Mirko Crocop Confirms He'll Fight at UFC 99, Suggests He'll Face Couture
by warsilva on Feb 18, 2009 1:32 PM EST
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Mirko Crocop Confirms UFC 99 - Suggest Couture:
So Mirko has confirmed he will be fighting on UFC 99.
Mirko then goes on to say that possibly match-up could be Randy Couture.
Heard the order to his opponent could be Randy Couture. It would, says Mirko, be a great fight.
When asked about Randy Couture being his match-up:
Randy Couture would be a great fight.
But I can not say definitely because I do not know. Just a few days ago reportedly said that there is a possibility that Randy Couture will have to fight me.
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Great news
I’d love to see Cro Cop back in the UFC again, especially if he’s healed and feeling better.
by Michael Hatamoto on Feb 18, 2009 1:34 PM EST reply actions
So is Randy making this movie or not?
I mean, I know he’s making the movie, but apparently no one else involved in UFC 99 in any way seems to realize that, because of making the movie, Randy won’t be able to get a full training camp in prior to the event. At Randy’s age, I imagine a full camp is even more important than it would be to a younger fighter.
I think there would be something poetic about watching Couture fight in Germany, but I can’t see it happening.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
From the UG:
Randy, if you read this, remember…everyone gets one free nutshot. Take advantage of the system!
lol
CroCop needs to wear his spiked cup.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
I don’t think there’s a referee in the world with the balls to deduct Randy Couture a point. Take two.
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 18, 2009 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
well if crocop see's this, i'd feel real bad for randy.. and his wife and future kids..
http://weoweoweo.deviantart.com/
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 19, 2009 3:51 AM EST up reply actions
Perhaps someone talked Randy out of his Lesnar rematch fantasies. Now, Cain can get a real actual leap in competition against a rebounding Nog :-D
by Derek Suboticki on Feb 18, 2009 1:57 PM EST reply actions
All of a sudden the HW division in the UFC is hella good.
Nog
Couture
Lesnar
Mir
Gonzaga
Kongo
Velasquez
Carwin
Herring
Hardonk
CroCop
Dos Santos
Struve
Barry
Hague
McCully
Duffee
A lot of options in there.
I certainly stand on the side that recognizes the potential of the UFC Heavyweight division.
But come on, do you really need to include Hardonk, McCully, and then the others who’ve yet to so much as fight in the UFC in this list?
Might as well throw Dan Evensen and Denis Stonjic in there for good measure. Although, in Stonjic’s case, he can at least take a beating like a champ.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Well, technically, Evensen got cut, so he isn’t in the division anymore.
And while McCully and Hardonk aren’t any great shakes or anything, they get badly underrated due to the overall shallowness of the division. According to FightMatrix, their respective placements in the HW division are somewhat comparable to, say, DHK and Markham in the WW division.
Struve, Hague, and Duffee have signed with the UFC, they are UFC fighters. Obviously there are still questions about how good they will be in the UFC, but I’m confident Struve and Duffee will be great fighters eventually, and Hague could be a consistent regular. I didn’t list guys like Burch and Stojnic who don’t look like they’ll ever be more than filler fighters.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
You know, I thought Evensen got cut, but when I googled “Evensen cut” and “Evensen UFC cut,” I didn’t see anything to that effect.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
I seem to remember it being mixed in with all the cut news the past few days.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:30 PM EST up reply actions
As for being ranked at Heavyweight with respect to where Dong Hyun Kim and Rory Markham are ranked at Welterweight, it’s simply not a fair comparison.
There are simply more talented fighters at 170lbs. in the world today than there are at 206lbs.+. So, a fighter who is ranked 25th, for example, at Welterweight is not of equal standing in terms of accomplishment in their division as is someone ranked 25th at Heavyweight.
I’m actually ok with you being optimistic about Struve and Duffee. I just think the argument overextends itself when you include unproven commodities. Then again, some folks would argue that Velasquez and Carwin are yet unproven. Though, again, they’ve actually had multiple fights in the UFC as opposed to, well, not having yet fought. But hey, in a couple two or three years, maybe Struve and Duffee will be atop the divison and you can point back to this post as proof of just how great an eye for talent you have.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
While its true that the talent is a lot lesser at HW, I don’t think that should be held against the UFC’s division. If McCully and Hardonk are around the bottom of the division in terms of talent and ability, thats still a terrific division.
And I actually agree with you about unproven commodities. But Duffee and Struve are not commodities. Most “unproven” guys who make it into the UFC are in their late 20s or early thirties. Stojnic is 29 or so. Hardonk was 30 when he entered the UFC. Josh Hendricks was 32. Al-Turk was about 34. Evensen was 36 or so? Barry was 28 I believe.
Young HWs who have entered the UFC recently: Cain Velasquez about 25, Dos Santos at around 24.
