Who would have won between Alex Pereira and Mirko Crocop?

[Fedorgasm]

He was never a champion in any discipline and his biggest claim to fame was KO'ing a LHW.

This might be the worst MMA take I've ever seen

 

[blaseblase]

Pereira probably. Cro Cop has good wins but his first round KO losses to Randleman and Gonzaga are highly suspect.

 

[LEWIS540]

First, Mirko wasn't fighting at MW or LHW. Second, if we say for argument's sake that Cro Cop's prime was from 2002-2006, his record during that stretch was 4-0 in K-1 (including a decisive victory in 2002 over the 2001 K-1 champ Mark Hunt and an orbital bone-breaking first-round KO of Bob Sapp coming off of his two back-to-back defeats of the GOAT Ernesto Hoost) and 19-4-1 in MMA (the draw was one of his first MMA fights against Wand, who he'd later obliterate; an unfortunate loss to Nogueira after he spent the majority of the fight annihilating him; a surprise KO loss to the wrestler Randleman who surprised Cro Cop and everyone else on planet Earth with that victory; a loss to Fedor the GOAT; and a razor close split decision loss to Hunt which many people thought at the time and still think today should've gone Cro Cop's way, not to mention he was fighting sick and with a freshly injured foot that had him wearing shoes for the first and only time of his career). If that counts as "a fair bit" to you, okay, but nothing about Cro Cop in his prime has me worried about him facing a guy who won't threaten with TDs or submissions (as Nog, Randleman, and Fedor did) and who doesn't weigh 300 pounds and possess the strongest chin in MMA history (as Hunt did).

I mean I like him too, but can see you are just looking through rose tinted glasses.

I was literally the one who brought up the weight class thing.

 

[GolovKing]

Alex would win because Mirko was way more vulnerable to Alex's strengths than vice versa. Mirko was chinny and didn't have the best defense against punches. I think I remember his legs getting chopped down in some fight too. Might have been against that Kevin randleman looking dude in k1, Michael McDonald I think was his name. Alex on the other hand is tall and has very good kick defense. There is very little chance he lands his high kick. In fact he probably gets timed by Alex and gets folded by a left hook while trying to land his kick

 

[Bullitt68]

I mean I like him too, but can see you are just looking through rose tinted glasses.

Just calling it like I see it. If we're talking about Cro Cop matching up with one of the GOAT, like Jones, or a HW wrecking machine, like Ngannou, my answers would be different. I don't see Pereira being able to deal with Cro Cop's speed and power, and I definitely don't see him knocking Cro Cop out. Randleman the wrestler catching Cro Cop has no bearing on Pereira standing toe-to-toe with him. Hunt being able to eat LHKs like nothing has no bearing on Pereira taking Cro Cop's shots. Fedor being able to throw Cro Cop off with looping punches and tie-ups has no bearing on Pereira kickboxing on the outside. Styles make fights, as we've heard plenty of times over a lot of years. In this one, I think it's Cro Cop all the way.

 

[Streeter]

Alex imp os better everywhere. Maybe Kivks CC had advantage but even that's close.

Chama

 

[LEWIS540]

Just calling it like I see it. If we're talking about Cro Cop matching up with one of the GOAT, like Jones, or a HW wrecking machine, like Ngannou, my answers would be different. I don't see Pereira being able to deal with Cro Cop's speed and power, and I definitely don't see him knocking Cro Cop out. Randleman the wrestler catching Cro Cop has no bearing on Pereira standing toe-to-toe with him. Hunt being able to eat LHKs like nothing has no bearing on Pereira taking Cro Cop's shots. Fedor being able to throw Cro Cop off with looping punches and tie-ups has no bearing on Pereira kickboxing on the outside. Styles make fights, as we've heard plenty of times over a lot of years. In this one, I think it's Cro Cop all the way.

I mean yeah, thought my posts were basically saying the same thing.

As I said, Perreira in 90s HW K1 would not end well for him, whereas CroCop held his own against a good combo of 250 pound monsters and the slightly smaller skillbots.

