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.

Van Dammage: Eternal

Jean-Claude Van Damme is still in Los Angeles hanging out, going to the gym and setting up his next projects. On the horizon is a potential re-teaming with Pound of Flesh helmer Ernie Barbarash for an unknown project to be shot in JCVD's native Belgium. Then there's the second half of the Kickboxer reboot where Van Damme will now play the trainer to Alain Moussi's Kurt Sloan. The Muscles From Brussels has also completed a small villain role in the Chinese comedy Jian Bing Man which translates to The Pancake Man. Our man Van also popped up on a recent edition of UFC announcer Bruce Buffer's podcast It's Time where the two discussed meeting at a Hollywood club, running into each other at Gold's Gym and Van Damme's take on Mixed Martial Arts. A long time fan of the sport, Van Damme has worked out with the likes of Mirko CroCop and Georges St. Pierre. He's eagerly anticipating the title fight between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor and thinks they both have the tools to win but challenger McG is just a bit hungrier. 

Workout of the Day: Less is More

What a crazy week. Got back from the Dominican Republic (going through customs sucks!) then hit premieres on back to back nights. While in the DR, kept up my workouts by swimming in the ocean (calm one day, choppy and seaweedy the next, always salty) and hitting the weights at the spa/fitness center. I opted for more or less giant sets to work several body parts so Chins, Goblet Squats, Deadlifts, Lunges and Push Ups anchored the sessions while a few bicep curls, triceps extensions and shoulder raises helped round it out.  After pushing it in March and April, it was time for a break. Guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vince Gironda used to advocate training hard for three weeks then backing off for one. That would give muscles and injuries time to recover as well as provide a mental break. Thinking about working out and eating can get tedious so focusing on other aspects of your life is always a good idea. After five days of relaxing and eating anything I wanted to, I'm back on the hunt, this time with a progression plan and everything.

Taking a page out of Vince, Cro Cop and Daniel Craig's circuit book, I just started a new program that starts and ends the week with full body workouts with upper and lower body sessions in between.

Day One: Clean & Press/Knee Up/Step Up/Chins/Incline Push Up/Dip
Six exercises completed in rapid succession for three circuits. With no extraneous forearm, neck, calf or cardio, it only took me 25 minutes or so to complete. I will implement a second workout on days where time affords to clean up with some cardio like shadowboxing, ab-aerobics, jump roping and swimming.

Day Two: Incline Dumbbell Press/Chins/Incline Push Up/Barbell Row/Incline DB Fly
I generally don't advocate working upper body two days in a row due to the stress it can put on your shoulders and elbows. My shoulders and back are a little sore already from working them in similar ways two days straight but the decrease in volume and shortness of workouts should prevail. Remember, if it hurts, stop. Here I'm only doing 15 total sets whereas my last program had me doing at least 12 per body part for 24 to 36 a session. Now I can cut that down significantly and see how I feel.

Day Three: Squat/Leg Curl/Deadlift/Lunge/Calf Raise
Pretty straightforward leg day to get them quates, glutes, lower back and calves in shape.

Day Four: Incline DB Curl/Bench Dip/Preacher Curl/Triceps Extension/Shoulder Raises
With chins, push ups, presses and dips part of the program foundation; your biceps, triceps and shoulders are already getting some solid attention. Throwing in curls, extensions and raises will help target them specifically for shape, size and definition.

Day Five: Total Body Circuit a la Day One.

Technically this leaves you the weekend to kick back but I'll be throwing in some swimming and cardio to work on the ol' summer shred. My plan is to use this program for six weeks, progressing every two weeks by adding another set. So two weeks at three circuits/sets then two at four and two at five to take me into Comic-Con. Food wise I'm working on eating three solid meals and two snacks a day. So say eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, meat and veggies at lunch, maybe a little brown rice then meat and salad for dinner. Snack wise looking at a protein shake and something like almonds or cheese with fruit for a fat and protein hit.

We'll see what happens! Until then, keep pushing!

Cro Cop: King Rematch

"Cro Cop smells it!" "What a comeback for the legend!" 

After being defeated by his own weapon of choice 8 years ago, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic avenges one of his most devastating losses. In 2007, Cro Cop had just come from Pride and was expected to meet Heavyweight champion Randy Couture but faced off with the less known and hungry Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga instead. After being taken down and dazed by elbows,the two were stood up where Gonzaga shocked the world by taking out Cro Cop with a high kick. Cro Cop would struggle forever after with mental motivation and physical injuries while Napao would drop a title shot against Couture. With the UFC ever expanding into new markets, the duo headlined Fight Night 64 available exclusively on web based Fight Pass.

Last night, in front of 10,000 fans in Poland, Cro Cop came from behind and delivered a nasty TKO victory. With neither man committing to much in the early rounds, Cro Cop throwing a few jabs and a whiffed high kick, the Croatian found himself underneath the 250 pound Gonzaga at the end of rounds 1 and 2. The two scrambled for heel locks and knee bars with neither in too much danger. While Cro Cop was able to avoid much damage, he took a big elbow to the face that opened up a giant cut on the side of his left eye. To start round 3, Cro Cop easily avoided a takedown attempt but was pushed up against the fence. There, Cro Cop unloaded a huge standing elbow that wobbled Gonzaga before delivering another. A mad scramble saw Cro Cop land a few punches on the stunned Gonzaga who was desperately trying to wrap Mirko up. Cro Cop delivered big elbows to the body and head then finished Gonzaga off with a series of hammer fists.

