Since 1996, Mirko Cro Cop has made his mark on combat sports, and since 2001, he has been involved with mixed martial arts. Once known as the most feared striker in MMA, now his ability to pull the trigger is being questioned. Is it time for Cro Cop to hang up the gloves for good?
In the all-time category, Mirko Cro Cop could easily be considered a top-10 heavyweight. Through his Pride days he fought the best of the best and won most of those fights. In Japan, Cro Cop has a record of 23-4-2 1 NC, while outside of Japan he is 4-4. Since his return to the UFC in 2009 he is 3-2, the two losses coming against two of the top guys in the division.
His last fight with Frank Mir was a very odd performance for him. He didn't appear to be himself in that fight; maybe it was mutual respect. It was truly odd, especially to say that Cro Cop was in a boring fight. The fight ended when Mir caught Cro Cop with a knee and knocked him out cold.
Cro Cop says the fire is back. If this is true, then that means "Good night Irene" for Brendan Schaub (his opponent at UFC 128). Maybe Cro Cop is back, maybe he is hungry to go out on one last hurrah. There is nothing more the fans would like to see than a classic Cro Cop left high kick.
Truthfully, Cro Cop is better in all aspects of the game than his opponent, Schaub. Mirko formerly trained Jiu Jitsu with Fabricio Werdum, and his ground game is truly underrated. Cro Cop needs to pull the trigger if he wishes to stay in the UFC, but more importantly, he needs to prove that he still has it.
Win, lose, or draw, Mirko still has some fight left in him. I'd truly love to see him fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira one last time, and what better place than Brazil? Will UFC 128 be the final time we see the "Croatian Sensation" fight? Let's hope not. Be sure to catch UFC 128, this event decides many factors.
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