NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Did anybody see that coming? Just shows you Mirko could not cut it inside the UFC.

I had high hopes for Cro Cop, just like Dana did. Ultimately, though, Mirko was a disappointment and a waste of money.

had high hopes for Cro Cop, just like Dana did. Ultimately, though, Mirko was a disappointment and a waste of money.

I second that.

Damn Cro Cop is so weak. So he decides to leave because he lost 2 in a row. the greatest fighters lose, but come back strong. look at chuck liddell, randy, rampage and many other great fighters. usually if your in a strong devision you will eventually loose to someone. he seems to be so arrogant, like he actually started to believe in his own hype. it actually took two fights in the octagon before he decided to buy a octagon to train in, which makes no sense to me.I already know that if he goes to japan and starts winning against weaker competition, all his die hard fans will be like, cro cops back with his one trick, the lhk. pretty pathetic for someone who was once ranked #2 in the world

daaamn! I really hoped for CC vs Goznaga 2 fight :(

I never respected Cro cop and if he leaves the UFC confirms what I always said. Cro cop is NOT an MMA fighter. He did well in K1 and kicked some more heads in pride.

His Jiu jitsu = SUCKS
Wrestling = SUCKS
Stan up = Good

The evolution of MMA and coming into the octagon shows who’s who.

I want to see Fedor in the octagon.

Also he would loose with Tim Silvia and randy.

What it suck he goes to Japan to fight who…. How many japan champs do you have in US. They are all little man where he can kick them in the head. Good for you Cro crap, go to a B level.

The dram of pride is over. Pride is OVER.

Compare GSP with Cro crap. Cro crap is just a K1 fighter, GSP is an MMA fighter.
Bye you all.

Can’t say I’m all broken up about it. Hope the new organization works out, though.

I am a major fan of cro cop, was looking forward to seeing a revitalised crop cop come back in serious shape and do serious damage to UFC heavyweights. Im so dissapointed, i thought he wanted to prove himself, looks like hes only in it for the money!

I have higher hopes for a new “pride” than i do for cro cop. He’s probably taking a big step down in competition and more than likely will be remembered exactly as you said; for what he didn’t do in the octagon.

Oh well, no big deal.

Its a shame that he couldn’t bring his pride form over but hey you can’t blame Dana for not wanting to stump up that much money for an undercard fighter.

If you can’t take the heat - do what Fedor does, lower the competition!

Mirko has turned into the new Fedor. He is leaving grade A competiton, to go to some lower bait organization, that will give him nothing but bottom feeders.

Hell, maybe in a year we will see “Fighting Cro Cop” airing living on Japaneese Television.

I just cant see this DREAM organization working. It will pretty much be a copy of Pride and to be honest the concept is pretty much gone. I cant see how he can win as the level of fighters there, for now anyway, will be much inferior to those currently fighting in USA. His reputation is completely gone now. He will only be paired up against C class Japanese fighters. He will probably be their first HW champion but who cares, there is no competition there, not straight away anyway. I dont think we can even consider him being in the top 10 HW in the world after running scared from the UFC and US, definately not top 5.

CroCop = Dissappointment and embarassment

To quote what someone posted in another thread: “If you can’t beat the best, leave and go fight people smaller than you.”

Very impressive, Mirko. Very impressive…

He needs to fight in Japan, its the only place he can win..

Does any of you speculate that many of the former PRIDE fighters were using steroid when they fought in Japan? They never checked steroid in Japan. Many of them seem a lot weaker in UFC and I was wondering if it had anything to do with less strict regulation and sometimes no testing in Japan.

To bad, he came he saw and was scared shitless. I hope the best for Crocop because I have been a fan of him before I knew who Chuck Liddell was. The UFC is setting the bar , you can’t be a good striker, or a good wrestler, or a good bjj guy, or a good kickboxer , you have to be the best MMA fighter. Good luck Mirko, PRIDE is dead my friend.

freakin’ BS! just because he got kneed in the balls he joins some unknown organization that is most likely going to die after UFC dominates all the other organizations in a few years. Yeah, he is CRO CRAP now….F@CK!

This is like the Patroits asking to play in the CFL next year since they lost to the Giants on the big stage. Some fighters get beat and come back stronger (Chuck, GSP, Randy) others either dont put themselves out there or lose and leave to fight smaller weaker competition (Fedor, Cro Cop) After shogun loses again will he too leave and head to Dream land as well?? What a joke. Cro Cop will always be remembered as the guy who got his head ripped off by GG in the States plain and simple.

You people seem to ignore the fact that this was also in UFC’s absolute best interest. They wanted to renegotiate his contract or cut him due to this cost/performance ratio. From Cro Cop’s viewpoint, he would have had to have taken a major pay cut to stay and the UFC HW Division is falling apart. Plus the cage thing of course. Those are the FACTS as we know them.

Speculation: If he’s had problems with motivation, why not go fight where he’ll be motivated? Anyone who saw his NYE appearance for Hustle could understand how someone would want to go back to that environment rather than being stuck on cards in England with really no upwards mobility for the duration of his contract, and we can be assured there has been a lot of lobbying going on from FEG, probably starting before that NYE-show.

I certainly won’t rule out that an element of cowardism may have played part, but I don’t really see how potential fights with Fedor, Barnett, Couture, Arlovski, Junior Silva and perhaps even Sylvia can be called a step down in competition.

My personal opinion: He was unhappy and went “home” when he got the chance. Plenty of top athletes have done this in the past, and for many, perhaps even most, it turns out to the better for the athlete. Step out, regroup, see where it goes. Fine! Realistically his UFC career wad dead after that Kongo-fight.

I dont think he wanted to quit, the UFC was going to give him a pay cut. That dosnt really make sense even if he is on a losing streak, he can be used to set up up-and-comers. I mean, a win against Cro Cop would be a good way to hype up a risng star, even if he is in the decline of his career(dont even know if thats true). There could have been some sweet matches like Cro Cop v Arlovski or Cro Cop v Silvia. It would have made the UFC some big money, and justified keeping him around. Come on Dana your not willing to pay Mirko 350k but your willing to pay Lesnar 250k. I dont get you bloggers your glad to see Cro Cop leave and excited about Lesnar. If thats how they treat an established fighter after a two fight losing streak, then Lesnar should be fired if he loses his next match.

Cro Cop running scared or the UFC cutting him loose? That is the big question.

I am very interested to find out if/how the UFC got out of Cro Cop’s contract. I am sure that Randy and his lawyers will be examining the fine print of all of this to try and see if they can find a loophole to get Randy away from the UFC for good.

Compare GSP with Cro crap. Cro crap is just a K1 fighter, GSP is an MMA fighter.
Bye you all.

Just curious, but what does GSP have to do with Cro Cop???

Peace CroCrap, never believed all the hype around this guy, he has one weapon thats it.

Still wish that Couture wiped the floor with this chump, but oh well, a no name knocked his chin into the cheap seats.

Just yet another Pride guy that cant hack it in the UFC.

Screw Cro Cop. 2nd best in the world my ass. He’s not even the 2nd best European HW. I hope AA comes over there to kick Cro Cop’s ass then come back to the UFC lol.Or more realistically, have Sergey Kharitonov fight him. Sayonara Cro Cop.

The sad part for me is this is another loss for the UFC HW division. CroCop may have never lived up to the hype but he was still a drawing card for the UFC and the division.

They get out of CroCop’s contract but won’t let Randy out of his….

I never respected Cro cop and if he leaves the UFC confirms what I always said. Cro cop is NOT an MMA fighter. He did well in K1 and kicked some more heads in pride.

His Jiu jitsu = SUCKS
Wrestling = SUCKS
Stan up = Good

The evolution of MMA and coming into the octagon shows who’s who.

I want to see Fedor in the octagon.

Also he would loose with Tim Silvia and randy.

What it suck he goes to Japan to fight who…. How many japan champs do you have in US. They are all little man where he can kick them in the head. Good for you Cro crap, go to a B level.

The dram of pride is over. Pride is OVER.

Compare GSP with Cro crap. Cro crap is just a K1 fighter, GSP is an MMA fighter.
Bye you all.

this is a really stupid comment all around.

Does any of you speculate that many of the former PRIDE fighters were using steroid when they fought in Japan? They never checked steroid in Japan. Many of them seem a lot weaker in UFC and I was wondering if it had anything to do with less strict regulation and sometimes no testing in Japan.

Ya think. I’ve been saying that from day one. Do a google search for cheque drops. A coincidence that some of the Pride fighters don’t fight with the same aggression that they did in Pride? Of course the critics will say the that the fighters were tested at Pride 33, an event held in the U.S. I didnt’ see the fight so I can’t say what kindof aggression Wanderlei and the other fighters fought with. Some say Wandy was sick during that fight…was he really sick? All I know is that he didn’t have his trademark stare down face when he fought Chuck and Shogun (hurt knee or not) did not fight with half of the aggression he did in pride.

I hope some big names follow him to this new promotion eventually.

Here’s the reason CC cut and run. I bet the DREAM group will be using a boxing ring for their matches.

HEIWA DREAM.1 Lightweight GP 2008 Opener
Date: March 15th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

LW GP 1st Round Fights:
J.Z. Calvan vs. Shinya Aoki

LW GP Participants:
Andre Dida
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Caol Uno
Joachim Hansen
Gilbert Melendez
Luiz Azeredo
Artur Oumakhanov
Koutetsu Boku
Jung Bu-Kyung
Kazuyuki Miyata
Luiz Firmino

what a damn joke!!

Haha..cro cop didn’t see that highlight KO coming from Gonzaga. I though he had potential but the cage isn’t just made for him.

this is a really stupid comment all around.

Agreed.

Damn Cro Cop is so weak. So he decides to leave because he lost 2 in a row. the greatest fighters lose, but come back strong. look at chuck liddell, randy, rampage and many other great fighters. usually if your in a strong devision you will eventually loose to someone. he seems to be so arrogant, like he actually started to believe in his own hype. it actually took two fights in the octagon before he decided to buy a octagon to train in, which makes no sense to me.I already know that if he goes to japan and starts winning against weaker competition, all his die hard fans will be like, cro cops back with his one trick, the lhk. pretty pathetic for someone who was once ranked #2 in the world

The difference being that Dana never tried to make chcuk take less money to fight after 2 losses. Why should he have to take a paycut. No one said that Chuck was a pussy for getting his ass handed to him by Rampage in Pride. Some people are meant to fight in a ring and some the octagon. I’m sure that had Dana not tried to lowball him he would have fought again inside the Octagon. and before anyone says that he didn’t deserve the money because he lost 2 times in a row. A lot of guys do but don’t have to take paycuts. Danan may be the cheapest bastard alive. It’s funny when pro wrestlers make more money in the WWE than a real fighter makes.

As much as I respect Cro Cop, I don’t see his departure as a bad thing. It shows that the UFC has some integrity in their assessment for internal rankings. The fact that they had an uncomfortable time paying him for the ranking he deserves somewhat shows that the UFC is not willing to budge. Am I wrong?

Cro Cop is a puss, I wish he didn’t decide to bounce outta tha UFC like this, but if he can’t hang it there just cause he isn’t winning then fuck him hes gay. I lost a lot of respect for him cause of this move.

I think it’s great that Cro Cop wants to go back to Japan and help upstart a new PRIDE. Kudos Cro Cop. Best of luck to you.

damn, thats bad news. I was hoping he would rematch gonzaga…ah well i just hope he gets back in the cage one day – i think he will be around for another good 3 years, at least.

Anyone who thinks Cro Cop is a “wus” should step into the ring with him. His style just doesn’t match up to the octagon well. Check out a highlight reel of his and still tell me he’s a wus. Good luck to him…I hope the new organization does well.

He would have made a great light-heavyweight..

This is too bad, I will be sorry to see him go elsewhere. Maybe he needed more time to adapt. Hell, Chuck just lost two in a row in the same fashion. Are they ready to ship him out or cut his pay? I know the Iceman has more marketability in the US but CroCop IS a top level MMA athlete and should be in the UFC.

Here is another instance where the UFC’s payroll is messing up the roster. They want Randy to honor his contract but then do not want to honor their end of CroCops deal, which they agreed upon. So they just dump him off to Japan.

Dana and the UFCs antics are getting old

It’s funny when pro wrestlers make more money in the WWE than a real fighter makes.

Fake wrestlers must put on a show like 5 nights a week. Real fighters have to fight like 3 times a year. From a financial standpoint,

5 × 52 weeks = 260 sold out venues per year

compared to

3 sold out venues per year.

So clearly, fake wrestling is able to bring in more revenue from a “ticket”/“gate” perspective.

I think Cro Cop has made a good decision, but poor on the part of the UFC, who have cut and run or lowballed many top tier fighters. I believe Cro Cop deserved a possibly pay cut after that 2-fight losing streak, but so did Chuck (but Dana wouldn’t do that to poster-boy Chuck would he?), and I don’t even want to get into the Arlovski situation (3 win streak = not title shot, but 1 win ‘streak’, boring-fighter Sylvia does?). This was an issue of money, not opponents, and the UFC is crap when it comes to money, huge payouts to marketable people, but merit means little apparently (where’s Thiago Silva or Machida’s title shots when they put up unbeaten records, but Forrest Griffin beats 1 top ranked guy and gets to star in new TUF and gets title shot?), its all money and exposure over merit.

As for Dream, looks good. Their opening event looks impressive from a lightweight perspective. As for competition being weak in Japan, I think that’s crap, just because they haven’t fought in the ‘almighty’ octagon doesn’t automatically make them second-tier fighters.

