Affliction III: Fedor's Opponent rumored to be Cro Cop
by Mirjitsu on Mar 25, 2009 12:04 PM EDT
47 comments
RUMOUR: Fedor vs. Cro Cop to headline Affliction show
There is an unconfirmed rumour circling the internet this morning that Affliction are lining up WAMMA heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko to square off with Croatian knockout artist, Mirko Cro Cop at their third event.
If true this would be a sensational move by the promotion, who intend to go head to head with the world’s biggest MMA organisation on July 11th, the UFC.
The pair have met before back in 2005 with Emelianenko winning by unanimous decision but fans of the sport would love to see these two heavyweight legends lock horns again, that is for sure.
Emelianenko has been on a role recently, defeating both Tim Sylvia and Andre Arlovski in the first round to silence many of his critics. Cro Cop too has rediscovered his form since leaving the UFC, gaining a TKO victory over giant Hong Man Choi most recently with a low kick.
By Michael Pepper.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
0 recs |
47 comments
Email
Print
Comments
Do it, Affliction. Just so I can hear Kongo and Gonzaga ad nauseum until July. Lame.
by AnonymousA on Mar 25, 2009 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hell, I’d just leave at at a 1-2 UFC fighter with his lone win over Eddie Sanchez.
by subo on Mar 25, 2009 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sergeant Pepper's Lonely MMA Site
Don’t post news from MMA Bay. It’s steaming shit.
"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
by Blackout612 on Mar 25, 2009 12:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
but they said the rumor is circulating around the internet, it must be true!!!
Seriously, what is up with this site? When they make stuff up, it’s a rumor circulating around the internet, but when there’s an actual rumor or news they just steal it?
We need some internet police to shut that site down.
by Phildo on Mar 25, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's a life lesson
If they can make ad rev, anyone can.
"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
by Blackout612 on Mar 25, 2009 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was excited about this until I saw where it came from.
by who me on Mar 25, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
What are you talking about never diss Michael Pepper and his strong rumors!
All kidding aside, although I won’t mind seeing Fedor and Cro Cop go at it again, I am tired of waiting for Fedor/Barnett I have pretty much given up hope for that fight.
by The Legend on Mar 25, 2009 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop too has rediscovered his form since leaving the UFC
Ahhhh…no.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 25, 2009 12:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop
That was also an internet rumor.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
by Brett Jones on Mar 25, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I really don’t see cro cop going after this one.
by Bigperm on Mar 25, 2009 12:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well just
think of the money that would be involved.
by Wookalarman on Mar 25, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I have actually been suspecting this fight to be announced (though MMABay.com is not anywhere near a confirmation.) Regardless of where CroCops career has gone, we all still love him, we all still want to watch him. That has to stand out in the mind of the Atencio & Co. As for CroCop “not going after this one”, I really don’t think he sees himself having slowed down at all, and that he can still take on the best. I really think though he would get squashed in this match. Fedor has evolved since their last fight, meanwhile, CroCop has not picked up a ground game.
by MicahW on Mar 25, 2009 1:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Source of the info aside, this would be a big match for Affliction. I think it would be more anticipated by the general public than Fedor/Barnett. Personally, I don’t think either is as competitive a fight as Arlovski, but Cro Cop has a lot of name value. He also has the potential to pull off the win against anyone with his devastating striking.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 25, 2009 1:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
the general public has no clue who fedor, barnett or cro cop are. Unfortunately. These guys should all be on their knees begging dana to let them fight in the UFC.
For right now, it’s like Michael Jordan playing in the CBA.
by Bigperm on Mar 25, 2009 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s true to an extent, but I would take Cro Cop over Barnett in terms of popularity. Besides, Cro Cop’s style is easier to market that Barnett’s catch wrestling – to the casual contingent, that is.
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 25, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I thought this might happen too when Tito dropped out of the conversation and Atencio made that comment about the fans loving Fedor’s opponent, and then Crocop pulled a 180 and ruled out UFC.
How many freakin surgeries has Crocop since leaving UFC? Deviated Septum, knee surgery, and something about surgery to remove an infection in his knee. There’s more I think?
First Crocop vs Fedor was truly awesome. But ever since Gonzaga, Crocop looks lost. Not bashing, he was my favorite fighter but he seems done now. Overeem was crushing him, he made Kongo look much better than he should. So far as I can tell, he has not landed a headkick in competition since the grand prix ko of Silva.
Fedor barely has name recognition here in the states. I think crocop is the same deal. Maybe if they could run the first fight ad-nauseum for publicity it would help, but UFC has the rights to that I believe.
And finally: how come nobody is calling for Arlovski/Barnett?
by Headkick on Mar 25, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I want Arlovski VS Barnett!!!
Only issue is if/when Arlovski beats Barnett, then Affliction can’t hype a fight between Barnett and Fedor later. Barnett can only keep his current value until Fedor (or someone else) beats him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barnett VS Sylvia, he should be able to take Timmy and they are both former UFC champs.
by MMAcGyver on Mar 25, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is the fight I wanted initially, instead of Fedor/Arlovski and Barnett/Yvel, with the winner facing Fedor. Now it’s practical, seeing as they have to pay Arlovski no matter whether he actually fights and it’s one of the most interesting match ups available in house (actually, second only to Fedor/Barnett).
"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
by Blackout612 on Mar 25, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why do I even bother reading these Affliction rumors? I’m not going to believe any of them until Attencio announces it, and maybe not then.
by thekiltedwonder on Mar 25, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
yeah i dont want to see this fight
I love fedor but i love cro cop more, and i know he has fallen off big time so i dont want to see him get killed against fedor. i want one more fight in the UFC against a mid level guy so that he can put on a show, maybe and up and coming you lad perhaps against time slyvia i would like to see that. I dont know anyone who thinks fedor cro cop is a fight anymore.
by bearcox13 on Mar 25, 2009 2:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Should be a VERY hyped fight for Affliction.
