UFC 115: Can Mirko Crocop Recapture His Pride Form Inside the Octagon?

The image of Mirko Crocop stalking opponents across the ring is one of the more enduring from the now defunct Pride.

In his red and white Croatian coloured shorts Crocop was the epitome of the no-nonsense Eastern European fighter.

A man of few words Crocop does all his talking inside the ring, most audibly when throwing his legendary leg kicks.

As the man himself once put it in a rare soundbite, "Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery."

Crocop fights had a tendency to finish violently with Igor Vovchanchyn and Wanderlei Silva both falling victim to his trademark left high kick. He made MMA look so simple, he just stalked his victims until the time was right before brutally knocking them out.

When the UFC announced the signing of Crocop at the end of 2006 it probably represented the most impressive acquisition in MMA history.

He was the reigning Pride Open Grand Prix Champion and had won four consecutive fights by first round knockout to claim the title.

It was an accepted wisdom amongst mixed martial arts fans that Crocop was going to lay waste to the heavyweight division and that it was a matter of when, not if, he knocked out Randy Couture to capture the UFC heavyweight title. 

Things did not go according to plan for the Croatian who, somewhat ironically, was on the receiving end of a Gabriel Gonzaga head kick which knocked him out cold in only his second ever UFC outing.

He followed this up with a highly disappointing decision loss to Cheick Kongo which saw him, temporarily at least, part ways with the UFC.

Riddled with injuries and bereft of his previously devastating power Crocop appeared to be a spent force.

He has since shown slight signs of recovery, returning to Japan where he won a couple of fights with early knockouts.

When Crocop made his UFC comeback he comfortably dispensed of Mostapha Al Turk but came up short again in his very next outing against Junior dos Santos.

Another stoppage win over late replacement Anthony Perosh followed but it was the bare minimum requirement for Crocop given that Perosh had taken the fight at only three days notice.

It is easy to draw the conclusion that Crocop is past his prime but it is worth noting that both Quentin Jackson and Randy Couture turned down a fight with the Croatian before Perosh stepped up.

Both men obviously wanted no part of Crocop's power and felt that, even at age 35, he still represented a serious threat.

Chuck Liddell is primarily a striker and he dominated the UFC's light heavyweight division when he was Crocop's age.

Crocop is by no means too old to recapture his previous form and there are a number of other factors behind his recent demise.

He has had a series of injuries and, by his own admission, struggled to make the transition from Pride to the UFC. He is clearly more comfortable in a ring than a cage and has yet to get to grips with the use of elbows.

These are all issues which, unlike age, can be addressed with the right level of preparation and training.

If Liddell does defeat Franklin it will be something of a swansong for the 40-year-old, he is unlikely to ever be able to recapture his old form or challenge for a title again.

Mirko Crocop, by contrast, has the potential to still be a factor in the heavyweight mix.

Crocop admitted that he did not bother training in a cage for his early UFC fights. His belief in his own invincibility was such that it might have adversely affected his fight preparation.

He has revamped his entire training camp since the dos Santos loss and has perhaps finally realized that he will not be a success in the increasingly competitive UFC unless he is able to evolve.

His next fight will go a key part in determining his future. Reluctant as they would be to lose Crocop to a rival organization, the UFC is unlikely to tolerate a fourth loss in what will be his seventh Octagon appearance.

He is to go up against a fellow K-1 veteran in Patrick Berry. It will be the ideal opportunity for Crocop to showcase the striking skills which have deserted him in recent UFC outings.

If he can put in a dominant performance against Berry, it will be a giant step in the giant Croatian's rehabilitation process.

If Berry's stand up proves to be superior, it could be the end of the MMA road for Mirko Crocop.

We were deprived of the mouthwatering prospect of seeing Crocop lay siege to the UK heavyweight division by the disappointing loss to Gonzaga.

If he can finally replicate his Pride form, starting on Saturday against Pat Berry, we might yet see Mirko Crocop back to his best in the UFC.