Props: MMA Hour
Quoteworthy:
"I don't know if he's ever really lost his step. I just think the fighters now in the UFC are just a little bit more aggressive than the fighters in PRIDE. Studying tape on him, I noticed that guys that back away from him and give him that respect, it seems like they get unleashed on a little harder than the guys that come forward... I think Cro Cop has a good sprawl, he has a good double underhooks. I think if I were to try to just drop and shoot on him, he would stop my shot. I think standing up with him is actually the route to go at first and then eventually when you work in the clinch, going to the ground is obviously a lot easier to do with him than Nogueira."
The new look UFC 119 main event, set for September 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana, features a heavyweight match up between Frank Mir and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. The former UFC champ today told Ariel Helwani that he actually believes "Cro Cop" hasn't regressed over the years, just that his opponents have progressed. Mir also stated that taking Filipovic to the ground, if he chooses to do so, will be far easier than it would have been taking down his original UFC 119 counterpart, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. How about some early takes on this intriguing heavyweight tilt?