Cro Cop's Road to Redemption

With the surfacing of a new interview in which Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic announces his impending return to the Octagon at UFC 99 the Internets were alive with speculation as to the form in which Cro Cop would show up.

After his amazing run at the 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, Filipovic arrived stateside to fight in the hallowed Octagon. What followed was nothing short of catastrophic.

A disappointing 1-2 stint in the UFC caused Cro Cop to return to the comforts of Japan where he is celebrated as one of the most popular fighters in the country.

Fighting for the DREAM promotion, Mirko has racked up two wins and one no-contest but has hardly looked impressive in doing so. A 56 second shellacking of over sized light heavyweight Tatsuya Mizuno proved nothing as it was a heavy mismatch intended to help the Croatian back to his feet.

Mizuno entered the match with a middling 3-2 record compared to a 22-6-2 record for Cro Cop. A subsequent match up with Alistair Overeem ended in a No-Contest but make no mistake about it, Cro Cop was being thoroughly beaten.

His striking prowess was limited by his apparent tentativeness. Overeem, being given no reason to respect the striking of Cro Cop took advantage and consistently clinched with and took down the fighter.

If not for a devastating set a knees to the groin, Cro Cop’s ledger might very well have had one more loss on it. The tentativeness was again highlighted in his match against Hong-Man-Choi.

Backpedaling seemed to be Mirko’s best defense which resulted in his being issued a yellow card. A well placed leg kick by Mirko injured the “Techno Goliath’s” knee however, awarding him the TKO victory.

Now rumors are floating around that his next fight will be against MMA legend Randy Couture. In his prime this would be an ideal match up for Mirko, now, however, it appears less than favorable. Cro Cop’s strengths lie in his decapitating striking and his quicksilver sprawl, but as of late neither seems particularly potent.

He has shown a tendency in recent fights to fore go the use of his boxing in favor of throwing single kicks. He has used his boxing to great effect before, think Mirko vs, Mark Coleman, and is particularly adept at setting up his leg kicks with punching. Without the added variable of his punches though, Cro Cop has become a predictable fighter.

If there is one thing “The Natural” can do better than anyone else, it’s to plan a perfect strategy and the predictability of Mirko makes this immeasurably easier for Captain America.

The iron-wall takedown defense that Cro Cop displayed in fights against Heath Herring and Ron Waterman gives little more resistance now than household drapes. Gabriel Gonzaga and Overeem had little trouble imposing their will on the fighter and pounding him out on the ground.

Couture’s forte has always been to maul his opponents against the cage before taking them down and unleashing the mayhem that Cro Cop has become so susceptible to.

What’s happened to the fighter of yesteryear that could make opponents piss themselves by simply staring at them? Nothing’s for sure. Perhaps the elation of winning a title after so many years of playing the brides maid caused him to lose his focus.

After all, this is a man who shows less emotion than Keanu Reeves, but was in tears on the night of his coronation.

After having spent countless hours in the gym in preparation for that one moment, it is hardly unrealistic to unconsciously let your training die down after having realized your dream. Or maybe his body has caught up to him.

Cro Cop had a full K-1 career before entering MMA, so his record is hardly indicative of the battles he’s been in. Cro Cop has bulked up noticeably since his PRIDE days but appears none the better for it.

He claims it is to handle the physicality of the heavier fighters that are emerging but he has had no such problems when facing behemoths like Aleksander Emelianenko in the past.

Whatever the case is, Mirko has long been a fan favorite and his presence would certainly be welcome on the UFC 99 card. Until he proves otherwise though, don’t expect a return to 2006 form.

Sometimes decline is inevitable. Regardless, Cro Cop is one of the greatest fighters of his generation and it will be a pleasure watching him fight in anticipation of the patented left kick that all but his opponents have come to love so dearly.