Mirko “Cro Cop” Concedes He Won’t Be at His Best vs. Frank Mir

Over the last couple of days we’ve been trying to determine Mirko “Cro Cop’s” thought process, in agreeing to fight Frank Mir on short notice, September 25th, at UFC 119. If you listen very carefully…you can still hear the disappointed cries of hardcore “Minotauro” Nogueira fans; sh-t’s rough. As we’ve said since the news of […]

cro cop special forces

Over the last couple of days we’ve been trying to determine Mirko “Cro Cop’s” thought process, in agreeing to fight Frank Mir on short notice, September 25th, at UFC 119. If you listen very carefully…you can still hear the disappointed cries of hardcore “Minotauro” Nogueira fans; sh-t’s rough. As we’ve said since the news of Nog’s unfortunate injury was announced, we’re happy Cro Cop has agreed to step up, but it was kind of surprising considering he was supposedly thinking about hanging them up.

Well, in a report today from MMA Bay, we’re getting some possible insights into Cro Cop’s decision. Now we have a hard time translating U.K. English into American English, much less any other language, so we’ll have to take MMA Bay’s ‘word’ on the following comments. According to a report from Index.hr, here is some of what the Croatian bomber had to say about his upcoming bout with Mir.

“It is certain that I will not be able to go full force. I was left with only five weeks to prepare. I would not agree to the madness of this fight if Lorenzo Fertitta didn’t beg me to step in. They were in a difficult situation because Minotauro could not fight, and this is my way to repay [the UFC].”…”This all, of course, does not mean that I am looking for an excuse, but I certainly will not be ready. However, it still means I can lay out Frank Mir in the first round.”

There’s some ‘straight shooting’ for you (Mirko was a Special Forces officer after all). The short notice is something to consider though if you’re considering betting. Should be interesting.

CSAC Confirms Anderson Silva’s Rib Injury

Announcing after a fight (that you just got beat down in) that you were injured heading into it, is kind of like telling your buddy you think his girl is banging your other friend; yes, people need to hear the truth, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to like hearing it. Okay, maybe those two […]

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Announcing after a fight (that you just got beat down in) that you were injured heading into it, is kind of like telling your buddy you think his girl is banging your other friend; yes, people need to hear the truth, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to like hearing it. Okay, maybe those two things aren’t at all similar, (and here’s hoping you don’t have experience in either scenario) but if you were one of the people screaming “B.S.” when Anderson Silva said he had injured his rib prior to his bout with Chael Sonnen, an apology might be in order.

According to the California State Athletic Commission, who released their medical suspensions from UFC 117 yesterday, Silva is suspected of having a fractured rib and is suspended from fighting for 6 months (unless cleared by a doctor prior). Now yes, the rib injury could have been sustained during the fight while Sonnen continually beat on the champ, but the normally fleet of foot Silva did seem a little off from the opening bell no? It’s not like the CSAC said he didn’t hurt his rib; that would have looked sketchy.

The confirmation doesn’t change much in the sense that we all knew Silva would be on the sidelines for a while, and although Sonnen certainly deserves another crack based off his performance, the door does seem wide open for a Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort tilt in the meantime? Joe, Dana, the Fertitta fellas, we doing this?

UFC Confirms Mirko “Cro Cop” vs. Frank Mir for UFC 119

Yesterday we passed along news that Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira would reportedly not fight Frank Mir as scheduled September 25th, due to a rib injury, and that Mirko “Cro Cop” had agreed to step in as Nog’s replacement. Injuries happen, so that’s not too surprising, but we probably weren’t the only ones who had their eyebrows […]

cro cop

Yesterday we passed along news that Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira would reportedly not fight Frank Mir as scheduled September 25th, due to a rib injury, and that Mirko “Cro Cop” had agreed to step in as Nog’s replacement. Injuries happen, so that’s not too surprising, but we probably weren’t the only ones who had their eyebrows rise upon reading “Cro Cop” was taking the fight. Could it be that “Cro Cop” had reconsidered previous statements he made about getting “too old” for all this ultimate fighting stuff? (Or just as probable—that those comments were taken out of context or inaccurate?)

Well, apparently we kicked into ‘over thinking’ mode way too early on this one (which isn’t a habit here as any regular reader knows), as the UFC has confirmed today that “Cro Cop” will in fact face Mir at UFC 119 in Indianapolis. If you’re a big time Nog fan, and were hoping for some redemption in the rematch with Mir, sorry about your loss. There’s lots riding on “Cro Cop” vs. Mir as well though; should be sweet.

If you’re having trouble keeping track of the bazillion cards being promoted these days (not that we’re complaining), UFC will also feature Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader, Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra II, Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens on the main card. To bet on any of the upcoming cards head here.

