DREAM 6: Mirko Cro Cop vs Alistair Overeem?
by Jesse Holland on Jul 27, 2008 12:02 PM EDT
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It seems former PRIDE and UFC heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) is not enjoying his self-imposed sabbatical from mixed martial arts thanks to current Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem (28-11).
"Demolition Man" -- who submitted Mark Hunt last week at DREAM 5 -- has accused the Croatian of ducking him on more than one occasion and apparently Cro Cop has had enough.
From the Croat's official blog:
I was asked by the members of media if I'm willing to fight Overeem since he challenged me twice already...I'm happy to accept his challenge and I'm looking forward to this fight as I believe that we can deliver an entertaining fight. Now it's up to DREAM to make this fight happen, I'm ready to face my challenger on the next show already.
Cro Cop hasn’t competed since DREAM 1 back in March after being fed Tatsuya Mizuno in his much ballyhooed debut. He was penciled in to face Jerome LeBanner at DREAM 4, until it was switched to a bizarre grappling match against Ralek Gracie - pushing the LeBanner fight to DREAM 5 on the 21.
After Lebanner went AWOL and his injuries started acting up, Filipovic bailed on DREAM 5, instead opting to sit on the sidelines and rebuild his aging body after having arthroscopy earlier this month.
Some fans have been less than sympathetic.
I see many people speaking about me as a washed-up fighter but this is just another boost to my motivation. I'm working hard to get back on track and meeting and defeating strong competitors in the ring is all that I think of nowadays.
Hopefully Cro Cop has one last run in him. He's a gifted striker who can easily compete with any top ten heavyweight, but his tenure in the UFC left many wondering if his best days were behind him.
If Cro Cop can indeed return to action against the resurgent Overeem at DREAM 6 in September, we may have the answer sooner rather than later.
Thanks to MMAmaniac "John" for the assist.
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fuk u pussyhole this will be an awesome fight overeeeeeeeeeeeeem all de way cro cop got no chance he is older slower shorter and weeka than overeem
by vinnie on Sep 1, 2008 7:04 AM EDT up reply actions
didn’t chuck knock overeem the f*ck out in Pride??
by Homslice on Jul 27, 2008 12:20 PM EDT reply actions
overeem was all chuck could handle too. overeem had chuck on the ropes early in the fight, but he eventually got KO’d
by deuce 4 on Jul 28, 2008 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
..what’s the point here? Was Chuck Liddell mentioned at all?? How about you stick to what’s going on now not a loss five years ago meathead. Sh*t talkers belong in the sherdog forums son..
Back to the main subject, Overeem will MURDER Cro Cop. People would be naive to not consider Overeem a TOP 5 HW. YES, TOP 5! Meaning better recent performances than Randy Couture, Arlovski, AND NOGUIERA!! The performance speaks for the fighter, not any biased internet rankings.
by The Mymus on Jul 27, 2008 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s good but seriously top 5? Are you sure you didn’t mean to say top 25? haha
by Macho Bullshit on Jul 27, 2008 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
I actually think he would make a better LHW! U r out of your mind if you think Overeem is top 5. HIs style makes him one of my favorite fighters 2 watch, but lets be honest, although he is very entertaining, he has lost most of the biggest fights that he has had in his career. He always puts on a show and competes with the Big dogs, but he hasnt really beaten to many of the top fighters that he has faced.
by john on Jul 27, 2008 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I lovehow every MMA “fan” looks rather at a fighters"biggest fights", being some-odd years ago..instead of looking at their current performances. Who has had better fights in the last year?? Who is in the CURRENT TOP 5..NOT the top 5 b/c of fan-favoritism or wins from years ago?? He is not a better LHW, what would make you think that?? It’s as simple as a peek into their record, not from what you remember from watching their Pride replays. Do me a favor,go compare Overeems last 3 fights to Nog, Arlovski, and Couture. See who has finished in a more IMPRESSIVE FASHION then you can blab about who you are obsessed with and think deserves to be top 5. Overeem is currently a better fighter than those 3, not even oponent status can back your opinion..it’s been recently proven how much of a competition Sylviais btw.
by The Mymus on Jul 27, 2008 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Mymus…..I am still waiting to see him win a big fight! Yeah he beat Hunt, but lost to probably evry other big name that he has ever faced.
Chuck
Shogun twice
Rogerio I think
I can go on forever!
However he is a very entertaining fighter, once he puts it all together he should make an impact. HOwever I just need to see him take that next step before I start putting him in trhe Elite category.
