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In the history of mixed martial arts, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović has one of the most lethal leg kicks. He is a large heavyweight kickboxer who often relies on his strong legs to knock opponents out.
However, his era may finally end as he was beaten by Junior dos Santos in the co-main event of UFC 103 on September 19, 2009 (September 20, Sunday here in the Philippines) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, USA. In the third round, Junior Dos Santos badly damaged Cro Cop’s eye causing the latter to ask the referee to stop the fight and give the win to the former.
Here’s the Mirko Cro Cop vs Junior dos Santos video of the fight:
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You can also watch the replay or the video of the Rich Franklin vs Vitor Belfort fight.
Please read my related posts:
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- UFC on Versus 1 | Dos Santos Destroys Gonzaga In the co-main event of UFC on Versus 1: Vera vs Jones, two Brazilians in the heavyweight division meets for...
- UFC 115 | Mirko Cro Cop Submits Patrick Barry In his heydays, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović became one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts while in PRIDE...
- UFC on Fox 1 | Cain Velasquez vs Junior dos Santos MATCHUP: Cain Velasquez vs Junior “Cigano” dos Santos EVENT: UFC on Fox: Velasquez vs Dos Santos (UFC on Fox 1)...
- UFC 119 | Frank Mir vs Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic When UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was out due to health concerns, a UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship matchup was created....
Tags: junior dos santos, mirko cro cop, UFC 103
September 24th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Mirko Crocop will always be one of the greatest names in the world of MMA. Hopefully he tries to go down to the light heavyweight division to explore more competition.
[Reply]
ark Reply:
September 24th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Isn’t he just a little too big for the light-heavyweight division?
[Reply]
Louis Dizon Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Actually, his frame can be well suited for light heavyweight. Crocop weighs 220+ pounds, which is the same as Brandon Vera and Couture’s weight when they are in the HW division, and both are now in the LHW division. He can stand a better chance in taking on 205 pounders than throw himself into a pool of 250-265 lbs fighters who seem to have dominated him in his past fights.
But too bad, Crocop already called it quits.
[Reply]
ark Reply:
September 25th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Well, Cro Cop already had a very illustrious career spanning 13 years. He had fights with and defeated the best there is (except Fedor). I think he has nothing left to prove.
This is what he said after his loss to Dos Santos,
“Maybe the ones who have said that I’m done are right. Obviously, I can’t break my mental block in the Octagon. Besides, I’ve been training like a spartan for 20 years now — my body is worn out. The years caught up to me, I’ve been worn out…. [Junior dos Santos] won that fight and would have won it by decision. Simply put, he is younger, more hungry, more aggressive. He wanted to win a lot more…. The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I’m not looking for an alibi. This was not the performance the public would pay for. I don’t feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I’m not ready to take risks. I would like to thank everybody that supported me and stood by me and everyone who helped me to prepare for this fight. I’ve been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 a.m. and having physically challenging task up to 8 p.m. I want a normal life. I’m entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can’t win that way. Maybe I should’ve quit after I won the open weight grand prix.”
[Reply]
September 25th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Yeah I read that. He’s made a great career and contributed some of the best highlights in MMA. Don’t forget Nogueira though. He’s included in the list of fighters that Crocop didn’t beat in Pride.
[Reply]
ark Reply:
September 27th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
If he won, I think Cro Cop vs Nogueira is in the works. Too bad he’s finally calling it quits.
[Reply]
Louis Dizon Reply:
September 27th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Yeah too bad. But Nogueira already beat Crocop way back in Pride via arm bar. Although Nog was knocked down with a head kick and saved by the bell. So I guess a rematch is good.
[Reply]
ark Reply:
September 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I think that might still be possible as CroCop still has two fights left in his UFC contract and he is thinking of honoring his deal.
[Reply]
February 19th, 2010 at 5:29 am
[...] retirement after a rough loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103, is Mirko “Cro Cop” finally [...]
March 19th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
[...] as the Brazilian heavyweight kickboxing champion. His most impressive win to date was against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103. In his last fight, he knocked-out Gilbert Yvel at UFC 108 in the 1st [...]