Crocop to come back stronger
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (22-6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), a former PRIDE Fighting Championships heavyweight who’s had a tough run of luck in the UFC, isn’t planning to retire anytime soon. In fact, the 33-year-old Croatian says he has a good “five or six” fights left before his career is finished.
The PRIDE 2006 Open-Weight Grand Prix winner made the comments in an interview posted on his office website at mirko-crocop.com.
Filipovic, who made his octagon debut at UFC 67 with a first-round TKO of Eddie Sanchez, has since suffered back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo. They were the first consecutive losses of the fighter’s career, and they led to speculation that Filipovic might consider retirement.
He did admit that the thought of quitting crossed him mind.
“I did think of (retirement) the night after my last defeat, but I’m not going to end my career soon,” Filipovic said. “Every fight could be your last one. You can suffer from a fatal injury, (or) you can break your leg or arm. If (I’m) able to fight, I’ll fight. It’s my life and my choice, and I enjoy doing it.“
Last month Filipvoc told a Croatian newspaper that he was planning a return to the UFC in early 2008 and that he wanted to fight former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
However, the UFC has made no official announcement regarding either fighter’s next appearance in the organization.
I still have faith in him. I think hes more than capable of coming back and even being champion one day. There is no dought in my mind he is capable of doing this. I cant wait to see him back in the octagon winning in impressive fashion.
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