U arent a top fighter because of skills and potential, you have to prove it….and IMO he has yet to prove it!
by john on Jul 28, 2008 8:07 AM EDT up reply actions
If u think overeem has faced better competition than Nog, Arlovski and Couture, then Its obvious that I should not be having a conversation with you!
we can just agree to disagree
by john on Jul 28, 2008 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions
who has overeem beaten in the past year? bunch of mediocre fighters (with the exception of hunt). great fighter, just not elite yet. maybe in the future, but this past year haven’t proven anything at all…
by linx on Jul 28, 2008 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
thats what I have been trying to tell this kid for 2 days now!
by john on Jul 28, 2008 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
WOW John. I’m happy I wasn’t around for that craziness.
Overeem lost 4 of his last 5 fights before the crumbling of PRIDE. Just cuz Overeem looks good on last minutes notice and submitted a fat, not-been-in-the-game Mark Hunt
I am not a big fan of Arlovski, but to say that Overeem is ranked higher is truely laughable.
by ViolentMike on Jul 28, 2008 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Why would I care is Kharitonov whopped him? What kind of guy gets mad when fighters lose unless you’re the one who lost? This isn’t WWF, I don’t idolize anyone. I just hate seeing people who are blinded by shiny belts and sherdog rankings and refuse to look outside the box..and get annoyed by gayness like getting upset over a warriors defeat.
by The Mymus on Jul 27, 2008 11:08 PM EDT up reply actions
4-4 in your last 8 fights does not get you near the top in any rankings. And with the wins over Lee Tae-Hyun, Paul Buentello, Michael Knaap and Mark Hunt do not help the argument.
by DonnyG on Jul 28, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
EXACTLY STICK TO THE TOPIC GUYS….I always liked Alistar and Cro Cop needs a big win… great fight!
by Robert on Jul 28, 2008 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions
maybe if arlovski couture and noguiera were fighting B and C level fighters they would be having great performances as well…
by The_Cannibal on Jul 28, 2008 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess the winer of this fight will meet Fedor at New Years massacre in Japan
by zheka on Jul 27, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions
Fedor vs Overeem for the NYE fight!!!! Should be cool
by zheka on Jul 27, 2008 12:33 PM EDT reply actions
Fedor needs to fight in january for Affliction , I would be surprised if Affliction would let him fight and risk injury one month before he needs to fight … I think it’s better he not fight in Japan . Barnett/AA are very serious opponents…
by Joe on Sep 17, 2008 3:05 AM EDT up reply actions
i pray to god overeem is the underdog in the sports books. this isnt the cro cop of 2003 guys. and overeem has been steadily improving. Beating mark hunt on 3 days notice is no small feat.
by mike on Jul 27, 2008 3:07 PM EDT reply actions
I agree Mike. CroCop is one of my favorite fighters…..but I feel he is fading while Overeem is improving. He looks good at HW and seems to be avoiding the gas tank problems he had as a LHW. If CroCop is favored by a decent amount, I’ll have to throw $ on the demolition man.
by DonFryeStache on Jul 27, 2008 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
cro cop won the OWGP due to eye poke he didnt even fight well in that fight! his fight with wandy was good but not great! he was fighting low rated fighters! his last good win was mark coleman! sure he beat barnett in 05 but barnett was out from injury for a year and had alot of ring rust to shake off!
my opinion is cro cop is hyped up way to much and just doesnt have what it takes to be a great heavyweight! sure his striking is excellent but his ground game and clinch le4ave alot to be desired and that just isnt good enough to be the best
by the heat on Jul 27, 2008 3:52 PM EDT reply actions
Crocop won the OWGP very decisively. Two fights in one night against very capable opponents.
Yes, his UFC performance sucked, but I believe he’s still got the fire in him, and when he’s at the top of his game, he is one of the few if not the only one that can stop Fedor.
by Can't wait on Jul 27, 2008 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
ye well pokin barnet in the eye is not what i call decisive victory and that was a joke of a show barnett had to fight a grueling fight against nog but cro cop got an early ko of wandy
by the heat on Jul 27, 2008 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
what about the other 2 times he beat the shit out of barnett?! barnett has what 5 losses and 3 of them are to cro cop
by deuce 4 on Jul 28, 2008 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah I have to agree with that. when cro cop won the grand prix who dide he beat? he beat ikuhisa minowa who is way smaller than he is, hidehiko yoshida who is a judo fighter. wanderlei is a good fighter but not in cro cops weight class and in the final barnett had already gone to war with big nog so this was hardly a credible win. be fair tho cro cop did go the distance with fedor. His problem is he relies too heavily on the head kick knock out and looks totally lost unless he is pressing the action. I reckon he’ll beat overeem though and ifhe doesn’t then stick a fork in him. go cro cop
by Jez on Jul 27, 2008 4:00 PM EDT reply actions
YEAAAH Cro Cop FTW!! he is by far the better striker, perhaps overeem has a decent ground game nowadays but i doubt that will matter, this is gonna be a stand up battle… Not that Mirko is a giant heavyweight, but Overeem is really more like a 205er, so i think cro cop will have strength advantage
by brendan on Jul 27, 2008 4:00 PM EDT reply actions
Cro-Cop’s only concern in this fight should be Overeem’s knee’s
by The_Cannibal on Jul 28, 2008 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Would love to see CroCop back in action. It’s been awhile and I wonder whether he has still some gas left in him or has he become completely demoralized?
