War of the Words: Mirko Cro Cop vs Alistair Overeem

by Jesse Holland on Aug 16, 2008 3:30 AM EDT

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 month at DREAM 5 — has accused the Croatian of ducking him on more than one occasion and his latest rant on 'In The Guard ' gets a little salty:

Quoteworthy:

My desire to fight Cro Cop began when I read his interview stating nobody wanted to fight him and that’s why he fought some walking-punching bag-guy [Tatsuya Mizuno] at Dream 3. My management offered me a fight with him at that event and he declined. Then at the K-1 Amsterdam event my opponent got injured and the promoter attempted to arrange for Mirko to fight, again he declined… …This really pissed me off because now my fight was canceled because this douche-bag didn’t want to fight me while he was saying nobody wants to fight him. That’s crap, and that’s why I grabbed the microphone, and I’ll keep doing so until I get this fight. I will get him.

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 July 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.

The latest response from the Croat’s official blog:

Regarding [DREAM 6 on] September 23, I'm expected to fight, but nothing is still officially confirmed. I leave this to DREAM and I have no doubt that I'll be there on that card, fighting whoever they put me against. I'm hoping to face a top ranked fighter, preferably Alistair Overeem. I'm familiar with his latest interviews and many people already asking me what do I think about his words. I don't like commenting other fighters, it's not my thing. But Alistair, you should save your strength for a real fight, because it's coming. When I see you in the opposite corner, then I'll talk.

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.

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Comments

Hate to see this fight id rather that they destroy some ufc crappy wannabe top 10 people like Kongo who likes to strike lowblows till he wins….

by Khaos_Warrior on Aug 16, 2008 4:04 AM EDT reply actions

Overeem is doing a beautiful job, I think Cro Cop in Strikeforce would be fantastic. Overeem has a slight advantage, he’s found HW as his natural class and has settled in phenomenally. CroCop isn’t dodging anyone, he’s still recovering from Kongos nut shots.

by Big E on Aug 16, 2008 4:07 AM EDT reply actions

Remember when Cro Cop was supposed to be the man. How things change with a swift kick in the head.

Rob Dib
http://www.break-your-face.com

by Rob Dib on Aug 16, 2008 4:22 AM EDT reply actions

Haha! How things change with a swift trip to the UFC. He bolted from the octagon roadrunner style.

by RedDog on Aug 16, 2008 4:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Beep! Beep!

Now he is fighting Jobbers in Japan
He might as well do ProWresting!

by RipTheSystem on Aug 16, 2008 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Overeem seems to be calling out Cro-Cop now that hes not the same guy! I dont remember Overeem calling him out before? When Cro-Cop was putting people to sleep with head kicks!

by JV on Aug 16, 2008 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Angry Cro-Cop vs Overeem on a 3 fight win streak..

Should be a good fight.

by DirtyML on Aug 16, 2008 4:56 AM EDT reply actions

I donbt believe it till I see it! cro Cop has pulled out of more fights this year then i pull out of P*ssy!

I would love to see them fight, until cro cop does SOMETHING he is mma’s very own, Mr. Irrelevant!

by john on Aug 16, 2008 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah your right. i mean everyone wants to see the old cro-cop come back, but i dont see it happening. i dont see how he fell so hard so quick. i mean he won the 06 owgpx and beat wandi and barnett and was on top of the world. then he comes to the ufc in 07 and looks like a shell of his former self. i would still rather see him and fedor fight on nye rather than some sumo or judo guy, even though c.c. would get creamed,at least he is still a real mma fighter.

by b.w. on Aug 16, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

hes pulled out of more fights than you have p**ssy? so you mean none then?

by brendan on Aug 16, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

if u only knew

by john on Aug 16, 2008 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

you got owned by brendan

by ed on Sep 3, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Cant wait to see CroCop kick his head off.

by spawn on Aug 16, 2008 5:40 AM EDT reply actions

Crocop …still the man – still the hardest left kick, still the hardest left punch

by Insain on Aug 16, 2008 6:07 AM EDT reply actions

and that’s it.. he has no surprise at all to pull out! he has no right hand and no right kick.. his fight with Kongo was embarrasing

by RoB on Aug 16, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

cro cop is always back the ufc change him mentally he needs it together then will see the old cro cop comeback and will see him on this fight.

by joe on Aug 16, 2008 7:51 AM EDT reply actions

by UKmmaBOY on Aug 16, 2008 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Should be a good fight if it happens, both have an impressive record in K-1. And don’t kid yourself: this one will be a kickboxing fight, not really MMA until the moment one of them gets dropped by KO.

by YouTapped on Aug 16, 2008 8:35 AM EDT reply actions

BTW Jesse:

“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.”

In the interview Alistair says that he heard they won’t fight at DREAM 6, so its probably gonna be DREAM 7. Probably not a bad idea, considering the very recent arthroscopy on Cro Cops part.

by YouTapped on Aug 16, 2008 8:38 AM EDT reply actions

Cro Cop says 6, Overeem says 7 and DREAM says nothing…as usual.

by Jesse Holland on Aug 16, 2008 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea, but I wouldn’t trust any “guesstimations” by Cro Cop, he is infamous for getting it wrong. How often did he thought he could attend an event and then had to redraw due to injuries that have not healed up or he dismissed as minor before?

