Would Cro Cop in his prime be a bad match up for DC ?

[BjPenn2017]

Cro Cop could beat him but even in his prime he never had the greatest chin. I'd slightly lean Prime Cro Cop, but he got put out in the center of his prime by what could be considered an all around worse version of Cormier wth slightly more power in Randleman.

I'd go 55/45 Prime Cro Cop, his tools are Cormiers weakness but the very same could be said about Cormiers tools being a lot of Cro cops weakness.

 

[DayV]

DC would wrestle him. Probably slam him once or twice, and finish him on the ground. Might even just straight knock him out standing.

Cro Cop got destroyed by Randleman and Gonzaga.

C'mon now.

Cro Cop is like 16-1 vs wrestlers.
If Coleman, Randleman, Aliakbari, Fujita, Herring, Barnett, King Mo, Ron Waterman, Sakuraba, or Dos Caras didn`t outwrestle him, then that is a pretty strong case that DC would not also.

In the ring and under japanese rules wrestling is a lot less important than in american rules and cage. There is no fence to grind, and allowed clinch time is significantly shorter. Also, Cormier would hardly finish CC on the ground without elbows that were forbidden in Pride rules. Even Fedor was not able to do anything with GNP, and DC would not also with his short hands and no elbows.

Cro Cop has large arsenal of different strikes and kicks, fients and combinations where you block one thing, but you are tnen open for another. Especialy if the fight is in the ring where you get cornered easily, no space to circle around, no fence to grind and tire your opponent and no unified rules to protect you from soccer kicks and knees to the head on the ground on failed takedown attempts.

 

[ExitLUPin]

Literally the worst matchup possible for DC

I don't see how he wins. He's been hurt by body kicks from a bloated Anderson who jumped off the couch and wasn't training, and even fucking Murr. Not to mention Bones who never hurt anyone to the body

Mirko might be the best kicker in MMA ever. Those body kicks would put him down if he didnt react bad enough to get kicked in the head instead

 

[Tuf_guy]

If he hadn't been KO'd by Gonzaga we would have seen him fight Randy Couture for the title

This sort of thing probably positively reinforced their way of shifting away from deserved title shots to whichever title fights they wanted.

 

[SilverHorizon]

Same here, Mirko was a fantastic striker but I don't remember him being that good in the clinch, something DC is great at.

CC is fantastic in clinch in so far as he shoves people with ease. Always struck me how he was able to shuck off guys like Fedor with relative ease.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

Anderson body kicked Cormier and damn near made him shit his dinner.

Johnson and Jones showed how DC has a bad tendency to reach for or duck into head kicks(especially left high kicks) which ended up with him getting his first KO defeat.
Cro Cop is a not only a more precise and powerful striker than the previous monsters I mentioned, he's also naturally stronger.

It sure would be one hell of a fight and I could very well see it ending bad for DC.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

Crocop had a reputation for a lethal high kick before he ever fought in MMA and still KOd plenty if fighter with it.
Just because you know someone's best technique doesn't mean you can always stop it.

he's a dynamic striker and talent. he has many more overall tools to goad...a cro-cop head kick is something you obviously gameplan for.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

CC is fantastic in clinch in so far as he shoves people with ease. Always struck me how he was able to shuck off guys like Fedor with relative ease.

Strong as an ox. Watching how he was able to handle himself in close quarters against monsters like Waterman, Aleksander, Randleman and Coleman was amazing.

 

[jk7707]

For a 34 year old DC, no.

 

[Daniel_8991]

Cro Cop in his prime would have been a nightmare matchup for anybody.

Except Fedor

 

[HUGHPHUG]

This sort of thing probably positively reinforced their way of shifting away from deserved title shots to whichever title fights they wanted.

Quite possibly looking back, hadn't thought of it like that.

However Gonzaga got to fight for a title one time and boy did he earn, it was a great, grueling fight and Randy turned out one of his best ever performances.
I'm much happier to watch the sport play out like than giving title shots to needle movers

 

[kflo]

This sort of thing probably positively reinforced their way of shifting away from deserved title shots to whichever title fights they wanted.

Almost all title shots go to fighters who deserved it.

 

[KoreanZawmbie]

The best version of Cro Cop was a bad MF, he could catch anyone.

If he hadn't been KO'd by Gonzaga we would have seen him fight Randy Couture for the title, and that would have given us a great idea of how a Cormier fight would go.

Personally I'd take DC closing the distance, dirty boxing, wearing him down and putting him away late in the fight

I still can't believe he lost to Gonzaga like that...He was unstoppable towards PRIDE's demise.
I think CC even back then would have molly whooped Randy bad...

Anyways to answer the TS, yes CC would have been a terrible match up for DC. He would not only stuff the take downs but punish him on the feet. Watch what he did to Barnett 3x times.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

I still can't believe he lost to Gonzaga like that...He was unstoppable towards PRIDE's demise.
I think CC even back then would have molly whooped Randy bad...

Anyways to answer the TS, yes CC would have been a terrible match up for DC. He would not only stuff the take downs but punish him on the feet. Watch what he did to Barnett 3x times.

I had fantastic seats to that event, a night I will never forget

 

[Mixfight]

I think DC could win but I also think he would have his hands full with a prime, 28 year old Mirko who kicked faster, harder and better than any of the guys in the gifs below. DC would have to be very careful not to get body kicked to hell or potentially even high kick KOd similar to the way Jones got him....

Look at the speed and power of these kicks:

Now look at the speed and power of Mirkos kicks to the body:

Look at the speed and power of his head kicks with his left kick (same kick Jones KOd DC with):

You would have to be a moron to think Mirko woudlnt give DC all he could handle with that kind of kicking ability and takedown defense. No to mention his straight punching and foot speed and grit and toughness. I still think DC could win but I think it would require the perfect fight with perfect pressure and his defense would have to be on point.

 

[KoreanZawmbie]

I had fantastic seats to that event, a night I will never forget

Awesome man! that must have been a shocker. I still remember that fight like it was yesterday lol...2007 /: watching it on Spike TV.

 

[HUGHPHUG]

Awesome man! that must have been a shocker. I still remember that fight like it was yesterday lol...2007 /: watching it on Spike TV.

Yeah it really was an awesome night, I was at Brawl at the Hall back in 2002 I think it was, so we waited some 5 years for the UFC to come back to the UK!
Great night of fights, Paul Taylor and Terry Etim became fan favorites, Bisping getting dropped by Elvis Sinosic (a guy I had trained with in Aus), Machida domination (should have been Forrest Griffin as his opponent, gutted) and then Cro Cop Gonzaga.

Awesome night top to bottom!

 

[Logan M]

In a cage? No. Cro Cop gets tired and won't fair well in the clinch after some time. DC is honestly a nightmare matchup for him. Pressure fighter with great cardio and an iron chin. I love Cro Cop but he'd get mauled.

 

[VitorReem]

Cornier ducks his head into the exact same spot over and over again. Must have done it 20 times against jones before the kick. Cro Cop would’ve seen that FAR earlier and capitalized on it. CRO COP VIA KTFO

 

[Ever Watchful]

He avenged his fluke loss to Randleman and Gonzaga was a past-prime Mirko showing up for a check.

C’mon now

Lmao @ fluke.


Keep trying to change reality. DC would "fluke" Cro Cop into dust.