How special was Mirko Cro Cop?

[HHJ]

He was never the leader, thats fakenews spread by Joe Rogan.

Mirko was a member of the ATJ Lučko, which means Anti-Terror-Unit Lučko (Lučko being a town) and they separated in 2000 when he asked for an unpaid one year vacation. They didn't had those options so he left. He told the whole story during his appearance in the Late Night TV show "Nightmare Stage by Željko Malnar".

It's not Joe Rogan who spread that,it was said by pride commentators

 

[Royce's Gi]

Big HWs being able to throw and land flying knee KOs when they previously couldn't somehow isn't an evolution.

I don't think you quite know what the world evolution means.

"word"

 

[Trabaho]

Don't feel bad for me, I don't feel that upset about not seeing two of the most overrated fighters ever. Not even top 10 hws

Go away noob. We don't care for your bad opinions. You're a Conor era noob. Nobody wants to hear you.

 

[balkanbomber85]

Joe also said that, doesnt matter, its wrong

 

[Dickie Greenleaf]

You do realize that Cro Cop himself also stopped landing headkick KOs as his career progressed right? That all the examples from the OP are from his early days in the equally early days of MMA?

Let alone that we still see headkicks all the time these days and most of the time they're not KO blows. TS even mentioned Gaethje/Poirier as though that wasn't the 4th headkick of the fight, with each of them having landed headkicks on the other. Only 1/4 headkicks gave us a KO.

Even the random Sherbros created tons of threads pointing out what went wrong with Dustin's defence of it. And not that, you know, he'd just eaten a headkick flush cause he had no idea what he was doing like some bum in 2002. He actually had tried to defend it and it just wasn't enough.

Again, like gee whiz it's almost like fighters got better at defending headkicks or something.

"You do realize Mirko stopped landing highly athletic techniques with regularity 100 fights into his career? This is is proof he failed to evolve"

-Shertard UFC fanboy

Smh

The clowns on this forum never seize to amaze me.

 

[corrupted]

He was special. Amazing kickboxer... Pride built him as an MMA fighter. Gave him some gimmes early on, some special rule fights. he cut his teeth in the baddest division at the time and had great success.

Even without the OWGP he's a legend.

 

[Trabaho]

You do realize that Cro Cop himself also stopped landing headkick KOs as his career progressed right? That all the examples from the OP are from his early days in the equally early days of MMA?

Let alone that we still see headkicks all the time these days and most of the time they're not KO blows. TS even mentioned Gaethje/Poirier as though that wasn't the 4th headkick of the fight, with each of them having landed headkicks on the other. Only 1/4 headkicks gave us a KO.

Even the random Sherbros created tons of threads pointing out what went wrong with Dustin's defence of it. And not that, you know, he'd just eaten a headkick flush cause he had no idea what he was doing like some bum in 2002. He actually had tried to defend it and it just wasn't enough.

Again, like gee whiz it's almost like fighters got better at defending headkicks or something.

You do realize that Mirko had 55 amateur boxing matched, 30 K1 fights and 40 MMA matches ?

You do realize that he fought the best heavyweight Kickboxers in the world.

You do realize his first K1 match was against Jerome Le Banner who is 6'4 260 pounds lean and one of the best Kickboxers at heavyweight of his time.

You do realize Mirko had over 10 surgeries in his career

You do realize he had knee reconstruction before he came to the UFC.

You also realize he stopped competing when he had a stroke and was banned from doctors to even spar cause he could die.

I wanna see ufc fighters fight prime Ernesto Hoost, Remy Bonjasky, Jlb, Hug, Aerts and Hunt in K1. Then go over to Pride and become top 3.

 

[Royce's Gi]

You do realize that Mirko had 55 amateur boxing matched, 30 K1 fights and 40 MMA matches ?

You do realize that he fought the best heavyweight Kickboxers in the world.

You do realize his first K1 match was against Jerome Le Banner who is 6'4 260 pounds lean and one of the best Kickboxers at heavyweight of his time.

You do realize Mirko had over 10 surgeries in his career

You do realize he had knee reconstruction before he came to the UFC.

You also realize he stopped competing when he had a stroke and was banned from doctors to even spar cause he could die.

I wanna see ufc fighters fight prime Ernesto Hoost, Remy Bonjasky, Jlb, Hug, Aerts and Hunt in K1. Then go over to Pride and become top 3.

THIS!

I'd say Mirko did OK!

 

[Koro_11]

You do realize that Cro Cop himself also stopped landing headkick KOs as his career progressed right? That all the examples from the OP are from his early days in the equally early days of MMA?

Let alone that we still see headkicks all the time these days and most of the time they're not KO blows. TS even mentioned Gaethje/Poirier as though that wasn't the 4th headkick of the fight, with each of them having landed headkicks on the other. Only 1/4 headkicks gave us a KO.

Even the random Sherbros created tons of threads pointing out what went wrong with Dustin's defence of it. And not that, you know, he'd just eaten a headkick flush cause he had no idea what he was doing like some bum in 2002. He actually had tried to defend it and it just wasn't enough.

Again, like gee whiz it's almost like fighters got better at defending headkicks or something.

So you think fighters in 2002 weren’t evolved enough to know how to block a basic roundhouse that they teach you in your first karate lesson?

Just stop bro.

 

[Fight Professor]

The dumbest shit I've ever read lol. What magical shertard UFC fan boy metric is this based on?

A large octagon vs a ring. Also fighters are more likely to circle.

 

[Dickie Greenleaf]

A large octagon vs a ring. Also fighters are more likely to circle.

Case closed!

 

[markg171]

"You do realize Mirko stopped landing highly athletic techniques with regularity 100 fights into his career? This is is proof he failed to evolve"

-Shertard UFC fanboy

Smh

The clowns on this forum never seize to amaze me.

You do realize that Mirko had 55 amateur boxing matched, 30 K1 fights and 40 MMA matches ?

You do realize that he fought the best heavyweight Kickboxers in the world.

You do realize his first K1 match was against Jerome Le Banner who is 6'4 260 pounds lean and one of the best Kickboxers at heavyweight of his time.

You do realize Mirko had over 10 surgeries in his career

You do realize he had knee reconstruction before he came to the UFC.

You also realize he stopped competing when he had a stroke and was banned from doctors to even spar cause he could die.

I wanna see ufc fighters fight prime Ernesto Hoost, Remy Bonjasky, Jlb, Hug, Aerts and Hunt in K1. Then go over to Pride and become top 3.

Now I know you're just disingenous fucks. Cro Cop continued throwing headkicks his whole career yet here you're dishonestly pretending like he stopped and that's why the headkick KOs also stopped. Dude was throwing axe kicks for the hell of it against Barry.

The KOs stopped because MMA fighters became better at defending them. You just want to blame it on age and mileage instead.

Like Jesus Christ, how pathetic is that? All of MMA couldn't possibly have evolved. It has to only possibly be that Mirko got worse.

Sad.

 

[Dickie Greenleaf]

Now I know you're just disingenous fucks. Cro Cop continued throwing headkicks his whole career yet here you're dishonestly pretending like he stopped and that's why the headkick KOs also stopped. Dude was throwing axe kicks for the hell of it against Barry.

The KOs stopped because MMA fighters became better at defending them. You just want to blame it on age and mileage instead.

Like Jesus Christ, how pathetic is that? All of MMA couldn't possibly have evolved. It has to only possibly be that Mirko got worse.

Sad.

The only thing that's sad is your ridiculously flawed, shertard, UFC fanboy logic which suggests that Mirko couldn't execute highly athletic techniques with same regularity 100+ fights into his career because the sport "evolved" so much. Imagine being this full of shit lol.

"Mirko threw an axe kick against Patt Barry so this means he was still the same guy in that fight that he was 10 years prior. Athletic decay is a myth maahhhhhn, the sport just evoled!"

-shertard UFC fanboy

 

[SuperNerd]

Like, a.. 8.5

 

[markg171]

The only thing that's sad is your ridiculously flawed, shertard, UFC fanboy logic which suggests that Mirko couldn't execute highly athletic techniques with same regularity 100+ fights into his career because the sport "evolved" so much. Imagine being this full of shit lol.

"Mirko threw an axe kick against Patt Barry so this means he was still the same guy in that fight that he was 10 years prior. Athletic decay is a myth maahhhhhn, the sport just evoled!"

-shertard UFC fanboy

Hey man, maybe you should try taking it up with Mirko himself who said the following in 2015:

“Everybody is studying my fights. It’s harder and harder to land the high kick. Everybody is expecting the high kick. It’s much easier to do it at the beginning of your career.”

Mirko Cro Cop profile: Becoming the equalizer | The Independent | The Independent

 

[Dickie Greenleaf]

Hey man, maybe you should try taking it up with Mirko himself:

“Everybody is studying my fights. It’s harder and harder to land the high kick. Everybody is expecting the high kick. It’s much easier to do it at the beginning of your career.”

Mirko Cro Cop profile: Becoming the equalizer | The Independent | The Independent

CTE Mirko interview from 2015.

He was the same guy in 2015 that he was in 2005.

Case closed.

 

[markg171]

CTE Mirko interview from 2015.

