‘Cro Cop’ May Settle in with UFC
Jake Rossen Jul 9, 2009
After inciting a mini-revolt over allegations he bolted on a verbal
agreement with the UFC to head overseas, Croatian Mirko “Cro
Cop” Filipovic appears to have settled on a suitor: Several
sites are reporting that he could face Junior dos
Santos at UFC 103 in Dallas on Sept. 19.
The fallout from Filipovic’s fight with Mustapha al Turk at June’s UFC 99 in Germany was something resembling the Rashomon effect: Dana White believed that the fighter went back on his pledge for a long-term deal with the promotion; stateside reps for Japanese promotion Dream swore he had signed with them; Filipovic himself said no decision was ever officially made.
This is all a lot of tension over an athlete who has looked less than terrifying in recent outings. Filipovic is dangerous, and there’s always a morbid appeal in the threat of that high kick, but he has yet to find a solution for fighters who pressure and back him up. The interest from promoters seems to be in reaction to a “Cro Cop” that’s long left the building.
The fallout from Filipovic’s fight with Mustapha al Turk at June’s UFC 99 in Germany was something resembling the Rashomon effect: Dana White believed that the fighter went back on his pledge for a long-term deal with the promotion; stateside reps for Japanese promotion Dream swore he had signed with them; Filipovic himself said no decision was ever officially made.
This is all a lot of tension over an athlete who has looked less than terrifying in recent outings. Filipovic is dangerous, and there’s always a morbid appeal in the threat of that high kick, but he has yet to find a solution for fighters who pressure and back him up. The interest from promoters seems to be in reaction to a “Cro Cop” that’s long left the building.
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