Report: Mirko “Cro Cop” to Replace Injured “Minotauro” Nogueira vs. Frank Mir

If you’re a huge “Minotauro” Nogueira fan and have had September 25th marked down on your calendar, in anticipation of your boy getting another shot at Frank Mir, well, you may want to put the coffee down (or any other object that could be thrown courtesy a temper tantrum). According to a report from Fighters Only […]

cro cop

If you’re a huge “Minotauro” Nogueira fan and have had September 25th marked down on your calendar, in anticipation of your boy getting another shot at Frank Mir, well, you may want to put the coffee down (or any other object that could be thrown courtesy a temper tantrum). According to a report from Fighters Only Magazine Nogueira has been forced to withdraw from UFC 119 due to an injury. In a follow up report from MMA Junkie, a source has confirmed with the outlet, that a rib injury has in fact punted the legendary heavyweight from the card.

So, for big time Nog fans this news has to be very disappointing, as Nogueira has consistently said that a serious staph infection and a messed up knee, were key reasons as to why he got absolutely pasted by Mir at UFC 92. Looks like Nog learned his lesson in terms of trying to fight through an injury no?

Now, the sh-tty news regarding Nogueira’s injury aside, Fighters Only is reporting that Mirko “Cro Cop” will step in to fight Mir at UFC 119. Our first reaction was ‘cool—wait—what?’ Now Cro Cop has clearly fought some of the best in the sport, and if he has indeed agreed to fight Mir then that’s awesome, but it wasn’t long ago we were hearing reports that he was humming and hawing about retirement. Now he’s stepping up against one the world’s best on 6 week’s notice? Guess he’s still looking to make a run.

Report: Ben Saunders Cut by the UFC

If someone approached you last November and told you that in less than one year’s time, Ben Saunders would no longer be in the UFC, you probably would have told that person they were out of their damn mind (unless of course that person had just stepped out of steaming hot DeLorean). What went down […]

saunders

If someone approached you last November and told you that in less than one year’s time, Ben Saunders would no longer be in the UFC, you probably would have told that person they were out of their damn mind (unless of course that person had just stepped out of steaming hot DeLorean). What went down in November? Saunders KO’d Marcus Davis with a series of ‘close your eyes kids” knees, at UFC 106, to run his Octagon record to 4-1. Things were looking swell for the “Killa B.”

Well unfortunately for the American Top Team welterweight, since then Saunders has gone 0-2, losing to Jon Fitch by UD (which most expected), and most recently at UFC 117, he dropped another decision to the vet Dennis Hallman (that likely surprised a few people). In this business of ‘what have you done for me lately?’, Saunders has apparently announced via his Facebook account, that he’s been cut by the UFC. (Thanks to Bloody Elbow for the quote)

“Sorry everyone I tried to fight my best these past two fights but ended up getting out worked. The UFC has officially cut me. The good news is they told me to work on my wrestling and ground game and then come back. So that is all I am going to be doing, improving dramatically and show them I belong.”

Based off some of Saunder’s earlier performances, cue footage of win over Brandon Wolff, we’re thinking he’ll be back in the Octagon soon enough.

Randy Couture Talks New UFC Contract

Remember, way back in the day (three years is a long time for some), when all the talk was about if and when a recently ‘retired’ Randy Couture might square off with Fedor Emelianenko? Well, if you’ve been clinging to hope that someday, somehow, someway, that super fight might still take place, um, things aren’t […]

COUTURE

Remember, way back in the day (three years is a long time for some), when all the talk was about if and when a recently ‘retired’ Randy Couture might square off with Fedor Emelianenko? Well, if you’ve been clinging to hope that someday, somehow, someway, that super fight might still take place, um, things aren’t looking so good.

Earlier today we passed along the news that in a recent press conference, Fedor announced that he’s interested in signing a new multi-fight deal with Strikeforce, possibly for 4-6 fights. Yup, as we noted this AM, based off the frequency of Fedor’s fights, the Russian could be pushing 40 by the time that contract’s fulfilled. As far as Couture, well the legendary fighter’s upcoming UFC 118 bout with James Toney is apparently the second last bout on his current UFC deal, but as it’s looking like right now, Captain America isn’t looking to move. In a recent interview with MMA Weekly, Couture had this to say about his upcoming free agency:

“I’m sure the UFC, if things continue the way they’ve been continuing, will want to sign me to a new contract,” Couture said on Thursday. “That’s a long ways away as far as I can see. Right now, I’m not looking past James Toney, and be ready for that.”

No surprises there. Couture also added that his future bouts will likely take place at 205. So, really, it’s looking like the closest we’ll get to Fedor vs. Randy is by simulating it on EA Sports MMA. On the plus side, it’s just awesome Couture’s not even talking retirement; we could still see him throwing down two years from now.