Issue 130
July 2015
Mirko Cro Cop’s status as one of fight sports’ most legendary figures is assured, but he’s got one final chapter of his story left to write.
Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic has a message for fight fans glued to his UFC revival: enjoy him now, because he’s here for a good time, not a long time.
The former Pride Openweight and K-1 World Grand Prix champion is finally back in the UFC win column. He claimed his first Octagon victory since the summer of 2010 and gained sweet revenge over old adversary Gabriel Gonzaga in the process when the organization touched down in Poland for the first time in April.
But any romantic notions hard core MMA enthusiasts may have about the Croatian icon finally claiming UFC gold will have to be put on hold. Cro Cop himself admits his third stint in the UFC has got as much to do with personal gratification as it has with a desire to become champion.
Sure, he would love to fight and win the UFC heavyweight belt. After all, it’s the only major title in his glittering fighting career – now in its 20th year – that’s so far eluded him. But, now in his fifth decade, he’s also a realist. He knows his Indian summer in fight sports may be just that, so he’s determined to land the right fights to befit his legacy.
In claiming victory over Gonzaga in Krakow, Cro Cop laid a ghost to rest. He settled a score against the opponent who shocked the entire fighting world by using Mirko’s own trademark high kick against him in their first matchup back at UFC 70. It had been eating at him for eight years. But it also opened his eyes to the opportunities the Octagon can still offer him, apart from fighting whoever holds the championship belt. Rematches, trilogies and fan-friendly fights fuel the 40-year-old in 2015. So if you’ve shared a ring or cage with him before, you’d better start looking over your shoulder.
Cro Cop is happy, both in and out of the Octagon. He’s got a loving family, a proud fight team and he’s injury-free, perhaps for the first time in decades. He’s returned to arms simply because he loves fighting and wants to end his career on his terms and with a smile on his face.
“I didn’t come back to the UFC to prove anything,” he says, when asked about whether he felt pressured to return to rescue his legacy. “I came back just to do the fights that I really want to do... Life is much wider and bigger than just fighting. The most important thing for me is my family: my kids, my wife. That’s the most important thing for me.
“I dedicated my life to fighting sports since I was a kid. Fight sports gave me everything I have in my life. Through fighting sports I’ve secured a safe life for me, for my family. I’ve secured a very good start in life for my sons. I just owe it – not to UFC, not to Pride, not to K-1 – I owe it to myself to prove that I can do it and I really believe I can do it.”
Cro Cop’s previous Octagon stints arrived on the back of his glittering Pride career. Great things were expected from the most feared striker in MMA, but he could only post a disappointing 4-6 Octagon record from 2007 to 2011 – punctuated by an unbeaten three-fight campaign back in Japan with Dream.
Pat Barry was arguably the biggest name in his underwhelming UFC win column prior to Gonzaga, while his other losses came at the hands of Chieck Kongo, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson. The last three of those were successive knockout defeats, which led to his brief retirement from MMA.
It’s safe to say that not even the most ardent Cro Cop fans shed a tear when he announced he would be hanging up the 4oz gloves. So the big question now is, what’s changed? “I feel really good. I’ve recovered from all the old injuries and surgeries and I know I have something to offer,” he says.
“After my Pride days I had eight surgeries altogether. I don’t want it to sound like some excuse but it’s a fact... Finally I’ve recovered completely and my body’s in full shape. Maybe I am a grandpa, but grandpa’s in very good shape. And I am very motivated.”
He adds: “Listen, before my final retirement there are a few more fights I really want to do. And the fighters I want to fight are under UFC contract. The second thing is I had a great career in Pride, I had a great career in K-1. The only place where I failed is the UFC.
“I feel really good. I had a really good performance in my last fight in Japan and a great performance beating Gonzaga. I really would like to fix a few things if possible. I would really like to try. Most importantly, I’m healthy, I believe in myself – that is the reason. And the UFC is the UFC.”
