Cro Cop: Farewell

Woke up this morning to news that kickboxer and mixed martial artist Mirko Filipovic has pulled out of his co-headlining match against Anthony Hamilton at UFC Fight Night 79 in Seoul, South Korea. A shoulder injury on top of a career of them and ensuing operations seems to be the culprit. The former Croatian anti-terrorist commando and Parliament Member has long been one of my favorite fighters with his mix of stoicism, sense of humor, physique and a sprawl and brawl style that left many an opponent dazed on the canvas. Born in Vinkovci, Mirko found inspiration from the likes of Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude Van Damme and worked out in his family's barn doing chin ups, kicking walls and fashioning weights from scraps of metal and concrete. Joining the Army at 19, Mirko took up boxing and amassed an amateur record of 40-5.

Turning professional in 1996 at age 22, Filipovic joined Japan's K-1 kickboxing league where he defeated seasoned veteran Jerome Le Banner in his first fight. From there the Croatian sensation fought the sports biggest names like Ray Sefo, Bob Sapp, Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Mark Hunt, Mike Bernardo and Andy Hug. He would place Runner Up in the Grand Prix twice before transitioning to emerging MMA and joining Pride, Japan's premiere organization and rival to the growing UFC. There Cro Cop thrilled fans with his powerful punching combinations and destructive head kicks. Pride provided a theatrical experience with lavish opening ceremonies and blaring entrance music. Cro Cop became synonymous with walk out song Wild Boys by Duran Duran as well as his trademark spandex shorts adorned with a Croatian flag. Mirko faced the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Kazushi Sakuraba, Heath Herring, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Josh Barnett and Fedor Emelianenko but seemed to come up short in his most important bouts. In 2006, Filipovic won the Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix tournament while contemplating retirement. Instead, he took a big payday and headed to the UFC. Cro Cop would struggle in the octagon and suffer a shocking loss to Gabriel Gonzaga before heading back to Japan to join upstart promotion Dream. While Mirko suffered many disappointing losses in the UFC and never got the title shot many were expecting, he showed glimpses of what made so many people fans with an entertainingly gutsy performance against Pat Barry (axe kick!) and avenged his loss to Gonzaga this past April (elbow to the dome!). Many of Cro Cop's bouts were competitive so the issue seemed to be desire versus skill. Rarely leaving his back yard to train and be separated from his family, one wonders how Cro Cop would have benefited by not doing things his way and training at one of the prominent camps in the US or Europe.

It appeared that Cro Cop might be able to make another go at the UFC, his various stints of retirement and time off seemed to heal injuries while the fire to train and compete still burned. But at 41 years of age with 80 some fights in under 20 years, the damage has taken it's toll. After 9 operations on his knee, nose, elbow, etc, his latest shoulder injury seems to have reminded him that he's still got a long life to live outside the fight game. It's a shame we won't get to see Mirko compete one more time, especially in front of large contingent of Asian fans but he's already provided us with a career full of highlights and inspiration. After living such a varied and fascinating life already, I'm interested to see what Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic does next. Until then, keep kicking.

Cro Cop: Comeback Kick

Ever since the UFC partnered up with Fox, the brand and their events have been everywhere. Averaging four cards a month for Pay-Per-View, Fox, FX or online Fight Pass, the sport of Mixed Martial Arts is definitely in it's go-go years. With so many cards to fill, local talent in expanding markets are given the call while many a big name out of title contention can still headline. On April 11th, former K-1 kickboxer, Pride champion and UFC fighter Mirko "Cro Cop" Filopovic returns to the octagon after retiring in 2011 on the heels of three losses. The former commando and member of parliament wouldn't stay out of the fight game for long as a return to kickboxing saw him attain K-1 Gold along with a 7-1 record. Mirko would also return to MMA under the IGF and Legend banners going 3-1. His last victory came via vintage head kick and punches on New Years Eve.

