With the constant barrage of UFC news — and there’s been a lot of it lately — sometimes details kind of get left out.
While writing, it’s super easy to forget that not everyone shares the same amount of knowledge, whether it’s about certain fighters or a seemingly “obscure” reference in a post.
I was reminded of this when I came across an article on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic the other day in the Los Angeles Times (check out the full clip here).
It’s a nice background piece for fans who may not be familiar with the Croatian superstar, as well as a good refresher for those of us who simply can’t get enough of him.
It’s impossible to express the magnitude of this acquisition, but I think the author Dave Meltzer may have hit the nail on the head in his article.
Here’s a snip:
UFC President Dana White’s signing of Cro Cop to a two-year, six-fight deal marked a major moment in the sport. It can be argued this was the moment that the U.S. established itself as the world’s leader in MMA. Through the growth in PPV, UFC is now taking in revenue that the Japanese promotions can’t match. For the first time, it can legitimately afford to offer more money to top talent and in doing so, has signed its hottest foreign star.
I was shocked and puzzled when the UFC didn’t milk this major announcement for all it was worth at UFC 66 (click here for the rant as well as a nice Cro Cop highlight reel). And, a lot of that has to do with the lack of name recognition among the majority of fans here in the United States.
No matter how much I try to rationalize with myself, I still have a hard time believing it — even though it’s true.
Here’s another snip:
The uniqueness of MMA as a sport that many in the past year have become fans of but few follow closely has created a dichotomy. White had to pay top dollar to get a fighter whose name value in this country is very small. Cro Cop’s potential is gigantic … [he's] a human highlight reel, but with the North American fan base, aside from those who have seen tapes of his fights on FSN’s Pride shows, he’s an unknown. The reaction in Las Vegas to the signing being announced showed the amount of fans familiar with him was not very high.
Unbelievable.
On February 3, many UFC fans will get to see Cro Cop firsthand when he makes his debut at UFC 67 against Eddie Sanchez.
And I think most if not all of them will wonder how in hell they haven’t heard of him sooner.
Feel free to read more about Cro Cop in the archive.
8 Comments »
Can’t say I disagree with the UFC’s relative caution in marketing Cro Cop. Remember the celebration behind Jens Pulver’s return? Thanks to some kid named Lauzon, barely old enough to buy beer, newer fans are still wondering why anybody cared. The chances of Eddie Sanchez being anything other than human target practice are real slim, but the frequency of upsets in MMA is a big attraction to some people. Be happy about signing Cro Cop, let him earn the respect of the fans who don’t known him (instead of ordering them to respect the guy) and if the improbable doesn’t happen, give him a title shot that he deserves. Nothing to lose there. And if somebody gets a lucky shot in (a la Kevin Randleman), UFC doesn’t look like a bunch of monkeys hyping the guy so much. Let people figure it out for themselves.
This just proves that most UFC fans aren’t knowledgable at all when it come to MMA. PRIDE fans def. get it. UFC has attracted a lot of posers and “weekend fans” because its perceived as the “in” thing. Cro Cop is a stud and I think that it looks bad for the UFC that they didn’t give him the proper introduction. It shows that most of there fans are just ignorant.
CRo Cop has been kicking ass and taking names for years- any true MMa fan knows that much.
Well put, Hyde.
joey v are u serious? ignornat?-thats like the pot calling the kettle black. i agree with hyde, is not because ufc fans are ignorant its because the ufc is being careful with a prized fighter-imagine that. why the hell are you even on a ufc site if you like pride so much anyway? no need for your nonsense here.
Well, respectfully, good points by both sides, I just wanna know, how many UFC fans now think his name is Mirko Crocop? Why didnt they put in hes last name? It isnt anymore difficult to pronounce then most of the fighters in the UFC. When Liddell goes to Japan, do they call him Iceman-Chuck?
It was rumored elsewhere that, when he signed his UFC contract, he asked to be marketed as “Mirko Cro Cop.” One can only speculate as to why.
I think JoeyV has a bit of a point, but takes it too far. No need to call fans posers… Some fans are new others have been around a while. I think in the States people who are really into MMA tend to look elsewhere than UFC b/c the UFC doesn’t put on all that many shows. On the other hand though, the UFC is the only organization that is putting quality MMA on tv for free.
I have never seen Pride fights except on Youtube… If Pride wants new fans and wants to stay competitive they need to attract Americans, (or in my case Canadians, and the only sure way to do that is to offer some quality free content. Props to the UFC for bringing new fans to MMA b/c of TUF series and the Ultimate Fight Night Live and Unleashed…
…Eddie Sanchez it doomed!