Flash Back to UFC 70 (Cro Cop KO'd via head kick)

by wolfman13 on Aug 25, 2011 2:46 PM EDT

On April 21, 2007. Gabriel Gonzaga head kicked Mirko Cro Cop to become the #1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title.

At the time Cro Cop was 22-4-2; at the time he'd only been KO'd once in his career and hadn't tasted defeat in two years and was riding a 5 fight win streak.

Gonzaga was 7-1, his only loss to fellow Brazilian Fabricio Werdum in his third pro fight. It's clear who the favorite to win the fight was.

Everyone remembers, everyone has seen the video of the head kick that seems ended the aura that surrounded Cro Cop. Gonzaga would go on to fight Randy Couture for the title and UFC 74 and lose by TKO.

Lets change the outcome of the fight:

Cro Cop KO's Gonzaga via head kick and moves on to face Randy for the title at UFC 74. I would like to believe that Cro Cop has and had the tools to defeat "The Natural." Randy lost the title to Brock Lesnar a year later at UFC 91.

Imagine the difference in the landscape today. It's "what if" questions like this that make me love this sport. Would Cro Cop have defeated all comers and stayed the Champion? There's no way Brock would have stood with him like he did with Randy.... there's a good chance Lesnar may never have been champion if that one moment in history had changed.

What do you guys think? What if Gonzaga hadn't thrown that kick 4 years ago? What would MMA look like today?

Tweet Comment 7 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

cro cop

I remember that fight like it yesterday. It was a good time in my life a wonderful april night in 07. Pride had just sold out and it appeared to be a golden age of mma with nothing but dream bouts on the horizon. I always wanted randy vs mirko and never got it. Would have been one for the history books. After gonzaga cro cop should have went to lhw. Oh memories

by talkfight on Aug 25, 2011 3:20 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

I still think Cro Cop can move to LHW

Why the hell not right?

Everything and anything is possible, or nothing

by wolfman13 on Aug 25, 2011 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

cro cop drop

Plenty of sexy fights for mirko at 205. If anything it’d be interesting to see him fight guys his size. I fear his retirement is closer than ever though

by ufcusa on Aug 25, 2011 3:42 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Cro Cop his been KO'd by BIG DUDES only

He wouldn’t have so much power to deal with, he’d be slower but probably a scary guy to stand with for any LHW.

Everything and anything is possible, or nothing

by wolfman13 on Aug 25, 2011 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions

I wouldnt classify Randleman as a big dude..

by elmojo on Sep 5, 2011 1:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Fair enough

Cro Cop has been KO’d 4 times in his career. His 3 losses via (T)KO in the UFC, have been Gabriel Gonzaga, Frank Mir, and Branden Schaub.

You could count his loss to Junior Dos Santos as a TKO but he verbally submitted due to an eye injury. Anyone can get caught, and Randleman, (at the time) was still a threat.

Everyone who has done that too him are BIG powerful punchers/ kickboxers

Everything and anything is possible, or nothing

by wolfman13 on Sep 6, 2011 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions

More chance of Fedor dropping than CC

and there’s as much chance of that as a bucket of shit from a rocking horse!

I’m a big fan and always will be but CC’s done he’s lost the killer instinct and’s too gun shy. He’d get destroyed at LHW by anyone near the top of the tree Bones, Evans, machida, shogun, rampage. Guys like Franklin, Forrest Dump etc would easily handle him too.

by attakdog on Aug 26, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions