It wasn’t too long ago that MMA nerds around the world tirelessly debated ‘whose fighters are better? UFC or Pride?’ Well, Zuffa ended up purchasing Pride, and yadda, yadda, yadda, vets from the now deceased Japanese promotion like “Rampage” Jackson, “Shogun” Rua, “Minotauro” Nogueira and Anderson Silva have all gone on to win UFC gold (in other words, they’ve hung in there just fine…)
Of course, one of Pride’s biggest stars, who has yet to truly deliver in the UFC is Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic; a dude that because of his ability to violently disturb vital body functions with his kicks, arrived in the Octagon with a ton of hype. The Croatian has gone just 3-3 in the UFC, however, and hasn’t really looked like his old brutalizing self. Well, in a recent interview with UFC.com, Cro Cop stated that part of the reason for this, was a serious knee injury he had that required three surgeries.
“I had a very bad injury two years ago and of course it reflected on my kicking,” he said. “I was afraid to kick, especially because the wound was still fresh. It was suicide according to the doctor, but I decided to take a fight (at UFC 99 against Mostapha Al Turk) and I decided to take another fight with (Junior) Dos Santos (At UFC 103), which wasn’t a smart idea in that condition, but I’m a fighter. I like the sport, I like fighting, I like competition, but obviously you need to make decisions with your head and not with your heart. Now, the leg is finally completely recovered.”
Well, here’s hoping Cro Cop is healthy so his bout this weekend with fellow bomber Pat Barry, is as good as everyone hopes. To bet on UFC 115 head here.