On Saturday, a rematch that has taken nearly eight years to come to fruition will main event UFC Fight Night Krakow in Poland at the Tauron Arena. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will attempt to gain revenge from one of the most devastating head-kick KOs in mixed martial arts history when he faces Gabriel Gonzaga.
The UFC’s Joe Rogan sets the stage for the rematch with a little background information in the hype video below.
Hardcore UFC, Gonzaga or Cro Cop fans who are interested in watching this rematch unfold, take a gander at the viewing information, fight card and predictions in the table below.
Just below the table is a closer look at the predictions for the main event, as well as the co-featured bout between Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa and the home-standing Jan Blachowicz.
Oldies But Goodies?
The broadcast for UFC Fight Night Krakow might be run on fossil fuel, because the main event has two dinosaurs set to do battle. The rematch between Gonzaga and Crop Cop is somewhat compelling, but in all honesty, it’s happening about five to six years too late.
Gonzaga is 35, and he has lost two fights in a row. He’s clinging to a spot in the UFC’s heavyweight rankings and quite possibly a spot on the promotion’s roster.
The Brazilian is aware of the urgency surrounding the fight. He told Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting:
This fight keeps me alive in the UFC. If I lose this fight, the UFC will probably… Everybody knows how the UFC works. Three losses, it’s rare who stays in (the UFC) after that, and I want to stay in the UFC, so I have to win this fight.
Cro Cop is 40 years old, and he hasn’t beaten anyone of reasonable notoriety since he submitted Pat Barry in 2010. That was the last time he won in a UFC cage. He lost three UFC fights in a row following the win over Barry.
Saturday’s bout against Gonzaga marks his return to the big company.
Perhaps the desperation from both men will help create a special moment, but I sincerely doubt it. We can expect Gonzaga to take Cro Cop down as soon as possible in an effort to utilize his size and strength advantage. That’s what most thought he would do in the first fight before he uncorked the infamous head kick that shook up the MMA world—and Cro Cop’s brain.
In his prime, Cro Cop didn’t have much in the way of a ground game. He has even less in his arsenal at 40. Gonzaga will complete the Cro Cop sweep with a less than thrilling win by submission.
Manuwa Bounces Back
Following his first pro defeat at the hands of Alexander Gustafsson, Jimi Manuwa is looking to rebound against tough Polish light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz. Per the tweet from UFC UK, Manuwa has an eye on improvement. Blachowicz won his UFC debut when he scored a TKO win over Ilir Latifi in October 2014. He’s a versatile fighter with powerful strikes and a good ground game.
To make matters tougher for Manuwa, he’ll have to face Blachowicz in his home country. Blachowicz is uber popular in Poland, so the fans will be loud in their support of the local fighter.
With all that said, Manuwa‘s athleticism and devastating striking attacks will keep Blachowicz off balance. The speed difference between the two should be very noticeable.
Blachowicz has to take the fight to the ground to have a chance, but I believe Manuwa will be prepared to stop the takedown attempts.
Look for Poster Boy to light Blachowicz up with a head kick or punch that silences the crowd and ends the fight early. Blachowicz has never been stopped on strikes in his career, but it’ll happen for the first time on Saturday.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com