Mirko Cro Cop: 'Maybe I should've quit after I won' Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006

Well thats too bad. I would still like to see Mirko in the Octagon.

man poor guy. id hate to see him quit but if its what he wants to do.

Yep, you should have quit. Now you are embarrassing yourself, your country and the athlete you once were.

Gonzaga is who took his mental toughness. Some fighters lose a piece and some fighters come back stronger. AA is another example of losing something, and GSP is the exaple of coming back stronger! Too bad though, Cro-Cop was exciting to watch….then.

i don’t think gsp is a good example, he definately came back just as hungry, but he’s lost a lot of confidence in his striking

Definitely sounds like he’s planning to retire.

guys been fighting for years. time to call it a day.

one of the best strikers in his prime.

They all retire at some time. I think it would be a good move for Mirko to hang em up. Sad to hear, though.

Mirko is a class-act…sucks seeing him in this situation. (very sad)

I’m a huge Mirko fan but he is finished. It’s sad to say. He’s had over 100 fights in the various disciplines. I did get the impression that he wasn’t there mentally anymore. Sad but it’s nice to see that he isn’t deluding himself.

Always a legend.

Sad to see a legend go out like this, even sadder to see all the new kimbo era kiddies insult Cro Cop . Mir vs Cro Cop would be a good fight and might end Mir arrogance.

If his hunger is gone, it doesn’t matter whether he fought at HW, LHW or any weight. He’s made a lot of money as a fighter, and I’m sure he made a big chunk of change last night. I like Mirko a lot. He’s a straight talker, doesn’t mince words, says what he means. If Mirko says the fire is gone, then I believe him. It’s time to retire and enjoy a normal life. He earned it.

maybe you should think about being a man crocop. geez, you’re acting like a woman. living a spartan life? pfft, try pulling this as a spartan and you’ll be left for dead.

One of the greatest of all time. fought the who’s who of the MMA world and won mostly. Time catches up with all fighters and he has been honest enough to admit he does not have that special thing that made him great anymore. Good Look to you what ever you decide to do next Mirko. Loved to watch you fight.

Thank you for all the great moments and my inspiration to train Mirko the mma world will not feel the same without you

damn, honestly i think he should like drop to LHW and try for a run there either way Thank you Mirko you were indeed a Legend in the striking aspect

I think he’d be a monster in LHW.

i never was a very big cro cop fan, but i do respect the hell out of the guy. Last night was pretty hard to watch as this once great striker, did nothing more than push jr away and miss with the kick.

on a side note cc is one of the guys who belongs in the mma hall of fame, but there is only a ufc hof, we all know his ufc carrer was nothing special, but he does deserve his props for what he has done for the sport.

the hight kick KO is the grandslam of mma and no one has done it better. Thanks for the memories

I have said for a long time now that CC had lost his edge. He is one of the fighters that just never got used to the cage. Gonzaga nearly kicking his head off did not help. You know you get KTFO when you get kicked in the head and it breaks your leg. That type of thing will change you as a fighter. I know when I competed in karat I remember sparring in practice, missing a block on a head kick and waking up in the locker room. Definitely changed how I sparred and I didnt require reconstruction to any part of me like CC did.

Theres no shame in him hanging it up now.

Thanks Mirko, you have been an inspiration

Thanks for the memories mirko, even if they weren’t all great.

It would be sad to see him continue after seeing the fight and reading this.

Hey, the guy is nearly 40.

Like he said, he’d rather be fishing that waking up at 6 am to live a military life.

He did the fight thing, became a legend. It’s time to go catch some fish.

I still respect the guy.

Thanks for everything Mirko.

Funny how he’s thinking about fishing before the fight. Don’t we all day dream at work…..lol

Great career Mirko

Mirkos time is over time to relax

Yes. First round either way. He even tried to pick it up in the 3rd, I think he knew he was losing it then. I had seen him slip a few times when about to through the left leg kick. TBH he seemed more content this time throwing the leg than before. I’m sure after coming back after a serious leg injury you would be concious about it. Props to Santos, he was prepared, he was hungry and he wasn’t afraid to engage even after taking several straight lefts. Cro cop is too small of a heavy weight. The guys are too big and more skilled than before now. He should be at light heavyweight. But it seems to me he just doesn’t want to put the time in to do his aerobic sessions. I’m sure if he was lighter and much better cardio he would beat anyone. He already has the skills set but even so I don’t think mentally he’s right. To be thinking about fishing before a fight is crazy. Time to hang up the gloves Mirko help Van Damme in his upcoming K1 fight, dont even bother going to Japan, I’d be more disappointed if he did, but I guess he will hang his gloves up there in mark of respect to the Japanese people who supported him for a long time. Many thanks for the great fights Mirko.

