Tag: Mirko Filipovic

Mirko Cro Cop Returns At September’s RIZIN 13

Mirko Crop will be back in action this fall.

The post Mirko Cro Cop Returns At September’s RIZIN 13 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop returns to action this September.

Earlier today (Fri., August 24, 2018) Japanese promotion RIZIN held a press conference consequently announcing the bouts for their upcoming RIZIN 13 on September 30, 2018, from the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.

The event will be headlined by RIZIN bantamweight champion and former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. He will face off with undefeated kickboxer Tenshin in the main event under RIZIN kickboxing rules. The fight will be Horiguchi’s kickboxing debut, therefore making it a huge occurrence for Japanese combat sports.

The event will also feature the RIZIN debut of kickboxer TAIGA. He’ll meet Kento Haraguchi in another bout under RIZIN kickboxing rules.

RIZIN 13 is gaining recognition due to another reason, however.

Former Pride FC Grand Prix winner and UFC vet Mirko Cro Cop will face RIZIN Megaton champion Roque Martinez. Martinez is coming off a huge win at RIZIN 12. Filipovic will return from a significant knee injury that forced him out of his scheduled Bellator 200 match-up against Roy Nelson because of its severity.

Daron Cruickshank and Diego Brandao will meet in a battle of UFC veterans, providing another exciting fight. The full RIZIN 13 lineup can be viewed right here via MMA Mania:

TAIGA vs Kento Haraguchi (kickboxing)
Kyoji Horiguchi vs Tenshin (kickboxing)
Daron Cruickshank vs Diego Brandao
Jiri Prochazka vs Jake Heun
Andy Nguyen vs Miyuu Yamamoto II
Yusaku Nakamura vs Manel Kape
Mikuru Asakura vs Karshyga Dautbek
Kai Asakura vs Topnoi
Mitsuhisa Sunabe vs Haruo Ochi
Cro Cop vs Roque Martinez

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Photo: Cro Cop Reveals Injury That Forced Him Off Bellator 200

Cro Cop showed fans why he couldn’t fight Roy Nelson this weekend…

The post Photo: Cro Cop Reveals Injury That Forced Him Off Bellator 200 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was forced out of his Bellator 200 rematch against Roy “Big Country” Nelson with an undisclosed injury just days before the fight.

”Cro Cop” posted a photo on Instagram of him after surgery for the knee injury while laying in a hospital bed, and it certainly looks like a legitimate reason to not fight this weekend:

A post shared by Mirko Filipovi? (@crocop1009) on

The PRIDE FC and UFC heavyweight was set to make his Bellator debut against “Big Country,” who had defeated him by TKO back in 2011. The kickboxer generally has good luck in rematches, having brutally avenged his shocking knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga by returning the favor.

The rematch with Nelson could have easily been an alternate bout for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, but alas it was not meant to be.

Instead, Gegard Mousasi’s fight against middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho will headline the card.

The post Photo: Cro Cop Reveals Injury That Forced Him Off Bellator 200 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Roy Nelson is Looking For a Fight at Bellator 200

Roy Nelson still wants to fight on Friday night at Bellator 200 in London. When news came in that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic had to withdraw due to injury a lot of fans were disappointed but his opponent seems even more so coming all the way from the Un…

Roy Nelson still wants to fight on Friday night at Bellator 200 in London. When news came in that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic had to withdraw due to injury a lot of fans were disappointed but his opponent seems even more so coming all the way from the United States to fight him does not […]

The post Roy Nelson is Looking For a Fight at Bellator 200 appeared first on MMA News.

Cro Cop Claps Back At ‘Fat & Disrespectful’ Roy Nelson For Supplements Diss

Longtime heavyweight knockout artist Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has some beef building with Roy Nelson. Word recently arrived that Cro Cop will face ‘Big Country’ at Bellator 200 in a rematch of their UFC 137 meeting where Nelson won via third-round TKO. Cro Cop, who is riding an eight-fight winning streak, retired when he was […]

The post Cro Cop Claps Back At ‘Fat & Disrespectful’ Roy Nelson For Supplements Diss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Longtime heavyweight knockout artist Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic has some beef building with Roy Nelson.

Word recently arrived that Cro Cop will face ‘Big Country’ at Bellator 200 in a rematch of their UFC 137 meeting where Nelson won via third-round TKO.

Cro Cop, who is riding an eight-fight winning streak, retired when he was provisionally suspended for failing a USADA drug test in 2015. The Pride great announced a short-lived retirement and admitted he had used human growth hormone to repair a shoulder injury. However, he continued fighting in Japan, which is known for incredibly lax drug testing, and even won the 2016 Rizin FF Openweight Grand Prix.

To get some hype building for the potential slugfest, Nelson recently called out the 43-year-old Filipovic for using some ‘special supplements’ during his late-career resurgence. Cro Cop took offense, posting a seething reply on his Facebook page in response to the “fat and disrespectful” Nelson’s trash talk:

“Dear Roy Nelson,you dont have to worry that i’m using any ‘special supplements’ as you claim.the only ‘special supplements’ i’m using is 2 hard and bloody trainings per day,five days a week.and i will be tested,like all others, during preparations for the fight and before and right after the fight.so you can be calm.and start thinking of some good excuse after i beat up your fat disrespectful ass,you have enough time to may 25.and do me a favour please,and shave that disgusting beard, look like professional fighter and show respect to your opponent.good luck!”

Cro Cop last competed against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at December 31’s Rizin World Grand-Prix 2017, knocking him out in the opening round.

Nelson, on the other hand, lost a somewhat controversial majority decision to Matt Mitrione at February’s Bellator 194, knocking him out of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix and opening up his schedule to face Cro Cop in his promotional debut.