Crocop is a SMALL heavyweight (especially in America), I would have liked to see him finish his remaining 2 fights in the UFC at 205…

Crocop vs Keith Jardine or Chuck would have been great to see… Perhaps even Crocop vs Houston Alexander…

Crocop should be fighting at 205… Not heavyweight…

Just curious, but what does GSP have to do with Cro Cop???

Good Post. I am very curious to see the caliber of opponents he faces over in Japan. I know he will warm up against a Japanease Can who has heart and will take a huge beating. As Mike pointed out, Hopefully he eventually gets tested by a top notch opponent to find out if he is really DONE or just wasnt built for the UFC

I was disapointed for a minute….then I thought about how poorly he perfromed against Kongo. Kongo is essentially the same fighter as Cro Cop is. Mirko couldn’t even beat him. He is now an after thought of what could of been. It’s time to move on. I compare Cro Cop to Jordan in a Wizards jersey…

sad to see him go, well with the 350 g’s they saved they should go sign tito and andre with the money. they need to keep arlovski now with cro cop gone, randy, and arlovski there isn’t any main competition anywhere from who frank mir and werdum give me a break they need to sign some guys

CRO COP CLARIFICATION!
From Cindy Ortiz on the UG

From: CindyO
Date: 02/13/08 06:02 AM
Member Since: 02/10/2006
4234 Total Posts Ignore User

I just talked to DW and this is what he had to say:
The split was amicable and the terms were decided on in advance. Cro Cops $350k (plus bonuses) contract had a clause in it stating that if he lost two consecutive fights Zuffa had the right to void the existing agreement and negotiate a new one.

CC never dreamed that he would be so overwhelmed by the level of competition he has faced in the UFC so far and and the losses have impacted him mentally.

The UFC did NOT cut Cro Cop from the roster nor did they threaten to make him sit out until his contract expired if he didn’t take the pay cut deal.

Rather than negotiate a new contract with the UFC right now (and risk racking up more losses), Cro Cop wants to get a couple of tune up fights (and wins) in some of the smaller shows (no more tune up matches for him in the UFC) in hopes of rebuilding his confidence and getting himself back on track.

DW understood completely and supported Cro Cop in his decision. The last thing DW wants to do is shell out a six-figure purse to a fighter that isn’t fighting worth a dayum. Even though it would have been lower than the original figure, it would still be a waste of money and resources.

Cro Cops ultimate goal is to win the UFC HW championship belt and DW believes he still has the potential to accomplish that goal. CC’s plan when he signed with the UFC was, “I will become Champion after three matches. I will need two and a half or three months off between each match. I expect to hold the UFC belt by the Summer. Then I want Pride Champion Fedor Emelianenko, Vs Me the UFC Heavyweight Champion on New Years Eve.”

This is from Cindy Ortiz a very very reliable source.

Fake wrestlers must put on a show like 5 nights a week. Real fighters have to fight like 3 times a year. From a financial standpoint,

5 × 52 weeks = 260 sold out venues per year

compared to

3 sold out venues per year.

So clearly, fake wrestling is able to bring in more revenue from a “ticket”/“gate” perspective.

“FAKE” wrestlers have to make a LOT of sacrifices, such as being away from their families for 300 days per year, working while injured (benoit for example worked for over a year with 3 herniated disks in his neck and finally had surgery when one of them exploded). so yeah, they make a lot of money, but like Brock Lesnar decided, the money wasn’t worth the disadvantages that went with it and he walked away from making millions of dollars per year.

i don’t either way you look at it its a lose lose situation for crocop. If he looses in Japan he is officialy done with MMA and if he lets say becomes champ over there nobody will really care but instead say oh well he can do it in japan but not in the top elite organization.

But he isn’t retiring and why would he. He is gona make some money beating up cans which i would too and hell i’ll even take a beating for some money too. Well CC good luck.

Gotta wish the guy luck. Hope he gets back to form and maybe makes a return to the UFC. His leaving is sad and hes leaving a sad division.

CRO COP CLARIFICATION!
From Cindy Ortiz on the UG

From: CindyO
Date: 02/13/08 06:02 AM
Member Since: 02/10/2006
4234 Total Posts Ignore User

I just talked to DW and this is what he had to say:
The split was amicable and the terms were decided on in advance. Cro Cops $350k (plus bonuses) contract had a clause in it stating that if he lost two consecutive fights Zuffa had the right to void the existing agreement and negotiate a new one.

CC never dreamed that he would be so overwhelmed by the level of competition he has faced in the UFC so far and and the losses have impacted him mentally.

The UFC did NOT cut Cro Cop from the roster nor did they threaten to make him sit out until his contract expired if he didn’t take the pay cut deal.

Rather than negotiate a new contract with the UFC right now (and risk racking up more losses), Cro Cop wants to get a couple of tune up fights (and wins) in some of the smaller shows (no more tune up matches for him in the UFC) in hopes of rebuilding his confidence and getting himself back on track.

DW understood completely and supported Cro Cop in his decision. The last thing DW wants to do is shell out a six-figure purse to a fighter that isn’t fighting worth a dayum. Even though it would have been lower than the original figure, it would still be a waste of money and resources.

Cro Cops ultimate goal is to win the UFC HW championship belt and DW believes he still has the potential to accomplish that goal. CC’s plan when he signed with the UFC was, “I will become Champion after three matches. I will need two and a half or three months off between each match. I expect to hold the UFC belt by the Summer. Then I want Pride Champion Fedor Emelianenko, Vs Me the UFC Heavyweight Champion on New Years Eve.”

This is from Cindy Ortiz a very very reliable source.

Wait so what does this mean that he will be back in UFC at some point? Becauese if thats the case then i will take my comments back about Crocop.

lol i guess he learned from Fedor that you can make more money smashing cans. Recycling sure is popular with these “unstoppable beasts”.

If he doesnt eventually come back to the UFC and prove himself, his legacy will be seriously tarnished. Mirko is a PROUD guy and as a fighter I dont think he wants to retire without avenging the embaressment he has suffered in America. I expect his PRIDE to bring him back to the UFC after he beats up on a few Japanease CANS

HEIWA DREAM.1 Lightweight GP 2008 Opener
Date: March 15th, 2008
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan

LW GP 1st Round Fights:
J.Z. Calvan vs. Shinya Aoki

LW GP Participants:
Andre Dida
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Tatsuya Kawajiri
Caol Uno
Joachim Hansen
Gilbert Melendez
Luiz Azeredo
Artur Oumakhanov
Koutetsu Boku
Jung Bu-Kyung
Kazuyuki Miyata
Luiz Firmino

Is this true? R they really having a lightweight grand prix with all these amazing fighters or is this just speculation and wishful thinking? I hope this turns out true. I know Gomi is signed to WVR, but I will be surprised if a lightweight grand prix takes place in Japan and Gomi isnt a part of it. If this event actually takes place Gopmi cant be a part of it because he will be facing Duane Ludwig in March. It will be realy interesting to see who wins out of this impressive talent pool of lightweights

As an mma fan this is biggest insult I have seen in my life This guy is shame for all the fans that have followed his career as a fighter.Going to another organization to fight because you lost the last two fights.I’d better stop writing this shit.All I have to say I will never buy any of his fights.

he will be back.