I switched to ordering Cro Cop cards very short-term a long time ago. =/

by YouTapped on Aug 16, 2008 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions

i hope overeem submits him. hes a big boy.

by mike on Aug 16, 2008 11:32 AM EDT reply actions

Cro Cop via left leg kick KO round 2.

by StabToTheLiver on Aug 16, 2008 12:13 PM EDT reply actions

Cro cop make a come back and left kick kongo in the nutsack!

by DbG on Aug 16, 2008 12:19 PM EDT reply actions

Mirko should just keep fighting Jobber Cans in Japan.
Alistair Overeem has at least an 80% probability
of winning if this fight happens.
I know it is MMA Math of sorts
but Overeem would beat Kongo
so don’t worry much about him beating Mirko.

by RipTheSystem on Aug 16, 2008 1:26 PM EDT reply actions

I wonder if Overeem would also win against Kongo when Kongo knee’s him three times in the nuts shrug

by YouTapped on Aug 16, 2008 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Has anybody talked about getting Overeem in the UFC?

by Filmdrunk on Aug 16, 2008 1:49 PM EDT reply actions

Here in holland the news goes there are some issues about him joining any american MMa organisation. tbh dont know how and what and where. but its been mentioned, not particulary UFC just general US mma organisations.

by MMANL on Aug 16, 2008 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

hed get dryhumped for 3 rounds.. i honestly never liked cro cops fights i dont think he is all that good either but he isn’t bad and just because a guy has a bad stint in an organization doesn’t make him a bad fighter he lost to a top10 in gonzaga,and kongo is knocking on the door of a top10 hw as well so they weren’t terrible losses,needless to say i didnt like him before the ufc and i thought he sucked because his english was terrible i think he’ll destroy overeem who needs to shut his mouth, he reminds me of that guy who said he was gonna knockout cung le whats his name…

by randy murders on Aug 16, 2008 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions

he took ur lover fedor three rounds

by DbG on Aug 17, 2008 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Overeem is such a good striker but his glass jaw makes him a bad matchup for the significantly more technical Cro Cop.

by KneeToTheFace on Aug 16, 2008 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

Overeem via KO (Flying Knee), Round 1.

Cro Cop is good, but is more or less the Chuck Liddel of kicks, he’s got that one kick… and that’s pretty much it, so unless he can connect, he’s screwed. His performance against Kongo wasn’t all that unremarkable, reminded me a lot of his fight against Mark Hun, who picked him apart. Overeem shouldn’t be discounted in this fight, and I wouldn’t describe his jaw as glass, his losses via KO/TKO have come from some quality strikers, Kharitonov, Shogun, Arona, Liddel, “Little” Nog and an early career loss via KO way back when he was starting out.

I’ve also heard rumours of Cro Cop vs Yoshihiro Akiyama, who happens to be a Middleweight.

by Belisarius on Aug 16, 2008 4:23 PM EDT reply actions

u saying liddel has only one punch because i saw him knock the hell out od silva with 3 or 4 different punches, i hate people who come on here and talk shit on fighters like the’ve treained with them when therer probably orange belts in tkd. pussy’s go point fight a bjj guy or a kick boxer. and shut the hell up..

by DbG on Aug 17, 2008 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions

Although he does not appear to be the Cro Cop of old as of late, don’t judge him by the Kongo fight. It’s hard to throw down when your sac is split open by MULTIPLE groin shots!

by chefdaddy on Aug 18, 2008 7:22 AM EDT up reply actions

Crocops aging body? One last run in him? Who are we talking about here? You’d think crocop was an octaginarian for chists sake. Get real.

by dan on Aug 16, 2008 5:10 PM EDT reply actions

This fight could go either way but the longer it is the more likely Mirko wins. Mirko will build momentum the longer the fight goes and eventually wins with the power of his legs. Then agian if Mirko gets caught with a big knee to the chin while in the clinch then you could say good night Cro Crop!!! U never know but I say Mirko takes this one in the end.

by rbang on Aug 16, 2008 5:47 PM EDT reply actions

All theses faggots want to make a name off CC. Just like Kongo and Gonzaga. What have they done since there wins agaianst CC. Gonzaga lost twice and Kongo Lost to Herring. They then win against no names and want a title Fight (ie Kongo ‘s comments after his last fight)Give me a break. I hope all these bad comments against CC gets him pissed off and he knocks Overeem’s head off into the 50th row.
Overeem is a faggot.

by Brez on Aug 16, 2008 6:00 PM EDT reply actions

I hope CroCop wins, but I don’t see it. Unfortunately, I think Overeem takes this one pretty easily.

by UFCAddict on Aug 16, 2008 8:58 PM EDT reply actions

Good match up, but Im going to have to pick Overeem for this one.

http://www.ufc-forums.com

by UFC-Forums.com on Aug 16, 2008 11:04 PM EDT reply actions

cro cop decision……..

by DbG on Aug 17, 2008 12:38 AM EDT reply actions

i wish they’d both punch eachothers head off at the same time..

by coolguy on Aug 17, 2008 1:47 AM EDT reply actions

Overeem, is not worthy to fight CC, just look at his record and who he lost too. he is a total dchbag trying to rejuvenate his pathetic career by trying to capitalize on a struggling confidence wise CC. I hope CC punishes this want to be with a head kick an send him back to his camel in the dessert.

by Qmonster on Aug 17, 2008 5:56 PM EDT reply actions