Prime Cro Cop annihilates Jon Jones at 205

[jpenwell14]

He was like 215 lbs and obviously juiced to the gills but with Jon you just don’t get the excuse to make if someone was on steroids because he was on steroids as well. Well say cro cop on the day he won the pride openweight Grand Prix vs Jon jones on the day he head kicked Daniel Cormier into oblivion.

Obviously Jon has a diverse skill set, but no real punching power, and top tier Greco with hell bows but mma jiu jitsu presence rather than being an elite black belt or something. At that time Cro Cop’s static strength and aggression were unreal, unreal takedown defense and ability to get back to his feet, devastating ground and pound, along with elite kickboxing and crazy power. 205 is a water cut from 215, he’d be back to full size on fight night with ease.

As great as jones leg kicks are, Cro cop’s leg kicks would be devastating to his very thin legs as well. Versatility of jones jkd type striking vs the athleticism of cro cop’s k-1 type striking. South paw vs orthodox obviously. I would have the fight with mixed pride and ufc rules so cro cop can upkick from downed or kick to downed opponent, and jones has hellbows, also 20 minutes ala pride scoring but in the ufc cage. Seems fair to me.

I think Cro Cop is the unsung GOAT that should have fought at 205 lbs and annihilated that entire legends era of the division but chose to fight much larger heavyweights instead. Unlike heavyweights like Fedor or Cormier who may lose power if making the cut to 205, with Cro Cop that’s simply not the case. This is all due respect to Jon although I despise him as a human being, I don’t think anyone except Cro cop could beat him at 205 lbs.

What say you? Agree or disagree?

 

[daemusvladornu]

4 posts since 2023 and this is one of them?

Prime Cro-cop was an amazing striker an that was it. His TDD would not stop Jones at all.
Coming off his biggest winning moment of the open weight grand prix to going 1-2 and being cut the first time from the UFC.
Then comes back and goes 2 and 4 and gets cut again, albeit that was past his prime.

No, not even in the same ball park. I give him all the credit as one of my first favorites. But well rounded, he was not. He had solid takedown defense and great striking. But Jones would mangle him.

 

[Tweak896]

Jones if he couldn't take him down would find a way in the clinch or something. Cro Cop isn't immune to takedowns either, if Jones can get DC down then Cro Cop is going down too. Cro Cop is one of my favorite fighters too.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

2006 OWGP Cro Cop is the world's best fighter. That Cro Cop would have beaten Fedor. maybe.

 

[Kung Fu Kowboy]

Weight doesn't matter... What matters is if this is in a ring or cage.

 

[tritestill]

Jon tosses Cro Cop around. Prime Jon Jones is the greatest MMA fighter ever, despite personal feelings. He wasn't unbeatable, but the closest we have seen. Prime Fedor would be right under and prime Mighty Mouse. It is what it is bro.

 

[jpenwell14]

4 posts since 2023 and this is one of them?

Prime Cro-cop was an amazing striker an that was it. His TDD would not stop Jones at all.
Coming off his biggest winning moment of the open weight grand prix to going 1-2 and being cut the first time from the UFC.
Then comes back and goes 2 and 4 and gets cut again, albeit that was past his prime.

No, not even in the same ball park. I give him all the credit as one of my first favorites. But well rounded, he was not. He had solid takedown defense and great striking. But Jones would mangle him.

Not about just having the greatest takedown defense 205 would have ever seen sans Cormier or jones, also about the ability to get back up. And yes he dropped off because he stopped doing steroids. Do you not remember how he was tossing Josh Barnett around like it was nothing?

 

[joy2day]

lol these responses. I wonder if those doubting his TD defense have watched his fights. I think they've seen a few of them or seen highlights and made assumptions. I don't think many who were watching his fights when he rose to prominence in Pride think that.

Jones struggled to takedown Reyes and Gus, and CC would have been much more lethal than those guys in the standup. At his best, CC chops down Jones in a 5 round fight.

 

[jpenwell14]

Jon tosses Cro Cop around. Prime Jon Jones is the greatest MMA fighter ever, despite personal feelings. He wasn't unbeatable, but the closest we have seen. Prime Fedor would be right under and prime Mighty Mouse. It is what it is bro.

See the above post. Also are you sure about that. Remember Gus 1 and osp and Reyes? Not too sure dude.

 

[jpenwell14]

Weight doesn't matter... What matters is if this is in a ring or cage.

Of course it does. Jon is smaller at 205 and cro cop was fighting big heavyweights at that weight. Crazy static strength

 

[jpenwell14]

lol these responses. I wonder if those doubting his TD defense have watched his fights. I think they've seen a few of them or seen highlights and made assumptions. I don't think many who were watching his fights when he rose to prominence in Pride think that.

Jones struggled to takedown Reyes and Gus, and CC would have been much more lethal than those guys in the standup. At his best, CC chops down Jones in a 5 round fight.

Agreed. In pride he was a different animal.

 

[lifer26]

Lmao no

Also who cares?

 

[Mittens]

Would be lovely. Could even see convinging myself it sounds plausible, cause Mirko is cool.

But the fact of the matter is that the only man who can kill Barnes, is Barnes.

 

[jpenwell14]

Jones if he couldn't take him down would find a way in the clinch or something. Cro Cop isn't immune to takedowns either, if Jones can get DC down then Cro Cop is going down too. Cro Cop is one of my favorite fighters too.

Gotta ask the question could he get back up, stuff most the takedowns, clinch break (k-1 in those days still had clinching, and cro cop was a master of pushing in order to get out of it), and if he could survive the ground and pound or submission ability of Jon without being critically altered.

People forget werdum was a main training partner of cro cop, and how crazy his takedown defense got there in the end of pride. If all of the above are a check, it becomes a striking battle. Put it this way, in a pure striking match old k-1 rules, do you think Jon was better than prime cro cop? If not, he would be probably the first person you could say definitively was better than jon in that arena.

 

[Prazeres]

Even more important then the transition between the ring and the cage is the transition between UFC gloves and Pride gloves, Cro Cop would not be ready against Jon's signature eye pokes uh I mean elbows weren't allowed in Pride, Cro Cop would struggle with those especially in the clinch.

 

[Ibm]

Cro cop would have been picked apart to oblivion then submitted. Jones is a horrible matchup for him.

 

[jpenwell14]

Lmao no

Also who cares?

I do because I think Jon isn’t the greatest at 205 of all time if cro cop is smart and goes down in weight, and I think it’s obvious he mangles all the fighters Jon faced and rumble, except perhaps dc who I think would still likely lose at 205 given his susceptibility to body shots and short stature

 

[jpenwell14]

Even more important then the transition between the ring and the cage is the transition between UFC gloves and Pride gloves, Cro Cop would not be ready against Jon's signature eye pokes uh I mean elbows weren't allowed in Pride, Cro Cop would struggle with those especially in the clinch.

I don’t agree but I obviously specified above pride rules with elbows allowed, so why wouldn’t they wear pride gloves?

 

[jpenwell14]

Cro cop would have been picked apart to oblivion then submitted. Jones is a horrible matchup for him.

Hahahahaha. You have never watched prime cro cop obviously or k-1. Name one k-1 level striker Jon beat. I’ll wait

 

[thecreator]

Chuck liddel would have had a good chance also