Both men were bloodied and cut with the bout being deemed Fight of the Night and a $50,000 bonus awarded. Mirko attended the post fight conference while Gonzaga was taken to the hospital as a precaution. This was the first of an alleged 3 fight deal with the UFC. Fans are clamoring for a rematch with Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira after the still active legend said he'd be open for another bout. The 40 year old former Special Forces commando, parliament member and K-1 kickboxer said he was struggling with shoulder and knee issues so may take a quick break before returning to action. With this victory, Cro Cop is now 6-0 in rematch fights.

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.

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.

 

Workout of the Day: Rudimentary Dude

On Saturday morning I woke up around 6:00AM, not feeling like hitting the gym, I decided to get in some body weight exercises before breakfast.  I owed myself a leg session and some cardio but I figured a compound circuit would be better than lying on the couch watching television.  While watching some making of RoboCop I got in:

Chins/Handstand Push Ups/Chin Rows/Push Ups/
Face Pulls/Dips/Chins/Bench Dips x 3

That's 8 exercises super setted for 24 sets working my entire upper body, accomplished in less than 30 minutes and the only equipment used was a chin up bar and a couple of sturdy chairs. 

On Sunday I woke up around 5:00AM again but the gym doesn't open until 7:00 and didn't feel like going down to the complex facility and making a racket so early.  I was striving to reach 20 workouts for the month but stalled out at 17.5.  What's half a workout?  Sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and scrubbing!  Anyways, I randomly came across some UFC video blogs where in one, former Welterweight champion and all around funny guy Matt Serra pushes a car as part of his night session.  Inspired to do some brute strength basics, I scarfed down a few bites of a random vegan bar with some gulps of water and hit the gym to kick start my Sunday and get one workout closer to 20.  At the near empty gym I performed:

Kettlebell Deadlift/KB Goblet Squat/Battling Ropes/Weight Sled x 4

Followed by some jump rope, abs, twists and 1200 meters rowing.

I've incorporated Kettlebell movements into my routines but have never done a strictly KB workout, there's so many ways to work your muscles so limiting it to one type of equipment is just silly.  It worked today though as I just wanted to get in there and do some no frills exercises that got my heart pumping.  I've never used a weight sled before so I alternated pushing it with a walking then running pace.  I really felt it in my quads and calves as I went from 90, 135, 180 to 205 pounds.  That's all the weight that was nearby so I felt good about it even though 205 isn't much more than I currently weigh and probably much less than what it takes to get a car going.  Next time I'm going to try pulling it to work my back and hamstrings.

Oh yeah, in the same 2010 video, Serra hypes protege Chris Weidman as future champion and in 2013, it became true:

Workout of the Day: Back to (Circuit) Basics

It's been just under 2 months since I rejoined a gym and I'm starting to see the results.  At first I was going my old school routine of 2 body parts a day, Super Set style with a split looking like Chest/Biceps, Legs, Back/Triceps and Shoulders/Arms, repeat.  But of course you start to get bored, life picks up, blah blah blah.  I incorporated some Vince Gironda style volume training last week but it was just a lot on my joints.  Needing to be reinvigorated, I found new-old inspiration from one Mirko Cro Cop.  The Croatian Sensation just won his latest MMA match via a doctor stoppage after an elbow from the bottom opened up Judo specialist and Olympic gold medalist Satoshi Ishii's hairline scalp like a faucet of blood.  His preparation videos show him doing a circuit of general compound moves like kettle bell swings, chin ups, push ups, dips and the like.  Of course circuit training has always been one of my favorite ways to train as you can pump up your entire body in quick succession and the fast pace helps burn extra calories.  Over the last 18 years of training and gleaning over the methods of various bodybuilders, athletes and actors, I always come back to the basic principles set forth by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Frank Zane then more recently Daniel Craig and Mirko Cro Cop.  Basically, it's a mix of fast paced, concentrated efforts with opposing muscle groups with a focus on form rather than weight utilizing basic exercises that activate multiple muscle groups versus isolation or too many cable movements.

For today's circuit, I was after an upper body pump:

1) Clean and Press, to get the whole body involved and the testosterone flowing
2) Incline Push Up, changing hand position with each set
3) Close Grip Chins, to work the forearms and biceps more than the lats
4) Low Incline Dumbbell Curl, to take the front delts out of the movement
5) Dumbbell Hammer Extensions, still on the low incline with elbows near my head to keep pressure off the joints
6) Gironda Cable Rows, with arms outstretched and head down starting position, pulling back and up to the chest to work a different angle
7) Dips, elbows in tight with a nice stretch for the pecs and triceps
8) Preacher Curls, elbows in tight on the bench, lowering all the way down and flexing at the top
9) Cable Pressdown, elbows in tight, standing close to the pulley to ensure it was only triceps

3 sets of that and it was time for some back extensions, neck and forearms followed by a few miles on the bike done in intervals to keep my heart rate up and also to keep my attention since cardio is frigging boring.  Then I wandered into a studio and hit the bag for a few minutes followed by stretching and breathing exercises to get my mind and body to slow down.  Feeling great after a busy week and only a couple of workouts, I'm looking forward to Legs tomorrow.

