UFC Quick Quote: Mirko Cro Cop is two wins away from a title shot
by Jesse Holland on Sep 10, 2009 2:14 PM EDT
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"The UFC heavyweight division is very hard at the moment. As MMA as a sport is spreading all around the world, new fighters are coming from different kind of sports and training. It'll be tougher and tougher to take the belt. First, I want to be concentrating on my fight against Junior. If I take both of those fights, I believe the third will be the title shot."
-- Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix winner, Mirko Filipovic (25-6-2), talks about his title aspirations during a UFC 103 teleconference courtesy of Cagewriter. "Cro Cop" recently returned to Zuffa at UFC 99, making a cyclops out of Mustapha Al-Turk en route to a technical knockout victory back on June 13. While the Croat must first stymie the emergence of a suddenly-relevant Junior Dos Santos at UFC 103 on September 19, it's not unrealistic to think that a win after that could propel him into title contention. But who might the middle man be? Frank Mir? Big Nog? "The Natural?" Speculations welcome.
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I hope this is true. Who doesn’t like Mirko? I hope he has got his stuff together and he turns out to capture the old glory. I don’t see it happening though.
by thetuf75 on Sep 10, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions
i think he will beat dos santos and i hope he does well after that but its hard to tell if he is back to his old form.
by roy on Sep 10, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro Cop let’s take this one fight at a time you need to be fucused on your next fight another loss will be devastating and you might be looking at fighting the winner of TUF next.
by Puck Head on Sep 10, 2009 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Who wouldn’t love to see Cro cop land a clean head kick on Brock and see the tweety birds circling his head while he twitches on the mat?
by Buster Bluth on Sep 10, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro Cop will make some very interesting fights, against smaller HW like Nog and Couture, and even middle-sized guys like Gonzaga and Mir, but as long as the HW division is such a huge weight range and the belt is held by a 285 lb gorilla, “little guys” like CroCop are irrelevant to the belt. He’s just too small. Brock has about 10 inches of reach on him and 50-60 lbs more muscle. It’d be like putting Frankie Edgar against Rampage Jackson.
by Shonuff on Sep 10, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
I want to see Cro Cop vs. Anderson much more then cro cop vs. Brock!
by john G on Sep 10, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions
the HW division is all of a sudden exciting again to me with the addition of cro cop, Nog back to his old self, and some new up and comers who look pretty solid
by brendan on Sep 10, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Brock and all but how could you not like to see Cro cop return to glory and be the man that topples King Kong off his perch with a vicious trademark head kick?
by Buster Bluth on Sep 10, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Buster: I would love to see it but its not realistic. Brock wont allow that fight to stay standing for more then 3 seconds.
Bring on CRO COP vs. Anderson Silva! Now thats epic right there!
by john G on Sep 10, 2009 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, and I want to see Crocop vs. BJ Penn or Uriah Faber. Or wait, Miguel Torres vs. Lesnar.
Lets think of other fights that will never happen too!
by JeremyJackscan on Sep 10, 2009 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
whats to keep anderson vs. Cro Cop from happening? you do realize that they are the same size right?
UFC is about bIG MOney fights, and that is as big of a fight as it gets, especially on a European card!
by john G on Sep 10, 2009 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions
If Silva is asking for Mir then there is no reason why he couldnt fight Crocop. Crocop would actually be more interesting cause you can guarantee CC would stand and bang it out.
by stevo on Sep 10, 2009 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro Cop silva sould be about as epic as Silva Forrest. Sorry cro cop nut huggers but he’s way past his prime and nobody is even close to anderson striking atm. Easy Ko Rd 1
by Jye on Sep 11, 2009 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions
I think if he wins he should fight the winner of the Cain V vs Ben R fight.
by getrawbc on Sep 10, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro-Cop/Junior winner fights winner of Cain/Ben. Thats perfect!
by JV on Sep 10, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m down with that.Big Nog need’s to fight Mir to set the record straight.
