I am still a Cro Cop fan

[sonar1234]

He lost, the fight was great, i would have enjoyed to see Cro Cop vs Couture.

I am still a CroCop fan, i just wish he can take a bit more time to work on is ground game and come back.

I am glad to see that there is a lot of competition now and MMA is so unpredictable.

I was very impressed by this Gonzaga and cant wait to see him square off some top talent like Nog.

Hey even Fedor that would be a great fight.

Mirco is known to bounce back real fast after a lost, like he did in Pride so i wouldnt be surprised to see him at UFC72 or even UFC71.

God i love MMA

[KAEW44]

I always was a mirko fan as a fighter and athlete he is awesome and he is definetly poster-material for any fight organization.

However he really has a motivation problem, he is too affected by many things around him, i dont know how to explain it but he really never seemed hungry for a win, he just goes out there and "kind of" fights. That probably sounds weird given that he KO'd so many people but i just see him as not so motivated at all. The only one time i saw him in killer-mode was his OWGP fight against silva and that was because of the bad blood between them so CC went out there and whooped him! Then some of that rage was carried over to barnette later that night.

I dont want to take credit away from gonzaga but seriously mirko needed to fight harder and be more alert, he cant walk in there being unmotivated or being overconfident or whatever it is he is going through.

I'm sad mirko lost, but i'm happy dana white lost money on his investment in mirko.

[lex57]

i like mirko a lot too but there are just too many guys who think he is the best and nobody can beat him. well he got handled by gonzaga. he was getting crushed on the ground and it was just a bad fight for him. cro cops weakness is gonzagas strength. just like if that fight would have stayed up off of the ground i am sure cro cop would have won. i just dont want to take anything away from gonzaga because that kick would have knocked ANYONE out! and lets not forget one thing gonzaga was grounding and pounding cro cop with forearms and elbows and working him. in my opinion the ref should have never stood them up. and just when you think standing them up is gonna work to his (crocop) advantage he gets smoked by a wicked high kick. i cant help it but i love mma. especially ufc. it is the best sport out there right now bar none.

[testisbest]

Mirko just never got going last night. I was completely suprised with that outcome. Remind me to never gamble on MMA from now on.

[sonar1234]

I hope that they mix Pride and UFC fighters on the card, and not run both companies seperatly.

Yeah Mirko got cought last night he kept is hands low and sure he never expected Gonzaga to throw a high kick.

[IBdmfkr]

He simply just misjudged the kick, he thought it was a body shot and it came high.

Shit happens, they are both great fighters.

[Mighty Joe]

He simply just misjudged the kick, he thought it was a body shot and it came high.

Shit happens, they are both great fighters.

You are exactly correct. He saw the kick coming and had it blocked, but Gonzaga is not a head kicker....woops He is now!

[lacey231]

He simply just misjudged the kick, he thought it was a body shot and it came high.

Shit happens, they are both great fighters.

Should have been protecting Muai Tai style, and brought his leg up to protect the body. Ah well, I can;t believe what I saw, that was crazy.

Hopefully his leg, and ankle isn't to messed up from that, brutal KO.

[Lexed]

everyone will lose sooner or later the same fate is for fedor

[IamtheChitt]

I agree. I am still a Cro Cop fan, and I can't wait to see him fight again. He definately thought it was going to be a body kick, it was just bad judgement.

[sonar1234]

He blocked the kick but it was too late, looked at the fight again today.

Prompt to Gonzaga he cought Crocop kick and went for the takedown, no one else ever cought a kick by Crocop.

What bothers me is the interview that Crocop had after the match, i looked really messed up, what he said, i dont know what the futur reserve.

I really hope he doesnt call it quits, only take some time off and come back stronger with a better ground game. Is ground game was very good but like Couture said he needs to train in a cage and get used to elbows.

GOnzaga would have won the fight either way he was to strong and i cant wait to see more of this guys.

[lacey231]

Very suprising kicks form a bjj guy

[TheDfromGC]

the ref stand up was early, gonzaga was moving him into the cage and inflicting damage, was def in favor of crocop unfortunately it backfired

[MuscleScience]

I thought that he tore his ACL when he went down. that is as knocked out as anyone can possible be. He didnt look sharp or aggressive at all he just pussy footed around and left himself open for shots.

[Quil]

I'm shocked he doesn't have a serious ankle or knee injury. I just don't think his heart is into the UFC thing...