This is going to be the trend for these older washed up has beens….CroCrap..Fedor..soon, Tito and Randy. They are all going to chase the cash instead of fighting against the best in the world. They will be getting paid on name recognition only.

It sucks he left but it never hurts to have more MMA. If he helps make this new organization a success good for him and it and us. I like the UFC and think it has most of the best fighters but I like to watch other organizations as well. Hope the best for CroCop and his new home(hopefully for just a little while).

Just yet another Pride guy that cant hack it in the UFC.

Hahaha oh yeah? Just like Anderson Silva, Rampage and Big Nog right??? Three out of 5 UFC belts held by former PRIDE fighters. I’m not saying Pride is better than UFC and I have never believed that, but to say pride fighters can’t hack it in the UFC is just a really dumb statement.

i don’t get it, liddell lost 2 in a row. The keyboard warriors didn’t crap all over him the way they are CC. everyone loses. stop talking junk.

“FAKE” wrestlers have to make a LOT of sacrifices, such as being away from their families for 300 days per year, working while injured (benoit for example worked for over a year with 3 herniated disks in his neck and finally had surgery when one of them exploded). so yeah, they make a lot of money, but like Brock Lesnar decided, the money wasn’t worth the disadvantages that went with it and he walked away from making millions of dollars per year.

Thank you. I never understood all the crap that pro wrestlers get. I’ve never justified them being real pro athletes or fighters, but their line of work is one of the toughest to be in. America is supposed to be about the blue-collar worker. Well, being a pro-wrestler is as blue-collar as it gets. A lot of them grind it out to make money for themselves and their family.

I know with out a shadow of a doubt Mirko will be back in the UFC. He wants to get his confidence and fire back to compete by getting some wins under his belt in Japan then come back to the UFC. Ths way he can still make a boat load of money overseas which he will and come back to the ufc stronger and re-focused

I saw some training photos of Mirkos gym He now has a huge ufc logo and his new octogon, hardly sounds like a person who is turning his back on the ufc for good.

And you know he was watching UFC 81 where nogiera became the new UFC HW champion a guy who mirko was all but beating single handedly until a fight ending arm bar. You can only imagine that as cro cop was watching that fight with the fire and passion to win ufc gold burning on all cylinders inside of him.

Hopefully cc will Kick some heads off in Japan and regain his killer instinct and come back to the UFC. Its not looking good in the hvwt divsion.

Go back to the minors, Cro Crop. Don’t come back until you are ready for another beating.

I am a huge fan of Cro Cop, but this is seriously the most disapointing aspect of his career thus far, not even the losses to gonzaga or kongo make me as upset as this move. Here’s hoping he comes back in a year and actually makes a statement because his legacy in the states is pathetic.

dreamy..

Thank you. I never understood all the crap that pro wrestlers get. I’ve never justified them being real pro athletes or fighters, but their line of work is one of the toughest to be in. America is supposed to be about the blue-collar worker. Well, being a pro-wrestler is as blue-collar as it gets. A lot of them grind it out to make money for themselves and their family.

Cro Cop running scared or the UFC cutting him loose? That is the big question.

Yeah I wonder. I said the other day I had a bad feeling in my gut about this. It’s a pity, I expected great things from this guy.

Fair enough he beat the snot out of all these undersized guys in Pride but he also whupped Nog until Nog does what Nog does (actually that might not be a great example; everyone looks like they’ve won after a fight with him), he put a beatdown on Barnett 3 times. Wanderlei Silva, Coleman and Randleman. Throw A. Emelianenko into the mix. Heath Herring too for what it’s worth. Even Fedor said Crocop was his toughest fight to date. He’s also been in there with Mark Hunt.

As much as I like him, how did he go from Crocop to Crocrap? Did he ‘roid up? (Still don’t think so). Sincerely hope not. I pretty much said before that there was no way he would.

Unfortunately, due to his lacklustre tenure in the UFC, the casual fan will always remember him as the guy that couldn’t cut it with the top dogs (hahaha…Kongo a top dog yeah right).

I wish him the best, but that belt in DREAM is worthless until we see what top guys they can snap up (none at the moment it seems). It pains me to say it but he looks like a dog running away with his tail between his legs.

Question: Was it a matter of the UFC trying to pay him less for his remaining fights on his contract or trying to sign him to a new one worth way less. I reckon it must be the formerbecause why would you want to resign him at all based on his poor displays to date.

Here’s the thing I would respect him more if he had said that the management were treating him like $h!t and he was going to retire or go to M-1 for some unfinished business with a certain Russian cyborg or K-1 proper, not this new mma start up. If he wins against a couple of hams no one will give him credit and rightly so.

He mustn’t have any interest anymore in being the best. His fighting career is about money now it seems (not that he needs it as far as I’m aware). Hmmm, maybe he’d be more suited to the WWE or that Japanese wrestling org. Oh yeah his wrestling sucks lol.

No more war the futhamuckin’ crocop…Until he announces a cross promotional bout with Fedor. That would win me over again. Please let it be so.

It’s kinda simple given what I’ve heard. Dana wanted him to reform his contract, Cro Cop said a contract is a contract, and Dana used his trump card by threatening to shelf him for the duration of the contract. WTF? I thought Randy was supposed to honor his cotnract but Dana can repudiate his obligations when it comes to CRo Cop’s contract. What a loser. For all he’s accomplished, he’s managing the UFC while it is at its peak horribly. Be a professional. Now you have potentially Arlovski, Cro Cop, Randy, Fedor, and Josh Barnett all outside the UFC’s heavyweight division! Great job.

Both parties involved have egg on their faces.

This is rigoddamndiculous. I did see that Dream’s rules will be to only utilize on method of strikes, ex. punch, knee, left high kick etc… with no wrestling or clinching. Good luck sell out. Thanks for increasing the pay per view price on your way out!

He isnt running away from the UFC. Havnt any of you heard about the Randy drama, fighters dont get to choose when they are released from their contracts. He was asked to take a pay cut or get the hell out. How come the same didnt happen to Chuck after two crappy fights, and now chuck is on the come back ( I hope). They should have given Mirko another chance, at least one more fight.

