Mirko Cro Cop: Game plan for Choi is to not exchange
by Jesse Holland on Dec 29, 2008 12:06 PM EST
65 comments
Props: Free Fight Videos
Quoteworthy:
"It's just another fight. I have to follow my game plan. I can't exchange with a man that has such a big reach and weight advantage over me. I’ll be cautious. It’s a dangerous fight. Any one that size is dangerous."
Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix winner Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (23-6-2) indicates the he could have plans to implement his oft-used ground game to upend 7’2" Hong Man Choi (1-1) in their heavyweight match set for Fields Dynamite!! at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on December 31. It's a risky strategy for the Croat - who only has one true submission to his credit: A guillotine choke over Kevin Randleman back in 2004.
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Kick his head off Mirko! Get back on track!
by mikeybear on Dec 29, 2008 12:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
did u read the article??
mirko said he will not trade with hong man choi..
this should be boring trying to watch mirko sub a giant..
is it just me or is this fight completely pointless for
cro coppers mma rank[or stand point in the sport]..
dont get me wrong~ i have been a huge[and still am] a fan
of cro copper for a while now~ but cmon mang~
what can this fight really do for mirko?
-that said~ i unfortunately see mirko getting ktfo by choi~
by stinky~fingers on Dec 29, 2008 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It’s time to move on Sticky Fingers, Cro Cop will never be the same unfortunately.
by MikeD on Dec 29, 2008 1:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe not but he’s not in as bad a shape as Wanderlei and Nogueira. Who are just about shot. At least CroCop shows signs of life to have a few battles left.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 1:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think he had it worse than both Nog and Wanderlei, at least they’ve won a couple matches before losing. Cro Cop got embarrassed by Gonzaga, and lost to Kongo. I guess the only good thing for Cro Cop is that the HW division is not stacked.
by MikeD on Dec 29, 2008 1:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
CroCop is the one who for the most part ended Wanderlei as we knew him.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Is it coincidence that these guys(among others) are all the sudden “supposedly” washed up as soon as they entered the UFC. Maybe, just maybe there is talent in the UFC that wasn’t there in Pride. There was a lot of talent in Pride, but the myth that guys like CC and Nog would walk through the HW division of the UFC has been busted. Fedor is no exception and we will see this when AA KHTFO. Think about it, Fedor’s 2 toughest opponents were Nog and CC and he could only decision these guys with multiple attempts. Both of them have been completely owned in the UFC. The funniest part is the Pride HW’s were supposed to be the biggest threat to the “weak” UFC HW division and they are the ones having the most trouble. The only one left to prove something is Fedor and he is to much of a pussy to challenge himself in the UFC.
by Gord on Dec 29, 2008 2:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gord, you make some really good points… I am not convinced that AA is back to prime form. It will definatly be a good gauge to see where Fedor is at relative to former UFC champs because Timmy is obviously done for and all Fedor’s fights in the past couple of years, please…
by BNF on Dec 29, 2008 2:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gord-
You make some good points but I think it has more to do with “mileage” than anything else.
Also, to add to your point it could be that some of the Pride guys took their UFC counter-parts too lightly.
by OJR on Dec 29, 2008 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
these guys are also alot older than they were in pride.. (and no more roids, HGH etc). Plus, these guys beat most of the UFC HW champions. While Pride was alive and kicking, ufc couldnt touch them in terms of HW. hell.. who DIDNT beat andre and randy back then..
by josh on Dec 29, 2008 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Anderson Silva and Rampage are both PRIDE fighters, and if im not mistaken, neither of them have lost a match in the UFC, besides the bs forrest decision
by brendan on Dec 29, 2008 3:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
At its peak, PRIDE definitely produced more world class fighters (BJ Penn, Lyoto Machida, Anderson Silva, Rampage, Gomi, Fedor to name a few). Chuck Liddell didn’t stand a chance when he joined a tournament at PRIDE, and he was the “best” UFC had to offer. Anyways, UFC is #1 now and they have all the elite fighters.
by MikeD on Dec 29, 2008 3:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Penn is the UFC’s product I believe…
by Syd[a.k.a. "The Negation"] on Dec 29, 2008 4:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Penn never fought in Pride. When he was feuding with the UFC he fought in a couple of K-1 events.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 4:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
brendan, Anderson only had 4 fights in PRIDE, he had just as many in Cage Rage. So to be fair is he really a PRIDE guy? Rampage has made to best transition, but for the most part it seems that it has been a tough transition for many of the “top” guys from PRIDE.
Mike D, did you really just say PRIDE produced BJ Penn, Machida, and Anderson? I don’t think Machida or Penn ever fought in PRIDE.
by BNF on Dec 29, 2008 4:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gord,
I like AA. He is one of my favorite heavies. That said, your analogy doesn’t work. If Fedor will get knocked out by AA because he was competitive in the UFC, then Timmay should have knocked out Fedor, because he was able to beat AA.
by Jeff on Dec 29, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Jesse HOlland: u know I love your work here on Mania, but dont you EVER again refer to how cro cop defeated Randleman as a Guillotine. LMAO! That was the sorriest looking Guilotine EVER. Randleman is Pathetic to have tapped to that crap!
by john on Dec 29, 2008 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Randleman has had the occasional meltdown in fights that’s why his record doesn’t reflect how good he was, but I would hardly call him pathetic. He’s not the first fighter to tap from a standing guillotine.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 8:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Kick his head off? HMC is 7-foot-2. But knowing Mirko, he’ll probably still try. For such a talented fighter, it’s too bad that Mirko doesn’t seem to have a high MMA IQ.
by Pat on Dec 29, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mirko could still kick his head off….. did you not see the picture of him training against that giant Croation….. It is a possibility albeit a very small one, but he can definitely kick that high
by Psyqo78®™ on Dec 29, 2008 8:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
guess he’s going to use that sweet ground game.
by Ted on Dec 29, 2008 12:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Why? The easiest way to beat HMC is to beat his ass whenever his slow knees miss. Also leg kicks. This strategy is just one more sign of desperation.
by NameNotRequired on Dec 29, 2008 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know what’s funier, you’re joke, or the guy below you actually thinking he’ll use his ground game!
by kevin on Dec 29, 2008 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
How did you think of that? You must think you’re a funny guy now? Well you better think again. Mirko trained for years with Fabricio Werdum he can throw up a triangle choke if he has to. His ground game isn’t non-existent.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 1:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Robert,
I can throw up a triangle and an arm-bar. That doesn’t mean it is a great strategy against a guy who is 7’2".
by Jeff on Dec 29, 2008 5:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Guys that was Mirko’s reply when he was asked what’s he going to do if Mark Coleman puts him on his back in the pre fight interview before Pride 29. He said if Coleman puts him on his back he better worry about Triangles and oma plata’s. Apparently no one else saw the Pride 29 Fists of Fire DVD. One of the more underrated Pride shows.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 5:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Wrong!!! For Gonzaga he was training with Dean Lister and still did nothing but eat elbows from Gonzaga. And against Overeem he did nothing when he was on the ground. He was lucky to get nailed in the balls, otherwise he may have been embarrased by the potential beating Overeem would have given him. ,I’m a big Cro Cop fan and even though I think he will win this fight, he is done against any major competition. The Gonzaga fight has messed him up mentally for good.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 29, 2008 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mex, I agree with your entire post, accept I dont really consider Choi as Major competition. IMO this is a more winnable fight for Cro Cop right nOw, then Overeem would be.
Like you, I was a die hard Cro Cop fan, but its obvious he is done. No point in defending him. He was just too cocky to put in the work needed to make the transition into the UFC. I dont want to hear all the usual “he is working on his ground game” Crap. I have been doing jits for about 3 months and I am dead serious when I say I would be favored against Cro Cop in a grappling match! His ground game is FUGAZE!!!!! 1st he was training Werdum so his ground game was supposed to improve…Still Crap. THen he trains wit Lister….Still crap!
Question did anyone watch the LIster/Okami fight? Was it any good or boring as anticipated?
Before the UFC cuts LIster I would like to see"
Listre vs. Almeida. I want to see them on the ground
by john on Dec 29, 2008 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I didnt mean to imply that Choi WAS major competition. Maybe I worded it wrong, but I think the reason Cro Cop wins this fight is because it is against a joke like Choi. He is done (will never win) against any top competition.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 29, 2008 6:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Who the fuck are you to call a professional fighter a joke? That is ridiculous.
by Robert on Dec 29, 2008 8:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop’s ground game a joke? I guess we haven’t watched the fight with Fedor.
by Jon on Dec 29, 2008 8:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I guess you didn’t watch the Gonzaga or Overeem fights either, huh Jon?