Hell, put him in MMA against prime Fedor, Barnett, Herring, Nog, Hunt, Wand, Coleman, Alex E etc he’s gonna lose his share.

All I said was that as good as prime Mirko was, he wasn’t unbeatable like you seemed to suggest, but I guess you were being a little hyperbolic.

 

[Deceasedxo]

Alex easily.

 

[Clark Rogers]

Are we really going to do a "who would win Poatan vs __________?" thread for every notable past and present fighter out there?

I like the guy but damn this is getting old fast lol

 

[Superior]

CroCop in his prime was something very special, I’d favour him.

 

[LEWIS540]

Are we really going to do a "who would win Poatan vs __________?" thread for every notable past and present fighter out there?

I like the guy but damn this is getting old fast lol

How many other legit top level kick boxers have come over to MMA and excelled?

4-5?

It’s obviously more interesting than “who’d win, prime Chuck Liddel or Prime Mike Tyson?” type nonsense.

 

[Clark Rogers]

How many other legit top level kick boxers have come over to MMA and excelled?

4-5?

It’s obviously more interesting than “who’d win, prime Chuck Liddel or Prime Mike Tyson?” type nonsense.

It's all speculative, imagination driven, malarkey. I don't see how you could possibly say it's different than the Liddell vs Tyson example, they're both imaginary.

 

[Edward Henry Greb]

Against a midget.

He could never do that to the 6'4" Alex (or even the 6'3" Jiri).

Meanwhile, Alex could do that all day to Crocop.

 

[LEWIS540]

It's all speculative, imagination driven, malarkey. I don't see how you could possibly say it's different than the Liddell vs Tyson example, they're both imaginary.

Yeah son, you’re on a king-fu forum. What do you expect? Speculation and unprovable opinions are what make up most topics.

If it was repurposed as “which kickboxer turned MMAer has done it best?”, would that make you feel better?

 

[Bullitt68]

I mean yeah, thought my posts were basically saying the same thing.

If you were saying the same thing as me, then why'd you take issue with the thing I was saying?

As I said, Perreira in 90s HW K1 would not end well for him, whereas CroCop held his own against a good combo of 250 pound monsters and the slightly smaller skillbots.

Oh, Jesus, even the younger and smaller Jerome LeBanner that Cro Cop beat in 1996 (when Cro Cop himself was younger and smaller) would've chewed Pereira up and spit him out. I can't even imagine how violently his night would end in the ring across from 2001-2002 JLB. The Dutch Lumberjack also would've cut him down something nasty. Cro Cop was able to do so well in K-1 despite giving up so much size because of how fast and explosive he was and how accurate he was. He could slip those straight-lefts in through the guard, he could get that left foot up there faster than you could block it. Putting Mike Bernardo down as effortlessly and brutally as he did is nothing short of jaw dropping. He was also out-quicking the super explosive Sam Greco, he completely frustrated and nullified the three-time K-1 GP champ Peter Aerts, he took Remy Bonjasky to school, he notched a flawless victory over the reigning and defending champ in Mark Hunt. He wasn't able to beat Hoost in K-1 or Fedor in MMA - the fucking GOATs - but what he did and the way he did it, it's super impressive, and I'm just trying to put that into perspective. I know that most people posting in here - not you, to be clear - don't know shit about Cro Cop and have probably only seen him lose in the UFC toward the end of his career. But it's worth pointing out that an older, slower, injury-riddled Cro Cop even managed to give a young and surging JDS a damn good fight. Cro Cop was one hell of a striker, and in his prime, there are very few people I'd pick to beat him, and even fewer I'd pick to beat him in a straight-up striking match.

All I said was that as good as prime Mirko was, he wasn’t unbeatable like you seemed to suggest, but I guess you were being a little hyperbolic.

Just because I think that he lights Pereira up doesn't mean that I think he lights up any and every human who has ever lived in any form 100 times out of 100. I'm not an idiot. I just don't see how Cro Cop doesn't turn Pereira's lights out. Forget about Izzy doing it, Jiri had him reeling in their first fight. If people won't entertain the notion that a prime Cro Cop could push Pereira's shit in, then I need to do my part and make the case for Cro Cop's elite lethality. To wit...