Crocop is a SMALL heavyweight (especially in America), I would have liked to see him finish his remaining 2 fights in the UFC at 205…

Crocop vs Keith Jardine or Chuck would have been great to see… Perhaps even Crocop vs Houston Alexander…

Crocop should be fighting at 205… Not heavyweight…

I don’t think so, the guy walks around at 242 when he is not fighting, and he does not have an ounce of fat on him. A cut to 205 would be a really dangerous cut for Crocop and would take away a substantial amount of his striking power.

No more war the futhamuckin’ crocop…Until he announces a cross promotional bout with Fedor. That would win me over again. Please let it be so.

I think that if Fedor were to fight Cro Cop again, he would not stand there and trade blows with him for the whole fight. I, and everyone else, am extremely happy that Fedor
“hunted down the hunter” in their first fight. But if they were to have a 2nd fight, Fedor would/should just take him to the ground and submit him.

I guess Mirko has decided that he wants to be good at what he is good at. He wants to kick box, so he’s going to go somewhere where he can compete. He probably doesnt want to learn the ground game at this stage of his career.

Mirko should get in touch with GSP. Maybe he can refer him to a good sports shrink. A good sporst pych guy and a good matchmaker and cro cop could be back the way we know him.

Just curious, but what does GSP have to do with Cro Cop???

The material difference between Couture and Cro Cop is that Couture is an American citizen and Cro Cop is not. Cro Cop can breach his employment contract and really not have to worry about any judgments because he lives outside the U.S. and most likely does not have any assets in the U.S. I make that assumption because if he did have assets in America, then he most likely would not risk the liabilities associated with any judgment. (I do not have anything to back up my assuption.) If the UFC sues, obtains a judgment, and tries to enforce the judgment, then what are they going to do if Cro Cop is half way across the world and has no assets in the U.S.?

It gets back to what I always say, some guys are more suited to the ropes, especially kickboxers. The UFC is heavily waited in favour of wrestlers, or ground n pound, due to fighters ability to press opponents against the cage.

You can’t do that on ropes and therefore are more likely to stay on your feet. And lets not forget .. Pride encouraged knockouts over submission and regularly stood opponents back on their feet.

Mirko – you have lost a lot of respect in my books due to your failure to adapt as a true MMA fighter and not take on the challenge to evolve (and this is coming from one of his biggest fans)

I think that if Fedor were to fight Cro Cop again, he would not stand there and trade blows with him for the whole fight. I, and everyone else, am extremely happy that Fedor
“hunted down the hunter” in their first fight. But if they were to have a 2nd fight, Fedor would/should just take him to the ground and submit him.

Yeah I agree. In the 1st fight Fedor just stood with him to prove a point. If they fought again Fedor would do what Fedor does…..Throw u to the mat and drop BOMBS on u!

Yeah I agree. In the 1st fight Fedor just stood with him to prove a point. If they fought again Fedor would do what Fedor does…..Throw u to the mat and drop BOMBS on u!

Well that’s kind of right I think. Apparently he couldn’t grip, grapple etc too well because of his injured hand so presumbably his hand was injected and it would go numb with the striking possibly ( I thought you wouldn’t strike with a damaged hand. I thought it would be vice versa but that’s what the big man said).

Still I too was surprised that he didn’t just g’n’p the $h!t out of him. I want that fight because…well nostalgia really.

I missed that post from Cindy on the UG at a first glance. I hope that it’s true but we’ll have to wait and see.

CroCop is ANOTHER gutless ponce. He’ll be getting married to Fedor soon and they can live merrily together fighting roadsweepers :)

Crocop Fedor= Overrated crap

MrAngry – why do people always find a way to bag Fedor? If he were in the UFC he would beat the Champ and you would love him. Don’t keep making these uneducated comments, they just take up to much space and I hate scrolling to far.

One thing strikes me about this tune-up against Japanese cans thing though. It’s in a RING!!! Mirko hates the cage. That story is dubious. Maybe Mirko did say that stuff but I don’t think he’ll be back in the UFC. Ever the pessimist. Of course I hope I’m wrong.

The UFC is heavily waited in favour of wrestlers, or ground n pound, due to fighters ability to press opponents against the cage.
You can’t do that on ropes and therefore are more likely to stay on your feet. And lets not forget .. Pride encouraged knockouts over submission and regularly stood opponents back on their feet.

I have always thought this. Despite Fedor’s great ground game he was smart enough to try and lure Randy into his den, the ring. Of course he could do this, both guys want to fight each other but while Fedor could wait, Couture can’t; he doesn’t have time on his side so he had to make the move first so to speak. Advantage Fedor.

Im a really huge Cro cop fan but i am very shocked that this happened. DAMN IT. he should just suck it up and fight. i mean look at elvis sinosic….hes still losing and he dont give a shit. im pissed.

It’s kinda simple given what I’ve heard. Dana wanted him to reform his contract, Cro Cop said a contract is a contract, and Dana used his trump card by threatening to shelf him for the duration of the contract. WTF? I thought Randy was supposed to honor his cotnract but Dana can repudiate his obligations when it comes to CRo Cop’s contract. What a loser. For all he’s accomplished, he’s managing the UFC while it is at its peak horribly. Be a professional. Now you have potentially Arlovski, Cro Cop, Randy, Fedor, and Josh Barnett all outside the UFC’s heavyweight division! Great job.

Are you Cro Cop’s agent?? How could you possibly know this?

“He’ll look to regain his old form; however, unless Cro Cop returns to the UFC before he retires he might always be remembered, at least here in the states, for what he didn’t do in the Octagon rather than what he accomplished outside of it.”

Dont get why you put that statement…..

Why didnt you add that HE SAID he will avenge both his losses in the future?? Yes dana will accept him back later on once hes pwnd some faces im 100%sure of it.

Im a really huge Cro cop fan but i am very shocked that this happened. DAMN IT. he should just suck it up and fight. i mean look at elvis sinosic….hes still losing and he dont give a shit. im pissed.

Ah yes…The good old King of Rock ‘n’ Rumble. He’s a tough SOB but he can’t fight to save his life, or cut weight; he should be at 185. Just as well the refs call it when they do. I saw him fight this British guy, Paul Cahoon and he got knocked the fcuk out after like 20 seconds with one punch, he walked right into it.

Though he was born in Australia, his parents are both Croatian. He comes from the same stock as Mirko lol. Oi grow a pair Mirko, look at your Aussie cousin.

Agreed.

I SECOND THAT!

