UFC Quick Quote: Ben Rothwell planning on facing the 2001 'Cro Cop'

by Jesse Holland on Feb 17, 2010 8:53 PM EST

"We would never disrespect the sport in taking anybody lightly. We’re planning to fight the 2001 Cro Cop. He accepted the fight, and when everybody’s telling you that you’re no good and can’t do it anymore, and you take a fight, there’s something to be said about that. That means he’s coming to fight. I know without a doubt that this man is gonna come hard. When he’s moving around fast and doing his thing, people are gonna be like ‘oh man, we haven’t see this Cro Cop,’ but I’m not gonna be surprised. It’s a tough fight, another big fight, and people get credit for beating Cro Cop because he’s not just a nobody. The guy’s dangerous, there’s no doubt about it, and he’s still got fight in him, so it’s gonna be a good fight and definitely a fight that I want to win."

Former IFL standout Ben Rothwell tells Thomas Gerbasi that he doesn't believe that Mirko Filipovic, who faces "Big" at UFC 110 this Saturday from the Acer Arena in Sydney, is any different than the striker who terrorized PRIDE and K-1 earlier in the decade. Like the Croat, Rothwell is coming off a lopsided loss and knows that aside from job security, a win over a name like "Cro Cop" can go a long way to ascending the heavyweight rankings. Can he pull it off?

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Rothwell is one of the few that sees Cro Cop is still very dangerous.

Its good Ben sees Cro Cop for who he is and for that, it will be a great fight. I am one of the few that thinks Cro Cop still has it in him and here is why. I don’t think it is physical or mental for Cro Cop. He is in great shape and look at what he has done for a living. He has faced real danger almost on a daily basis before so I don’t think fighting someone with a ref in a cage gets to him. I think he just hasn’t been in it because he lost the passion. He has said before there were times he was thinking about fishing while in the middle of the fight. That has to make it hard to train and to fight. I think after some hard losses and honestly getting dominated really got to him. He is a warrior in and out of the cage. I think he finally got the motivation he needed to really fight and it will come out in this match up. I’m calling a T(KO) for Cro Cop even though I respect both fighters.

by Bluepit on Feb 17, 2010 9:18 PM EST reply actions

I get what you are saying and I tend to agree Crop Cop lost passion, but he also has not looked the same since getting killed against Gonzaga….had it not been for the eyepoke in his fight against that English guy (can’t remember his name) that particular fight would have looked good and been a big step to getting back on track, however I was at UFC 103 in Dallas and he looked BAD against Dos Santos and Crop Cop QUIT in that fight. He kept pushing Junior away…literally! Your are a fighter and you are supposed to fight! I remember thinking the old Crop Cop would come out in that fight and turn off Junior’s lights, but boy was I wrong! I fell into Cro Cops pre fight hype saying he was rededicated ect ect. I won’t make that mistake again. When you lose passion, thats the hardest thing to get back…….way harder tan gaining back physical or mental strength.

by Chadx23 on Feb 17, 2010 9:53 PM EST up reply actions

He was setting up distance

… not simply “pushing Dos Santos away.” Not to mention, who’s face looked worse? Dos Santos looked like the loser at the end of that fight, not Cro Cop (based on visible damage, anyway). Clearly, Cro Cop has the potential. He was landing close, hard strikes to Dos Santos’ face in that fight. But — like you guys have asserted — he seems to have lost his passion for fighting. Hopefully, he’s regained it. I’d like to see him retire as a winner.

by MMACrossfire on Feb 17, 2010 10:54 PM EST up reply actions

Bluepit

Very well written, punctually correct… however…. WTF!!!! I respect CroCop for who he was, but now he is a has been, seems like he’s banking on his name for $$$$…. well that’s his privilage, but ur fooling yourself to think he’s still got it!

by THORAZINE on Feb 17, 2010 10:37 PM EST up reply actions

Come on Big Ben

by onthebutton336 on Feb 17, 2010 9:19 PM EST reply actions

This is a Good Strategy

Train like your fighting the most feared striker in MMA and the Top HW next to fedor.

by AintNoSunshine on Feb 17, 2010 9:58 PM EST reply actions

It's definitely the right (and safest) thing to do

The one and only Smitty...

by D_Smith on Feb 17, 2010 10:45 PM EST up reply actions

He's got the tools

But i guess its become a mental issue for cro cop at this stage in his career

by Jesse13 on Feb 17, 2010 10:14 PM EST reply actions

I Think Its Less Mental

and more the athletes at HW are better strikers and athletic. He didnt have so much of that in his prime.

by AintNoSunshine on Feb 17, 2010 10:20 PM EST up reply actions

yea i agree too, when he was in pride

striking wise he was the big fish in the little pond, strikers there just werent on the level that they are now…plus the hw division has evolved so much in the past several years since pride dissolved…he comes to the ufc and faces guys like kongo and dos santos who are on the same level of striking as him and he wasnt used to seeing that in pride…he was just so used to intimidating fighters with his striking in pride…..

but then he comes to the ufc and suddenly he starts getting hit back by an athletic guy like kongo and he just couldnt adapt, then fights a guy like dos santos who is the cain valasquez of the striking department meaning hes just relentless and doesnt let you breathe…and he just isnt used to facing strikers that can match him strike for strike….the days of guys standing there and letting him headkick them are long gone…

i really hope he wins this fight, im a hardcore cc fan and im afraid if he loses this he’ll be on the next plane behind coleman and trigg….he needs to evolve and adapt to the ufc hws…this fight is tailor made for him to put together a highlight reel ko…but if he wins hes gonna have to learn to deal with the powerful wrestlers in the ufc…..gonzaga destroyed him on the ground…whats gonna happen when he gets under someone like brock or mir or cain or carwin?

he cant just depend on his striking anymore, 1 dimensional fighters are dying fast in every division…especially when a wrestler who outweighs you by 40 pounds is on top of you pounding your face in

my dream fight would have to be Brock Lesnar vs Jake Shields...and before the fight theres a video of jake slapping brock's wife...then id like to see shields try to gay porn a win over brock using his butt sex merry-go-round tactics...the massacre that would take place would be the greatest thing ever televised...every limb jake has would look like corey hill's leg...god i hate jake shields

by HellaHectic on Feb 17, 2010 11:22 PM EST up reply actions

i don’t see how this is set-up to be a tailor made highlight rell KO for CC. Rothwell has only been straight-up KO’d by Arlovski. plus it’s prett damn hard to head-kick a 6’5 guy

Goldie: "Michael Jordan-esque in his grappling skills is Travis Lutter."
Rogan: "No, no he's not. No."

by Stillberry on Feb 18, 2010 11:27 AM EST up reply actions

Dude, look at what CC did to A. Emelianenko.

And he is 6’6.

"Champions are not made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision." -Muhammad Ali

by tkkpal on Feb 18, 2010 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

fair enough on the height point. still think Rothwell is far from a tailor-made KO for anybody

Goldie: "Michael Jordan-esque in his grappling skills is Travis Lutter."
Rogan: "No, no he's not. No."

by Stillberry on Feb 18, 2010 11:58 AM EST up reply actions

AintNoSunshine

Well I guess it is a good thing then that Big Ben isn’t that great of an athlete just got skrills dawg! ;-p I will be cheering for Cro Cop, just have to for old times sake but the weakest part of his game is Big Bens best, something else to think about.

by Edgecrusher71 on Feb 18, 2010 8:54 AM EST up reply actions

Damn I miss the old Cro Cop

Just want to see him go out strong. If he goes out and kos Ben, I hope he retires. Just wnat one more mouth dropping ko.

by DBG on Feb 17, 2010 10:31 PM EST reply actions

Lucky for Ben, he's facin the 2010 version...Which has been the same version for the last couple of years.

Think about how dumb the average person is, then realize that half of them are even dumber than that.
- P-Dub

by The Negation on Feb 17, 2010 10:38 PM EST reply actions

Yeah- I had to pick my fight on the CC I'[ve seen lately

It’s sad but He’s just not the same. All of our heroes are reaching their time. CC is just one of them.

The one and only Smitty...

by D_Smith on Feb 17, 2010 10:48 PM EST up reply actions

cro cop cro cop

you can do it.
maybe not by head kick, but look at maia, he must have had the ugliest fight ever, he really didnt get a chance to display his bread and butter, but he won and a w is a w.

MMA Supplements

by MMA-Supplements on Feb 17, 2010 11:20 PM EST reply actions

Speaking via Croatian website, Nokaut.com, Cro Cop said:

"I have been training vigorously, I was in Amsterdam in the Vos gym, training with Ivan Hypollite, my coach, and the K-1 guys, Bonjasky and others. It was great, it was very tough, probably the toughest camp I’ve had. I truly hope I shall justify my reputation."