[Panzerfaust]

Good to see CroCop is not getting bashed here as I know alot of the people that visit this forum know very little about the sport but what they see or hear from TUF & Dana White's propoganda machine.

It happens, plain and simple.

CroCop is no worse today as he was 3 months ago. Think about this, do you show up to your job 100% every single day or do you have a bad day every once in awhile where it seems nothing goes right?

It happens to fighters just as it happens to us everyday, bluecollar cats. The only difference is, fighters are under a microscope and being picked at constantly, sometimes it is warranted, sometimes it is not.

CroCop KO'd Wanderlei and everyone said Wanderlei was done bla bla bla..the man dominated for close to 6yrs straight. That's a long time to not have a "bad night" at work if you ask me, shit I cannot go a week without having a shitty day.

CroCop will be back and will LHK the shit out of a whos who list of fighters.

He was simply not fired up for this one it looked like, I saw the passive Mirko out there instead of the push the pace Mirko that won the OWGP. If Mirko would have fought that way against Wanderlei, he would have lost big time as well IMO and that is how Wanderlei expected him to fight because Mirko had shown to be real passive when the fight is pushed on him, during the OWGP he was on a mission and got great results.

[Vader79]

He didn't take a beating, he'll be back. It's happened to him before (michael mcdonnald, kevin randalman). Everyone gets caught sooner or later. In fact at the moment in MMA all the stars seem to be getting caught. It's a crazy sport to be placing bets on!

[Quil]

I guess that ***ends on how you define a "beating". He got dominated. He landed a good kick to the ribs, but Gonzaga ate that and caught the leg, then took him down and pummelled him on the ground. He took a pretty good ass whipping in my opinion. I would hate to be the one to fight CC next, though...I hope it's Tim Sylvia.

[rar1015]

I guess that ***ends on how you define a "beating". He got dominated. He landed a good kick to the ribs, but Gonzaga ate that and caught the leg, then took him down and pummelled him on the ground. He took a pretty good ass whipping in my opinion. I would hate to be the one to fight CC next, though...I hope it's Tim Sylvia.

I would love to see Tim Sylvia fight Crocop!!! Crocop would just destroy him!!!!

[BigRandy]

Cro cop got caught but he'll be able to recover from that nasty KO

[brjrj0000]

no way cro cop was just getting started they stopped that fight way too soon

[CJC1981]

I think Sylvia is the most logical next opponent for Crocop. On a side note, being a top level mma fighter can't be easy when you're also a member of parliment or an anti-terrorism police officer. Not too many top level fighters hold down side jobs. Crocop is still my favorite fighter, but he's got to decide if he wants to be a politician/police officer/great fighter, or if he wants to be the best fighter in the world. He also needs to train in a freakin cage!!!!

[BG]

Heres a few things I was thinking......

Do you really believe Mirko wanted to leave Pride, I doubt it. Now he needs to travel to the US, prepare here, no even on the same continent he comes from. Now I know he's a professional athlete, so he should be able to overcome almost anything, but what do you think its like backstage at a UFC event compared to Pride, he used to come out to a spectacular lite show, in a 45,000+ crowd of REAL MMA fans, not just people looking for a bloodbath. That Duran Duran song I think may have a something to do with ( I just cant see it hyping anybody up ), but things probably just arent the same anymore to him. I have a feeling we will see him fighting back in pride soon, back to the old Cro-Cop..... or maybe he will just walk away from MMA altogether ( I hope not).

[QuieTSToRM33]

no way cro cop was just getting started they stopped that fight way too soon

what the hell are you talking about ?

[Panzerfaust]

Update:



MIRKO CRO COP RETURNS HOME
Monday, April 23, 2007 - by MMAWeekly.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For the first time in five years, the UFC returned to England. At the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England, UK, 14,921 fans witnessed one of the biggest upsets of the year. UFC 70: Nations Collide was headlined by a title elimination match between Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Gabriel Gonzaga. Coming into the fight as a big underdog, Gonzaga did the unthinkable and knocked out Mirko Filipovic with a right high kick.

Just one day after his shocking loss, Mirko returned to Zagreb, Croatia. Upon his arrival, Mirko spoke with Hrvatski Sportski about his unfortunate loss. “I got what I deserved after a performance like this,” said the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix Champion. “That seems to be the cross I’m carrying. I fall down every once in a while and I don’t know why. I’ve been through two times of crisis. Against [Kevin] Randleman, I came back; against Fedor [Emelianenko], I came back. I’ll come back after this. It’s part of my career.”