You don’t compete at the highest level for two decades without getting a little perspective on life, and Cro Cop’s feet are planted firmly on the ground. He’s not calling out Cain Velasquez or Fabricio Werdum – at least not yet – but he has got some opponents in mind.
“People keep asking me, ‘Are you after a title shot?’ Who would refuse a title shot if they deserved it? There are many good heavyweights – much younger fighters – but I am ready, I’m feeling good and the most important thing is I will go step-by-step.
“The only thing I was thinking about was beating Gabriel Gonzaga. Now I’ve beaten him, we are negotiating for the second opponent. Then we will negotiate for the next one if I beat him. But let’s go step-by-step. I don’t want to think about the third or fourth one, as they may not happen.
“Beating Gabriel made me very happy. And as long as fighting in the UFC is making me happy, then I hope to continue.”
He shrugs: “But there is no guarantee. This is MMA. Everybody’s hungry. Everybody wants to take your head off. I will be ready. And even if I fail I will know I tried. My fans will say, ‘That’s a man who had a great career in Pride, a great career in K-1. He failed in UFC, but he tried.’ That’s the important thing. That’s how I’m raising my kids.
“This is something I really want to do. It’s something I owe to the sport and I owe it to myself to beat some of those guys.” But who are those guys? Does he want to rematch all of his former foes that are still active?
“Some of them, yes, some of them, no,” he says. “With (Josh) Barnett I will not fight, definitely. We fought three times and I beat him two times. Technically it was three but the first time I cannot be incorrect and take it as a victory.
“He was hurt after 30 seconds. We fell down and he hurt his shoulder. I was declared as the winner but it wasn’t victory. But let’s say we fought two times and two times I beat him fair, and I like Josh Barnett a lot... There’s no point to fight him.
“But Nogueira is definitely there, Roy Nelson is definitely there, and some other fighters. Junior dos Santos is definitely there. And perhaps Overeem too.”
For now though, Mirko Cro Cop is happy to bask in the glow of his first UFC victory in five years. The redemption he enjoyed against Gonzaga, coming back from a two-round beating to land a TKO finish in the third round, was all the reward he needed in terms of whether or not he was wise to come back.
Plus, the reception he got from the fans, he insists, was worth the return alone. But he’s not done yet. Victory has simply whetted the old warhorse’s appetite for more. Much more. And no matter who comes next, the final chapter in the career of one of fight sport’s greatest icons isn’t quite over yet.
Mirko Cro Cop’s Top 5 MMA Moments
A selection of the most emphatic displays of the Croatian sensation’s hard-hitting, high-kicking career.
Heath Herring, Pride 26, 2003
Still a relative MMA novice with just seven fights, many thought Cro Cop faced a stiff test from ‘The Texas Crazy Horse’. But the Croatian shrugged off takedown attempts from the 28-fight veteran like a matador and unleashed a sickening liver kick that simply made Herring’s body quit on him.
Igor Vovchanchyn, Pride Total Elimination 2003
The quintessential Cro Cop KO. The cracking sound of his left shin meeting the Ukranian’s head echoed around the Saitama Super Arena, Japan, and signaled instant unconsciousness to the 40,316 people in attendance.
Aleksander Emelianenko, Pride Final Conflict 2004
Timber! As part of his campaign to fight Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, Cro Cop first had to take out his daunting six-foot-five brother. One superhuman left high kick and several hammerfists later, and the Russian giant was left sprawled on the canvas.
Wanderlei Silva, Pride Final Conflict Absolute, 2006
This battle of MMA’s greatest ever KO artists was painted with bad blood, which was bad news for ‘The Axe Murderer’. You don’t anger a former member of Croatia’s elite police special forces. Cro Cop punished Silva, then sent him to the MMA mausoleum with a devastating head kick.
Gabriel Gonzaga, UFC Fight Night 64
There’s still fight in the old dog yet. The writing was on the wall after two rounds of dominance by Gonzaga, but the tide was turned by Cro Cop’s crushing standing elbows. Then, he took ‘Napao’ to the torture chamber. Elbows and punches carved up the Brazilian’s face to force the stoppage and seal sweet revenge.