by JT on Sep 10, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
If they both win their next fight in decisive fashion, they should rematch for the title shot. Really if Mir tears Congo’s arm off which I expect he will, I think he should have one more quality opponent and then rematch with Nog for the number one contender spot. This will give him more time to neutralize that size gap for rubber match with Lesnar. Nog has a quality win over Randy. Give him one more quality win over named opponent and then he fights for number one contender. Right now it’s too soon for either to be getting a title shot.
by wAyNe on Sep 10, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions
If cro Cop wins he can move up the ladder, but if he loses, the UFC might as well take advantage of his name and stye and book a mega fight between Cro Cop vs. Anderson!
by john G on Sep 10, 2009 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions
How about Steve Carwin vs Kenny Florian!
by JeremyJackscan on Sep 10, 2009 5:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I’ve heard great things about Steve Carwin but he’s not ready for the likes of Ken-Flo. He should be fed cans like his big cousin Shane before taking on the elite of the division.
Seriously CC-Andy is actually a reasonable fight, CC is a small HW and could make the cut to LHW whilst Andy has proven that he can move up to 205 and not give up size even against a big guy like Forrest. Plus Silva was calling out Frank Mir so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him fight a smaller HW like Randy or CC at 205 or a CW. I’d love to see that fight over here, shame it’ll never happen in the UK if it ever happens at all.
by David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) on Sep 10, 2009 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I like cro cop, but have no interest in seeing he and Brock fight. Someone with a solid ground game is needed against Brock, Cro cop doesn’t have that!
by kevin on Sep 10, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions
A couple of guys who agree that CC would not be a threat to Brock w/o a good ground game.
Yes.
by OJR on Sep 10, 2009 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
LOL, You guys are a trip! “A ground game” or a “standup game” are no real threats to Brock anymore. And its only gona get worse as he gains experience!
by JV on Sep 10, 2009 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro Cop’s too small, old and one dimensional to give Brock problems, unless Lesnar comes in with a horrible strategy and tries to strike with CC it should be a routine win for him. I don’t see CC beating JDS and he’ll have to improve a lot in order to even be considered for a title shot. Been a bad week for Croatia, we smashed you again in the footie, looks like England have a decent shot at winning the World Cup for the first time in years.
The big threats to his belt in my opinion are Carwin and Cain as they are both huge HWs with excellent wrestling and arguably better striking, if anyone beats Lesnar in the UFC then it’ll be one of these 2. Nog could also be a tough test if he can maintain his form from the Couture fight, though the size disadvantage may be too much for even Nog to overcome.
by David W-S on Sep 10, 2009 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Cain is only about 235 and can’t take a punch. He would have been TKO’d in the first round if he had fought someone with both Kongo’s skills and the intelligence of a 4-year-old. I also seriously doubt he will outwrestle Brock. For anyone who wants to see Brock lose, you better count on Barney Carwin’s puncher’s chance.
by PW on Sep 10, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions
David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) -
You can strike Cain from that list. His lack of true punching power would not enable him to last long with Brock.
Carwin has a much better chance, IMO.
by OJR on Sep 10, 2009 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Cro Cop has a better chance of beating Brock than Cain does IMO.Cro Cop would always have a punchers chance until he get’s taken down and we haven’t seen Brock come up against a good striker yet.
by JT on Sep 10, 2009 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions
It would take a 250-pound version of Liddell, someone who has great TD defense and great striking. CC has no chance at keeping that fight standing.
by PW on Sep 10, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Cheers OJR that’s going up as my new name, honestly there have been so many Davids (or Daivd in one case) trolling this site today it’s ridiculous.
As for Cain I actually like his chances, I know he hasn’t displayed the best chin or punching power but he is still young and one of the very few HWs that can match Brock’s wrestling. Lesnar doesn’t have the best stand-up either and he’ll struggle to take Cain down, until he loses I’m not ruling out his chances. He is a young guy training at an excellent camp in AKA so if he can develop his BJJ and striking to match his wrestling then Brock could have some big problems against him.