On another note, yes even fans of cro cop like myself might b a little dissapointed at the recent turn of events, but lets not play the blame game on him because yet again, Mr. Clean(dana) has decided not to come through with his end of the deal!
How convenient that just because he lost a couple of fights mr clean(dana) decides hes not going to to pay him what he presumably said he was going to! Why is it ok that dana can change the rules and contracts etc. with the fighters when he very well pleases, but when a fighter decides to speak his mind like randy did, he gets shit for it! unbelievable…

i will be the 1st to admit that cro cop in the octagon surely didnt look the same then when he was in the ring, but for all u haters here, lets reverse the rules a little here and what if all the UFC fighters were to fight in the ring against them how would they fare?? what would be the outcome????
Afterall your beloved chuck lidell tried it and got his ass whooped in the ring, but i dont hear you giving him the same shit for being a dud in the ring…

Does everybody forget how Mirko lost his fights? He lost the fights on his feet. He got dominated by Kongo in Kickboxing and got caught with a head kick from Gonzo!! HES GARBAGE!!! GET HIM OUT

Even though everyone’s hating on Cro Cop and everything, if I had to fight someone he would still definitely be one of the last guys I would pick. His kicks are still the nastiest I’ve ever seen. I hope he does well over there and ends up making a return to the UFC.

If you can’t take the heat - do what Fedor does, lower the competition!

A MEN

Very disappointing news, but I’m not going to say that I don’t want to see his fights any more. Where the hell is Josh Barnett, and why doesn’t Cro Cop go kick his head off to take his spot on the heavyweight ranks? I agree that Cro Cop doesn’t have good jiu jitsu, but he does have phenomenal striking ability, he’s hard to take down, and he’s got good ground and pound. He’s won of those fighters that just needs to Chuck Liddell his way to victory, by avoiding takedowns, and using his striking advantage. Cro Cop was beating Kongo with a ground and pound strategy, but towards the end of round 1 he went for a very sloppy armbar, lost mount, and didn’t get another opportunity on top of Kongo. I think he easily could have won the fight in the first round much the way he was winning it, he made a mental error and should have taken it to the ground sooner, but Kongo did not look like the new Cro Cop after that fight. Cro Cop didn’t show up standing, and he still was winning initially, it just didn’t work out. As for now, I hope he can fight some big fighters ‘cause I know he’s not done. If getting KO’d by Kevin Randleman, and losing a decision to Mark Hunt wasn’t enough to derail him, I don’t see why getting KO’d by Gonzaga and decisioned by Kongo as being career ending. Cro Cop had some losses back in K-1 that probably would have had a lot of these people in here saying that he was done… he wasn’t done then, and I don’t think he’s done yet now.

A MEN

Maybee now mirko can rematch fedor… that seems like the biggest match for fedor… and i know the fedor lovers are gonna think im crazy but i still think mirko can beat fedor! who else will fedor fight besides the winner of the joke contest.

Dana White is a punk!

man i really was a #1 fan of cro cop, even after the losses, this is not cool at all, he messed up his carrer thats for sure, i will always be a fan, but he really messed up this time, he will be fighting nobodies, where as in the ufc he would have fought the best and could have left a legacy, stupid.

If you can’t take the heat - do what Fedor does, lower the competition!

Nice! What I wanna know is when is Mirko’s fight with Long Duck Dong air on HDNet?

If you can’t take the heat - do what Fedor does, lower the competition!

I second that!

I second that!

Juss keep it going…Mirko has no play in the UFC. He can’t take the heavy trained elite fighters that are in the UFC..I’m not saying that the UFC has the BEST fighters. I’m just saying that in the UFC, if you’re an elite fighter(Supposedly Cro Cop), you have at least 2 1/2 months notice to train. Thats if your elite. And i think that was just too much for Cro Cop…Too bad so sad, he looked like a real contendor. Oh well, i second that motion too guys…

Ah yes…The good old King of Rock ‘n’ Rumble. He’s a tough SOB but he can’t fight to save his life, or cut weight; he should be at 185. Just as well the refs call it when they do. I saw him fight this British guy, Paul Cahoon and he got knocked the fcuk out after like 20 seconds with one punch, he walked right into it.

Though he was born in Australia, his parents are both Croatian. He comes from the same stock as Mirko lol. Oi grow a pair Mirko, look at your Aussie cousin.

Well if anybody can help bring back a second Pride, it would be CC, hopefully. There was just something about it, he couldnt fight like he used to when he is in the UFC.

well im kinda on the fence about CC. i was really,really,really hoping to see CC vs AA. i wanted to see that fight so bad. i was really suprised he didnt performed like we all hoped for.but oh well.maybe one day i will get to see AA kick his azz.

Mirko…..crocop……i was a big fan man. I can say to all you people who said Mirko would never cut it in the UFC… you were right and i was wrong. I thought he would dominate, i am disappointed. Unless he comes back to the UFC and beats all of those who have beaten him, he will forever be seen as a second rate mixed martial artist…at best. Real men get back up when they get knocked down!

i still can’t believe Crocop let it come down to this. What happened there with him? So sad that the mystique of Crocop is gone now and as a big fan of him i don’t think he will ever be the same and will have couple of fights and thats it and a tarnished career which looked so promising after winning the GP in 2006.

Having said that,if Crocop can really actually Destroy fighters in Japan and do it convincigly after 3 or 4 fights there will be people saying “Oh crocop is back and looks like he can kick some ass” and its always like that with any sport and thats part of it, maybe then he can come to UFC and win a fight against top fighter.

One other thing i would love to know is what was the new $ amount that Dana White offered Crocop to keep fighting in UFC?

The only positive thing i can find on all of this is that some of us who will watch him get to see him using left leg and kicking people in the head hehehe. I still think he is the best when it comes to that

I think for everyone the right move was made. Why Cro-Cop didn’t make an impact in the UFC I really don’t know. I had high expectations for him. It makes me think back to Wanderlie Silva’s match with Chuck, you know that really isn’ the silva that we are used to watching. That man comes out banging in all his fights irrespctive of the opposition. I remember Rampage saying that everyone suffers with nerves when they enter the octagon for the first time, but then again Cro-Cop who is one cool customer who is a politician and also does his bit with the special forces nerves shouldnt be a problem for him. He said today though that he doesn’t know what happened. He says he is both physical and mentally fit and emphasis the latter. He does go on to say that he will defiantely return to the UFC at some stage and prove that his two losses were just a blip. We shall wait his return. But one more mma competition now for the viewers and if its going to be anything like the old pride I am so looking forward to it!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

why worry about this bum???this proves he is nuthin but a has been he cant cut it wit the good fighters so he leaves to go win against sum bums…if u ask me we shouldnt even b talkin bout this bum

CRO COP AND RANDY AND EVEN TIM SYLIA ARE LEAVING THE UFC BEACAUSE OF DANA WHITE!!!

Surprised he didn’t go to Elite XC to get those easy wins and pad his record

awesome! disappointing tho
:|

This is too bad, I will be sorry to see him go elsewhere. Maybe he needed more time to adapt. Hell, Chuck just lost two in a row in the same fashion. Are they ready to ship him out or cut his pay? I know the Iceman has more marketability in the US but CroCop IS a top level MMA athlete and should be in the UFC.

Here is another instance where the UFC’s payroll is messing up the roster. They want Randy to honor his contract but then do not want to honor their end of CroCops deal, which they agreed upon. So they just dump him off to Japan.