Duffee is 23. Struve is about 21. I’ve VERY confident about their potential.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
I think the argument about commodities is one of semantics. Still, I think you make a compelling point when you bring up the age of these guys. They have a lot of time to develop if given the opportunity to do so. It may be difficult, fighting Dos Santos and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Barry in their first forays into the Octagon.
I won’t argue that there is potential. I believe you are right on that point. However, I just prefer to see for myself what a fighter can do before getting too excited about his potential. Potential, of course, means very little if you cannot live up to it, and while Struve and Duffee may well do just that, they have yet to do so by virtue of having not yet fought in the UFC.
I don’t actually hold the UFC accountable to a shallower worldwide Heavyweight talent pool than we’d see in other divisions. I just think it’s important not to overstate the UFC or any other organization’s Heavyweight division at this point. UFC has a lot of potential and arguably 5 of the top 10 Heavyweights in the world. Solid, if not spectacular. Affliction, on the other hand, arguably has the other 5 heavyweights in the top 10. Aside from that, there are very few prospects in their ranks. They have no Cain Velasquez, for example. I’d argue that they don’t even have a Stefan Struve, though perhaps Sidelnikov is along those lines (which is probably an unfair comparison to Struve, if anything).
Like I said, I actually think the UFC has a solid Heavyweight division. They lack the greatest fighter in the world in that (and probably any) division. They lack about half of the top 10 talent in the world. But the UFC has built their Heavyweight division for the future, and that’s something that, while not necessarily compelling at the moment, is critical.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
McCully is hardly underrated...
the guy just isn’t good.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
by Brent Brookhouse on Feb 18, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Couture, Cro Cop, and Nog are all in the UFC by 2010.
2 of those will retire for sure.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Feb 18, 2009 2:36 PM EST up reply actions
Couture and Cro Cop for sure. I haven’t heard anything about Nog retiring; just lots of speculation that he’s done.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
Definitely. On the other hand, they’ll probably have some more great talent. Maybe they’ll get ahold of Overeem, or Ishii will sign, or some other top talent will rise up.
Its pretty clear to see the progression now. The HW division was the last division where they were struggling to make any inroads in grabbing the talent. They’re now starting to pick up terrific prospects left and right.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:40 PM EST up reply actions
Yup, although Coker is claiming Overeem is his since he is the Strikeforce HW champion.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Feb 18, 2009 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
We’ll see. If the UFC starts having regular events in Europe, I believe they will win the bidding war.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions
I heard Overeem last night…pretty clear he is just going to go to the highest bidder.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions
That was my understanding having heard him on Tough Talk.
Also, I believe that despite holding the Strikeforce Heavyweight title, Overeem is not, in fact, under contract with the organization. Is that true?
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
I don’t know. Coker thinks he is, sorta, I guess.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Feb 21, 2009 7:29 AM EST up reply actions
Randy won’t be able to fight on this card I don’t think unless he does a 4 week training camp. I think Nogueira/Cro Cop is a more likely option, or maybe Velasquez/Cro Cop (sounds appealing to me).
Nogueira/CC 2 would be fantastic.
Velasques/CC would be a massacre.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:02 PM EST up reply actions
I’m not all that sure. It’s not like Cain’s striking was anything special against the joke he fought last time. Let’s all remember he has around 5 fights.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
But he probably has the wrestling and size to put Cro Cop on his back relatively easily.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Feb 18, 2009 2:05 PM EST up reply actions
Probably. I mean, it’s not like Mirko’s never fought a wrestler. I was kinda surprised to see last fight that Cain was not as big as I thought.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 2:07 PM EST up reply actions
Has he ever fought a top-level wrestler with any kind of good striking?
Coleman had to shoot from far away because his striking was too damn lame for him to move in with regularity.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
But he hasn’t shown great takedown defense in a cage. If Gonzaga can get him down, then I don’t think that Mirko would fare too well against Cain in the wrestling department.
If Cain shoots on him in the center of the octagon, then I think Mirko could stop it with some success. But if Cain gets him up against the fence, then Cro Cop is going to be on his back shortly thereafter.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Feb 18, 2009 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
Exactly. Style-wise, its a disaster matchup for CC. Velasquez is light enough and good enough on his feet to get in on Mirko regularly, which will make it extremely difficult for CroCop to continuously unload nasty strikes.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
Am I the ONLY one wishing CC would just drop to LHW? The guy would KILL at 205.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
You aren’t. I think that he would be much better served at 205 too. Not only would he be competing at a better size but, there are more strikers for him to outclass there.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Feb 18, 2009 2:08 PM EST up reply actions
Speaking of that:
Mirko stats off by joking saying that the doctor could amputate his leg, and everything will be better.
