I don't know whether to be happy or dissapointed.
Tonight, the UFC announced its biggest fighter acquisition ever -- Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic -- in a commercial.
A COMMERCIAL!
I know I wasn't the only one expecting Dana White to roll out the dog and pony show, brag about how great the UFC is and how deep the heavyweight division has all of a sudden become with the addition of the Croatian.
Didn't happen.
Instead, we got treated to a vanilla and rather pedestrian UFC 67 announcement.
Woo-hoo!
I'm not sure what to think. There's no way Dana is tired of the spotlight -- not when the news is this big.
It's just weird.
Even better, he was introduced as Mirko Cro Cop.
Um, his last name is Filipovic, folks.
Great way to introduce one of the baddest men on the planet to your biggest audience ever, Zuffa.
Perhaps this is in response to all the fallout from the UFC 69 debacle.
Even still, the lack of attention is downright puzzling.
All we got from Joe Rogan -- after the third fight of the evening -- was, "This is a gigantic new explosion."
Couldn't have said it better myself, Joe.
Right now, I'm just oozing sarcasm if you can't tell.
The signing of Cro Cop is monumental. Sure, it means that he really only has two good fights in the UFC -- Sylvia and Arlovski.
And even those bouts will probably be lopsided in Cro Cop's favor.
The man is just that good.
However, it also means that the UFC has hand. By signing Cro Cop, the UFC puts the MMA world on notice that one of the best heavyweights in the world is now on American soil.
There's no better bait -- aside from Fedor Emilianenko -- to lure the top fighters in the division to the UFC.
I'm talking about guys like Noguiera, Barnett, Werdum, Aleksander Emilianenko, and maybe even Fedor.
He's that good. And the tonight the UFC treated the signing as if it was just an ordinary fighter.
Don't get it.
According to WrestlingObserver.com, Cro Cop has inked a two-year, six-fight deal with the UFC. That's a lot of time for him to establish himself in the division and it also ensures that he doesn't bolt to a rival organization.
He will make his Octagon debut on February 3, fighting Eddie Sanchez at UFC 67 in Las Vegas.
It's a night that I'm sure poor Eddie is already dreading.
Here's what Dana White had to say about the signing in a press release:
"I want all the best fighters in the UFC. This proves it. UFC 67 not only gives two comeback fighters the chance to show they really are the best [Lutter and Serra], but it also brings Mirko "Cro Cop" and "Rampage" to the UFC to prove they are among the best heavyweights and light heavyweights in the sport. This is just the start of 2007; UFC fans are in for an exciting year."
I'll second that.
Here's just a taste of what we -- or Tim Sylvia for that matter -- are in store for:
I'm in love.
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