Dana and the UFCs antics are getting old

my thoughts exactly…. the ufc wants randy couture to honor his contract but in this instance, they cut mirko loose while under contract because they do not want to pay him what they had agreed upon when he first signed. yea i would not want to pay a fighter who has not performed as expected but on the other hand, whats the point of the contract if you do not want to pay him what was on paper. i’m glad he left, mirko deserves to end his career in a ring not the octagon. i guess we can now see Fedor vs Mirko 2.

wont be missed much it just shows that he cant fight with the elite heavyweights in the world. this will be a new beginning for mirco its sad to see cause i had high expectations for him. good luck in japan mirko best wishes to you.

When he came over everyone loved him. he loses and now he’s washed up. Being a fan means you stick with your guys win or lose. Trust me. I’m a Toronto Maple Leafs fan and if anybody knows anything about hockey then they know that being a Leafs fan is one of the most painful things in the world. Haven’t won a Stanley Cup in 40 years. Win or lose i stick with my guys. You bandwagon jumpers are probably just waiting for the next guy to win a few fights quickly and all of a sudden he’s the best. When he loses you’ll say how disappointed you are and never wanna see him fight again. I also read somewhere in this thread about “washed up fighters” and the names Cro Cop, Randy and Fedor were mentioned. None of these guys are washed up by any means. they may be the smartest fighters by taking a stand against the bullcrap that Dana is spewing. the Fertita brothers are making a big mistake by letting their friendship with Dana get in the way of business. The UFC ship is slowly sinking starting with the HW division. It’s sinking so bad its wierd to see that it’s Dana as the captain and not Evan Tanner.

I agree CC should fight at 205. He may walk around at 230-240, but so do Forrest and Tito. Maybe he just needs one of them (or Randy) to show him how to cut weight.

The UFC HW division is pretty much dominated by 250 lb and bigger guys now. GG, Sylvia, Kongo, now Lesnar, etc. Brandon Vera is another very talented HW who is just too small. Both CC and Vera could have some incredible matches at LHW. Imagine them against each other or against Rampage, Chuck, Forrest, Jardine, Machida, Tito, Sok, Shogun, etc.

LOL, Rampage ran from PRIDE after the beatings he took from Wand and Shogun. PRIDE wanted him to take less money, so he went to WFA. UFC wants CC to take less money so CC is going to DREAM. How is this any different?

The UFC and Dana White are really messing uo a good thing, when I was watching UFC about 2 years a ago the pay per views where $29.00 then about a year ago it jumped to $39.00, UFC 81 jumped up to $45.00, thats Canadian dollars. In an interview with a Canadian journalist, he asked “if the UFC made more on pay per views than boxing and WWE (which Dana boasts), then why are your fighters paid way less” Dana response, " well duh you know well umm I can’t really say (red face). Dana treat your fighters and fans with respect or they will be saying ba bye, there are other places like M-1, and Dream Japan to go. Where ever Randy goes I will follow !!

Very disappointing! Mirko, I know you’re only doing what’s best for you but, I think the best should remain amongst the best. However, you’ll always be my favorite one dimensional fighter.

dream?m-1? where r all these stupid fighting organizations coming from everything was fine with jus pride nd ufc

My, my, my how the mighty keep falling. It’s one thing to fight and not win and try to mount a come back, but to quit and go out like a bitch. I am disappointed! He leaves the UFC and the best fighters in the world to go and fight for an upstart organization and weaker competition. This not only taints his image but will forever cast him into the negative light as a quitter.

I like the fact that people want these ex-Pride guys, Wanderlei Silva now Mirko, to drop a weight when they get their asses handed to them even though they have already dominated men as big or bigger in their previous fights in Japan. This just goes to prove the the UFC is light years ahead of everybody else and that if you are not well rounded and rely on one weapon you are dead in the water or cage for that matter! Mirko knew it, Dana knew it and Gonzaga and Kongo exploited it. I say good riddance and keep fighting your paper tigers in The Land of the Rising Sun, nobody wants you here!

One thing that intrigues me most is the fact that people on this site try to use Chuck Liddell as a comparison to this chump. Chuck dominated the Light-Heavyweight class for over three years and was one of the most dominating Champs of this era. Yes, he did lose two times in a row but he came back with a vengeance when he beat Wanderlei Silva. He’s now putting it all together once again to make another run at the title and he is the face of MMA. Mirko couldn’t carry Chuck’s jock!

I’am sad to see him go but i understand too. Hell if i got the chance to be part of a new organization where i’am the main attraction in a country that everyone loves you i go in a second. Crocop will be fine with UFC or without it. Everyone will see that if he does really well there in Japan and really kicks the crap out of some fighters many people will be jumping back on CC bandwagon. Hey same when Liddel lost twice we were all saying that he should retire and he is washed up and now so many people love him.

Poor Cro-Cop… He just can’t deal with the Octogon or the best fighters in the world. He didn’t train in an Octogon and didn’t work dilligently on his other skills. Maybe he needs to go somewhere they don’t test for roids?

dream?m-1? where r all these stupid fighting organizations coming from everything was fine with jus pride nd ufc

Its apparent that ur not an MMA fan or else you would welcome all organizations because a good fight is a good fight no matter whos is having it! The UFC IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES at an accelerated speed, and quite honestly im enjoying it because im hoping other promotions start signing more and more competition!

How many great matchups have we been missing out on over the past year??? It seems like tere are so many great matchups we can be watching instead of some of the fillers they feed us on PPV events. The talent is there yet we keep seeing bad ones like bisping fights!

arlovski vs crop or v

The UFC IS GOING DOWN THE TUBES at an accelerated speed, and quite honestly im enjoying it because im hoping other promotions start signing more and more competition!

Can you back up that statement with facts? How is the UFC dying? Do you have their PPV rates and gate numbers?

Did you forget about the sold out card in Montreal?

Stick to the living in the basement with Mom and Dad.

It’s hilarious that MMA fans on the Internet still have the rationale to defend the overrated striker from Croatia, while bashing the UFC at the same time. Unfortunately, Cro-Cop’s high salary did little to increase PPV rates for the UFC.

Cro-cop deserves to fight Japan, the wasteland of MMA, where any fighter can enjoy the benefits of fighting without steroid testing. And of course, you can’t forget the outlandish WWE inspired ring entrances, and freak shows.

You can bash the UFC for releasing Cro-cop, but like it or not MMA is B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S. It’s all about the bottom line and money.

Furthermore, there are no “nice guys” in business. If you want to become a market leader, you need act like a shark or get eaten by the competition. Most MMA fans would probably fall flat on their face if they tried to run an MMA promotion themselves.

