Mirko Cro Cop: I will retire if the UFC decide to cut me
Posted on March 28, 2011, 07:56 AM by Anton GurevichPRIDE legend Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic discussed his future, declaring that he may retire if Dana White decides to officially cut him from the promotion. Thirty-six year old Cro Cop is 27-9 in his illustrious MMA career, currently having two back-to-back KO losses to Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub. The Croat is 4-5 in his UFC campaign, having 4 of his defeats via TKO.
Here's what Mirko Cro Cop had to say to the local media after his return in Zagreb, Croatia last week:
There's one fight left on my UFC contract. I will have this fight, regardless of what the reporters think. However, there's a possibility that the UFC will insist on not allowing me to fight. I will accept their decision. It's time to retire, despite the fact that I want to continue. Next year, it will be 20 years since my first fight... I had a great career, and I don't regret anything. But I don't want to finish it defeated.
I'm very sorry. I was more than ready for my last two fights, but still, I was unable to see the punches coming. I would like to apologize to all my fans. Believe me, I'm also very disappointed.
On fighting for other MMA promotions:
There's no other options. UFC is a monopoly. Soon, they'll swallow Strikeforce, so I have basically nowhere to go. The Japanese market is dead, DREAM is dead, and the tragedy in Japan annihilated all the other Japanese MMA promotions.
Original translation by ValeTudo.ru from Croatian to Russian. If you speak Croatian, here's the real thing (For full translation, check out the user "Noah" in the comments section below):
Comments
Can you translate this Anton? I know you speak ten languages ;)
Translation
First video
The first two rounds where good, what happened in the third?
- Nothing, I got cought by a punch. The sport is like that. It's not like playing ping-pong.
Is this the end wiht UFC, like Dana White announced?
- I don't know. We will see. There is one more fight according to the contract. I don't know if that fight is realy going to take place.
You got some wishes for that last fight?
- No, I got no wishes. Just wanna to get some rest and sleep well. Thank you very much.
Second video
Well, everything is possible in life. I have one more fight according to the contract with UFC. Most likely I will fight that last one fight.
There is ofcourse the possibilty that UFC is not interested in me fighting the fight, then I will accept that no matter we have a contract for one more fight.
I have the right to fight one more time, but if they are not interested(UFC), then I will not be incorrect towards them and accept it.
It's time for me then to retire. Because of my age and the numbers of fights. I have fought more then 70 pro fights.
Next year, it will be 20 years since my first fight. I had a great career, and I don't regret anything.
Ofcourse you want to be the best. And nobody likes to loose. Ofcourse I dont want to retire like this, with a defeat.
But life is like that. With rises and loses. Defeats hit you the most in combat sports. You just have a few fights a year.
In my best year in 2004 I fought 8 times. Wich I think is a record word wide, if you look to numbers of fights in a year for a free fighter.
On the other hand UFC gives you 2 max 3 fights a year. Most of the times you will fight two times a year. In this way you have not much oppertunities to make up your defeats.
It’s not like in tennis, where you can lose in the first round in a weekend. And the second weekend you can go to the finals in a other tournament and maybe even win.
So it’s a other system with other principles. So a defeat in combat sports is harder from to recover than other sports. But I’m realisitic, I have to see that the sport is like that. Life is like that, ofcourse I’m sad about that.
Sometimes you have to have luck in sports. In these last to fights I had no luck what so ever. I was ready for the fight. My cardio was great. But things like this happen. One moment of not being fully attentioned.. A moment comes when the oppopent throuws a punch and that’s it.
I’m sorry for what happened. I would like to apologize to all my fans. Believe me, I'm also very disappointed.
What will happens I don’t know. I would love to do that last fight. To prepare myself to the max and to leave the sport with a win.
I deserve that last fight because of my career. I want to retire with a win.
But if that’s not gonna happen, I will not cry about it. Somewhere it written for me to go this was, It’s destany.
Cro-Cop is in pure denial. Maybe he is having lunch with Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock!
Wow ! thanks Noah for the translation, good work !
Much Appreciated : )
Thank you guy's.
I'm asking cause these are long vids and i guess you left a lot of stuff out.
I translated the ValeTudo's translation from Croatian to Russian. I'll be more than happy if there's someone on LowKick who speaks Croatian :)
I speak Croatian. So I can translate it.
I love Mirko, but it's time for CC to retire; cut or otherwise. He was a fabulous competitor and Champion, but the sport and time have passed him by.
The UFC should retire / cut CC and offer him a job as a roving ambassador for the brand / sport; particularly for the European and Japaneses markets; and as they have done with Liddell (to an extent) I think it would be (not only) the right thing to do, but also a smart business move. Guys like CC & Wand for example, are too loved and too big in the sport, to simply watch them to walk away. I think it's important to keep these guys around and connected to the brand & sport.
I know this, regardless of CC's status in the sport (active or retired), that if he came to my hometown for a book signing or whatever, I'd go out of my way to go to it. I'm sure lots would. That type of fan support is worth money to The UFC; regardless of whether or not Mirko is in or out of the ring; people will always love and respect him.
agreed, id cut my own hand off to meet the man
Is that you Pat Barry?
@ RJ
LOL!
nothing to be sorry for mirko enjoy retirement the sunny beaches and croatian hotties. i will raise a glass to awesome carreer
Hang 'em up Cro Cop, it makes me sad seeing you fight as a shell of your former self.
UFC should take this guy out of his misery. One minute he's ready to fight, the next he doesn't have the desire anymore.
I'd like to disagree with what you have all said....but I can't. :-(
Cro Cop vs Big Nog please!
It is better to end with a bang then with silence!
ufc should cut big nog. if anyone sucks lately its him
Mirko is a legend and he should leave on his own terms. I would love to see him fight and win one last time in the ufc.
The only fight I see making any sense at this point for Mirko is against Big Nog, and it is the only fight I am confident he could win at this point. He really is a shell of his past self - it was disappointing to watch him go down to Schaub like that when I know if he wasn't so gun-shy and if he actually used combinations again he could have won that fight. If the UFC doesn't want that fight, then it is time for CC to retire with no regrets. He fought and battled and died on his shield which is nothing to be ashamed of.
He should fight at Bellator.
would be too bad, especialle since he was winning the fight vs Schaub, untill he got too confident and got caught.
Cro Cop is still dangerous. He messed up Shaub and just got caught. I don't think his chin is affected, it's still very solid. Anyone will drop from a hit to the back of the head (or temple) and that's where Mirko was hit. Pat Barry broke his hand on Cro Cops face and he just took it and kept on going.
He just needs to start spending some of his money and train with other camps. Hell, I traveled all over in the game EA MMA and I learned techniques from everyone and was unbeatable! :)
there's a thin line between reality and fantasy...
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It was Cro Cop who was looking for the clinch mainly which was disappointing. But then with cro cop all you're doing is watching and mouthing HIGH KICK HIGH KICK
Still love watching this guy fight, he packs dynamite behind those kicks.
Guys will lose speed, and maybe even some intuition but power is the last thing to go. This guy still has incredible power, and still keeps me on the edge of my seat regardless of the outcomes.
Would def like to see him go out with a win to cap off a very illustrious career.
Well he is on a losing streak and hasn't been doing so great lately. He is a great fighter but he just doesn't seem like he has that fire that he used to.
I thought Cro-cop was going to win for sure, and i thought it was kinda bs that Shaub got away with so many shots to the back of the head before he got warned and a point taken. Not to mention the final blow was also to the back of the head.. But CC is a legend and he doesn't even bring up that because he is not conceded, and alot of people would be like oh it's just an excuse.. I want to see Brendan get beat up now! :)