However Carwin is easily the biggest threat, as a Lesnar fan his wrestling, size and punching power has had me worried for a while and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Carwin keeps the fight on the feet and KOs Brock. The only two things holding back Shane are his age, as he doesn’t have much time to improve, and the fact that he is not a full-time fighter because to be a champion these days you should be training all of the time at a world-class camp and having a job is holding him back from fulfilling his potential and will affect his conditioning.
by David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) on Sep 10, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Caution, extremely bold claim: Lyoto Machida will dethrone Brock Lesnar.
by frosnt on Sep 10, 2009 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, Cro Cop vs. Brock is as exciting as Mir vs. Lesnar 3-IMO. I have no desire to see 225# of no ground game/take down defense, sit under 285#’s of a wrestling gorilla, getting mauled for 2 or 3 minutes for $59.99. The idea of seeing Cro Cop land the big head kick is exciting but I think I have a better chance of hitting power ball this weekend….
by Da Monkey on Sep 11, 2009 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Word to the world… .Cro Cop doesn’t have what it takes to beat top level HW. IMHO
by Sp00ner1234 on Sep 10, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Nobody’s gonna be able to hang with Brock on the ground. You need someone who can knock his head off before the fight gets there. CroCop could do it if he were anywhere near Brock’s size…but he ain’t.
by Shonuff on Sep 10, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Big Nog is the worst matchup for Brock – he’s a great HW striker with an incredible ground game – if brock has trouble smothering him Nog should be able to sweep and maybe even sub him
Randy held is own against Brock for 3 solid rounds and might have been ahead
If Brock meets Nog it would be a very exciting match
by Jerrolds on Sep 10, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Nog would be a very dangerous opponent, it all depends on which Nog shows up. The one that got schooled by Mir would get murdered by Brock but the Nog that outclassed Couture could be the guy to beat him. I’d like to see Nog put on another great performance first but skillswise he would give Brock fits, the only problem is that he is well outsized by Lesnar and I think that only a huge HW like Carwin will be able to deal with the monster that is Lesnar.
by David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) on Sep 10, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions
make no mistake about it, Cro COp beats Randy and Mir… so if he wins this fight against Junior he could very well get a title shot with some luck
by RoBerto on Sep 10, 2009 2:19 PM EDT reply actions
I think he’s gotta beat his next two opponents very convincingly and get that little bit of luck and he’s probably right.
by attakdog on Sep 10, 2009 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions
I dont think he can beat Mir. The guy is a smaller heavyweight compared to these guys and has no ground game.
by thetuf75 on Sep 10, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Mir fancies himself as a bit of a striker nowadays and’s so arrogant he’d likely believe he can compete standing.
Mir’s td’s suck too and CC’s td defence isn’t bad. If it does hit the ground then CC would definitely be in trouble.
My money would certainly be on CC.
by attakdog on Sep 10, 2009 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions
I gotta agree with Attack. The Staph infection is not very good at all, and he does think he is a striker now. I see the STAPH INFECTION getting lit up like a christmas tree
by john G on Sep 10, 2009 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
to me the only person that can beat mir is brock
by blue bad boy on Sep 10, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Ian Freeman? Marcio Cruz?