Cro Cop has now signed a three-fight contract with the UFC, the first being a rematch with Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga set for April 11th in Krakow, Poland. The two first met in what would become one of the greatest upsets in all of MMA history in 2007. At that time, Cro Cop had just won the Pride Fighting Championship Open Weight Grand Prix and was contemplating retirement. An offer he couldn't refuse came from the UFC and after dispatching Eddie Sanchez, a title shot against Randy Couture was thought to be next. However a match up against up and comer Gonzaga would forever change Cro Cop's future. Known for his devastating high kicks, Mirko was unable to mount much of an offense against Gonzaga, being taken down off of a caught low kick. Dazed by some elbows, the two were stood up where Gonzaga unleashed a Cro Cop-esque high kick that knocked the Croatian out cold. From there Cro Cop would never regain his momentum and would struggle against the likes of Cheick Kongo, Junior dos Santos, Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson. The once ferocious killer now seemed gun shy and afraid to engage. Glimpses of Cro Cop's highlight reel attacks surfaced in his fights with Pat Barry, Roy Nelson and Satoshi Ishii where high kicks, feints, combinations and brutal uppercuts made their welcome return. After two runs in the UFC, Cro Cop left on a disappointing 4-6 record and underwent some eight surgeries for his nose, elbow, knee, etc during the same time period.

Gonzaga would fight in the title bout originally thought reserved for Cro Cop against Randy Couture in August of 2007. In a bloody affair that left Gonzaga's nose battered and Couture's arm broken, Gonzaga would lose in the third round by Technical Knock out. Since then Napao has fought exclusively in the UFC while putting together two and three fight win streaks but has been unable to climb back up the ranks. He's fought tough guys like Shane Carwin, Ben Rothwell and Junior dos Santos but has recently fallen to Stipe Miocic and Matt Mitrione.

While many fans thought Mirko had broken down mentally and needed to get out of the comforts of his home camps, Cro Cop has shown renewed vigor lately fighting at least three times a year and returning to the UFC to right some things versus doing it strictly for the money. With two kids and his family in Croatia, Cro Cop is unwilling to leave his native land to prepare for a fight away from them for months at a time. On record as saying the loss to Gonzaga was the worst in his career and that he will beat Napao in a rematch or die trying. To help him prepare, Mirko has brought in one of Croatia's best boxing trainers along with young UFC heavyweight Stipe Miocic as his main sparring partner. Win, lose or draw, I'll always be rooting for Cro Cop and hope this third run is the charm.

Downtown Sunday: Fleming's and U of MMA

Recovering from the late night of the Sunbow Celebration and the time change, on Sunday afternoon we ventured to Downtown, Los Angeles. For some reason, I've been here more in the last year than I had in the previous 5-6. Before heading to Club Nokia for a University of Mixed Martial Arts event, we stopped off at an old Happy Hour standby, Fleming's Steakhouse. I've never actually had a steak at this house of them because they've got a pretty substantial Happy Hour menu that runs every day. There's 5 selections of cocktails, wines and food for $6. Walking in, L.A. Live looked more happening than I'd ever seen it, then looking across to the Staples Center I saw a crowd of people. It finally dawned on me that all these people wearing Lakers jerseys, shirts and hats weren't cosplaying, they were going to a game! We found a standing counter spot easy enough and proceeded to down some Lemonade made with Tito's Vodka out of Austin along with Butternut Squash ravioli, calamari and a bacon cheeseburger. It was all good. The place soon cleared out as Happy Hour ended and tip-off must have been near.

Some friends explained that Nokia Live and Club Nokia were two different things. Good on them otherwise we'd have been wandering around thinking we had the wrong date...Located above Lucky Strike Bowling, Club Nokia is an interesting venue for partying and events. There's a main floor with a bar then you can go up to a seated balcony with another bar. I met promoter/scheduler/everything guy Jorge Albarca at The Van Damme Triple Dip where he came out to see the Belgian badass on the big screen two nights in a row for Double Impact and Bloodsport. After attending Dolph Night and An Evening with Carl Weathers, he's one of the few in the city who have all three Dammaged Goods special edition shirts. Set up as upscale amateur fights, U of MMA was boasting a huge 18 fight card with several title bouts. 30 gyms around the Los Angeles area support the league and it's sanctioned to ensure safety. It was a great atmosphere and I was happy to see it so crowded. I heard one of the fighters was from Bas Rutten's gym, the Dutch kickboxer turned MMA fighter with a hilarious sense of humor. Apparently he was there but I didn't catch a glimpse, next time.

