Looks like Mirko Cro Cop (22-5-2) is calling in the big guns in preparation for his match against Cheick Kongo at UFC 75.
As we reported here back in May, Filipovic added a cage to his training facility after a vicious ground-and-pound by Gabriel Gonzaga left him blurry-eyed and ripe for a match-ending head kick back at UFC 70.
Now he looks to beef up the ranks of his sparring team with the addition of former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez (25-6).
Rodriguez was recently taken off an HCF fight card after being refused entry into Canada, according to Full Contact Fighter. No official reason was given, but I suspect environmental impact as the culprit.
Fans of UFC yesteryear may remember Rodriguez as a svelte competitor with world class jiu-jitsu and great hands.
What a difference a few years make.
I wasn’t sure what Cro Cop had in mind in regard to Rodriguez, but then I remembered that training video where Sean Sherk was flipping over tractor tires to improve his strength and endurance.
Also enlisted was ruthless Russian heavyweight Sergei Kharitonov (14-3).
Kharitonov is a dynamic fighter with deadly hands and excellent submissions. Despite poor showings against Overeem and Emelianenko, he does have (T)KO wins over Ninja Rua, Hightower Schilt and Pedro Rizzo.
Aside from the cage, which should have been an absolute must before the ink was even dry on his UFC contract, I don’t know if these additions are necessary.
I think the Eddie Sanchez fight played a big part in the loss to Gonzaga. Had Sanchez actually taken it to him, perhaps Cro Cop would have been a little less complacent in his fight against Gonzaga.
Perhaps.
Regardless, it looks like Cro Cop isn’t taking any chances this time around.
21 Comments »
Rodriguez is enormously talented (no pun intended). Yes, he’s put on weight, but let’s remember this is the same guy who subbed Big Nog at Abu Dhabi and TKO’d Randy Couture. Rodriguez has lost his own personal way, but I have no doubt that this will help him enormously in his fight with Kongo.
im not really seeing how a guy like this can help him train for kongo. maybe gonzaga but not kongo. kongo is a large pure striker with really good kickboxing. i would think he would get a large pure striker to train with. well hes been training longer than i been training so i guess he knows what hes doing. howver this could throw his timing off and end up ko’d again. well see
THE NEW UFC GAME TRAILER SITE THAT I PUT UP IN MY LAST POST SEEMS TO NOT BE WORKING NOW. HERE IS A LINK IF U GO 3/4 DOWN THE PAGE YOU CAN SEE A SMALLER VERSION OF IT. TRY TO SEE THE FULL SCREEN MODE THOUGH IN COUPLE DAYS. GAME LOOKS SICK AS HELL!!!
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=603616&page=8
[quote post="2726"]i would think he would get a large pure striker to train with[/quote]
A guy that comes to mind is Semmy Schilt.
I dont think it has anything to do with Congo, and more with the ways of the octagon. Stuffing takedowns, using the cage defensively, that sort of thing. The word is out right now on the soccer kicking Pride heads coming to the UFC, learning the modified MMA style as fast as you can should be the most important thing for any UFC bound former Pride fighter.
STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?
[quote comment="103356"]STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?[/quote]
Man, that’s cool as hell. I might have to post it.
[quote comment="103359"][quote comment="103356"]STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?[/quote]
Man, that’s cool as hell. I might have to post it.[/quote]
I think that it is post worthy. Too bad IGN only has a short video. I would like to find out what fighters are featured in the game. Was it produced too late for Shogun? Silva? Fedor?
[quote comment="103359"][quote comment="103356"]STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?[/quote]
Man, that’s cool as hell. I might have to post it.[/quote]
No im not getting paid. Ive just been waiting to see this game FOREVER and thought people would love to see it as well!!! Imagine playing this on xbox live or even with your freinds before a major ufc event. i originally saw the full screen video at http://www.ign.com but it seems to not be working at the moment.
[quote comment="103366"][quote comment="103359"][quote comment="103356"]STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?[/quote]
Man, that’s cool as hell. I might have to post it.[/quote]
No im not getting paid. Ive just been waiting to see this game FOREVER and thought people would love to see it as well!!! Imagine playing this on xbox live or even with your freinds before a major ufc event. i originally saw the full screen video at http://www.ign.com but it seems to not be working at the moment.[/quote]
I don’t care what anybody else says about you, I thought it was a cool post.
Rodriguez came to my bjj school in Austin. He trained with my teacher because he supposedly was going to fight in ABCC. Anyway, he slimmed down a lot. He was not as svelte as he was in the Smashing Machine doc, but he was not nearly as heavy as that picture either. I would guess he was down to about 270-ish. Very skilled, though!
Canada wouldn’t let Ricco Rodriguez in to their country unless he would promise to not take a dump the entire time. That would cause environmental holocaust.
Canada wouldn’t let Ricco Rodriguez in to their country because he didn’t have the proper paperwork for a tanker.
I think cro cop is gonna slowly be a has been..
Guess you don’t read my comments anymore, as I posted one 3-4 days ago about this. Anyway: the reason he got Ricco in is most likely to train strength and techniques to avoid being mounted or GnP from (Half-)Guard. That guy is a beast and he’s the one person to train with if you wanna prepare for a re-match against Gonzaga. Maybe Mirko believes Gonzo will win against Randy?
As for Kharitonov: he is one of the most talented and unfortunately underrated strikers with strong submission wrestling skills. A good counterpart for a training for a Randy-type opponent. Maybe Mirko is really playing it safe this time and preparing for everything.
BTW: Team Cro Cop requested a rematch with Minotauro, so that’ll be big!
Here are my predictions for the last 4 fights:
CroCop – Kongo (no suprise there)
CroCop – Minotauro (for #1 contendership)
CroCop – Winner of Couture-Gonzaga
CroCop – Fedor
[quote post="2726"]STUNNALATOR, are you getting paid by the video game manufacturer to promote this game, or what?
Man, that’s cool as hell. I might have to post it.
No im not getting paid. Ive just been waiting to see this game FOREVER and thought people would love to see it as well!!! Imagine playing this on xbox live or even with your freinds before a major ufc event. i originally saw the full screen video at http://www.ign.com but it seems to not be working at the moment.
I don’t care what anybody else says about you, I thought it was a cool post. [/quote]
I’m sorry, the only reason I posted my original comment asking if he was getting by the video game manufacturer to promote this game was because he had posted a comment about it on every single topic/thread on the homepage of the news section. I just though that it was a bit much. I was reading through the different stories and comments, and kept on coming across him promoting the game.
ANd Mania, I absolutely postively think that its post worthy, and agree that it should have its own thread, which I see you added. I just didnt want every single thread/topic to turn into OOOOOOOOH’s and AAAHHHH’s about the game.
The UFC should bring back Paul Buentello. The guy is one of the best strikers in the sport. Arlovski beat him but that could have gone either way, they both through punches at the same time, Arlovski hit the target. I don’t think Arlovski would beat him again, he would be to worried about getting knocked out. I’m surprised they haven’t brought him back again, I think he would give Cro Cop a good workout.
It is good to see Crocop training hard for this one.A win over Kongo will get him back on the road to the ufc title.I think what the ufc would have liked to see happen was Crocop beat Gonzaga then beat Randy and arrange a superfight between him and Fedor.But fate got in the way.A fight between Fedor as Pride champ and Mirko as Ufc champ is just…I dont even have a word to describe it.Fedor did win their first fight but did it was still a close fight until Mirko gassed.Unfotunately he gassed pretty quickly in that fight.A determined Crocop is damn near unbeatable.If you dont believe me just watch the 2006 grand prix.Anyone who dismantles Wandy the way he did is no joke.Then he goes on to finish Josh Barnett in the same night,thats a man on a mission.The Crocop we saw in his first two ufc fights was nowhere near the same fighter as he was for the Grand Prix.He appeared to be holding back and thats what I believe cost him that loss.Bottom line,Crocop is a wrecking machine and if he goes into determined,well it is going to be a bad day for his opponent.
got my tickets to watch my second faveourite fighter Crocop kick some French ass! Front row here we go! Actualy front row lower tier but you know! CRO COP CRO COP CRO COP CRO COP CRO COP COP! right next to the fighter enterence aswell,cant fookin wait!
What I loved about Fedor-Cro Cop 1 was in the first two minutes of the fight, Cro Cop broke Fedor’s nose with a lightning left jab. Fedor barely flinches but for a brief moment, he can’t believe it himself, as he touches his newly broken nose. Fedor’s subsequent non-stop attack on Cro Cop was what gassed our Croatian hero.