Honestly Mir is very beatable and if he tries to stand with Kongo like an idiot then he’s getting KO’d. Cain, Carwin, JDS and Cro Cop would all smash him as well.
by David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) on Sep 10, 2009 10:43 PM EDT up reply actions
A win over Dos Santos and maybe Mir and someone else should give him a shot. I don’t see why not.
by John G on Sep 10, 2009 2:25 PM EDT reply actions
Let it go. He’s a better John G than you’ll ever be.
by Joe Smith on Sep 10, 2009 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Would the real john G please stand up, please stand up, please stand up. Seriously fake John, the joke is over, pretty pathetic life if you still think this is funny.
by jay on Sep 11, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree I think Cro Cop should get a shot. His weakness would be against guys with great ground games, and of course Lesner. Right now the only thing I see stopping Brock is a train at full speed.
by BigAtom on Sep 10, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions
If he does get past dos dantos he should fight gonzaga, id love to see him get ktfo again
by phenomenal angel on Sep 10, 2009 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Or Cro Cop/Kongo 2 if Kongo can get past Frank “the imposing striker” Mir.
by JT on Sep 10, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
every time I think he is going to win he loses or wins in an unimpressive fashion. Why should I all of a sudden think he’s a serious contender? Who of value has he beaten in the UFC? Nobody, that’s who!
by kibbled_bits on Sep 10, 2009 2:42 PM EDT reply actions
if cro cop gets past dos santos they should definitely put him in against nog or randy. either one might not be the same fight it could’ve been maybe 2 or 3 years ago, but still, an instant mma classic. the question is, which is more interesting? a rematch of a fight cro cop was owning until nogueira pulled an armbar out of his ass? or a classic grappler vs striker matchup between 2 of mma’s all-time best heavyweights?
by matmar87 on Sep 10, 2009 2:43 PM EDT reply actions
looks like some one needs therapy
I just hope cro cop scores more goals
by dia mette on Sep 10, 2009 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Mirko vs Gonzaga 2!
Maybe he’ll touch gloves with him this time…
by Stephen Shamrock on Sep 10, 2009 2:47 PM EDT reply actions
Or maybe try and really fight, still I give him 0 chance
by phenomenal angel on Sep 10, 2009 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Mirko DID touch gloves with Gonzaga. But not until Herb said touch gloves. This is a common misconception.
by stevo on Sep 10, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m a huge fan of Cro Cop, but there is no way he can handle Lesnar’s power on the ground.
by LSC on Sep 10, 2009 2:56 PM EDT reply actions
CroCop has zero ground game, therefore he has zero chance of doing anything in the cage. Too bad, he was fun to watch. Why doesn’t he learn some Jitz???
by capt doug on Sep 10, 2009 2:58 PM EDT reply actions
He had zero gg in pride either but still did sh!tloads of damage. I refuse to believe that CC is done yet. After 103 if he’s well beaten then I’ll stop believing.
by attakdog on Sep 10, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Exactly he is the Chuck of the HW division he knows enough to defend himself and get it back standing. Against Brock though he would be toast.
by Puck Head on Sep 10, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Great comparison. You’re right if he gets stuck underneath Brock he’s bang in trouble!
by attakdog on Sep 10, 2009 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions
The last time they did this, he lost to Gonzaga and Kongo. If he gets past Dos Santos, they should just pull the trigger and give him the next available shot.
by Jase on Sep 10, 2009 3:15 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah boys, Crocop has NEVER faced big, strong wrestlers, who go for the take down before.
In fact, he has only faced 4 fighters before, GG, Al-Turk, Kongo, and Sanchez. Yeah, his career record is 2-2. How can he be thinking about a title shot?
If only he had experience against large wrestlers like Waterman, Barnett, or a ’roided out Coleman and convincing wins against them, then, and only then, would I say he would have a chance against someone who has 5 or 6 pro fights to their name like Lesner.
My guess is that the same thing would happen to Crocop that happened to Liddell in fights against wrestlers. Remember what happened to Liddell against Babalu, Ortiz, Couture, and Horn? I mean, how can strikers possibly think they have a chance in the octagon. Having “flawless” takedown defense will only take you so far, right?
My guess is that Lesner would defeat Crocop by shaming him by showing Crocop that in fact he is the palest skinned man on the planet. Then he would shoot in with his head against Crocop’s left shin. Yeah, he would break Crocop’s left shin with his face, Lesner’s the most brilliant fighter ever. Ton’s of experience against guys who like to stand and strike.
