Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic: Fighting is a matter of life and death

Props: Fighters Only

Quoteworthy:

"I was very, very disturbed after the loss to Dos Santos. I was in such a state that I wished to hang myself in my hotel room so I would be gone. Three losses in my last seven fights is nothing but a disaster to me. That’s a terrible score and I’m not happy about it. I already know some things that I did wrong both in the fight and in the preparation for the fight, but there are many questions that remain to be answered. I am seriously thinking about hiring a psychiatrist to help me out. I have already made some calls about it ... I will make some changes in my training, because I wish to fight twice more in the UFC. I am a fighter, and I will find the motivation and strength I need ... If someone offered me millions of dollars to quit my career right now I would not accept it. [Fighting] is my life and I don’t know any other way to live."

Former PRIDE FC superstar, Mirko Filipovic, reflects on his state of mind following his submission (verbal) loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103: "Franklin vs. Belfort" from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19. He was beaten to the punch, and pretty much beat up, in what essentially turned out to be a striking match for two-plus rounds. The Croatian waved off the Brazilian in the third after eating a brutal knee to the face that wiped out his vision. It marked his third loss inside the Octagon in five attempts — a far cry from the world beater who was scalping his opponents just three years ago under the Pride banner. In fact, he has not defeated a top-level fighter since he made Josh Barnett quit at "Final Conflict Absolute," which earned him the Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Championship. Could this be the end of the road of Cro Cop’s long and distinguished professional career, which dates back to the mid 1990s? Or will he rise from the ashes and give it one more shot?