Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell in the Works for UFC 110

by Nick Thomas on Nov 5, 2009 1:39 PM EST in News Comment 34 comments

According to Sherdog.com:

Mirko Filipovic (25-7-2 MMA, 2-3 UFC) and Ben Rothwell (30-7 MMA, 0-1 UFC) have been scheduled to meet Feb. 21 in Sydney, Australia, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the bout.

Rumored card so far:
- Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ben Rothwell
- Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Wanderlei Silva

Image via MMAWeekly.com

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Obligatory Crocop via headkick!!!

Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."

by xFenixKnightx on Nov 5, 2009 1:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Everyone says head kick, and even though I would like to see CroCop win by head kick, I think that he could win this using leg kicks and body kicks.

by chrisbboy82 on Nov 5, 2009 9:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rothwell via repeated takedowns

" Tell me something Steve, How does a guy from Puerto Rico loose a ball in the Sun? "

by aaronb on Nov 5, 2009 1:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Shit man it looks that way badly I hope not. Please make the old Cro cop get the W here.

by buttters on Nov 5, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like this fight. They both really need a win. And they both have a name …. so either one winning would help get them back on track.

The loser is gonna be fucked though. If Ben loses he is going to the prelims. If Cro Cop loses im worried he might actually harm himself.

by Sauce on Nov 5, 2009 1:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Cro cop loses

"On the sixth day god created man,but on the fifth day man created god" - Todd White on The Book Of Lucifer:
The Enlightenment

by Krawchuck on Nov 5, 2009 1:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I can't feel all that confident in Cro Cop

given his last few performances.

God I hope he wins though.

by lowellthehammer on Nov 5, 2009 1:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Somebody via boring UD.

by ufc4 on Nov 5, 2009 1:56 PM EST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

I love both of these fights

This australian card is shaping up nicely.
Anyone who thinks that will be a boring fight hasn’t been watching mma since UFC 4. ;)

by Nick Travaglini on Nov 5, 2009 1:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

wanderlei silva is due for a major knockout. sexyama going down hard

i thought belcher beat him last time with those leg kicks but obviously leg kicks are not the way to go. it was a split decision. w.s by brutal knockout or knees like he did to rampage in pride.

by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 5, 2009 2:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Belcher didn’t beat anybody.

by Meshuggeth on Nov 5, 2009 3:16 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

crocop via decapitation… and if not, PLEASE RETIRE!

I'm old school hating Lesnar, I've been hating Lesnar since '08

by MicahW on Nov 5, 2009 2:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

But I’d love to see Crocop put in some time with an elite camp for this fight, not just train with a bunch of dudes he’s better than in his parent’s basement. Maybe go to Couture’s, work some wrestling and get his sprawl back, maybe put in some time with Dellagrotte’s gym and be a feared striker one last time. Either would make me really hopeful for his chances here, but honestly even if he’s going through with therapy, and his head is in the right place, Ben Rothwell has a chance here.

Crocop’s glory days are definitely behind him, but I still ~~think~~ hope he could have the game to be a gatekeeper in the UFC’s heavyweight division, if not a contender. His left leg’s probably never going to pull double-duty as a space program again, though, and that’s sad in and of itself.

by Tedd Welch on Nov 5, 2009 2:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is an intriguing matchup to me...

…although I seem to be in the minority. Cro Cop should be able to fight if he wants to though, we have no right to tell the man when to retire. That being said, I don’t see him finishing Rothwell, and I doubt he could mount enough offense to take a decision against Big Ben. I would pick Rothwell via UD.

I agree with Tedd Welch when he says he wished Mirko would put in some time at an elite camp. I think it could really help, even at this stage in his career. There are definitely some tips and tricks a guy like Couture could teach Mirko.

by TDITZ on Nov 5, 2009 2:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Why would Couture want to give away tips and tricks he is going to use in his fight against Cro Cop next year? ;)

But I do agree he would benefit greatly from a stint at XC or Dellagrotte’s camp

We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.

by Robert Downey Sr. on Nov 5, 2009 2:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Why doesn't the UFC give Cro Cop an easier fight?

