Friday 15 August 2008

The Stagnation of Cro Cop


Just under two years ago, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was riding high on a wave of euphoria. He had gained his first major MMA title by winning the Pride FC Open Weight Grand Prix and all he had to do was beat a bulked up Wanderlei Silva (who at that point still had the aura of an unstoppable wrecking machine, and was still Pride's 205lbs champion) and the ever dangerous and consistent Top 5 Heavyweight Josh Barnett.

In the same night.

Some people aren't that keen on the tournament format (I have my complaints which I may write about another time), but beating two top tier fighters in the same night is still no mean feat. A rematch with Heavyweight kingpin Fedor Emelianenko to end the year seemed inevitable.

However with rumours already emerging on the financial difficulties Pride FC and parent company Dream Stage Entertainment were having (thanks in no small part to losing a network television deal with Fuji due to the discovery of Yakuza ties and possible influence in the organisation) as well as Fedor being out for an unknown length of time due to injury (a busted toe of all things), Cro Cop took the initiative and headed for greener pastures.

Rumours of Cro Cop jumping ship to significantly bolster the failing Heavyweight ranks of the Ultimate Fighting Championship were soon confirmed and many believed the definitive number #2 ranked Heavyweight would cut through the UFC and become champion before going on to face Fedor in a unification bout (official or otherwise).

Unfortunately things didn’t go according to plan.

Seemingly a combination of arrogance, apathy and lack of preparation resulted in a 1-2-0 UFC career that probably cost the UFC more money then it made for them. The Croation K1 stand out was sliding down the ranks and out of fans’ interest. Cro Cop had Cro Flopped.

With no immediate use for him especially considering his base salary per fight, UFC happily ended their arrangement with Filipovic so he could fight elsewhere, build up his confidence and get some ring time with a promise to return and redeem himself.

Fast forward a few months to today and it seems he is in no rush to do so. A win over a last minute replacement that is my very definition of a can (someone who is setup to be knocked down) Cro Cop doesn’t look like he may fight again this year. Turning down a grappling match with Roger Gracie is fine considering the stupidity of such a booking, but the cancellation of a match with revived Heavyweight Allistair Overeem at Dream 6 has not only caused the ire of The Demolition Man but many fans alike.

It is possible that this is the promoter’s doing, and it has been suggested that Dream may have financial problems (despite these rumours being debunked if you look outside of North American sources), but for Cro Cop to have fought once in 12 months isn’t the sort of frequency that will ingratiate him to fight fans or promoters. Put it this way; UFC aren’t clamouring to get him back even with the sorry state their Heavyweight division is in.

If Cro Cop is serious about getting his spark back, and is serious about redeeming himself and becoming UFC champion and rematching Fedor he should be doing whatever it takes to do so, whether that is finding a different promotion to fight in or as some believe take a significant cut in pay. Through both his K1 career and his stints in Pride and UFC, he can certainly afford to do so until he is back on track and his value approaches what it once was.

Mirko Cro Cop has the ability to be one of the most exciting, marketable and best Heavyweight fighters out there. While often silent and stoic he speaks virtually fluent English and can be marketed as a machine of a fighter who can knock people out with both fists and both feet. As for his continued development as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter he certainly can get access to the proper resources to build the weaker aspects of his game to compliment is world class striking.

But in the end it is up to him.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great read. Your writing is both very accessible and very insightful at the same time.

I'll be back.

Long Live MMA!

-Boondock

KJ Gould said...

Thanks Boondock. I've not written for a while and I know I'm going to be rusty until I can find a flow and rhythm that works best for me. I've already gone back and edited and ammended some entries as I felt they read a bit muddled.

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Great here. Thats my point... people that enjoy watching ground fights.. thats weak... I dont care how much skill is needed to fight on the ground... it makes for a weak fight. No action and boring. Thats why UFC sucks and has weaker fighters... Who the hell wants to watch two guys wrestle for 5 minutes... remember back in the day, when they literaly be on the ground the whole time.. .that was weak.

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