The knockout loss was the most devastating in the Croatian star’s career. After such a defeat, some fans wondered if “Cro Cop” would continue fighting. “Of course I will finish my [UFC] contract,” responded Mirko. “I have 4 fights left.”

When Gonzaga landed the right high kick, Mirko fell to the mat, landing awkwardly on his right leg. According to Nokaut.com, Mirko’s ankle remains swollen and does give him some discomfort. He is expected to have an exam on Tuesday to further diagnose the injury.

With the win, Gabriel Gonzaga earned a shot at Randy Couture’s heavyweight belt.

[Panzerfaust]

It is also important to note that the Japanese media are very aware of the outcome of this fight. One paper calls CroCop's loss "disgraceful", not sure if it was Nikkan Sports that said that..

[QuieTSToRM33]

He'll be back kicking ass in no time.

[QuieTSToRM33]

It is also important to note that the Japanese media are very aware of the outcome of this fight. One paper calls CroCop's loss "disgraceful", not sure if it was Nikkan Sports that said that..

Disgraceful to who exactly ?

[godkilla]

Prompt to Gonzaga he cought Crocop kick and went for the takedown, no one else ever cought a kick by Crocop.

wandy caught a body kick in there first fight and took em to the ground with it just like gonzaga. anyone hear anything about his leg/ankle?

[Lexed]

Heres a few things I was thinking......

Do you really believe Mirko wanted to leave Pride, I doubt it. Now he needs to travel to the US, prepare here, no even on the same continent he comes from. Now I know he's a professional athlete, so he should be able to overcome almost anything, but what do you think its like backstage at a UFC event compared to Pride, he used to come out to a spectacular lite show, in a 45,000+ crowd of REAL MMA fans, not just people looking for a bloodbath. That Duran Duran song I think may have a something to do with ( I just cant see it hyping anybody up ), but things probably just arent the same anymore to him. I have a feeling we will see him fighting back in pride soon, back to the old Cro-Cop..... or maybe he will just walk away from MMA altogether ( I hope not).

best answer so far.

[TheDfromGC]

id hate to deal with the pressure mirko will have to face. he already had pressure from being hyped up by dana so much and now his next fight its gotta be x5 coming off a loss. the best way to redeem would be a rematch with gonzaga, even though it may be a while.

[CJC1981]

Heres a few things I was thinking......

Do you really believe Mirko wanted to leave Pride, I doubt it. Now he needs to travel to the US, prepare here, no even on the same continent he comes from. Now I know he's a professional athlete, so he should be able to overcome almost anything, but what do you think its like backstage at a UFC event compared to Pride, he used to come out to a spectacular lite show, in a 45,000+ crowd of REAL MMA fans, not just people looking for a bloodbath. That Duran Duran song I think may have a something to do with ( I just cant see it hyping anybody up ), but things probably just arent the same anymore to him. I have a feeling we will see him fighting back in pride soon, back to the old Cro-Cop..... or maybe he will just walk away from MMA altogether ( I hope not).

gotta love you pride fans. Do you guys really think Mirko lost because Pride has a better light show, and more knowledgeable fans than the UFC does?
He underestimated Gonzaga's standup and got caught. He will be back.

[BG]

gotta love you pride fans. Do you guys really think Mirko lost because Pride has a better light show, and more knowledgeable fans than the UFC does?
He underestimated Gonzaga's standup and got caught. He will be back.

No your right, he definitly got caught, not taken away from Gonzaga at all, Ill love a greta upset myself, just seemed as though it wasnt the mean nasty Mirko we all love so much.....and yes he will be back.

[Dog-Slime]

no way cro cop was just getting started they stopped that fight way too soon

Did you even watch the fight??? He was out for a good while... A true knockout not just a stopped fight.

[rar1015]

no way cro cop was just getting started they stopped that fight way too soon

Are you kidding me?????

[Renesis]

Im pretty sure hes joking ><

[TheDfromGC]

CC needs to use the fact that EVERY person he fights expects his left leg against them. GG saw that body kick coming from a mile away. even though that didnt lose fight, getting taken down and a bunch of elbows wont make u feel too great. easy strategy is fake his kick, and do that alot. fake and then throw hard punch or fake and do anything. due to his fame every single person he fights knows to watch for kicks, especially the left, using alot of fakes will def throw them off balance and give him the advantage.

[brjrj0000]

yea guys i thought that was absurb enough for you to realize it was just a joke. i love cro cop but that mo fo was out cold