UFC 99: The Return of Mirko Cro Cop

How time flies by. No faster than a blink of an eye, fans this weekend will see the anticipated return of Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 99. UFC 99 will be Cro Cop's chance to prove why he is still one of the best and most dangerous fighters in MMA.

Cro Cop will be facing Mostapha Al Turk, a powerhouse who hails from England and has trained with the well-respected London Shootfighters. I will provide a breakdown between Cro Cop and Al Turk and what Cro Cop's future looks like in the UFC and in MMA.

Cro Cop's prior knee injury and essentially fighting in a different organization with different rules have created minor set backs for Cro Cop. His bouts with Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo in the UFC, as well his fight against Alistair Overeem at Japan's DREAM 6 event did not showcase the Cro Cop that we usually see.

Since his last UFC appearance, Cro Cop has had knee surgery to repair the damage and is back to training full time to show fans and critics why he is still a top contender.

His most recent fight against Hong Man Choi at K-1 Dynamite proved Cro Cop still has "lethal chops." With a MMA record of 24-6-2, 1 NC, his record is better than some former UFC champions.

I believe Cro Cop can perform well if he follows a game plan similar to that of UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir when he fought Antonio Nogueira. Mir beat Nogueira standing and never allowed Nogueira to gain dominance with take downs or in the ground game.

Cro Cop should do the same by setting up Al Turk with jabs, straight lefts, and continue to circle away from Al Turk's power right hand and take downs. Al Turk, whose strengths are jiu-jitsu and ground and pound, will look to take down Cro Cop immediately when he attempts a kick just as Gonzaga did at UFC 70.

Cro Cop should work on his excellent sprawl to "stuff" the takedown, get the underhooks, unleash knees to Al Turk's body, and get back to his feet immediately. This will frustrate and fatigue Al Turk in a similar way when he fought against Mark Coleman back at Pride 29.

Should Al Turk succeed in taking him down to the mat, Cro Cop should immediately work to push off on Al Turk's hips with his legs to prevent him from delivering any effective ground and pound.

Cro Cop needs to avoid just resorting to a closed guard. That is how Gonzaga unleashed elbows that hurt Cro Cop.

Cro Cop should attempt a kimura lock, create space from Al Turk, and literally "pop" one of his legs out, creating an opportunity for him to stand up. This is what Fedor Emelianenko does in the guard position when he wants to get back to his feet.

Cro Cop had great success in this same fashion against Cheick Kongo in UFC 75. In the first round, Cro Cop avoided any heavy damage from Kongo's stand up. Near the last minute of the first round, he was able to take down Kongo, establish dominance with the mount and delivered punches.

Cro Cop can also surprise Al Turk by utilize his grappling skills should the fight go to the ground. Having trained with Fabricio Werdum and now with Marcio Corletta, Cro Cop has the basics of the ground game. Al Turk will be bewildered and surprised if Cro Cop goes for ground and pound and a submission.

I believe that Al Turk will be facing great pressure to win. With a MMA record of 6-4, a loss at UFC 99 might be his last chance to prove that he can be a contender in the heavyweight division.

Al Turk is similar to Gonzaga, is a jiu jitsu powerhouse who will weigh in about 20 pounds heavier than Cro Cop. And having trained with the London Shootfighters myself, I know their fighters are always ready to battle.

Al Turk should not stand up and trade blows with Cro Cop. His last UFC fight against Cheick Kongo, the reach advantage created a problem for Al Turk. He and Cro Cop are the same height.

This means that Al Turk can use his strength in jiu jitsu and the clinch to initiate the take down. Kongo was too tall for Al Turk to play the guard game. Al Turk can be effective against Cro Cop by passing guard, achieving the side or mount, and attack with ground and pound. His past wins have all been via TKO/punches.

The small disadvantage would be Al Turk's MMA experience. His past opponents have not all been household names nor have the fighting calibre of Cro Cop. The exception would be Cheick Kongo and Mark Kerr.

If Cro Cop wins, he will be back on the path for a UFC title shot. He will have to prove to the UFC that he is a force to be reckoned with. I predict Dana White will have Cro Cop fight two more times and then possibly be in line as a contender for a UFC title shot.

Who Cro Cop will fight depends on what the UFC and fans want to see. Maybe it will be a rematch against Gonzaga or Kongo. Maybe it will be against the winner of UFC 100: Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar. Either opponent would be an exciting fight.

Cro Cop's future will not be determined by a win or loss at UFC 99. It will be an opportunity for him to establish to the MMA world that his past few performances were lackluster due to injuries. The same could be said for Mauricio Shogun Rua when he first came to the UFC.

My prediction will be Cro Cop knocking out Al Turk with a high left kick or via TKO. Do not count out Mirko Cro Cop. I believe he will prove to Al Turk and critics at UFC 99: "They have the right to remain silent."