RIP. Pooring one out for the strikers in the UFC.
by Striker Dave on Sep 10, 2009 3:40 PM EDT reply actions
i would hate to see what lesnar could do to that shin with his face.
by David on Sep 10, 2009 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Daivd haha man that cracks me up.
by David W-S (the only respectable poster named David) on Sep 10, 2009 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions
My mon? sit your ass down right next to with that shit.
by Daivd on Sep 11, 2009 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I still don’t see all that much depth to the UFC heavyweight division. There might be depth but it’s not relevant depth. Unless it’s Brock, who really cares what Mir’s next fight is? I’m not any kind of MMA guru but I’ve never heard of Zane Frazier or Patrick Smith. There are maybe 6 heavyweights in the UFC that actually matter. That’s not deep.
by Bryan139 on Sep 10, 2009 3:55 PM EDT reply actions
Yeah, Patrick Smith. UFC 2. Why is he even still on the UFC website.
by Bryan139 on Sep 10, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
cro cop is best fighter.
lesnar will cry after fight.
cro cop is tooooo expirience for Lesnar….
-
Bob Sap 360 lbs> Lesnar 265 lbs
by riba on Sep 10, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions
Bob Sapp = professional freak show. Lesnar > 45 seconds of stamina.
by PW on Sep 10, 2009 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Not even just head kicks. Brock has not fought anyone that give him some good leg kicks yet either. One of those cro cop kicks to the legs could be fatal.
Bottom line is Cro Cop is useless on his back. Brock takes him down and it’s over…… He would have to keep the fight standing and no one has done it. If Cro Cop could snap a kick on his leg every time he came in close, he might think twice but that’s Brocks game.
Only person who has a chance is someone who can get brock on his back 1st……..
Carwin or Cain might be the only 2 to do it right now.
Honestly, I’d love to see Brock and Gonzaga. I think Gonzaga wins that fight.
by tallimeca on Sep 10, 2009 4:47 PM EDT reply actions
for all time
1 fedor
2 nog /cc
4 barnett
5 natural
6 other
by riba on Sep 10, 2009 5:10 PM EDT reply actions
all time hw
1 fedor
2 bas
3 nog
4 randy
5 shamrock
by shogun on Sep 10, 2009 5:15 PM EDT reply actions
2 words for the future of the ufc heavyweights bigger competition. 3 names brock lesnar, shane carwin, and TODD DUFFEE for real
by derek on Sep 10, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions
If cro cop wins give him Big Nog, if he loses give him Randy
by The_Devil_You_Know on Sep 10, 2009 7:07 PM EDT reply actions
I would say Randy if he wants the fight. Randy has earned the right to fight guys who are exciting and intriguing to him. Randy should drop to 205 to finish his career. But if he wants to stay at Heavy Weight, let him fight the fights he wants (if it’s not a title shot)
by jigga4713 on Sep 10, 2009 8:16 PM EDT reply actions
i hope cc has been working on his ground game, he has good stand up but with out having atleast a good sprawl and avoid the take down i don’t think we will ever see him with the belt.also at 220lbs 205 might be a good place for cc
by samirpamba on Sep 10, 2009 8:28 PM EDT reply actions
If he wins against dos santos AND another quality opponent (say a level of cain velasquez) then yes. But I’m thinking no. He hasnt showed much in his last fights. I do think he’s just a stepping stone now
by big_evil on Sep 10, 2009 11:00 PM EDT reply actions
steve carwin is the crocodile hunter, heard he was pretty bad
by jrod on Sep 11, 2009 9:12 AM EDT reply actions
if crocop lands a head kick on brock it will brake his leg in 2 brock is to big for him
by plum crazy on Sep 11, 2009 11:04 AM EDT reply actions
I really hope he can win his next 2 fights. I’d like to see him go up against Brock.
by Daniel Contogiannis on Sep 14, 2009 1:44 PM EDT reply actions
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