Former UFC and PRIDE FC heavyweight striker, Mirko Filipovic, will make his mixed martial arts (MMA) return as part of the Bellator 200 extravaganza on May 25, 2018, scheduled for SSE Arena in London, England.
More on that booking here.
Since “Cro Cop” was suspended by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and not a state athletic commission, the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation — employed by Bellator to regulate international events — will not contest his return to the cage.
It will, however, drug test Filipovic when director Mike Mazzulli travels to Budapest, Hungary, for next month’s Bellator 196 event on Paramount Network, according to MMA Fighting, since Croatia is just a train ride away.
“I always look out for the best interests of the fighters,” Mazzulli said. “Cro Cop has not fought in the United States for a while. He was suspended for two years. I’m 110-percent positive that if any other commission in the ABC — in the United States — if they had him suspended, I would not have him fight. I highly doubt Bellator would allow him to fight.”
Filipovic, 43, was flagged for human growth hormone (HGH) ahead of his UFC Fight Night 79 bout against Anthony Hamilton in South Korea and abruptly retired, only to resurface shortly thereafter for various MMA and kickboxing promotions.
How long this latest “run” lasts remains to be seen.