Mirko Cro Cop vs Hong Man Choi fight likely for Fields Dynamite!! Dec. 31
by MMAmania.com on Dec 15, 2008 3:53 PM EST
78 comments
Pride FC 2006 Open Weight grand Prix winner Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) will indeed compete at Fields Dynamite!! at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on December 31.
He will take on the 7’2" Hong Man Choi (1-1) in a heavyweight match under K-1 rules, according to K-1.kr.
It’s clearly not the fight that fans expected -- Cro Cop was supposed to rematch Alistair Overeem on the stacked New Year’s Eve card to settle their score once and for all. However, Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) recently pushed it to a different card to be held at some point down the road in 2009.
The pair first collided at DREAM 6.back in September, which resulted in a controversial "No Contest." "Demolition Man" delivered several illegal groin strikes during the bout, leaving the UFC washout writhing in pain on the canvas.
Overeem -- who appeared to be winning the fight before it was halted -- thought it was all an act and called for an immediate rematch. He continues to allege that Cro Cop is ducking him -- a charge that the Croatian vehemently denies.
Whatever … it’s time to move on.
Cro Cop has not looked right in about two years. The once-feared striker has battled injuries, appearing listless and lost since leaving Pride FC almost exactly two years ago. Perhaps a battle against the "Techno Goliath" can help him recapture some of that swagger heading into the New Year.
For what it’s worth, Overeem is expected to tangle with dangerous Russian striker Sergei Kharitonov on this same card.
Fields Dynamite!! is the New Year’s Eve supershow featuring a smorgasbord of fighters under the umbrella of FEG coming together on one night to try and kick the crap out of each other. It will showcase participants from DREAM, K-1, K-1 MAX and K-1 Koshien, Fields Dynamite!!, featuring a wide variety of fighting styles and compelling match-ups.
Here is the scheduled card to date:
MMA RULES :
Heavyweight: Jerome LeBanner (3-1-1) vs. Mark Hunt (5-4)
Heavyweight: Alistair Overeem (29-11) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (15-3)**
Middleweight: Kazushi Sakuraba (24-11-1) vs. Kiyoshi Tamura (32-13-2)
Lightweight: Joachim Hansen (19-7-1) vs. Gesias Cavalcante (14-2-1)
Lightweight: Eddie Alvarez (15-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (18-3)
K-1 RULES :
Middleweight: Gegard Mousasi (24-2-1) vs. Musashi (49-28-5-1)
Heavyweight: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) vs. Hong Man Choi (1-1)**
Lightweight: Tatsuya Kawajiri (22-5-2) vs. Kozo Takeda (43-18-7)
K-1 KOSHIEN RULES:
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: HIROYA (9-1) vs. Shota Shimada (3-0)
U-18 Tournament Semifinals: Ryuya Kusakabe (2-0) vs. Koya Urabe (2-0)
U-18 Tournament Finals: Winner of HIROYA/Shimada vs. Winner of Kusakabe/Urabe
**Bout not confirmed by FEG
Stay tuned as this massive card continues to come together.
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Cro Crop can’t hang with anyone good anymore so he fights freaks, what a shame.
by Lester the Pimp on Dec 15, 2008 3:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
this is such a great card and keeps getting better!
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Keeps getting better? Because of this? LMAO! You really do love anything not UFC.
by BNF on Dec 15, 2008 4:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
ahh my good buddy BNF, i am a cro cop nuthugger and have been hoping he gets back to the top for years now… you know what they say, wish in one hand and sh*t in the other, see which one fills up first lol
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 4:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m excited about it. I can’t lie, freakshows catch my attention.
by RyanHobbs on Dec 15, 2008 4:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree completely I’d much rather watch this then watch Mike Swick fight Jonathon Goulet.
by tyler on Dec 15, 2008 5:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This is actually a good card. K-1 is not my thing, but there are some really good MMA fights. This fight is only interesting for the freakshow aspect to it.
by BNF on Dec 15, 2008 5:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wow, Cro Cop’s career is headed in the right direction now! He’ll finally be able to beat someone! sarcasm
by RedDog on Dec 15, 2008 7:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It seems like the right direction to me. At least is the same direction Fedor has followed his entire career.
by Diablo on Dec 15, 2008 7:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Do you guys think freakshows would work here in the states among casual fans i.e not us?
by NameNotRequired on Dec 15, 2008 7:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yes look at UFC 91! lol look at the WWE in general, what a freakshow that is… and it still sells well!
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 8:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mousasi VS Musashi?! WTF?…In any case, go Sakuraba!!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 8:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
IS this a PPV or is it on HDNet?
by 1-0 via Arm Triangle on Dec 15, 2008 9:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gotta give this fight to Hong Man, although Id love to see a Cro Cop high kick to the head of 7 foot beast.
by c-war on Dec 15, 2008 10:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop fought freaks back in the day too. Unless you consider Bob Sapp to be a great fighter?
by RyanHobbs on Dec 15, 2008 4:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nah, but watching Sapp slowly lay down on the mat and give up is still hilarious to me
by O damn he got caught on Dec 15, 2008 4:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
that was a perfect left cross to the jaw thats what that was!
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 4:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
hahahahaha he cried. That was probably extremely painful but I still can’t help but laugh after seeing such a massive man react like that.
by RyanHobbs on Dec 15, 2008 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If i remember correctly, he broke his ortibal bone in that fight. Still funny as hell!!
by NameNotRequired on Dec 15, 2008 7:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
really? looked like he connectd with the jaw… i have to watch that fight again
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Who would’ve thought freaks could cry!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 8:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
yes, Cro cop did Bob’s orbital bone or his nose and that is why he went down in pain.. I know that for a fact
by RoB on Dec 15, 2008 9:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
he’s getting old.. just look at Chuck Liddell, once your body can’t take it anymore it’s over! atleast if you want to be in the top
by RoB on Dec 15, 2008 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I just met Chuck 2 weeks ago at an MMA seminar, with Hackleman and Matt Lindland. I found out about it here on Mania. Chuck still looked to be in decent shape to me. I certainly was not interested in pissing him off. haha. Cavalcante and Horwich were also there. It was pretty tight.
by naturalshadow on Dec 17, 2008 2:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Crocop’s head kick will prob hit choi in the nipple
by horny for mma on Dec 15, 2008 3:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Or in his belly button…. wait. Where is Hong Man Choi’s belly button? Look at the picture, its not there hahaha.
by RyanHobbs on Dec 15, 2008 4:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Was it photoshopped? Nah, it’s just hiding lower down there, remember he’s a freak.
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 8:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cro cop looks really, really old nowadays. I hope he’s going to be able to make a comeback, but I doubt it. There would be no shame in him retiring, though, since he had moments when he managed to reach the sport’s pinnacle, or come near it.
by AA on Dec 15, 2008 4:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
As much as I hate to say it, Cro Cop has officially sold out, jumped the shark, and is done as a fighter.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 15, 2008 4:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know about sold out, he’s still schedule’d to fight Overeem in ‘09 so he’s not ducking anyone or intentionally trying to fight weak comp; but he’s definatley lost a couple steps, speed/physique/skills are all starting to decline; if I was cro cop I’d TKO HMC with repeated leg kicks and hang it up. May as well go out on a win since he’s on his way out anyway..
by O damn he got caught on Dec 15, 2008 4:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hong Man Choi isnt an ideal fight for anyone. There is no incentive for Cro Cop to fight this guy aside from cash. Yeah, I know Fedor fought him last year, but that was because he got paid big time to fight him.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 15, 2008 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
lol seriously, hong man is just like tim sylvia… jab master
by brendan on Dec 15, 2008 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He throws those about as seriously as I throw out blog posts – as in, not very.
by Graham on Dec 15, 2008 4:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Whipping that leg around like he used to probably took its toll finally, he had a great carreer for the most part but unless Cro Cop comes out aggressive and on point again, he’s done.
by O damn he got caught on Dec 15, 2008 4:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well I guess Cop should pepper the freak with leg kicks to fell the big sequoia.
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 8:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
How come nobody’s talking about the obvious disadvantage that Cro-Cop has against this guy: Head Size.
Cro-Cop has a tiny head and Choi has one of the biggest heads in the business. Based purely on head size, you have to go with Choi.
Of course, if that were true, Tito Ortiz would not have a single loss on his record.
by Freddy on Dec 15, 2008 4:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
that is true.. and that is why Tito is almost impossible to KO! or should i say he cannot be ko’d
by RoB on Dec 15, 2008 4:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
no, that was tko, he was never unconcious
by shamo84 on Dec 15, 2008 6:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
exactly, first time he poked him in the eye with his thumb which was very unfortunate cause Tito didn’t get the time to recover and the 2nd time Tito just covered up and Mario stepped in.. not even close to being KO’s just 2 ref stoppages which were ruled TKO
by RoB on Dec 15, 2008 9:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
mma fans are the worst when it comes to losing faith in their once favourite fighters. hmc is no joke, he gave fedor some trouble and that’s saying a lot. i’m confident that cro cop will return to form with this fight and cause havoc once again in the hw division.
by jayshogun on Dec 15, 2008 4:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I’ll still be rooting for Cro Cop, but I’m not expecting to see him come back and look like he did in Pride. I’m just hoping he can go out on a positive note, I hate seeing Cro Cop lose, especially when I know I’ve seen a much much better Cro Cop show up to compete in the past. Just makes me wonder, WTF did that guy go??
by O damn he got caught on Dec 15, 2008 4:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
HMC gave Fedor trouble….Oh I forgot he did fall on top of him after Fedor tried to body slam him!!!
by Robert on Dec 15, 2008 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I disagree. HMC never really gave Fedor trouble. He was just too big for Fedor to take down. Its tough to take a guy that outweighs you by 130 lbs down. once on the ground though Fedor very easily dismantled him. I do agree though that since this is a K1 fight that it will put Cro in a tough spot. He will prolly lose this to HMC
by sp00ner1234 on Dec 15, 2008 4:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Are you crazy? That’s where CroCop made his mark fighting in K-1.This is a better fight for CroCop then a rematch with Overeem.
by tyler on Dec 15, 2008 5:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah. Crocop’s tailor-made for K-1!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 8:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
K-1 fights involving fighters under 18.
by tyler on Dec 15, 2008 5:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
stacked event, i think hong man choi will get the better of cro cop he may not have the biggest striking aresnal but hes a big mofo and he could work the jab the whole fight, but god i hope he doesnt win i wanna see teh old cro cop hit him with a high kick in the ribs and bring him down, now that would be a sight to see:D
by Jared on Dec 15, 2008 4:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Badr Hari didn’t exactly dominate Hong Man and that is because Hong Man is HUGE! his hands are as big as Cro Cop’s head if not bigger
by RoB on Dec 15, 2008 5:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think CroCop will chop the Choi with some nasty leg kicks! Once Choi falls, well, you know what happens next!
by Dana's a Crossdresser on Dec 15, 2008 5:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This sucks, crocop is done, he just just retire and not subject himself and his fans to humilation. HMC by TKO.
This card ain’t bad at all. Hope Sergei sacks Overeem at least once (by mistake of course) before he takes his head off!
by noname on Dec 15, 2008 5:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Let the freakshow begin!
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 15, 2008 5:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop is clearly chasing the bigger dollars. They love watching Choi fight over there … this will be promoted like the Bob Sapp fight. If Cro Cop wins expect him to fight Overeem early 2009. If he loses, he should retire.
by DownUnder on Dec 15, 2008 6:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I got into Mirko when he was signed to K-1 in the late 90’s, I followed him from that moment and saw all K-1 fights and Pride FC fights and I was a big fan, I was thinking Mirko was almost unbeatable.
When he signed at UFC I was the happiest man alive and when Sanchez stepped up and said he could knock Mirko in the second round I laughed hard… though today I know he could’ve done that and if they fought today I’d say Sanchez by U. Dec.
When he was facing Gonzaga I had as much as fun, until the fight starts and I see that Mirko have taken the UFC fighters for granted and either not trained at all or lost his fighting spirit.
Gonzaga owned him greatly in the stand up, Mirko’s techniques looked very bad in comparison and that it would en like that also!
In this fight I was betting quite some cash and there I sat in my sofa and drinking some beer watching Mirko get both owned and KTFO’ed in under one round!
When he fought Kongo I once again hope he’d win, he just stood there and took a beating.
Nowadays I don’t bother if Mirko wins or lose, I don’t keep track of everything about him and I just don’t care.
From one of the worlds best fighters to what he’ve become today.
by JonnyBoy on Dec 15, 2008 6:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
How about cro cop vs the world most defeated man ken shamrock!!!!!!! Now thats a fight.
by nathan on Dec 15, 2008 6:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
ahhhhh yes, he’s taking the Fedor route. sweet!!!!!!!!
by Kentucky's finest on Dec 15, 2008 6:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Cro cops pulling a fedor. What a waste of 6 months of training for a meaningless fight, he might as well fight shamrock or kimbo, gonzaga must have killed every brain cell in his head with that kick.
by LG on Dec 15, 2008 7:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
crock pot still fightin’ huh. whatever pays the bills I guess. I got freakshow in 2. He could probably fit crock pot’s little peanut head inside the mouth of Choi…
by KJ Mack on Dec 15, 2008 8:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
wow, cro cop pussed out of fighting with overeem aka the nut crusher
by denniskuderjr on Dec 16, 2008 8:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
This fight is MMA rules and not K-1 rules.
by JonnyBoy on Dec 18, 2008 10:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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