Mirko Cro Cop returns, yet again, set for Dec. 31 RIZIN event in Japan

Hey, remember when Mirko Filipovic said THIS IS DEFINITELY THE END after winning the RIZIN 2016 Openweight World Grand Prix and we were all like “haha yeah okay Mirko” ... well, it turns out we had a right to be skeptical.

“Cro Cop” is back, yet again.

The kickboxer-turned-mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, who was a heavyweight headliner for PRIDE FC and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), among others, will return to the RIZIN ring on Dec. 31 in Japan, according to The Underground.

“He has decided to fight in front of his beloved Japanese fans a few more times before he retires,” RIZIN head cheese Nobuyuki Sakakibara told his social media followers. “He would like to continue to face meaningful opponents until he hangs his gloves.”

His opponent will be Tsuyoshi Kohsaka because his first choice is too busy doing this.

Filipovic (35-11-2) used retirement to skip out on his United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) drug test suspension back in 2015 after admitting to injecting growth hormone to repair a bum shoulder.

The Croat turned 43 back in September.