Alex imp os better everywhere. Maybe Kivks CC had advantage but even that's close.

...you see, this is just kooky talk. The only person in MMA history about whom you could say that they maybe had a kicking advantage over Cro Cop is Pedro Rizzo, but he only had the right leg low kick whereas Cro Cop stopped people with low kicks, middle kicks, and high kicks, and with his right leg (hospital) and his left leg (cemetery). We're talking about a guy who forced the 270-pound Aleksander Emelianenko to switch from southpaw to orthodox after just two low kicks, and who dropped him to his knees after the third one. We're talking about a guy who left his fucking toe prints in Wanderlei Silva's midsection after three or four kicks to the body. We're talking about a guy who fractured Hidehiko Yoshida's leg kicking him with his weak leg. We're talking about a guy who fractured Kazushi Sakuraba's eye socket from off his back. Cro Cop had scary power, and only Rizzo is close to Cro Cop in the kicking department, and I'd say he's a close second behind him. Pereira isn't even on the fucking list, man. Cro Cop, Rizzo, Bas Rutten, Hardonk, Aldo, Barboza...Pereira MAYBE makes the top ten, but he for damn sure doesn't outrank Cro Cop.

I think that we need some perspective on just what Cro Cop was about.

 

[LEWIS540]

If you were saying the same thing as me, then why'd you take issue with the thing I was saying?If you were saying the same thing as me, then why'd you take issue with the thing I was saying?

Oh, Jesus, even the younger and smaller Jerome LeBanner that Cro Cop beat in 1996 (when Cro Cop himself was younger and smaller) would've chewed Pereira up and spit him out. I can't even imagine how violently his night would end in the ring across from 2001-2002 JLB. The Dutch Lumberjack also would've cut him down something nasty. Cro Cop was able to do so well in K-1 despite giving up so much size because of how fast and explosive he was and how accurate he was. He could slip those straight-lefts in through the guard, he could get that left foot up there faster than you could block it. Putting Mike Bernardo down as effortlessly and brutally as he did is nothing short of jaw dropping. He was also out-quicking the super explosive Sam Greco, he completely frustrated and nullified the three-time K-1 GP champ Peter Aerts, he took Remy Bonjasky to school, he notched a flawless victory over the reigning and defending champ in Mark Hunt. He wasn't able to beat Hoost in K-1 or Fedor in MMA - the fucking GOATs - but what he did and the way he did it, it's super impressive, and I'm just trying to put that into perspective. I know that most people posting in here - not you, to be clear - don't know shit about Cro Cop and have probably only seen him lose in the UFC toward the end of his career. But it's worth pointing out that an older, slower, injury-riddled Cro Cop even managed to give a young and surging JDS a damn good fight. Cro Cop was one hell of a striker, and in his prime, there are very few people I'd pick to beat him, and even fewer I'd pick to beat him in a straight-up striking match.



Just because I think that he lights Pereira up doesn't mean that I think he lights up any and every human who has ever lived in any form 100 times out of 100. I'm not an idiot. I just don't see how Cro Cop doesn't turn Pereira's lights out. Forget about Izzy doing it, Jiri had him reeling in their first fight. If people won't entertain the notion that a prime Cro Cop could push Pereira's shit in, then I need to do my part and make the case for Cro Cop's elite lethality. To wit...



...you see, this is just kooky talk. The only person in MMA history about whom you could say that they maybe had a kicking advantage over Cro Cop is Pedro Rizzo, but he only had the right leg low kick whereas Cro Cop stopped people with low kicks, middle kicks, and high kicks, and with his right leg (hospital) and his left leg (cemetery). We're talking about a guy who forced the 270-pound Aleksander Emelianenko to switch from southpaw to orthodox after just two low kicks, and who dropped him to his knees after the third one. We're talking about a guy who left his fucking toe prints in Wanderlei Silva's midsection after three or four kicks to the body. We're talking about a guy who fractured Hidehiko Yoshida's leg kicking him with his weak leg. We're talking about a guy who fractured Kazushi Sakuraba's eye socket from off his back. Cro Cop had scary power, and only Rizzo is close to Cro Cop in the kicking department, and I'd say he's a close second behind him. Pereira isn't even on the fucking list, man. Cro Cop, Rizzo, Bas Rutten, Hardonk, Aldo, Barboza...Pereira MAYBE makes the top ten, but he for damn sure doesn't outrank Cro Cop.