He was, is, and always will be a legend. These pricks dissing him have no idea what it was like to watch a prime Crocop back in Pride. The build up to his fight with Fedor was like a long, drawn out Superbowl weekend. Then the Wandy headkick and making Barnett tap at the OWGP… Thanks for the memories, Mirko.

One of my favorite fighters, but I don’t see him beating top HWs anymore. It sucks, but I think leaving would be wise.

how about Chuck VS CroCop at catchweight? besides that fight, he’s toast

I think this is the best choice he could make, better to recognize when it’s time to retire they keep fighting without any desire to win.

Although I like Cro Cop, I don’t want to see him in another fight. A fighter not willing to take anymore risks is a fighter you have in the current Mirko Cro Cop performance. You feel sorry for him getting his butt kicked. Hang up the gloves and go fishing.

afta hearing that i feel bad 4 him now ….he should go back to special forces his biggest mistake wuz leavin k-1 all those year ago i wuz even suprised he had such sucess in pride its just that from outtta nowhere left high kick wuz super exceptional and once that wore out he wuz spent most kickboxers that dont have muay thai training dont do so well in mma they tend to do better in the events based on striking like k-1

Mirko is one of the greats simple as that, if hes not feeling it anymore the best thing he can do is retire and do other things he enjoys his legend status is not in doubt.

thanks for the great fights Cro Cop. You have served your country and your fans well over the years. Enjoy your retirement.

205? For f**k’s sake you are a small HW Mirko! At least give the smaller weight class a shot.

All I’m sayin’ is…for a guy who was thinkin’ about fishing, he sure did a number on DosSantos’s face!!! If he’s retiring, I’d sure hate to be a fish in Privlaka!!!

i enjoyed watching cro cop fight, that was a pretty cool stat that hes 2cnd behind w silva for most wins in pride.

he is unique for sure from his walk in music to his trademark shorts and his left leg. if he does fight again ill watch

I feel a great sense of loss and a deep sadness reading this. You will always have a place in the hearts and the adoration of the fans and followers of MMA. May you live a long happy life.

I was on my feet that whole fight with butterflies in my stomach knowing that it could end at any second from either side. It was a very exciting fight and CroCop is still way more dangerous than the UFC rank-and-file.

The UFC really needs to do a better job with keeping the mat clean and dry. I noticed last night that several fighters’ feet kept slipping. I kept commenting on it throughout the night to my buddies: “Why the heck haven’t they wiped that mat dry yet, it looks like ice-capades!!!”

now heres a question i need answered!! Cro Cop is obviously a LEGEND in this sport!! but would he ever get inducted into the UFC hall of Fame?!? from what i know there isnt a MMA Hall of Fame!!… ad even if there was i dont think people would care for it as much as they would a UFC Hall of Fame!!… That would just suck if guys like Cro Cop and Wandy dont get recognized for their illustrious careers!!! just cause they didnt make that illustrious career in the UFC!! Cause in time i would hate for them to be forgotten when guys like Coleman, savern, and shamrock will get rememberd just cause they was in the UFC early days when their careers are nothing compared to that of Crop Cops and Wandys

That makes a lot of sense. His performance pretty much looked exactly like he said, he wasn’t hungry, wasn’t aggressive and looked like he had lost his confidence and didn’t want to be in there. I mean he threw like 15 total strikes the entire fight and every single one was a left straight or left kick.

MIRKO still the man!!!!

i felt like crying last night wen i watched crocop lose. He tried again and again with his high left kick and it would not work anymore, as it was too slow and outta range. He was an old beat up crocop who bravely fought till he was blind in both eyes.

He will always be a legend.