Getting that summer pump:

Cro Cop: Glory Death

Last night Los Angeles hosted Glory 17: Last Man Standing featuring Feather and Heavy weight tournaments and headlined by a rematch between Croatia's Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and New York's Jarrell Miller.  The two had previously faced off in Croatia during a K-1 tournament with Mirko winning a, to some, arguable decision.  Although Mirko has fought nearly 30 kickboxing matches in his career, this would be his first on American soil.  Miller talked huge amounts of trash through the week, claiming he was going to retire the Croatian while in his typical style, Mirko said he'd do his talking in the ring.

At 39, Cro Cop has competed in a steady streak of fights since leaving the UFC after a lackluster run.  Winning the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2012, Cro Cop has gone 7-1 since returning to kickboxing since his last bout in 2003.  After a losing 3 straight in the UFC, Cro Cop has posted a 1-1 record in MMA.  We've all seen fighters go on past their prime but looks like Cro Cop still has plenty in the tank judging from his busy and successful record.  While his fights don't have the same devastating pop they once did, it's easy to see Mirko still has some stuff in the basement.  Going into the fight, The Croatian Sensation stated "I'm training every day...I never take some day off, it's my way of living.  I'm training every morning...that's me, I like it.  It keeps me alive, maybe it sounds pathetic but it's true.  My fighting keeps me alive.  One day when I decide to stop fighting...definitely feel like part of me, died.  And I don't want to die."  A gentleman and a gentle man.  Who can kick your ass...

Tonight, Cro Cop showed his guts, experience and glimpses of his killer instinct as he faced the 21-1 Golden Gloves, World Combat League and K-1 vet Jarrell Miller.  Outweighing Cro Cop by 40 pounds, Miller looked light on his feet and kept busy, throwing lots of punches and knees in the clinch.  Nothing really seemed to land flush though except for a couple of knees to Cro Cop's groin.  Seriously, the dude gets hit in the nuts, a lot.  Round 1 saw Mirko fighting a little tentatively until finding his rhythm and landing some hard shots to the body with a sidekick and a smacking roundhouse to the ribs that made me wince just watching it on my computer; imagine seeing/hearing that in person!  In Round 2, Miller still seemed the busier fighter but couldn't do much damage while Cro Cop looked like he may have hurt his leg after landing a nice body kick.  We saw quick reminders of Mirko's awesome punching power and combinations as he landed a few nice hooks from the outside and some uppercuts in close quarters.  The fight was anybody's to take going into Round 3 where Miller was busier again, smothering Cro Cop and throwing knees in the clinch but not landing.  Mirko threw some nice crisp punches and knocked Miller off balance with a couple trademark high kicks and was awarded a Majority Decision.

While we may not be seeing too many highlight reel knock outs, it's great to see Cro Cop still in shape and doing what he loves with his classic mix of physicality, stoicism, intelligence and humor.  Hopefully Cro Cop returns to the states for more matches so I can see one of my favorite fighters do his Damme thing in real life.  Until then, Hype or Die!

Wild Boys: Strong Men Also Cry

"I cried when I was watching Rambo 1, when they put him in a jail, it wasn't cool.  The man didn't do anything so that drew a tear to my eye.  The sheriff started it first.  I hate mistreatment.  Peace, Freedom and Democracy for all."
      - Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic

Let's get the week started with a little Mirko Monday, shall we?  As in Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, the Croatian sensation who took up kickboxing as a teen and joined the police force after the death of his father.  After serving as an Anti-Terrorist Commando, Mirko took it to the ring where his "kick of death" and devastating punch combinations helped turn him into a true legend of combat sports and also the toughest guy ever to walk out to Duran Duran.  Fighting his way through K-1, Pride and the UFC, Mirko was the archetype of  "sprawl and brawl" but always took the ground game seriously, training with noted jiu-jitsu practitioners like Fabricio Werdum and Dean Lister.  While his last bouts in the UFC showed a more tentative fighter, Mirko was always one of the most exciting to watch as his career wins contain 20 Knock Outs/Technical Knock Outs, 5 Submissions and just 3 Decisions.

Hype or Die Friday

Sometimes you just wake up feeling good.  I finally slept more than 6 hours last night and woke up feeling refreshed.  Then I decided it was a Hype or Die Friday.  What the heck does that mean?  I dunno, whatever feeling energized and wanting to break stuff in a celebratory non angry way means, I guess.  Or it could mean channeling your inner Mirko "CroCop" and kicking ass today!

Hmm, Youtube won't let me start this at a certain time so click on 3:20!



Still not enough for you?  How about some Samurai VS Ninja action?!



If that's not enough for you then well, I guess you'll just need to find some other random, non sequitur online diary to read!  Smack your hand against something that won't break it and let out an "awwooo!" for Friday!

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: