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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Roy Nelson following his win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137, whether Cro Cop seriously hurt him in the second round, why he shaved his beard after the fight, his new physique and more.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Roy Nelson following his win over Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 137, whether Cro Cop seriously hurt him in the second round, why he shaved his beard after the fight, his new physique and more.
LAS VEGAS — Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic didn’t get the sweet swan song he had hoped for, but the heavyweight striker did accomplish one of his goals, closing out his career with a crowd-pleaser at UFC 137.
Cro Cop ultimately fell to Roy Nelson in a third-round TKO. The Croatian had his moments in the fight, flooring Nelson briefly in the second round and keeping it competitive, with all three cageside judges having the bout tied 19-19 heading into the final frame. Nelson took over in the third and finished him with strikes 90 seconds in. Still, the 10,313 fans in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center saw enough heart in Cro Cop’s performance to send him off with a standing ovation.
Cro Cop tried to leave the cage shortly after losing, but was asked to stay for a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. In a classy move, he thanked the promotion for treating him “like a king” and apologized for his inability to bring the same magic to the octagon that he had in the PRIDE ring earlier in his career.
Upset at the outcome of the fight, did not attend the post-fight press conference, however.
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Nelson, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with the victory, credited the veteran’s performance and skill.
“He came to bang and he came to throw,” said Nelson (16-6). “He’s one of those guys who can still fight. He hits hard, he’s very competitive. It’s one of those fights that for me, I wanted to make sure I was the guy to go out there and win. It feels good to be back in the ‘W.'”
Cro Cop, once considered the most fearsome striker in the heavyweight division, closed out his career losing each of his last three fights by stoppage.
He went just 4-6 in his 10-fight run in the octagon, but retires with a record of 27-10-2 with 1 no contest. In the end, fans won’t necessarily remember the numbers. What they will remember for sure are his devastating high kicks which led to many of his 20 knockout finishes, and led him to coin the phrase, “right leg, hospital, left leg, cemetery.”
LAS VEGAS — Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic didn’t get the sweet swan song he had hoped for, but the heavyweight striker did accomplish one of his goals, closing out his career with a crowd-pleaser at UFC 137.
Cro Cop ultimately fell to Roy Nelson in a third-round TKO. The Croatian had his moments in the fight, flooring Nelson briefly in the second round and keeping it competitive, with all three cageside judges having the bout tied 19-19 heading into the final frame. Nelson took over in the third and finished him with strikes 90 seconds in. Still, the 10,313 fans in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center saw enough heart in Cro Cop’s performance to send him off with a standing ovation.
Cro Cop tried to leave the cage shortly after losing, but was asked to stay for a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. In a classy move, he thanked the promotion for treating him “like a king” and apologized for his inability to bring the same magic to the octagon that he had in the PRIDE ring earlier in his career.
Upset at the outcome of the fight, did not attend the post-fight press conference, however.
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Nelson, who snapped a two-fight losing streak with the victory, credited the veteran’s performance and skill.
“He came to bang and he came to throw,” said Nelson (16-6). “He’s one of those guys who can still fight. He hits hard, he’s very competitive. It’s one of those fights that for me, I wanted to make sure I was the guy to go out there and win. It feels good to be back in the ‘W.'”
Cro Cop, once considered the most fearsome striker in the heavyweight division, closed out his career losing each of his last three fights by stoppage.
He went just 4-6 in his 10-fight run in the octagon, but retires with a record of 27-10-2 with 1 no contest. In the end, fans won’t necessarily remember the numbers. What they will remember for sure are his devastating high kicks which led to many of his 20 knockout finishes, and led him to coin the phrase, “right leg, hospital, left leg, cemetery.”
This featherweight fight might be a showcase bout for Hatsu Hioki, but George Roop is nobody to sleep on. He recently upset Josh Grispi to get a TKO victory in the third round of their bout.Hioki brings an extensive 24-4 record into his Octagon debu…
This featherweight fight might be a showcase bout for Hatsu Hioki, but George Roop is nobody to sleep on. He recently upset Josh Grispi to get a TKO victory in the third round of their bout.
Hioki brings an extensive 24-4 record into his Octagon debut, and this includes victories over Marlon Sandro, Ronnie Mann, Jeff Curran and two wins over former title challenger Mark Hominick.
Aside from holding a victory over Grispi, Roop also has a highlight reel headkick KO over the Korean Zombie, Chan Sung Jung.
The bout opened with Hioki throwing a high kick and low kick that was countered by Roop. Roop fired back with some big shots and accidentally hit Hioki low, which caused a break in the brief action during the first round.
Hioki tried taking the fight to the mat by catching Roop’s kicks, but Roop defended well and broke away from Hioki’s bodylock only to be taken down afterwards with a little more than a minute left in the round. Hioki attempted a guillotine but Roop stayed busy and got back to his feet to land some punches in a close round.
Round two opened with Roop attacking with body shots and a high kick that was blocked by Hioki. Roop went inside and was tripped by Hioki, who fell right into full mount. After moving to side control, Hioki attempted a keylock before moving into full mount again. After some action on the ground, Roop got to his feet and attempted an upkick that landed on Hioki’s face.
The third and final round started with Roop taking Hioki down. Hioki was quick to get up and tried to get a takedown of his own. Roop defended it well but was pushed up against the cage. He was able to land a few knees and foot stomps, but the fighters were broken up by referee Josh Rosenthal.
The round ended with Roop on top and bleeding from a cut on his face.
Official Result: Hatsu Hioki defeats George Roop by Split-Decision (29-28, 29-28 and 28-29)
(It’s confusing, because in Strikeforce, standing elbow strikes during weigh-ins are totally legal. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
After five years in the wilderness, Nick Diaz is finally returning to the Octagon tonight, at UFC 137 in Las Vegas. (As expected, Diaz is much, much less excited about this than we are.) His opponent is BJ Penn, a living legend and former two-division UFC champion whose future in the sport very much depends on his performance tonight.
Also on the card: Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo fight for a spot in the heavyweight title mix, Mirko Cro Cop and Some Fat Guy fight to save their jobs, and top ten featherweight Hatsu Hioki puts the reputation of Japan on his back.
Round-by-round results from the “Penn vs. Diaz” pay-per-view card will be piling up after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog assassin Matt Kaplan. Refresh the page every few minutes for the latest updates; as with our last UFC PPV liveblog, we’ll be including “next page” links to reduce spoilage, so click ’em as the night goes on. Thanks for being here, and let us know how you feel in the comments section.
(It’s confusing, because in Strikeforce, standing elbow strikes during weigh-ins are totally legal. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
After five years in the wilderness, Nick Diaz is finally returning to the Octagon tonight, at UFC 137 in Las Vegas. (As expected, Diaz is much, much less excited about this than we are.) His opponent is BJ Penn, a living legend and former two-division UFC champion whose future in the sport very much depends on his performance tonight.
Also on the card: Matt Mitrione and Cheick Kongo fight for a spot in the heavyweight title mix, Mirko Cro Cop and Some Fat Guy fight to save their jobs, and top ten featherweight Hatsu Hioki puts the reputation of Japan on his back.
Round-by-round results from the “Penn vs. Diaz” pay-per-view card will be piling up after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog assassin Matt Kaplan. Refresh the page every few minutes for the latest updates; as with our last UFC PPV liveblog, we’ll be including “next page” links to reduce spoilage, so click ‘em as the night goes on. Thanks for being here, and let us know how you feel in the comments section.
Mk here, proud to add “assassin” to my assembly of liveblog monikers, along with “mercenary,” “jackhammer,” and “Shemp Howard.” You guys spoil me.
Some preliminary thoughts: BJ Penn and Nick Diaz are two of my top five favorite fighters, of all time, so I’m at a bit of a crossroads as far as rooting interest is concerned…I kinda hope Matt “Meathead” Mitrione wins so I can marvel at how awkward the cadence of his speech always is during the post-fight interview…Would Roy “Big Country” Nelson be a middleweight if he were in shape? A welterweight possibly?
Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop:
Rd 1: Pink gloves for referee Josh Rosenthal. I dig it. Hioki opens the action with a high kick, but Roop tags him with a right hands just seconds later. Roop’s hands are smooth and his early combos look good, but he hasn’t done any real damage yet. Woops. Roop kicks Hioki low, so the Japanese fighter is resting his marbles. Back to the fight. Good left hand from Hioki. Hioki presses Roop against the cage after exchanging a few shots with Roop. Roop and Hioki exchange knees to the thighs and foot stomps. They’re still tied up against the fence, and the crowd doesn’t seem to love it. Hioki is working hard for the takedown. Roop turns Hioki and has his back on the cage now. Nice takedown by Hioki, who falls into side control. After a brief scramble, Hioki is in Roop’s guard, but Roop pops back up. Hioki elbows Roop against the fence, but Roop breaks free and charges ahead in the final seconds of the round.
Rd 2: Roop opens with a nice punch combo, punctuated with a head kick. Hioki eats a body punch and another head kick from Roop and stays in the pocket. Big takedown by Hioki, who gets mount and passes slickly to side control. Real nice transition there. Hioki wants the Americana, it seems, but winds up back in full mount. Roop is being pinned down and cannot buck Hioki off of him. Hioki has control of Roop’s long legs with butterfly hooks, but isn’t going for a sub or ground strikes. Roop explodes up! Big punches and kicks after a nasty upkick to end the round. Too little too late, though.
Rd. 3: Immediate takedown by Roop, but Hioki is back up instantly. Roop throws a flying knee and barely misses. Hioki shoots, but Roop sprawls. Hioki has Roop against the fence with the same body lock from Rd. 1, but Roop defends well and puts Hioki’s back against the fence. Roop lands some punches, stomps some toes from the clinch. Hioki is controlling Roop’s left arm, but loses it. Referee Rosenthal separates them. Roop scores the quick takedown and is in Hioki’s guard. Hioki works the rubber guard and takes some punches from Roop. Hioki answers with elbows from his back, but Roop keeps pounding to the final bell. Good fight.
Winner: Hatsu Hioki by split decision. (Here come the boos…)
Filed under: UFC
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 137 live blog for Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Nelson (15-6) has lost his last two fights in decisions against Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir. Cro Cop (27-9-2) is also on a two-fight skid, both knockout losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub.
The live blog is below.
Round 2: Nelson rocked Cro Cop with a right hand. Nelson went in for the kill and Cro Cop floored him with a left. Cro Cop went in for the finish and flurried. Nelson covered up and stayed alive as the crowd went wild. Nelson is bleeding from the nose. A Cro Cop head kick was mostly deflected by Nelson to a huge pop. We’re midway through now. Nelson takes him down and moves to side mount. Nelson tried to set up the crucifix but Cro Cop kept his hand high. Nelson finally got the crucifix with :30 left. Nelson threw left hands but they weren’t heavy ones. Ref Steve Mazzagatti thought about stopping it but correctly let it go. Cro Cop made it out. Nelson 10-9 but a very back and forth round makes it difficult to score.
Round 3: Nelson wobbled Cro Cop with a big right hand early. For some reason he didn’t follow it up. Another right hand from Nelson hurt him again. Cro Cop went down this time and Nelson rained punches from the back until ref Steve Mazzagatti stopped it.
Winner: Roy Nelson via TKO, Rd. 3 (1:30)
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Filed under: UFC
LAS VEGAS — This is the UFC 137 live blog for Mirko Cro Cop vs. Roy Nelson, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s UFC pay-per-view card at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Nelson (15-6) has lost his last two fights in decisions against Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir. Cro Cop (27-9-2) is also on a two-fight skid, both knockout losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub.
The live blog is below.
Round 2: Nelson rocked Cro Cop with a right hand. Nelson went in for the kill and Cro Cop floored him with a left. Cro Cop went in for the finish and flurried. Nelson covered up and stayed alive as the crowd went wild. Nelson is bleeding from the nose. A Cro Cop head kick was mostly deflected by Nelson to a huge pop. We’re midway through now. Nelson takes him down and moves to side mount. Nelson tried to set up the crucifix but Cro Cop kept his hand high. Nelson finally got the crucifix with :30 left. Nelson threw left hands but they weren’t heavy ones. Ref Steve Mazzagatti thought about stopping it but correctly let it go. Cro Cop made it out. Nelson 10-9 but a very back and forth round makes it difficult to score.
Round 3: Nelson wobbled Cro Cop with a big right hand early. For some reason he didn’t follow it up. Another right hand from Nelson hurt him again. Cro Cop went down this time and Nelson rained punches from the back until ref Steve Mazzagatti stopped it.
Winner: Roy Nelson via TKO, Rd. 3 (1:30)
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Undefeated middleweights, Dustin Jacoby and Clifford Starks, are scheduled to make their UFC debuts as they are scheduled to meet in a preliminary bout streamed live on Facebook.com. Originally scheduled to face Brad Tavares, Jacoby has now been lined …
Undefeated middleweights, Dustin Jacoby and Clifford Starks, are scheduled to make their UFC debuts as they are scheduled to meet in a preliminary bout streamed live on Facebook.com.
Originally scheduled to face Brad Tavares, Jacoby has now been lined up to face a late-replacement in Starks.
After competing in multiple organizations, Starks looks to leave a lasting impression on fans, as well as keep his undefeated record intact, when he makes his debut this weekend. Representing Arizona Sports Combat, Starks brings an accomplished wrestling pedigree with him, as he was NCAA Division 1 wrestling standout at Arizona State University. Currently on a seven-fight win streak, Starks has finished his last four opponents, most of which occurred at Rage in the Cage, while his most recent win came against Artenas Young at Shark Fights 20.
Jacoby, who also boasts an undefeated record, looks to extend his unbeaten streak to 7-0. While competing in various organizations, Jacoby has finished five of his last six opponents via KO/TKO. The 23-year-old will be coming into this bout with a distinct height advantage, standing at 6’4,” the tallest in the middleweight division.
Standing at 6’4,”Jacoby will enjoy a six-inch height advantage over Starks, who stands at 5’10.”
Starks will most likely want to avoid standing up with his opponent, as he will have difficulty trying to get inside of Jacoby and land effective strikes. Starks will likely look to take the fight to the ground to keep Jacoby off of his vertical base and utilize his wrestling skills to control him.
Jacoby’s height and reach advantage will help him find success on the feet, as he should look to maintain distance to prevent Starks from shooting for a take down. Both Jacoby and Starks hold finishing ability and neither one of them will hesitate to look for a finish should the opportunity present itself.
While both me holds similar professional records, it’s hard to imagine Starks finding much success with his wrestling ability, as he attempts to avoid Jacoby’s reach and get inside of his range.
Prediction: Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges