The road to redemption for Mirko Cro Cop will begin on March 15 when the former UFC fighter and Pride FC veteran will take on Yoshihiro Nakao during the debut event for the Japanese-based DREAM promotion, according to the Croatian's official blog.
Here's the snip:
"A little over an hour ago I was contacted by DREAM officials. They informed me that my opponent on March 15 will be Yoshihiro Nakao from Japan. It was very important for me to fight as soon as possible and I'm happy that DREAM was able to find the opponent for me."
Cro Cop -- the 2006 Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix Champion -- was recently released from his UFC contract after losing two fights in three attempts against opponents he was expected to throttle in convincing fashion. In fact, the lofty expectations prior to his Octagon debut were that he would capture the heavyweight title in as few as three fights.
It didn't happen with back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo.
His departure from the UFC has been reported on both sides as amicable. And Cro Cop has expressed an interest to return to the Octagon as soon as possible once he can get a few wins under his belt.
Nakao is perhaps best known as the man Heath Herring knocked out before their fight even began because of a kiss from the Japanese fighter during the staredown. That bout was ruled a no contest.
He last competed at Pride 34: "Kamikaze" in April 2007, submitting Edson Draggo with a neck crank in round one.
DREAM comprises officials from Fight Entertainment Group and Dream Stage Entertainment, which were responsible for the Pride FC promotion. The Cro Cop fight will anchor the lightweight tournament that includes some great talent. To check out the most recent fight card click here.
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