I guess its okay for people to get giddy over Cro Cop vs Couture but its not okay for Fedor vs CroCop.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 25, 2009 2:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Cro Cop v. Couture or Fedor
I feel like I’ve seen one of those fights before, but the other I have not.
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
by Brett Jones on Mar 25, 2009 2:59 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Correct, this will be a rematch, but it was a significant first fight for MMA, and it will most likely be very intriguing for the rematch (regardless of Cro Cops recent failures). How justifying would it be for Cro Cop if he actually beat Fedor. The MMA world would be shakened up. Moreso than a Couture vs Cro Cop fight.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Mar 25, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If Cro Cop beats Fedor, I’ll laugh my ass off because then he can sign with the UFC and we’ll have that coveted WAMMA belt
by subo on Mar 25, 2009 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This is a shitty matchup if it happens, your reaching defenses notwithstanding.
by subo on Mar 25, 2009 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you want the hype, just come on over the the UFC =D
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 25, 2009 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Remember the Gonzaga Knockout? Get ready to see that 10 000 times.
Keep firing Assholes!
by Ubernoober on Mar 25, 2009 2:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Ummm, yeah, we're going to go ahead and say no on this...
So Barnett is to big for a network broadcast, but CC isn’t?
Now don’t get me wrong, Barnett/Fedor is the fight we all want to see, but supposedly that is to financially difficult for free TV. I would think Fedor/CC would be in the same category, though it would be a great match for free TV to lure the somewhat more casual fans to the card.
If you're not submitting, you're just rolling around with another guy.
by BJJDenver on Mar 25, 2009 3:09 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Barnett probably has the same clause in his contract that AA does
Which would make his pay like 1.5 million against Fedor’s 2 million. So in that way it does make him too big. They could offer Crocop 500 or 600K for the fight
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 25, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Who would of thought two years ago that Cro Cop would be considered a bargain choice to fight Fedor now?
by who me on Mar 25, 2009 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
seriously
Affliction has forced the payroll of top fighters way up. Only company men that don’t care about the fighters can hate on that.
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 26, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If the promotion goes out of business because of forcing the payroll too high, I think the fighters who lose an opportunity to fight on any future cards would hate on that.
I will play my game beneath the spin light.
Absurd Meridian
by Eugene Schelfaut on Mar 26, 2009 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But it drives up pay eventually for everybody
Look at pro baseball 20 years ago. Jose Canseco signed a record contract
the terms???
5 years 23.5 million.
Look at the contract Manny Ramirez signed a couple weeks ago. Hell A-roid gets payed that every year for 10 years. Just the way it goes. Higher contracts are better for the fighters cause it shows them they CAN get that much and gradually salaries increase across the board. (At least at the top levels of DREAM/UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/Affliction
Gimme 1 round!
by ItBurnzWhenIP on Mar 26, 2009 1:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The baseball example really doesn’t work because of the way the business models are set up. The UFC doesn’t get involved in huge bidding wars like rival MLB teams do, it’s the bidding wars that drove things up in baseball.
Expected pay is a function of how much all employers are willing to pay, just because one employer pays crazy money doesn’t mean that the rest will, Affliction is more of an abberation than a driving force in fighter pay. Pay is going up but it’s not anywhere near the level that Affliction is running at (and failing with), lets face it they didn’t set a new level for Tim Sylvia’s expected pay they just way overpaid for him. If the rest of the industry doesn’t embrace that new level then it just doesn’t change things.
If Strikeforce catches on big and them and the UFC actually compete for contracts on a similar level then that would drive pay up across the board. Yoshihiro Akiyama’s signing and the Satoshi Ishii negotiations are also probably having an effect on international pay expectations too because FEG and Zuffa are the big movers in the sport currently.
by who me on Mar 26, 2009 2:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The same Affliction that is going, “Oops, we fucked up, take paycuts please?”
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 28, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Am I the only one who noticed the Fedor “has been on a roll recently” comment? When has he NOT been on a roll?
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Mar 25, 2009 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That one time, don’t you remember?
by ilostmydog on Mar 25, 2009 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He was rolling and rolling
…then he took a nap. But when he woke up, he just started rolling again.
"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
by Blackout612 on Mar 25, 2009 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Maybe they meant “in a role recently” talking about his movie? :D
by who me on Mar 25, 2009 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He has been on a roll fighting quality competition recently rather than the usual mix of good guys and a lot of cans/non-heavyweights.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
by iiowyn on Mar 25, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And that is, if by a ‘roll’, you mean two consecutive fights.
by subo on Mar 25, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
this is a stupid match up..
why would i want to see him rematch a guy he already beat that is on the downside of his career? ..I’d rather see fedor beat up tito or barnett because even though they still would be mismatches (in my opinion) at least, it’s something we haven’t seen before..
by Anton Tabuena on Mar 25, 2009 10:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
CroCop is washed up beyond belief. He’s still finding a way out of fighting Overeem (again!).
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." - Sir Winston Churchill
by FlyByKnight on Mar 26, 2009 7:28 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Affliction 3
Cro Cop is a joke now.He was got lean on like a cheap coat in UFC. Ran back to Japan,now I’m suppose too think he can beat Fedro. Now I know Affliction is run by dummies.
by TERRENCEFROMSOUTHEAST on Mar 28, 2009 8:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
MMA Rankings
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