Quit following me Robert. You are making me blush.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 29, 2008 10:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I wonder how good Mirko’s ground game actually is considering he’s always used it conservatively in the past. Anybody know who his ground coach is now? Losing Werdum as his BJJ coach was a big loss to his team. I think he’s worrying too much about losing now. I kinda wish he was like Wandy and went out to fight with a balls to the walls mentality. Win or lose, Wandy gives the fans a great show and thats why he’s still one of my favorite fighters. You know with Wandy, no matter who he fights, 99% of the time someone is gonna get KTFO’d.
by DaneJa!260 on Dec 29, 2008 12:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I know dean lister is his jiu jitsu coach, or at least they work together alot.
by mike22 on Dec 29, 2008 8:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop will kick his legs about 4 or five times. Choi will fall to the floor. Mirko will either G-n-P him or get an armbar. Fight will be done in the first 3 minutes.
by the_mexicutioner on Dec 29, 2008 12:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Badr Hari recently beat him with punches and kicks to the kidneys, they were bruised up pretty bad by the end of round three I think it was. He could not come out to continue to fight. And I think Mighty Mo is the only fighter ever to knock him out.
by Ade on Dec 29, 2008 4:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
THIS IS -too all the peeps who are still mirko fans-
is it just me? or do u guys feel like mirko aint never coming back to the ufc..
taking grapple-matches and fights against choi just shows
me how serious he is about mma..
i feel like a widow sitting by the door[tv] waiting for her
dead husband to return from the war..knowing he will never show
but still having faith..
well cro copper~ i have no more faith in you returning to the ufc..
i hope u have fun in japan but i hope u know u will never be considered
to be as dangerous as u once used to be.. u will never reach the top
of the ranks and will probably end ur career in japan fighting cans.
i still respect what u have done and will never forget how
much of a killer u used to be..
i just cant back u up anyomore~ when i know u will not return to your former self.
signed*..stink~man[ur ex fan]
by stinky~fingers on Dec 29, 2008 12:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
FUCK YOU!
hes done for and will never return but i stil love him cause im a believer ! fuck you all
by mad durg! on Jan 1, 2009 12:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Apparently if he wins he will return to the UFC. Great time to come back, with the heavyweight division hotting up.
I think he can be a good link between the upcoming stars (Cigano, Valasquez, Carwin), and the four who just competed in the mini-tournament.
He could also be a good test for Kongo prior to a title shot, or how’s about a rematch with Nogueira?
by Andy on Dec 29, 2008 1:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Andy my friend, your devotion is admirable, but its sorely misplaced in this day and age. Since winning the 2006 HW tourney in Pride, he’s gone 2-2 with one NC and one of those losses was against Gonzaga. He has only been able to beat Eddie Sanchez in an underwhelming performance and some Japanese kid who was hand-picked to face him in a nothing fight.
Mirko has no place in the UFC, unless its in fighting his contemporaries like Wanderlei, Big Nog, etc. His star has fallen far and fast. About the only thing he’s qualified for is freakshow matches in Japan, and Zuffa will never use those. Mirko is about as relevant to the HW title picture as the average MMAMania.com poster is.
I may not be able to remember Cheick Kongo’s upcoming matches, but I remember his past matches, and he’s already beaten the crap out of Mirko. It wasn’t much of a test either.
by Graham on Dec 29, 2008 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I think you may be right, but the UFC needs a way of building up the new guys to the public. Cro Cop is a name to Joe Public, and I think Cain Valasquez knocking him out would do alot for him & the UFC. The big problem is having no-one to feed them to build up thier names.
Timmy, Arlovsky, Cro Cop- they’re the old guard that these new guys need to get through, but none of them are there.
by Andy on Dec 29, 2008 2:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
come on…. can u say HAS BEEN??? throw cro-cop in the mix with matt hughes.
by horny for mma on Dec 29, 2008 1:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
shit cant say too much about this fight other than im not expecting it to be exciting, hope im wrong
by Jared on Dec 29, 2008 1:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
For a website dedicated to MMA, the writer of this article sure is showing a lack of knowledge regarding boxing/striking terminology.
All Mirko said is that he won’t “exchange”.
That merely states that he won’t stand in the pocket and trade. Nothing more! Because of HMC’s reach and size, Mirko knows he cannot EXCHANGE with him at any time, merely relying on head movement for his defense.
