO.In the Kongo fight he did start to look like the Mirko of old in the first round but supposidly broke his rib which resulted in a decision loss.I was impressed with Mirkos submission attemts at the end of the first round.It seems his ground game improved greatly.My question is why not put the guy against the best right off the rip.As a huge Crocop fan I hope to see him rise like the competitor he really is.