The UFC is ready to make a long-anticipated debut in Poland, and it has a huge main event on the books.
Recently re-signed Pride and UFC legend Mirko Cro Cop will take the headlining spot and look to avenge one of the most devastating losses of his career against Gabriel Gonzaga. That fight will be supported by a co-main event of top light heavyweight up-and-comers Jimi Manuwa and Jan Blachowicz, the latter of whom is from Poland.
The card, which will stream exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, takes place April 11 from the Krakow Arena. It will be the 64th installment of UFC Fight Night and is likely to feature many talents from either Poland or the surrounding European area.
This will be Cro Cop’s first UFC bout since 2011, when he stepped away from the UFC after a three-fight skid to Frank Mir, Brendan Schaub and Roy Nelson, all of which came via knockout or TKO.
Since then, the legend has kept busy on both the MMA and kickboxing scene.
He went 3-1 as a mixed martial artist, taking two wins over top Japanese fighter Satoshi Ishii, while his only loss came to UFC fighter Alexey Oleinik.
Not only that, but he has been successful in kickboxing, too.
Cro Cop has gone 7-1 since his UFC release against the likes of Ray Sefo, Randy Blake and Jarrell Miller (twice).
In their last bout, Gonzaga famously knocked out the Croat with a head kick. That win stole a title shot from Cro Cop, but Gonzaga was unable to snatch the gold.
The Brazilian is in his second stint with the UFC and is currently 4-3 in this run. He has finished all four of his wins over the likes of Ben Rothwell and Shawn Jordan, while his three losses were against top fighters Travis Browne, Stipe Miocic and Matt Mitrione.
This should be a great matchup and rematch that fans will be interested to see.
The co-main event pits a destroyer in Manuwa against former KSW champ Blachowicz. The former is 3-1 with the UFC, while the latter is just 1-0 in the UFC.
Manuwa‘s resume includes finishes against Kyle Kingsbury, Cyrille Diabate and Ryan Jimmo, with his only loss coming to contender Alexander Gustafsson. Meanwhile, Blachowicz looked impresive in his debut, making quick work of Ilir Latifi with precision striking.
The co-main event is likely to be an all-striking affair. Both Manuwa and Blachowicz throw thunderous punches and kicks, and they are always looking to knock out their opponents.
That will make for a fun fight.
Stay tuned with Bleacher Report as more information on this card becomes available.
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