MMA (T)Knockout of the Day: Mirko Cro Cop and the Beginning of His Legacy

Mirko Cro Cop is known for his famous leg kicks. His saying was “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery,” and here is where he first began the legend of his leg kicks.At Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001, Cro Cop faced off against Yuji Nagata, a famous wrestler from…

Mirko Cro Cop is known for his famous leg kicks. His saying was “right leg hospital, left leg cemetery,” and here is where he first began the legend of his leg kicks.

At Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2001, Cro Cop faced off against Yuji Nagata, a famous wrestler from the country of Japan.

Just a few seconds in, Cro Cop went for the kill and used his legendary kickboxing skills to knock down Nagata and stun him. Cro Cop quickly went for the TKO and got it just 20 seconds into the fight. It was a young Cro Cop’s third bout and his second win.

This bout began Cro Cop’s career, and after this, he has gone on to become a fan favorite and top fighter. Even now, at the age of 36, Cro Cop can still hang with fighters.

Cro Cop is currently 27-9-2 with one no contest and is considered retired, but talks of him fighting yet again have resurfaced, and it has become a very good possibility. Cro Cop was last seen at UFC 128, where he suffered a third-round knockout loss to Brendan Schaub.

Nagata’s career story is different. Nagata has only had two fights in his entire MMA career. One was this fight with Cro Cop, the other was to Fedor Emelianenko. That might be the best 0-2 record of all-time. Neither fight, though, lasted more than one minute and two seconds.

Afterwards, Nagata went back to Japan Pro Wrestling and hasn’t fought since his 2003 knockout loss to Emelianenko.

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UFC 128 Knockout Loss May Mark End of Mirko Cro Cop’s Career

Filed under: UFC, NewsNEWARK, N.J. — There was cause for celebration in the MMA world with Jon Jones capping off his meteoric rise by winning the UFC light-heavyweight championship, but while one young star tries to write his legend, another storied c…

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NEWARK, N.J. — There was cause for celebration in the MMA world with Jon Jones capping off his meteoric rise by winning the UFC light-heavyweight championship, but while one young star tries to write his legend, another storied competitor might have seen his last time in the fighting arena.

Suffering a second straight knockout loss, Mirko Cro Cop is definitely done with the UFC, and possibly headed for retirement, UFC president Dana White said.

Carefully tempering his statement with respect, White said he doesn’t expect to get “an argument” from Cro Cop about continuing his career after the Croatian was knocked out by Brendan Schaub in the third round of their UFC 128 fight.

Brendan Schaub Guarantees Finish Against Personal Favorite Mirko Cro Cop

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveNEWARK, N.J. — Making his way into the MMA world years ago, there were few heavyweights Brendan Schaub enjoyed watching as much as Croatian star Mirko Cro Cop. Schaub loves the standup game, and Cro Cop was the best…

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NEWARK, N.J. — Making his way into the MMA world years ago, there were few heavyweights Brendan Schaub enjoyed watching as much as Croatian star Mirko Cro Cop. Schaub loves the standup game, and Cro Cop was the best heavyweight striker around. Schaub bought his fights, wore his T-shirts, mimicked his kicks.

On Saturday at UFC 128 though, Schaub will have to put his adoration aside and step in the octagon with Cro Cop standing across from him. It’s a scenario we’ve seen play out before. Just last June, Pat Barry told the same stories. He idolized Cro Cop, was honored to fight him, and seemed on his way to a win when he stepped off the gas pedal. Given the opening, Cro Cop stunned him with a late, rare submission.

It was a lesson learned for Schaub, who doesn’t plan on making the same mistake.

UFC 128 Weigh-In Results

Filed under: UFC, NewsBarely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to…

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Barely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to leave the stage that he started to leave before being called back to do a brief interview with weigh-in host Joe Rogan.

Saturday night, they’ll have no choice but to engage in a fight that is expected to produce far more fireworks. Both champ and challenger came in at 205 pounds for the main event fight at Newark’s Prudential Center.

“I think certainly Jon Jones is a great fighter,” Rua said afterward. “He also has a lot of experience. But this belt is mine and it will keep being mine.”

Dana White Talks UFC 128, Desire to Book Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Dana White at Wednesday’s UFC 128 pre-fight press conference at Radio City Music Hall about Jon Jones being a betting favorite heading into his fight against Shogun Rua, what’s at stake for Mirko Cro Cop on Saturday night versus Brendan Schaub, how his life has changed since the Strikeforce acquisition and his desire to see Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort II in the future.

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Dana White at Wednesday’s UFC 128 pre-fight press conference at Radio City Music Hall about Jon Jones being a betting favorite heading into his fight against Shogun Rua, what’s at stake for Mirko Cro Cop on Saturday night versus Brendan Schaub, how his life has changed since the Strikeforce acquisition and his desire to see Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort II in the future.

Brendan Schaub: Frank Mir, Mirko Cro Cop Owe Me Money for UFC 119

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Brendan Schaub about his UFC 128 showdown against Mirko Cro Cop, whether he believes Cro Cop respects him, his growth as a fighter and much more.

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Brendan Schaub about his UFC 128 showdown against Mirko Cro Cop, whether he believes Cro Cop respects him, his growth as a fighter and much more.