Photo: Mirko-CroCop.com
On April 28, 2002 Mirko Filipovic and Wanderlei Silva fought to a draw at Pride 20.
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On April 09, at 8 AM Eastern Standard time (GMT-5), www.mma-id.com will host a LIVE online chat session with Mirko Cro Cop! The chat session will be available only for MMA-ID members and all questions and comments will be submitted to the chat moderators before appearing on Mirko’s screen.
The chat session will last at least 1 hour.
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Off Mirko Filipovic’s blog on MMA-id.com:
A little over an hour ago I was contacted by DREAM officials. They informed me that my opponent on March 15 will be Yoshihiro Nakao from Japan. It was very important for me to fight as soon as possible and I’m happy that DREAM was able to find the opponent for me.
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From his latest blog entry:
Hi everyone, unfortunately I still have no opponent set for March 15. It seems that no one is willing to fight me on such a short notice. However, I’m confident that DREAM will find an opponent for me as I can’t wait to fight again.
I really don’t care who will they put me against, I just want to get in the ring and fight the best way I can.
More information from my camp will follow immediately upon an official fight announcement by DREAM. Thank you.
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According to the Croatian website javno.com, Mirko Filipovic said, “..I have already mentioned that I will take part in three fights for Dream, and that then I will return to the UFC. And to all internet know-it-alls I say to put gloves on and to enter the ring or the cage themselves before insulting whatever fighter. I repeat, I am not avoiding the UFC, and will come back by the end of the year.”
Additionally, evidently Filipovic fell into a “psychological crisis” around the time he entered into the UFC:
“Even in the first fight against Sanchez it was visible I was not the old Mirko. Maybe I was fulfilled with the Grand Prix title. It is hard to explain. I only know that I did not have that killing instinct. I lost 5 kilos before the performance, and trainings went bad. On the day of the fight against Kongo I woke up and thought “what do I need this for, why do I fight with a man I have never seen before’, I had enough of it ….Now everything is OK. The old fire and desire for fighting woke up in me again. I have never felt this good, I am in great shape. Once I fought for a living, today I fight for my pride.”
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Photo: mirko-crocop.com
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s website posted the following interview where the Croatian noted he was considering retiring after his last lost to Cheick Kongo, but still feel she has half a dozen fights left in him. Filipovic also feel that January ‘08 will be the return date for him in the UFC.
Dnevnik.hr: Is CroCop back?
Mirko: CroCop is recovered, it will take a month to begin with sparrings again, although I have a special helmet for protection. The stripes are affecting my visibility so it’s not like the real thing, but the regular sparring sessions start in about a month.
I think my next fight is going to happen in January.
You recently had a nose surgery?
Mirko: The nose problems have nothing to do with my defeats. I had trouble breathing, my nose was broken, one side was at 30%, while the other side was blocked completely.
It’s important when you face such an intense efforts.
Is this the toughest period in your career after you left K1?
Mirko: Not only that, this is the toughest period of my entire career.
Did you think about ending your career?
Mirko: I did think of it the night after my last defeat, but I’m not going to end my career soon. I will have 5 or 6 fights at least. Maybe even more, who can tell. Every fight could be your last one. You can suffer from a fatal injury, you can break your leg or arm. If I’ll be able to fight I’ll fight, it’s my life and my choice and I enjoy doing it.
I have a very strong motive, especially beacuse of number of „wise“ Internet users saying that I’m done. I will prove they were wrong.
Did you ever think about taking a year off to rest and come back stronger?
Mirko: In my case that would be a very long break. Of course, I would train a lot still if it would happen. Sometime you have to end your career, in a year, 3 or 5 years, or even 10 years - look at Randy Couture, he was the champion at 44. I will always train hard, but long breaks like that are not for me.
Are you in touch with Dana White and how does he feel about your defeats?
Mirko: We keep in touch, but you’ll have to ask him about that.
