Mirko Cro Cop leaves UFC and will fight for DREAM in Japan

[Mark Kerr]

mirko lost 2 out of 3 at ufc.

if he still had the passion for fighting that he used to, he would have taken the cut, gone back to the gym and came back more dominant than ever.

when a fighter puts money before legacy/pride it's a very telling sign. when the pressure's on against a top flight hungry opponent and it comes down to heart, mirko's going to give out first.

with the new org he will fight tomato cans for pay until he retires.

Why would anyone take a pay cut? Just to prove to a bunch of "keyboard warriors" as yourself he can fight? We all know what a focused Cro Cop can do, he fought and beat some of the best fighters in the world. Dana White let him go back to Japan. Dana said if he wins his next 3 fights, he has to return to The UFC to finish his contract.

[Fury]

Why would anyone take a pay cut? Just to prove to a bunch of "keyboard warriors" as yourself he can fight? We all know what a focused Cro Cop can do, he fought and beat some of the best fighters in the world. Dana White let him go back to Japan. Dana said if he wins his next 3 fights, he has to return to The UFC to finish his contract.

Exactly. His legacy was solidified with the OWGP run. Just because the resident MMA all-stars on Getbig aren't fans of the guy, doesn't mean jack shit to him. It's all about the cheddah baby.

mirko lost 2 out of 3 at ufc.

if he still had the passion for fighting that he used to, he would have taken the cut, gone back to the gym and came back more dominant than ever.

when a fighter puts money before legacy/pride it's a very telling sign. when the pressure's on against a top flight hungry opponent and it comes down to heart, mirko's going to give out first.

with the new org he will fight tomato cans for pay until he retires.

That argument about legacy/pride over money would hold a lot more water if Rampage wasn't the LHW belt holder and always talking about how he does it for the money.

[Earl1972]

this is disappointing

E

[Bluto]

"I can perfectly understand a decreased interest in me after my bad performances. It's just business and you can't blame the UFC or Mr. White for putting me aside. I can only say that Mr. White acted very professional and I had no problem in getting released from my UFC contract. I also hope that we'll always respect each other and perhaps work together in the future." - crocop

[Mark Kerr]

"I can perfectly understand a decreased interest in me after my bad performances. It's just business and you can't blame the UFC or Mr. White for putting me aside. I can only say that Mr. White acted very professional and I had no problem in getting released from my UFC contract. I also hope that we'll always respect each other and perhaps work together in the future." - crocop

What a cool guy.

He blames no one but himself.

[Bluto]

yes and especially cool that he share the same opinion i had and posted here: that is ufc cant be blamed and what they did is understandable.

[Mark Kerr]

yes and especially cool that he share the same opinion i had and posted here: that is ufc cant be blamed and what they did is understandable.

It work out the best for both parties. Dana White said if he wins his next three fights, he has to return to the Ufc to finish the remainder of his contract.

[Bluto]

It work out the best for both parties. Dana White said if he wins his next three fights, he has to return to the Ufc to finish the remainder of his contract.

YES VERY BEAUTIFUL!

[BEAST 8692]

Exactly. His legacy was solidified with the OWGP run. Just because the resident MMA all-stars on Getbig aren't fans of the guy, doesn't mean jack shit to him. It's all about the cheddah baby.


That argument about legacy/pride over money would hold a lot more water if Rampage wasn't the LHW belt holder and always talking about how he does it for the money.

no one that just fights for the money has ever become a champion...NO ONE.

if you don't truly love fighting you can't possibly reach the top. you will get found out early on in your career by someone who has got the passion.

cro-cop early in his career would have taken the cut, trained his ass off, levelled the score and got paid his due again. taking a backward step ie going back to lower class fighters is not the actions of a passionate fighter or a hungry fighter.