For what it’s worth, Filipovic’s only issue with PEDs was the 2015 failure where he said he had informed the UFC what he was taking in the early days of their anti-doping partnership with USADA. That could be fueling his backlash at ‘Big Country’ in an effort to get some buzz generated.

With ratings in a never-before-seen slump for Bellator, they could use just that.

The post Cro Cop Claps Back At ‘Fat & Disrespectful’ Roy Nelson For Supplements Diss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Combat Sports Legend Mirko Cro Cop Reveals Plans to Retire

mirko-crocop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwv3x5Rh4s

A legend in combat sports may finally follow through with his retirement plans. Mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing icon Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic told Nova TV (via MMAWeekly.com) that he simply can’t go on after 20 years of wear and tear:

“I signed a contract for 15 fights with Rizin! I’m kidding of course. This is definitely my last major tournament, my last tournament, definitely this is the end of my career. I have health problems and I cannot continue.”

Cro Cop is leaving the door open just a tad bit as far as having a farewell fight goes. The roadblock would be the Croatian’s knee.

“The only option remains some farewell fight, but this is only if I rehabilitate my knee. I never want to go through what I went through during the preparation for this tournament. I know that I have often said I am ending my career, but this is really the end.”

Perhaps Cro Cop’s performance at Rizin 4 was all that he had left. The final Pride FC open-weight Grand Prix champion turned back the clock at the Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2016 tournament. He knocked out Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Baruto Kaito, and Amir Aliakbari to take the open-weight Grand Prix title.

Despite hinting at retirement in the past, Cro Cop insists that this time it’ll stick.

“It will be difficult, that’s for sure. People who know me tease me because of how many times I have retired, but I promised my family that this time it is final.”

If he does indeed retire, Cro Cop will not soon be forgotten in the world of combat sports. He has won championships in Pride FC and K-1 as well as competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has fought and defeated some of the best MMA and kickboxing fighters of all time.

mirko-crocop

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwv3x5Rh4s

A legend in combat sports may finally follow through with his retirement plans. Mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing icon Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic told Nova TV (via MMAWeekly.com) that he simply can’t go on after 20 years of wear and tear:

“I signed a contract for 15 fights with Rizin! I’m kidding of course. This is definitely my last major tournament, my last tournament, definitely this is the end of my career. I have health problems and I cannot continue.”

Cro Cop is leaving the door open just a tad bit as far as having a farewell fight goes. The roadblock would be the Croatian’s knee.

“The only option remains some farewell fight, but this is only if I rehabilitate my knee. I never want to go through what I went through during the preparation for this tournament. I know that I have often said I am ending my career, but this is really the end.”

Perhaps Cro Cop’s performance at Rizin 4 was all that he had left. The final Pride FC open-weight Grand Prix champion turned back the clock at the Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2016 tournament. He knocked out Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Baruto Kaito, and Amir Aliakbari to take the open-weight Grand Prix title.

Despite hinting at retirement in the past, Cro Cop insists that this time it’ll stick.

“It will be difficult, that’s for sure. People who know me tease me because of how many times I have retired, but I promised my family that this time it is final.”

If he does indeed retire, Cro Cop will not soon be forgotten in the world of combat sports. He has won championships in Pride FC and K-1 as well as competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has fought and defeated some of the best MMA and kickboxing fighters of all time.

Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2016 Results — Cro Cop Wins Open Weight Tournament

At the Rizin FF World Grand Prix Finals event held at the famous Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan early Saturday morning, the new Rizin FF Open Weight Grand Prix Champion was crowned.

MMA/Kickboxing legend and former winner of the PRIDE FC …

rizin-ff-world-grand-prix-2016-finals

Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2016 Finals

At the Rizin FF World Grand Prix Finals event held at the famous Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan early Saturday morning, the new Rizin FF Open Weight Grand Prix Champion was crowned.

MMA/Kickboxing legend and former winner of the PRIDE FC Open Weight Grand Prix tournament, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic advanced to the finals with stoppage wins over Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in the quarterfinals earlier this weekend, as well as Baruto Kaito in his first of two fights on Saturday.

Cro Cop would go on from his semifinal victory over Kaito to meet Amir Aliakbari in the finals of the tournament. Aliakbari defeated former PRIDE Heavyweight Title contender and UFC veteran Heath Herring in the quarterfinals, as well as Valentin Moldavsky in the first of his two bouts on Saturday in the semifinals.

In their meeting in the Rizin FF ring in the Open Weight Grand Prix tournament finals,

Below are complete results from the Rizin FF World Grand Prix Finals 2016 event:

Rizin FF World Grand Prix 2016 Finals Results

* Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Amir Aliakbari via TKO (strikes) to win the Rizin FF Open Weight Grand Prix 2016 tournament.
* Kron Gracie def. Tatsuya Kawajiri via submission (rear-naked choke) in round 2.
* Erson Yamamoto def. Hideo Tokoro via submission (armbar) in round 1.
* Rena Kubota def. Hanna Gujwan via KO (body kick) in round 3.
* Andy Nguyen def. Miyu Yamamoto via submission (armbar) in round 1.
* Kizaemon Saiga Dillin West via TKO (strikes) in round 1.
* Gabi Garcia def. Yumiko Hotta via TKO (punches) in round 1.
* Hayato Sakurai def. Wataru Sakata via TKO (punches) in round 2.
* Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic def. Baruto Kaito via TKO (knee to the body) in round 1.
* Amir Aliakbari def. Valentin Moldavsky via split decision.
Tenshin Nasukawa def. Dylan Kawika Oligo via submission (choke) in round 2.