I think that we need some perspective on just what Cro Cop was about.

Literally only thing I took issue was your assertion that you couldn’t imagine anyone beating a prime Mirko, which is clearly a bizarre claim.

By the way his bout with Hunt was basically settled by the knock down.

His bout with Aerts was competitive but was kinda a clear 3-2 to Aerts, imo.

Neither were really examples of Mirko dominating as you seem to suggest.

Such was K1 in those days. Despite being 0-3 with Hoost, Mirko certainly showed he was on Hoost levels, or at least not far off it.

 

[Clark Rogers]

Yeah son, you’re on a king-fu forum. What do you expect? Speculation and unprovable opinions are what make up most topics.

If it was repurposed as “which kickboxer turned MMAer has done it best?”, would that make you feel better?

The smell of bitch is thick with you, careful who you call son, sweetheart.

 

[omawho402]

The Alex nut hugging has reached full capacity, K1 and Pride legendary Mirko Cro Cop beats the shit out of Alex. Let's get real here

There's a reason Alex didn't fight guys at HW in kickboxing.

 

[LEWIS540]

The smell of bitch is thick with you, careful who you call son, sweetheart.

LOL at getting upset over that.

I can see you are a hard man who’s not to be trifled with!

 

[Bullitt68]

Literally only thing I took issue was your assertion that you couldn’t imagine anyone beating a prime Mirko, which is clearly a bizarre claim.

I was joking with you. Lighten up, man. Like I said, four people beat Cro Cop in his prime between K-1 and MMA. Only one was a pure striker, and Cro Cop had beaten him before and should've gotten the decision the second time while fighting with a chipped bone in his left ankle. It also always helps when your head is made of steel and you can stay standing after one of these, chipped bone or no...

Not sure what's bizarre about saying I'd be hard-pressed to pick people to beat prime Cro Cop. Besides which, there's a difference between who I could imagine beating Cro Cop and who I actually think would more likely than not beat him. We can nitpick and split hairs, but broadly speaking, based on how terrifyingly effective Cro Cop was at his best, my list of people who I think could take him isn't that long. And Pereira for damn sure ain't on that list.

By the way his bout with Hunt was basically settled by the knock down.

If by this you mean the fight was close save for the knockdown, then you need to rewatch that fight. Cro Cop pitched a shutout, and while he coasted in rounds four and five after scoring the knockdown at the end of the third, rounds one, two, and three were ALL Cro Cop. He was light on his feet, lightning fast with his blitzes, like a ghost on defense, was muscling Hunt into and out of the corner, hit him with punch combos, low kicks, and middle kicks, all before dropping him with the patented LHK. It was only settled by the knockdown if by that you mean that the LHK was the cherry on top of his flawless victory.

His bout with Aerts was competitive but was kinda a clear 3-2 to Aerts, imo.

Okay, now I feel like you're just arguing to argue. You think he should've lost to Aerts? He should've gotten the decisions against Hug in K-1 and Hunt in MMA. Against Aerts, he won fairly squarely. He kept Aerts at bay with his all-too-infrequently-used right sidekick, he kept him guessing with left middle kicks and high kicks, and he frustrated Aerts to no end with that fast straight-left blitz, all while completely shutting down Aerts' offense with his footwork and clinches. You might need to rewatch that fight, too.

Neither were really examples of Mirko dominating as you seem to suggest.

He didn't dominate Aerts, he just fought intelligently and executed the way he needed to, but he absolutely outclassed Hunt. Knowing that he was down 0-3 and just got kicked in the head, Hunt fought on rage for the last two rounds and woke up a bit, but he had absolutely nothing for Cro Cop and it showed.