With the earlier matches consisting of three, two minute rounds, the pace of the action was solid. No lay and pray over here, these were all hungry fighters looking to build their records and reputations. By the time they switched to three, three minute rounds, the shin guards came off and you started to see a little more attitude and aggression in the cage. Plus one of the referees had an amazingly long, braided beard. Of course no MMA event would be complete without the guy in the crowd who's an expert yet is spectating instead of participating. This particular guy kept talking about the differences between boxing and MMA and doing more coaching than the guys at ringside. Ah well, it was a fun night and my first fight in years. Looking forward to the next one.

D'you Know What I Mean 2015: Cro Cop

Holy shit it's 2015!  Hope you had a wonderful Bodhi day, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Boxing Day or non denominational holiday season with friends, loved ones or Chuck Norris movies and whiskey.  Croatian sensation Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic rung in 2015 with a kick in the head followed up by punches to take out Japanese Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii at Inoki Genome Federation's Inoki Bam-Ba-Ye New Year's Eve event in Tokyo.  The two had faced off once before with the K-1, Pride and UFC veteran winning after opening up a cut on Ishii's dome with an elbow in August of 2014.  Mirko stayed busy in 2014, competing in two kickboxing matches under the Glory banner and two Mixed Martial Arts matches under Inoki Genome going 3-1.

Looking in great shape but missing his signature tights with the Croatian flag,  Mirko stuck to his usual style of stalking his opponent around the ring, going for a quick jab or firing off single punches then hopping back out of range.  Ishii threw big overhand rights while Cro Cop attempted his signature left high kick before being tied up.  The young Japanese Judo expert managed to drag Cro Cop to the mat but was unable to mount much of an offensive or cause lasting damage.  Mirko stayed busy from the bottom, throwing punches and elbows.  Round 2 started with more pawing and ineffective flurries from both.  Feints, hooks and knees from Mirko with more big overhand rights from Ishii.  The action hits the mat again but Mirko uses his tree trunk legs to kick Ishii off and get back to his feet.  The pair start swinging with Mirko backing up the young buck.  A blocked high kick seems to daze Ishii who ties up the former Croatian Anti-Terrorist Cop.  A big knee to the face followed by a connecting uppercut spells the beginning of the end as Cro Cop followed up with a left high kick and more uppercuts to put Ishii out on his back, bleeding from the side of his head.

Cro Cop retains the IGF title before a pro wrestling like scuffle breaks out in the ring with former Pride veteran Fujita getting in Mirko's face and being broken up by their teams and mother fucking Fedor!  Ishii meanwhile, was still recovering from the beatdown and watched the incident from the corner.

 

King of King of Fighters: Anderson Silva

This past weekend's UFC 162 marked the end of an era.  Undisputed middleweight champion and pound for pound greatest fighter in the world today, Anderson "The Spider" Silva was knocked out by challenger Chris Weidman.  Many a fan relished the sight of the king of kings being taken out while clowning around in the Octagon.  Was he too old?  Too slow?  Had the sport passed him by?

Nope, he just lost the hunger.  Like any band that starts out exciting and raw, after a few successful albums and endorsements, what is there to be hungry for?  Here's a guy who hasn't lost a bout since 2006, went undefeated in TWO weight classes in the UFC and is pushing 40 with a wife and kids.  Sure he's had some lackluster showings but there have been plenty of snooze fests in the UFC.

This past Saturday, The Spider employed his usual antics but this time they backfired.  Will the loss refuel his fire?  I doubt it.  The guy has been fighting a long time and put on some of the most exciting displays of martial arts prowess, accuracy and creativity we've ever seen.  He just doesn't need it anymore.  And he probably hasn't blown his earnings on an extravagant lifestyle that will require him to keep fighting into old age and humiliation.

How anyone can dispute his claim to be one of if not the greatest boggles the mind.  Let's take a quick look at his UFC history, shall we?

