Some fans thought it was matter of when, not if Mirko "Cro Cop"
Filipovic would grab the UFC heavyweight title. A huge star with PRIDE
in Japan from 2000-2006, Cro Cop has gone just 2-3 in the UFC and now
because of his surly attitude he may be headed for the unemployment
line.
The Croatian was considered the No. 2 heavyweight in the
world when he joined the UFC at the start of 2007. He went just 1-2 in
his first three fights, including a loss to Cheick Kongo, who’s having
trouble beating any quality heavyweight in the UFC right now. After
some injuries and a three fights in Japan, Cro Cop returned in 2009
with what he said was a new attitude and plenty of motivation to repair
his reputation in the UFC.
The second go round hasn’t been too
hot either. Cro Cop beat Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 99 and then right
after the fight word leaked that he had signed to return to Japan, a
move that infuriated UFC president Dana White, who said he got "[expletive]" by Filipovic.
Once cooler heads prevailed, Cro Cop returned again at UFC 103 and lost
via third round stoppage to rising heavyweight star Junior Dos Santos.
Cro
Cop is back on the docket tonight at UFC 110 against fill-in Anthony
Perosh. Some may think that he caught a break by avoiding Ben Rothwell,
who dropped off the card due to illness, and getting to face a blown up
light heavyweight in Perosh. That may not be correct. In some ways, Cro
Cop is now in a must-win situation. During an interview from Sydney,
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole indicated UFC management isn’t thrilled with
the promotional cooperation they’ve been getting from Cro Cop.
Iole was told by UFC president Dana White that Wanderlei Silva and Stephan Bonnar, will be with the the promotion for life. That’s not the case with Cro Cop.