It’s always easier to be a arm-chair quarterback and theorize to the world about how things should be run. Unfortunately, for most MMA fans on the Internet, they all act like a bunch of socialists who criticize the dominant market stature of the UFC. Why don’t you try and run a successful business yourself? And when you make a million dollars, you can tell us how you got there. In the end, nice guys get nowhere fast in the world of business.

MIRKO WAS A K-1 FIGHTER FOR LONG TIME=MAYBE HES WHOLE CARRERA AND MAYBE WAS TOO DIFICULT THE TRANSITION INTO THE CAGE ,AND MENTALLY IS FUCK UP, I WHISH ALL THE BEST.

Agreed ufc is not dying just cos a couple of heavyweights took off… if it was then why are gr8 cards like 82 coming up. It’s looking like a great year for ufc and excited to see all the great fights they present us. Hope arlovski stays however…gna be a 1st round knock out for the pitbull

Mirko…..crocop……i was a big fan man. I can say to all you people who said Mirko would never cut it in the UFC… you were right and i was wrong. I thought he would dominate, i am disappointed. Unless he comes back to the UFC and beats all of those who have beaten him, he will forever be seen as a second rate mixed martial artist…at best. Real men get back up when they get knocked down!

Yep. I concur, sadly. He was a good kickboxer, so-so mixed martial artist it seems. I think it’s time to talk about him in the past tense.

Ray is wrong. Head-to-head, in a ring (definitely!) or even the octagon (probably), Cro-Cop would expose Chuck for what he is…a decent striker with good takedown defense. Chuck has never gone up against K-1 level striking competition, and wouldn’t fare well if he did. After seeing how Jardine figured out and exploited Chuck’s game, can you honestly tell me CC couldn’t do the same? The only difference is that CC would probably end it with a punch or kick like Rampage did…only CC strikes harder than Rampage (especially with his feet!)

Oh, and the main thing Kongo “exploited” were the UFC rules (?) with all those knees to the groin.

Ray is wrong. Head-to-head, in a ring (definitely!) or even the octagon (probably), Cro-Cop would expose Chuck for what he is…a decent striker with good takedown defense. Chuck has never gone up against K-1 level striking competition, and wouldn’t fare well if he did. After seeing how Jardine figured out and exploited Chuck’s game, can you honestly tell me CC couldn’t do the same? The only difference is that CC would probably end it with a punch or kick like Rampage did…only CC strikes harder than Rampage (especially with his feet!)

Oh, and the main thing Kongo “exploited” were the UFC rules (?) with all those knees to the groin.

First and foremost, the comparison with Chuck to “Cro Cop” is not head-to-head! I merely compared how one has responded to coming back from two losses in a row with a win, that being The Iceman. “Cro Cop” after two losses in a row responded by quitting and moving on to fight weaker competition in an upstart organization. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out who the weaker fighter is.

You are correct though about Chuck not facing K-1 competition, Chuck hasn’t stepped DOWN to fight inferior strikers! But that is exactly what your boy is doing now. That’s why there’s the UFC and then everyone else. “Cro Cop” beat one up and coming fighter by the name of Eddie Sanchez and then got dominated by Gonzaga, and got owned at his own game, a brutal kick to the dome! Kongo took him the distance and fought “Cro Cop’s” fight and Mirko couldn’t do jack! He had time to recover after the groin shots, so don’t use that lame sorry ass excuse. Kongo worked him for 3 solid rounds and your boy didn’t have an answer! Mirko will never be a UFC Champ and is two levels below Liddell!

I heard about this thru the grapevines here in croatia and I am very excited about this.

Some things just don’t mix, like Cro Cop and the octagon. He was never comfortable with a cage around him, missed the ability to corner an opponent in the ring (anyone remember Eddie Sanchez’ marathon?) and I also believe he missed being able to slip away from being pinned against the ropes instead of a solid cage. Anyone one you guys got pressed against the cage shirtless and tried to slip away? Well, I tried, and its not very pleasant.

I believe we saw similiar things with BigNog to be honest and don’t think he’ll be able to hold on to that title for too long. With Fedor, Randy, Josh Barnett and CroCop outside of the UFC heavyweight division it sure doesn’t look as strong as it used to be just half a year ago.

Cro cop was not use to the rules of the Octagon. I am glad he finally realized it! He should have done with fedor did, just observe to see how Pride fighters do in the Octagon. Once fedor saw the wooping cro cop took, it was M-1 time. Good job Cro cop, he be kicking people’s heads off in no time. Under the japanese rules cro cop will feel right at home. Cro cop please stay away from another caged fighting venue, please!

to be quite honest, i think that once the new DREAM organization gets up and running, you will see a lot of fighters from the UFC jumping ship and heading of to Japan! Dana is ruining the career or many fighters right about now! Many of the pride fighters the UFC aquired just dont look the same or have the same enthusiasm they had in pride. I think DREAM is going to become MASSIVE very quickly!

Cro Cop will be back tho…like he said he’s going to Dream for a few tune-up fights to get some wins going and his confidence back! He will defintetly be back in the UFC…Dana has agreed with this move, as he knows it will be the best for both Cro Cop and himself, Cro Cop will come back like the old him and Dana would be more confident of a Cro Cop win! I loved Cro Cop’s response to Kongo about needing steroids to fight:
“I have a message for Kongo. Listen, I thought that you are a sportsman, a professional like everyone else in this. You were lucky enough to fight against me during the deepest crisis of my career. You probably ate a lot of vegetables and potatoes to look like that? I’ll be back in the cage and I hope you will be in the opposite corner. Then we’ll see for how long you’ll be able to talk.”

he is a great athlete, but think about it.
kickboxing has the ref breaking things apart. keeping it( within the rules) a striking sport.
Pride had a ground game so he had to adapt entirely. it’s like a tennis player having to learn squash. if he was great he’d probably do well – but might not make the elite. he did well in pride by adapting. he was able to keep it standing a lot of the time in pride. the ropes are bouncy so if he was against the ropes with Kongo as opposed to the cage he’d have had an easier time adapting from his original style. Gonzaga had his number and Crocop was out of it before he had a chance to get into it.

ufc favours wrestler not only for the solid cage walls but elbows.
better for clinchers, wreslers GnP specialists.

Pride favored movers. Matt hughs would not have dominated in Pride, Couture might not have done as well. Kongo and Gonzaga are tough opponents too.

Fedor may have more succes in the octagon if that happens. but even for him I predict his sambo stuff could get a little clogged and congested with the cage breaking up the fluidity.

He is verstile and adapting though.

If I was CroCop and I still wanted to fight MMA I’d take some time off and try some BJJ, grappling and competein low level stuff. maybe that’s sort of what DREAM will give him a chance to do – regroup

Cro cop will always be remembered for having his head kicked in by gonzaga! He had the kick and that was it! If you avoided that leg, anyone could beat him! Go back to Japan and fight the under card guys who would never last a single round in the UFC,Mirko! YOU SUCK