He’s also joked in the past that the only way he could make 205lbs. is by cutting off a leg. Well, there you go. Two birds, one leg.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Yeaaaah, sure. Mirko is in great shape and doesn’t have a ton of weight to take off, but if he hooked up with some wrestling coach-types in the States, I bet they could whip him down to 205 in time for weigh in without a drop off in his performance. I mean, it’d be hard and it would suck; cutting weight always does. But he could do it, and he’d likely be a dominating force again.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
I’d heard he was about 220 or so. Sherdog has him listed at 220, anyway, and that’s about what Randy cuts down from. I think Griffin cuts from above that, actually. But I don’t know for sure. It’s hard to tell with heavyweights, because they tend not to cut, so unless it’s a guy like Brock there isn’t usually much discussion of their “base weight”.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
He could do it. But he keeps feeling a slight sting. Thats Pride fucking with him. Fuck Pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Oh, I agree that if he actually wanted to cut to 205lbs. that he could with a bit of hard work. Still, it’s clear that he is not mentally prepared to do so, and even if he was forced to, I suspect it would not yield the results of, say, Leonard Garcia dropping to 145lbs.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Maybe it wouldn’t be instant magic, but to see him against guys with a similar reach, who don’t have a huge strength advantage in the grappling game, and whose heads are usually a little closer to the ground, would be interesting. I think, as a striker, being in the 205 division would really help him, considering how many of the top or up and coming HWs are grapplers.
And who would love to see CC against Machida?
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
I actually wouldn’t mind seeing Liddell/Cro Cop. Their strengths play to each other in such a way that I think that the fight would be interesting.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Feb 18, 2009 3:07 PM EST up reply actions
This is also from today:
Mirko Cro Cop has revealed that he is negotiating with just about every major MMA promotion as he recovers from a knee reconstruction. His contract with DREAM expired after his NYE victory over Hong Man Choi according to an article in Croatian sports newspaper "Sportske Novosti". He is in contact with several promotions and is looking to make his final decision within a month.
"I’m in talks with Japanese promotions which of course is natural since they treated me so well over the years. And its not a secret anymore that the UFC have contacted me. I’m also in talks with another US organization." Said Filipovic.
So according to Mirko, he is definitely fighting at UFC 99 but also currently negotiating with every major MMA promotion except Strikeforce…?
It’s very odd. Going to remove this from front page for now until it gets cleared up.
by Michael Rome on Feb 18, 2009 2:14 PM EST up reply actions
Good call. I was confused just from reading the posting.
At any rate, if this does turn out to be true, I’d be interested to see Cro Cop fight in the cage again. Personally, I don’t think he’s all mentally there as a fighter anymore, even if his body does heal up 100%. But I believe in second chances and another go ’round in the cage for him is interesting to me. His less-than-stellar time in the cage was probably pretty discouraging to him, considering how much of a monster he appeared to be in Japan. A nice head-kick KO might do wonders for his confidence. Who knows.
So according to Mirko, he is definitely fighting at UFC 99 but also currently negotiating with every major MMA promotion except Strikeforce…?
Yes, he probably negotiated with the UFC.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
We shall see. It’s just very weird that two articles with quotes from Mirko came out on the same day and directly contradict one another.
by Chris Nelson on Feb 18, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
The material you posted is a little dated, I remember seeing the exact same thing written several days ago.
Its possible that he confirmed with the UFC just the past day or so, or maybe he was just misinterpreted or taken out of context.
by Michaelthebox on Feb 18, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions
The statement you posted is old. We saw that about a week back.
"I hit [Evensen], and you could just see it in his head. He went, 'Oh, man. We don't have to do this anymore. I'm good. Thanks for having me. I'm going to go home now." -Pat "The Real Techno Viking" Berry
My mistake – I didn’t see it before and NoB just posted it today.
by Chris Nelson on Feb 18, 2009 3:40 PM EST up reply actions
Except Strikeforce? Where does it say that?
I’d think that the mystery US organization could include Strikeforce trying to setup the Overeem-CroCop rematch that’s already fueled by words.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Feb 18, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions
I personally would of liked to see the UFC get Dave Herman or Brett Rogers to come over inside the octagon and fight Mirko Cro Cop. That would be interesting.
How would that be a great fight? Randy would just smother cro cop with his wrestling. There are much more better fights for Cro Cop. Maybe Santos??
Randy confirms the rumors are true:
Couture confirms possibility of fight vs. Cro Cop at UFC 99
February 20, 2009 by Sam Caplan
Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. In the case of former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture, rumors of a possible showdown with Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic at UFC 99 appear to be valid.
During a recent interview with Arianny Celeste for the video web site RawVegas.tv, Couture confirmed that the rumors are indeed true.
"(It’s a ) possibility," Couture responded when asked about reports linking him to a bout against the former PRIDE star.
However, the five-time UFC world champion stopped short of saying that the matchup has been finalized.
"I’m working on a movie this spring (in) March, April, and May," revealed "The Natural," before adding, "… It depends on when I finish the movie."
While his movie commitment will take first priority, a fight with Cro Cop is one that is attractive to Couture.
"If I can get a full camp in before the Germany fight (then) I would love to fight Cro Cop. He’s a huge star in the Germany. The question is whether I can get a full camp in."
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