This has nothing to do with anything other than the fact that he does not want to fight anymore & hasn’t wanted to fight in a long time now. It’s been quiet obvious he lost the passion to fight many years ago. It’s not about fighters being too big or strong & he has to drop wait classes. He just hasn’t had the passion to continue to fight in a long long time! He looked like shit in his Dream appearances too! Once you lose your love to do something you might as well walk away. He obviously felt this along time ago & has been battling with it forever. I wish he would have done it sooner if he felt this way, rather than take fights he doesn’t even bother to show up for or throw real strikes in. He didn’t even have a corner man! Mirko I wish you the best of luck in what ever you do for the rest of your life & pray you will never step in the ring again without the heart you showed throughout you K-1 & Pride years. You where a beast when you cared to be & you would still destroy anyone you wanted too if you still had the love & passion to do so, but obviously you lost that a long time ago. I miss Mirko the machine & MMA has not been the same in a long time without you showing that killer instinct! It was actually pretty pathetic that JDS could not KO a man who threw no strikes & a just backed up & took shit. I am sick of new fans of the sport talking shit & having no clue what they are talking about running there mouths about stuff like this. For Christ’s sake JDS was hurt by to week jabs by CC, imagine if he would have fought the way he used too!!! Mirko we all miss the real you! God Bless, enjoy retirement!!!!

he looked like he was trying not to lose rather than trying to win. Hey Mirko, you are the first person to take Dos Santos past the 1st round so that is something. It looked like Cro Cop landed quite a few punches flush but Santos didn’t seem affected at all.

at least he can see it. some guys wait till they get really fucked up and even then they have to be forced out.

he has always had a ploding style, but if he acknowledges the hunger is gone, good on him. I was noticing his planted food sliding around on the mat and was frustrated for him. Definitely took some tools from his toolkit. If he rocked DS with one of those straight lefts and finished him, it would likely be a different story. But then again it sux watching fighters when its obvious the grit and hunger are gone.

“The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I’m not looking for an alibi.”

 SIGH.

yea I saw the mat was wet , why didnt they wipe it off, morons.

CROCOP IS 1 OF THE BEST OF ALL TIME!!I WANTED TO SEE HIM FINISH A UFC FIGHT W/A HIGH KICK KO!!CROCOP IS STILL THE MAN!!F#CK EVERY1 RIPPING ON CROCOP!!ANY1 WUD BE LUCKY AS SHIT TO ACOMPLISH WUT HE DID IN MMA!

i’d still love to see crocop vs. chuck, cc vs. arlovski, cc vs. couture, and cc vs. nog 2. all blockbuster main event style fights. ufc could make huge money off these fights. and seeing how in all the matchups i mentioned all fighters have diminished skill sets from what they once had, it wouldn’t be a lop sided fight in any of them. no young hungry lions for those guys to face, just old warriors against each other settling outcomes that we should’ve seen yrs. ago

Thanks for all the great fights Mirko – no matter how you go out, you will always have my respect. THWAP!

I’ve been saying for a long time now that he doesn’t have the fight in him anymore. The KIDS saying that this somehow shows the state of PRIDE or how well Fedor would do are fucking retarded. Rampage, Nog, Shogun, Silva, Machida etc are all PRIDE fighters and Brock The Cock’s only win even worthwhile is against 16-10 Randy who hasn’t won against anyone of note in HW.

What the KIDS doesn’t understand is that the Cro Cop who PUSHED Dos Santos would’ve HIT HIM in the old days, and the Cro Cop who COVERED up would have DESTROYED HIM WITH LIVER KICKS.

It’s like Mike Tyson when he stopped fighting. Everything is still there except his mind.

Sto se tice tuce godine jesu tu ali!! zapamti ovo moras promjeniti taktiku..Iznenaditi svijet sa necim novim Imas najacu nogu u ufcu ali boks i druge taktike nisampuno vidio ..Ti da si udario dos santos Par puta u nogu nebi taj stojao..Upotrebi mozak imas Skills da pobijedis samo trebas Fighting game da promjenis..Iznenadi svijet ..Svaki borac izgubi par Gledaj randy ali bitno je nastaviti i ne gledati nazad i look up na past ..MOve forward and show the world !!! Pozdrav iz Floride..

Poslusaj makar jedom..Ti si gladiator i mozes…

I don’t think i’ve ever seen a loss in result of a “verbal submission”. Cro Cop is better off retiring, he’s already proved himself and doesn’t have to do anymore than that.

1) I must to be a moron ´cos now i´m almost cryng reading this.
2) Everyone is a general after the war, but after the KO by Gonçaga i never see the old Pride Mirko again. He lost confidence, aggro and i don´t know, but he focused on ground fighting (obviously he recquired that) and Mirko has always been an striker (the most feared on earth) and that works wrong on him (maybe i´m talking bollocks and i´m a stupid but…).
3) He´s 35, not too old but has been in the game for a while and , for sure, in K-1 and MMA you get more damage than playing chess, but in relation to point 2, he´s still “young” and could be fighting some years more, but something happened in him, and if retiremet is his decision, then i respect and support his choice.
4) I started traing full contact in 1994, then Kyokushin and kick boxing and when i watched mma for the first time (1999-2000, i´m from Chile and MMA is still a “new” thing here) i used to getting bored for the ground fighting ´cos in that time i prefered the KOs rather than the submissions, i was more a fan of K-1 than MMA (then i start to train in judo and some wrestling and now i´m a big fan of BJJ, sub-grapling and ADCC), and one of my fav fighter was Mirko and obviously to a karateka like me loves nothing more than a mawashi geri KO and guess who was the delivering the most devastating hig kicks that the world never seen, my boy, my idol, the warrior, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, the he went to MMA and the same thing, fighting like a true soldier the guy defeated the strongests MMA fighters from all over the world with his High Kicks, then Pride was over and Mirko had some loses, but i don´t care he will always be one of the top fighters in the world and in my heart.
5) I feel jealous to Cro Cop ´cos my girlfriend (who trains Muay Thai, Don´t mess with us) likes Mirko not only for his fighting skills, but because she thinks that Mirko is a handsome guy.
6) Go fishing my mate, enjoy life, do it what you want, you deserve all the good stuff, don feel sad or dissapointed you did youw work, you fighted your wars and when the war is over, warriors must to com back home. You are a great inspiration for me and for loads of fighters, MMA practitioners and martial arts from all over the world.
7) Legends never dies, Mirko is a legend, Mirko will never die.

1) I must to be a moron ´cos now i´m almost cryng reading this.
2) Everyone is a general after the war, but after the KO by Gonçaga i never see the old Pride Mirko again. He lost confidence, aggro and i don´t know, but he focused on ground fighting (obviously he recquired that) and Mirko has always been an striker (the most feared on earth) and that works wrong on him (maybe i´m talking bollocks and i´m a stupid but…).
3) He´s 35, not too old but has been in the game for a while and , for sure, in K-1 and MMA you get more damage than playing chess, but in relation to point 2, he´s still “young” and could be fighting some years more, but something happened in him, and if retiremet is his decision, then i respect and support his choice.

4) I started traing full contact in 1994, then Kyokushin and kick boxing and when i watched mma for the first time (1999-2000, i´m from Chile and MMA is still a “new” thing here) i used to getting bored for the ground fighting ´cos in that time i prefered the KOs rather than the submissions, i was more a fan of K-1 than MMA (then i start to train in judo and some wrestling and now i´m a big fan of BJJ, sub-grapling and ADCC), and one of my fav fighter was Mirko and obviously to a karateka like me loves nothing more than a mawashi geri KO and guess who was the delivering the most devastating hig kicks that the world never seen, my boy, my idol, the warrior, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, the he went to MMA and the same thing, fighting like a true soldier the guy defeated the strongests MMA fighters from all over the world with his High Kicks, then Pride was over and Mirko had some loses, but i don´t care he will always be one of the top fighters in the world and in my heart.

5) I feel jealous to Cro Cop ´cos my girlfriend (who trains Muay Thai, Don´t mess with us) likes Mirko not only for his fighting skills, but because she thinks that Mirko is a handsome guy.
6) Go fishing my mate, enjoy life, do it what you want, you deserve all the good stuff, don feel sad or dissapointed you did youw work, you fighted your wars and when the war is over, warriors must to com back home. You are a great inspiration for me and for loads of fighters, MMA practitioners and martial arts from all over the world.
7) Legends never dies, Mirko is a legend, Mirko will never die.

Mirko, you are the reason i started MMA 5 years ago. i always wanted to be like you so if your gunna retire, then do it after your next win so that people can say that you went out with a bang! everyone would agree.

Thank you Mirko you are mi idol. I know that back in the day neither of this UFC heavyweights stood a chance against you including lesner. you are the best

Mirko you are my idol I know back in the day neither of this UFC fighters stood a chance agains you at your best. Thank you Mirko

this is sad for all mma fans. thanks Mirko for the memories