[cycle_doc01]

from my understanding of ufc contracts they were performance based w/clauses that allowed for evaluation of performance. this is type contracts that is used w/ most org. hell wcw had 30 day evaluation reviews which were based on performance,tv ratings and fan base etc. you think ufc/Dana is bad wcw was unbelievable. talking about no job security. you could have long term contract for tons of money and have couple bad ratings or string of injuries and they sent you walking. i know its true cause i worked w/ alot of those guys when i was in Atl.
so this is nothing new w/regards to contracts, CroCop knew this. i think he just wanted a way out to go somewhere else.
the drug testing here US has affected alot of the guys that came over to the ufc, regardless of what some think, its a big deal. when you accustom to training and preparing a certain way for many yrs its hard to stay at the top of your game when factors are taken away, mentally and physical. bottom line people don't like the change from a routine.

[Captain Equipoise]

no one that just fights for the money has ever become a champion...NO ONE.

if you don't truly love fighting you can't possibly reach the top. you will get found out early on in your career by someone who has got the passion.

Michael Moorer comes to mind in the early-mid 90's..

[Earl1972]

Michael Moorer comes to mind in the early-mid 90's..

what makes you say he fought for the money?

E

[BEAST 8692]

of course fighters want to get paid well, but my point is, you don't become a champion and stay that way unless you have a real passion for your work.

mirko got his ass handed to him by 2 fighters that he will not face again any time soon, because he's running away to another fed.

put it this way, when couture got beat by tito or chuck, what was the first burning desire he had? to rectify the situation or at least be given the chance to, because he's a competitor first and foremost.

mirko knows very well that if he came back with the pay cut and rebuilt himself, he would get the high purses again.

by running off to another fed everyone knows (not just people on this board) that it doesn't matter who he fights at dream, the guys at ufc own him.

no passionate champion would leave that hanging over their head.

[Geo]

Michael Moorer comes to mind in the early-mid 90's..

Moorer never really got credit for being one of the best Light heavies in a long time because he fought with a WBO title around his waist which kind of kept him out of the mainstream......

Mirko's damaged goods at this point and any new organization that signs him is signing his name more than anything else....

good move on dana's part to let the guy go

[BEAST 8692]

Moorer never really got credit for being one of the best Light heavies in a long time because he fought with a WBO title around his waist which kind of kept him out of the mainstream......

Mirko's damaged goods at this point and any new organization that signs him is signing his name more than anything else....

good move on dana's part to let the guy go

mirko's assets have always been based on his striking power and athleticism (speed, agility, movement).

this type of limited dimensional fighter is not made for longevity like a multi dimensional couture, nog or fedor.

father time has caught up with mirko and he's deluded by his own ego and vanity at this point.

[Bluto]

maybe crocop should go back to k-1

but then again, maybe not, he couldnt finish kongo even

[Mark Kerr]

maybe crocop should go back to k-1

but then again, maybe not, he couldnt finish kongo even

You should look at the other way around. Kongo couldn't finish a guy that had 2 broken ribs, and had been repeatedly kneed in the balls.

That says alot about Kongo.

[Bluto]

You should look at the other way around. Kongo couldn't finish a guy that had 2 broken ribs, and had been repeatedly kneed in the balls.

That says alot about Kongo.

People expect more from Crocop than Kongo. So they will judge him much harder.

[BEAST 8692]

People expect more from Crocop than Kongo. So they will judge him much harder.

with the big name and pay checks come responsibilities.

kongo is nowhere close to that status and he talks shit like jackson, which means he'll have to work extra hard to make money.

[Captain Equipoise]

what makes you say he fought for the money?

E

Listen to some of his interviews from around the time he was fighting, on several occasions he stated that he was in it 'just for the money' and wanted to retire after a few 'big fights' and that he  had no intention of ending up like some of those old brain dead boxers who suffered too many  concussion and still kept trying at it. He had a very definite timeframe for his pro fighting career, something like 3-4 years.

[Earl1972]

Listen to some of his interviews from around the time he was fighting, on several occasions he stated that he was in it 'just for the money' and wanted to retire after a few 'big fights' and that he  had no intention of ending up like some of those old brain dead boxers who suffered too many  concussion and still kept trying at it. He had a very definite timeframe for his pro fighting career, something like 3-4 years.

but he still fights today

E

[BEAST 8692]

but he still fights today

E

true

every fighter plans to get out before it's too late, but when they try to retire it dawns on them that they don't know how to do anything else. they've been training and fighting so long that it's completely out of their comfort zone to get a normal job.

one more fight becomes too many fights.