by Fedor Emelianenko instructional DVD on Jul 27, 2008 4:18 PM EDT reply actions
Who gives a crap about this fight, they both suck. Cro Crap couldn’t make it in the UFC and Overrim isn’t good enough for the UFC either, so now people are talking about one of these fighters fighting Fedor. Yeah give Fedor another tough test, HA HA
by Rubberman on Jul 27, 2008 10:01 PM EDT reply actions
So what are you in love with more, the UFC or the Fedor stigma?? Yeah, it doesn’t get any better than that huh..
by The Mymus on Jul 27, 2008 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions
who’d u rather have fedor fight? the current ufc heavyweight champ? hahahaha, now that’s a joke!!! fedor beat the dude’s ass twice. some may say ‘well he didn’t finish nog’. i say why finish a guy when u can just go on giving a 20 minute beat down, that undoubtedly proves a point, because u know the guy CAN’T do anything about it
by deuce 4 on Jul 28, 2008 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions
who’d u rather see fedor face? the ufc’s current heavyweight champ? hahahaha, now that’s a joke!! fedor beat nog badly, 2 times! some say,‘well fedor couldn’t finish nog’. why finish a guy when u know u can just give him a 20 minute beat down and prove a point as to who the better fighter is, and let nog know that he just got owned
by deuce 4 on Jul 28, 2008 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Why bash on Overeem? Sure he got KO’d by Chuck, but he was kicking Chuck’s ass for most of that fight (then Chuck got KTFO by Rampage if memory serves me correctly). Overeem would have been a great addition to the UFC, as would Arona (where is that guy these days???), Mark Hunt, Gomi, Sakurai, Calvancanti, Aoki, Hansen, Kharitonov, the Emelianenko brothers, ‘Little’ Nogueira, Barnett, Ishida, Melendez (most PRIDE lightweights when I start thinking about it), and the list goes on.
by Belisarius on Jul 27, 2008 11:29 PM EDT reply actions
The UFC is Satan to a lot of fighters. They offered most of the Pride fighters you mentioned (Overeem, Lil Nog, Hansen, Khari, Gomi) half of what they made in Pride. Plus guys like Barnett and basically every fighter on the Affliction card has too much pride to be sucked down the UFC pipeline.
by The Mymus on Jul 28, 2008 3:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Regardless of whether so and so is washed up and chuck knocking out Overeem….who the fu*k cares about that?? This is a matchup of 2 very capable fighters who actually match up very well.
I would have said Overeem would get KO’d by Crocop a couple of years ago but with his very decisive victories over Buentello and Hunt I am really looking forward to this one.
If Crocop doesn’t turn up to fight that night I see Overeem taking him out in impressive fashion.
Cant wait!!
by Ca$z on Jul 28, 2008 5:29 AM EDT reply actions
Is anybody else hoping that Overeem lights a fire under Cro Cop and bring the old Cro Cop back?
Cro Cop TKO by body kick
by Pat on Jul 28, 2008 11:11 AM EDT reply actions
I think Overeem will win. I would love to watch him fight Kongo. I think that would be a better fight. Hopefully, CroCop will surprise me… if this really happens.
by UFCAddict on Jul 28, 2008 5:58 PM EDT reply actions
Im a big fan of mirko and i know he will destroy Overeem at dream 5.Im from Oakland,California and i was at a stand up comedy show last night and met Joe Rogan and asked about CROCOP I asked are we gonna see CroCop back in the UFC? Joe said i really hope so he then said hopefully after his next fight in dream next month, i then asked end of this year?? then he said well he has claws in his contract and the UFC owns all his rights he cant fight noware else.So he gots to come back he’s a great fighter. that made me feel so good. also on stage joe did said he has heard the Couture vs Lesner rumors from the internet and his co-workers and he did say when i am doing comintary for that match im going to be so pumped im gonna say ohhhh shit fuck the whole time.
by CroCop67 on Sep 1, 2008 3:05 AM EDT reply actions
Tough fight, big oportunity for Mirko to come back if he enters the fight clear head. I think if he presses Overeem has no chance. 1 punch will surely pass Overeem’s defence. I would ilke to see when Overeem jumps with knee attack Mirko go hook and colide him in air. That would be awesome KD…
by rofl maniac on Sep 22, 2008 6:48 AM EDT reply actions
if it’s the cropcop from PRide, Overeem don’t have ANY chance.. if not, copcop will have tuff time..
by rkd350z on Sep 23, 2008 5:43 AM EDT reply actions
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