Destroyed Chris Leben who was on a 6 fight win streak.
Destroyed champion Rich Franklin who was on an 8 fight win streak.
Seemingly in trouble against arguable contender Travis Lutter, who didn't even make weight, comes back and takes it with ease.
Destroyed Nate Marquardt who was on a 6 fight win streak.
Destroyed Rich Franklin again.
Destroyed Olympic wrestler and Pride Fighting Championships favorite Dan Henderson.
Jumps weight class for shits and giggles, destroys James Irvin.
Was in no trouble against Patrick Cote (who injured his knee mid-fight) who was on 5 fight win streak.
Coasts to an easy decision win over Thales Leites, who was 5 fight win streak.  Sentiment begins to turn on the champion.
Jumps weight class, destroys former champion Forrest Griffin who runs out of the cage in embarrassment.
Coasts to another win against Demian Maia, who was 12-1 going in.
Gets pushed to the limit by Chael Sonnen, submits him just to prove a point.  Bandwagon fans rejoice that this could be the beginning of the end for the champion.
Destroys former champion, Vitor Belfort, who was on a 5 fight win streak, with a frigging front kick to the face supposedly taught to him by Steven Seagal.
Destroys perennial title contender, Yushin Okami, who was 10-2 in UFC.
Destroys trash talking Sonnen again.  I wish he'd beat up on him more.
Jumps weight class to save UFC 153 main event and destroys Stephan Bonnar who was on 3 fight win streak.
Clowns and gets caught, loses to Chris Weidman.

Other contenders?  Fedor is great but his resume isn't any stronger than Silva's and The Last Emperor was annihilated in 3 straight fights.  Chuck Liddell and his three straight KO losses?  Tito Ortiz didn't win a fight for five years.  Randy Couture with his gifted opponents and title shot?  Georges St. Pierre has never jumped weight classes and hasn't finished a fight in 4 years.

In the end, Anderson Silva didn't lose for 7 years, defended his title 10 times and only went to decision twice in his 17 fights in the UFC.

Yup, greatest of our time.

King of Fighters: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

I used to watch a lot of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) but was a closet fan since for a long time it was referred to as "human cock-fighting" (by a douche bag who ran a state where regular cock fighting was legal) or brought to mind a bro-douche bag clad in a Tapout shirt (catchy name but means surrender in the sport).  During the heyday of Pride and UFC, you had super stars, athletes with larger than life personalities and a cool mystic.  Knock out artist, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell, shoot-fighter Ken "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock, Sambo expert Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko and my personal favorite, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic; a K-1 kickboxer who also served on his native country of Croatia's Anti-Terrorist Unit and in Parliament.

Today, Mixed Martial Arts is everywhere in the form of juggernaut UFC, on Pay-Per View and several FOX affiliates.  But where have all the stars gone?  Where have all the characters disappeared to?  The Greatest Of All Time, Anderson "The Spider" Silva is ready to retire.  Lyoto "Ryu from Street Fighter" didn't quite live up to his early promise.  Georges "Rush" St. Pierre dominates but can't finish a fight.  Chael Sonnen runs his mouth, earns title shots and gets destroyed.  The fact that it runs on multiple channels and PPV has saturated the market with fighters you've never heard of and too many bouts to keep track of.  Ah well...

Cro Cop's story always interested me; a young kid, inspired by Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, teaches himself how to fight in the outskirts of Croatia.  Making his own weights, kicking walls and running around, the kid starts to box and eventually kickbox.  In 1996 at age 22 he was a commando for the Croatian police and had his first professional bout in K-1, the wildly popular Japanese organization of karate, kung fu and muy thai.  Cro Cop fought the best of the best in K-1 and won legions of fans with his displays of courage, heart and aggressiveness that were manifested in his crisp punching combinations, wicked low kicks and deadly high kicks.  His statuesque physique, cool facade, sense of humor and well rounded background made him a fighter you could root for in and out of the ring.

By the early 2000's, MMA was growing and Cro Cop transitioned to Pride Fighting Championships, home of Fedor, Big Nog, The Axe Murderer and other colorful characters/fighters.  Each event was a spectacle and the Japanese loved Cro Cop.  After winning the Open Weight Grand Prix and mulling retirement, Cro Cop changed organizations and headed for the big show, the UFC.  Early chatter put him on a collision course to meet then current champ Randy "The Natural" Couture but after losing to Gabriel Gonzaga in arguably the biggest upset in MMA history, Cro Cop never seemed to recover mentally and finished out with 3 straight losses before leaving in 2011.

Life after the UFC wasn't quiet for long as Mirko has fought sporadically in MMA and more regularly in K-1.  After quietly rattling off a string of victories in the ring, Cro Cop was back in the hunt for K-1 gold and recently won the World Grand Prix Championship at age 38.

Highlights: