UFC Fight Night 79 Fight Card: Mirko Cro Cop Set to Meet Anthony Hamilton

Following his surprising return to the Octagon in an April win over Gabriel Gonzaga, Mirko Filipovic will look to continue his resurgence opposite Anthony Hamilton. The heavyweights will collide at UFC Fight Night 79 on November 28.

MMA Fighting confirmed the matchup on Sunday.

Once considered one of the best heavyweights in the world, Filipovic fell on hard times in 2010 and 2011, when he suffered three straight losses. The skid prompted Cro Cop to retire from MMA, but he returned 14 months later with a Japanese promotion.

After recording three wins in the country where he got his career started, Filipovic signed a UFC contract, though few believed he had enough left in the tank to compete with the elite heavyweights. The Croatian nevertheless silenced his doubters with a knockout win over Gonzaga in his return.

Now 40 years old, Filipovic is highly unlikely to make a run at a championship. However, he may have a few wins left in him after all.

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With a 2-2 UFC record, Hamilton is a surprising choice as an opponent for Cro Cop. He is coming off a win over Daniel Omielanczuk, but Hamilton isn't the big-name opponent most would expect Filipovic to be paired up with at the back end of his career.

Another way to look at this bout would be that the UFC is looking to build Cro Cop back up into a title contender with another win or two.

Headlined by Benson Henderson vs. Thiago Alves, UFC Fight Night 79 is still shaping up, but one would figure that Filipovic and Hamilton will end up on the main card. The event will take place at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.