This is no indication whatsoever that CroCop has gameplanned a ground attack, or that he intends to avoid the standup.
What I inferred from what CroCop said, is that he intends to stick and move, avoid the pocket, and rely heavily on his footwork in order to dictate the distance of this fight.
I don’t think he was promising a flying omoplata, I’m sure he intends to win with strikes.
He’s just saying that he knows, against such a tall opponent, that he must enter and escape the pocket quickly.
Much like he did against another taller opponent, Aleks Emelianenko.
by Brizzi on Dec 29, 2008 1:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t see Mirko changing his style. He’s not a stick-and-move striker a la GSP. He’s a flat-footed stalking type of striker.
by Pat on Dec 29, 2008 1:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
As I said, CroCop vs. Aleksander Emelianenko.
You haven’t seen it or you don’t remember it.
Watch it!
And then expect the same thing on NYE: A very cat-like Mirko, light on his feet, circling the ring very quickly and using a lot of backward movement.
(If he still has it in him that is.)
by Brizzi on Dec 29, 2008 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
One thing I noticed when re-watching the Aleks/CC fight a couple years ago was that Aleks started the fight out using an advancing-type of motion that his brother Fedor would later use to stifle Mirko’s attacks.
Unfortunately for Aleks he didn’t continue to use it and started exchanging and tying up, and then he was head-kicked.
by Graham on Dec 29, 2008 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Mirko had some good punch combinations in that fight as well, don’t really see many flurry’s from him anymore.
by O Damn he got caught on Dec 29, 2008 3:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I honestly haven’t seen the CC-Aleks fight, only the highlight reel KO, but I’ll get around to it. Thanks.
by Pat on Dec 29, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Cool!
I think you’ll be surprised and impressed by CC’s use of footwork and speed in that fight, as I said it is a real departure from his “usual” style and shows that he does have some range when it comes to his approach on the feet.
Come back and let me know what you think!
by Brizzi on Dec 29, 2008 10:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Good to hear that CC is not going to exchange strikes with HMC. Look how well that has worked for him lately.
by Graham on Dec 29, 2008 1:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
How can you compare him with matt hughes, 9 welter weight titles 7 titles defenses, how many does cro cop have? Who else has that on there resume?
by nathan on Dec 29, 2008 1:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
mirko has had quite a few leg injurys the last year and a half. i think he has a better chance at making a comeback than nog or wand if he can get healthy.
by jonsey on Dec 29, 2008 2:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hong man will fall on him like he did Fedor but Mirko will not be able to get out from underneath him. Choi will win this fight easily, Mirko is a one trick pony and if he says he will not trade with him then he has nothing left to do. Mirko is not Fedor and will not win this fight, Choi will lay on him and pound him through the canvas or until the ref stops the fight. I feel as this fight has all the makings of a side show as opposed to a prfessional MMA fight. I cant believe that Mirko would even take this fight after losing this one he will be finished, not a good fight for him to try and resurect his career.
by the spyder on Dec 29, 2008 4:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
u guys are giving mirko too much credit, ground game, forget it. he didnt say that he wasnt going to try and outstrike choi. mirko said that he wasnt going to try and exchange, meaning trade punches, brawl.
dont worry, he will be the same old one dimensional fighter he has always been. im putting my money on choi.
by COR on Dec 29, 2008 8:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Whoo cares, I used to really like crocop but like liddell he is a one-trick pony who is finished.
Fedor is an MMA god.
by noname on Dec 29, 2008 8:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Gonzaga kicked Cro-cop so hard that he ain’t thinking right no more. I think his best chances are to chop down the giant with kicks. It seems like ever since Gonzaga kicked him he’s not confident in his striking no more.
by skelow on Dec 29, 2008 11:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
C RO COP is man with honor and big heart . . .
After Owereem trashtalked that he didnt hit him in balls again and again he said this:
-You and your team come to Zagreb Ill pay you tickets and place you in best hotel and you and your team come to my basement and bring neutral judges and we will fight . . .not for money just for honor.
After that Overeem shut his mouth.
That is what i respect about Cro Cop
by Lenus on Dec 30, 2008 4:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hi, anybody knows will it be live feed of cro cop – hong choi fight on net?
I’m on my job, there is no tv here, and i really wanna watch the fight! Tnx!
by Domagoj on Dec 31, 2008 4:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
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