So, your nose is recovering well, you are wearing a special helmet. Your return is set for January due to a medical reasons?
Mirko: Yes, because of the surgery I’m not allowed to fight sooner. My nose is not fully recovered and I still have stiches in it.
Are there any rumors about your next opponent?
Mirko: None that I’m aware of.
Who you would like to fight next? Someone with a big reputation or?
Mirko: It’s up to the UFC’s management. I will fight anyone who they put me against. I have never turned down any opponent.
Anything left to say?
Mirko: I’ll be back (smiling).
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MMAonTap brought to light the following comments made by Joe Rogan in a radio interview discussing the bout between Mirko Filipovic and Cheick Kongo:
“If you watch the last UFC, this is something nobody knows, the Mirko Cro Cop fight that was on Spike last week - he got kneed in the balls, he went down and said to “Big” John McCarthy, “I’m too old for this shit.” and Big John said “No man you’re fine, you’re fine.” and he goes, “No I should just quit right now.” He said this while he was down and Big John goes, “If you want to quit just let me know and he said no, no I don’t.” So he had 5 minutes to recover and said he was too old for this.”
A specialist in the mental aspect of competition, Brian Cain, sports psychologist of Georges St. Pierre, David Loiseau, Tom Murphy, Rob Macdonald and other MMA fighters, noted the following regarding the situation. “Hit in the balls, major yellow lights and if you have nothing to get you back to a green you are in trouble. The fact that he was talking about quiting during the fight is a red light. Cro Cop is one of the best fighters in the world. After a devastating loss like he had to Gonzaga, a fighter can have a lot of self-doubt about their abilities and until they toatally flush that loss, it can pop into their mind at the worst times and cause a serious tail spin in their fight game.”
Filipovic’s website posted a comment by the Croatian heavyweight on the Kongo fight:
“My rib was broken and I had trouble breathing. I did bad, there’s no excuse. I don’t know, maybe I got too old. I’m in pain, my rib is broken and he kicked me 2 times to the groin, also resulting in reduced power. Oh well, we’ll see what happens next.”
Filipovic’s next fight has yet to be announced.
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Photo Credit: UFC.com
After the biggest win of his career last Saturday over Mirko Filipovic, Cheick Kongo is taking a couple weeks to unwind. It was a grueling training camp in preparation for the Croatian heavyweight. “We are still celebrating the fresh decisive victory of the legend Mirko Cro-Cop and will have a couple of weeks to relax and recover from the intensive training and tough fight”, comments Kongo’s manager Reed Wallace of White Chocolate Management. “We will then speak with the UFC regarding Cheick’s next bout.”
Kongo has now won 2 straight and ups his record to 20-3-1.
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Photo Credit: www.mirko-crocop.com
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has always bounced back from every defeat in the past with a win, but Saturday night he ran into a determined Cheick Kongo, who was able to impose his will on the Croatian heavyweight and win a unanimous decision. Many have now questioned where Filipovic goes from here, and the answer lies within Filipovic. He has the raw talent to work his way up to the top of the UFC ladder–with knockout power, great speed for a heavyweight, an excellent sprawl, an improving ground game and ability to take the fight to the ground, he has a lot of bases covered. At the same time, Cro Cop is still most effective on the feet striking, which leaves many areas for him to still hone and master. He definitely has had the right idea in bringing in ground specialists like Dean Lister to his gym, as well constructing a cage for UFC Octagon specific training.
Oftentimes with Cro Cop, it seems he’s accustomed to pushing people around, and is most effective in that domain. He shines brightest when it’s clear who’s pushing the pace. But when fighters come forward on him with fearlessness as Mark Hunt did, as Fedor Emelianenko did, and as Cheick Kongo did Saturday night in
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One year ago today, Mirko Filipovic defeated Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett to win the Pride FC absolute Grand Prix. Also on the card, Aleksander Emelianenko defeated Sergei Kharitonov, and Ricardo Arona was victorious over Alistair Overeem
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