He was the same guy in 2015 that he was in 2005.

Case closed.

He said that while quite literally coming off of another head kick KO win.

 

[bongwater]

never any good! he got gadooshed by bapa

 

[Poatan Power]

Mirko was among the most special fighters we've ever seen. The fact that he was spec ops for Russian military puts him and very few others like Tim Kennedy on a pedestal that very few can stand on. His ability to throw a head kick from awkward footing positions as a heavyweight was astounding.

He also had a 2nd stint of his career that was really good, too. He ended on 10 wins and finished 9 of them.

A true, well done documentary on him would be awesome.

Mirko is a living legend and despites the fact that he never captured a real Pride or UFC belt he will still be remembered as a true pioneer and legend of the sport, way before some real champs.

He was a top K1 fighter during an era which I would consider the best or at least second best time in K1, he later went on and won the last official k1 tournament ever (don't forget the first tournament was won by Branko Cikatic who was Mirkos coach at the very beginning of his career), he was a top2 fighter in pride and won the last OWGP, and he went out on a 10 fight winning streak.

His UFC run was disappointing for all of us but in retrospective I am not shocked he did not bloom in this new environment where he didn't feel comfortable at all, and I think I know the reason for that.

I've followed Mirko for a long time, inside and outside the ring/octagon, and without any hate or negative feelings I can say that Mirko has some tendencies which would make me believe that he has some slight autism. Again, this is no hate but just the summary of the observations I have had over the last 2 decades. Autism doesn't mean he is stupid, no vice versa actually, Mirko is partially a very intelligent man and you can discuss some high brain topics with him if he is into them. But that's how most people with slight autism are...

I have rarely seen a person which is so much into repetition and especially a routine life as Mirko, which shows not only in his training where from a young age he would train single punches and kicks over thousands and thousands of time without getting bored by them, but also in his daily routine which basically didn't change since he was a teenager. Its enough to say that he hasn't changed his nutrition and eating habits since he was a kid, he only eats a small portfolio of things and he eats that every fucking day since like 40 years, and if he is forced to eat something different (as for example in hotels before fights) he is pissed and hard to deal with (as also trainings partners confirmed who travelled with him). The same goes for his family vacation, the guy, despites living in a beautiful country with one of the best coasts in Europe, only travels to 2 destinations, which of course, he visits since he is a kid. Slavonia where he was born and Pula in Istria, where they used to go for vacation with his parents. He never goes anywhere else, really never, not even take his kids to typical destinations which parents with his financial situation would do 100%.

Moreover, his unwillingness to train outside of the comfort zone of his own backyard seems more like a xenophobia from other places than just pure comfort. And thats also the point why he is his own coach! Coaches challenge their students and try to bring in new stuff, Mirko doesn't like to do stuff he didn't plan with and he wants to know what he will do from start to beginning, this is why he plans his training. As mentioned in the paragraph above he never travels anywhere unknown and if he has to he will only stay the bare minimum time there, this is why he never arrived earlier to an Event and tried to acclimate or deal with a jetlag, he just accepted it. Japan became a small exception as he traveled there so many times so sometimes he would stay one, two, three days longer and train in a gym of somebody he knew, but all that is far away from training camps we know from other people. As another example, for his Gonzaga rematch in Poland they travelled by Bus from Croatia to Poland, like 9h, and immediately after the fight went back. He said its much more comfortable to travel that way because he is in a known surrounding, a car, and with his friends, instead of taking a 1h flight from Zagreb to Warszaw where he would need to enter an airport.

Basically what I wanted to say is that I think he couldn't bloom in the UFC because he didn't feel comfortable in there. He said it so many times that he just doesn't feel well in the UFC and I believe him. Mirko never liked change and once he felt uncomfortable he wasn't able to perform on 100%. You could see he didn't want to be in there, although his training performance was better than it used to be.

Long live Mirko CroCop Filipovic

Wouldn't surprise me if he was diagnosable. Almost nobody in SOF is normal mentally, they all have various shades of diagnoses.

re: xenophobia, this is a very Russian thing. They don't like being outside their people and their country to a higher extent than other people, in my experience. You can even see that with Fedor. WWII and communism really did them in with staying in their borders and kinda having a disdain for those around them.

 

[Lee_]

Prime CC would destroy everyone in the UFC right now except maybe Aspinall/Pav, but I think he would beat them too.

Fedor was probably the most devastating GnP fighter ever (see his first fight with Nog and Herring); Fedor had a really hard time doing anything to him on the ground. CC had a really solid guard and was quite hard to take down, and he doesn't get enough credit for these skills and abilities.

CC had gone over the cliff by the time he came to the UFC.