They keep throwing monsters at Cro Cop- why don’t they have him fight Hardonk, McCully, or someone out of the top 20? If anyone needs a tune up fight to build his confidence back, it is Mirko. I would like to see him drop to 205 or have the UFC pair him up with smaller heavies. Maybe Dana doesn’t like Cro Cop, I don’t know. I would like to see him get his confidence back and then throw him some contenders.

by I don't wear mma t-shirts on Nov 5, 2009 2:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Al Turk was his tune up fight. And the last time I checked, Gonzaga and Kongo weren’t exactly top 10 guys.

by CrowCrucifix on Nov 5, 2009 2:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rothwell is a monster? This is a good rebound fight for Mirko.

by omigawda on Nov 5, 2009 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

1. They just gave Cro Cop Al-Turk on a silver platter in Germany. Should they give him every other fight as a tune up?
2. Big time fighters are supposed to fight big time fights. Being a top fighter isn’t supposed to be easy.
3. They aren’t paying Cro Cop that big time money just to go out there and crush overmatched cans.
4. We are talking Ben Rothwell here, it’s not like they are throwing Cro Cop to the wolves. This is a winnable fight for him that makes a lot of sense.

by who me on Nov 5, 2009 3:37 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Ben Rothwell is OK but Mirko should beat him

Mirko should beat him and then fight Chuck Liddell and both retire. If Mirko loses, it’s really over for him. Ben Rothwell couldn’t beat Arlovski, and he didn’t even show up against Velasquez. Steve Mazagatti screwed up but it was a bad loss. Mirko actually fared better than I thought against dos santos. I though dos santos would knock him out in the first round. oh well. If couture loses and Mirko loses, maybe then can fight each other?

by cyrusking on Nov 5, 2009 2:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is a good fight

but might not be a great business decision. The UFC would probably benefit more from having both of these guys win in their next fight; I don’t see the wisdom in having them fight each other.
Ben is still largely unknown, and he looked less than impressive against Cain, and Cro Cop has never been able to pull it together in the cage at all. So a win won’t mean much, but a loss is going to be devastating for either fighter.

by Shaun32887 on Nov 5, 2009 2:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

BWWAAAAHH Pride warriors card i like. Cro cop wouldn’t have signed for this fight if he was ready to retire i got cro cop with the K.O. exciting fight either way.

by mr. gogoplata on Nov 5, 2009 3:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

CC needs a good headkick KO to boost his confidence. Still, I see Ben giving him troubles.

I love me some Sexyama!

by pud333 on Nov 5, 2009 3:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nick, don't forget the ever-intriguing matchup

between Jamie Te Huna and TBA ;)

by Scott Haber on Nov 5, 2009 3:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This can’t be the headliner, right?

by Gong on Nov 5, 2009 3:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

No it can't be

And why is it that when a single fight is rumored for an upcoming card, people get all bent out of shape, complaining “wow, this card sucks…is that really the main event?….this should be a free Fight Night event”. Calm down folks and wait until the card fleshes out.

/rant

by Scott Haber on Nov 6, 2009 12:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

this is the internet scott.. everyone complains..

haha :)

weoweoweo .deviantart .com -- @antontabuena

by Anton Tabuena on Nov 6, 2009 2:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t help but be worried, what with all the injuries and ridiculousness going on lately.

Also, complaining is fun :D

by Gong on Nov 6, 2009 4:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cro Cop via left head kick (lol, you knew it was coming)

Also, if we’re making a Pride card, let’s add:

Heath Herring v. Cain Velasquez
Lil’ Nog v. Jake O’Brien

We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.

by Robert Downey Sr. on Nov 5, 2009 3:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

BOOO THIS..

cro cop vs liddell

or cro cop vs randy (he’s losing to vera, so he’d be in the same boat as mirko)

weoweoweo .deviantart .com -- @antontabuena

by Anton Tabuena on Nov 5, 2009 3:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I would like to see CC vs Randy. That was the fight we were teased with before Gonzaga messed it up for everyone by ushering in the beginning of the end of CC with that head kick of his.

I love me some Sexyama!

by pud333 on Nov 5, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well this is shaping up rather nicely. I wouldn’t have in a million years guessed i would get to see Wanderlei & Cro-Cop on the same card together, live.

Sorry, he Jason Bourned me.

by MMAussie on Nov 5, 2009 4:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Please, please, please, please retire, Mirko. I don't want anymore headlines about your suicidal inclinations.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Nov 5, 2009 5:02 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Big Ben looked as slow as the service in hell in his last fight. I think Dos Santos is really the perfect prototype of a fighter to beat crocop, even the crocop of a few years ago. Keeping that constant pressure on him with big punching like hunt, fedor or dos santos did really seems to wear out his concentration after a while. That being said, i really don’t see Rothwell duplicating the successes of the gentlemen mentioned above. I think he’ll try to, but get hurt by some big left hands along the way. I’m picking crocop by rd 2 ref stoppage ko.

by harbourmc on Nov 5, 2009 8:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs