Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Gran Prix Champion Mirko Cro Cop (23-6-2) will fight decorated K-1 kickboxing champion, Jerome LeBanner (3-1), in a heavyweight bout slated for DREAM 4 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on June 16, according to MMA-ID.
Cro Cop most recently recovered from back-to-back losses inside the Octagon (Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo) to take out Tatsuya Mizuno with ease during the inaugural show for DREAM last month. He has vowed to put together at least three consecutive wins and return to the UFC as early as January 2009 to redeem himself.
However, a rematch with Fedor Emelianenko on New Year’s Eve possibly stands in his way, as well as the French-born, LeBanner.
LeBanner has not competed in mixed martial arts since 2006. And although his MMA experience is limited, his kickboxing resume is not. In fact, he’s been in against the best, including Ernesto Hoost, Peter Aerts, Semmy Schilt, Mark Hunt and others.
Cro Cop and LeBanner have actually competed against one another during a K-1 event in 1996, which the Croatian won via unanimous decision. Expect a similar bout: Striking, striking and more striking. It would be a total shock if this match hits the canvas.
DREAM 4 will also feature other fights and the second round of the middleweight grand prix. Stay tuned for more details.
46 Comments »
Easy win for Mirko
Doubt it bro, LeBanner aint no slouch man. Go look up his scrap with Mark Hunt, dude can take a punch (or kick). Should be a good scrap.
Mirko was like 20 when they first fought it was awesome. Should be sick.
Hey mania, I haven’t been on since the other day when you were improving, I’m still noticing the site is very slow. Is everything fixed or are you guys still working? Just wanted to give you a heads up
We’re still working out some kinks; however, the site should be faster not slower. Perhaps it’s your dial-up connection.
LOL dial-up.
Ouch.. yeah bro, go get yourself come DSL or Roadrunner.
I gotta agree with Kevin on this one. The site does seem slower. And this Fortune 500 company doesn’t use dial up!
Great fight. I like them both, but Im pulling for Mirko. I used to love watching him fight. I think a win over LeBanner would put him a step up to the level he used to be at.
Go Mirko! John don’t hate on him please, I know you want to.
mirko would be a force at light heavyweight
he is too small.
What the hell?? how is he too small??? he is over 6 foot and weighs over 100kg. he’s not fat so being trim and at the right weight i think makes him perfect for heavy devision.. no offence..
Yes, War Jerome LeBanner… Lebanner’s boxing is very good i think this will be a tough fight for Mirko
Call me ignorant, and Im not trying to rip on anyone that does this, but what is up with putting War in front of a persons name. Seriously, I dont get it.
the_mexicutioner - I can’t stand it either, and I actually asked the same question almost 2 years ago. Appearntly, Jim Rome used to have a Radio Show (he may still have one) and immediatly before a caller to the show would hang up, they would say “War (thier favorite team)”. Example, if they were a Yankees fan, they would say “War Yankees”. Pretty cool, huh?
I know, I know. It is soooooooooooooo stupid. Never would have thought that there were just as many Jim Rome nut huggers than there are Fedor nut huggers. Luckily, I can’t be called either of the above (except for my poorly constructed sentence below)
WAR PEOPLE NEVER SAYING WAR AGAIN ON MANIA!!!!!!!!!!
Cool. Thanks.
That’s word! LeBanner’s a bad dude man. He’s got a head like a fuckin Rottweiler. It’ll be interesting to see how Mirko adjusts after his losses. Can’t wait to watch that one, it’s gonna be an excellent scrap fellas. You won’t be dissapointed.
STOP WASTING time on this cro cop guy hes a has been he cant -couldnt make it in the big leagues so he resoted to the FEDOR approach and went back to fighting nobodies to get a name for himself again……its not like hes a new fighter these guys there fighting are amatures up and commingand these guys are not good enough to be with the elite fighters which is where they should be by now instead there destroying the dreams of the younger guys…I HOPE THIS GUY KNOCKS CRO COP OUT.
Uhhhh….someone needs a refresher. LeBanner is hardley an amature bro. This is and will be a big test for both Mirko and LeBanner.
I bet you’d rather have news regarding tito all day don’t you? try going to tito’s blog it would be better for you, this is MMA blog, which should cover all of MMA not just tito or the UFC.
I’ve actually lost much respect to cro cop because he left the UFC, he should’ve kept in there regardless of the back to back losses, but some of you haters just don’t make any sense. you say he couldn’t make it in the “big leagues” aka UFC right? how come eddie sanchez, a guy who cro cop DESTROYED, is still fighting in your “big league”?
right on, your argument is that UFC has the “best” fighters including eddie sanchez who got destroyed by this “has been”. face it dude, UFC does not have the best HW division and it doesn’t really hurt someone’s reputation to not fight in it anymore. Dreams could end up being as big as Pride was, if that happens it will be a respectable organization.
Good stuff linx!
Has for Cro Cop vs. Lebanner: This will be a very entertaining kickboxing match. But this fight will do nothing to help Mirko prepare for a return to the UFC. I am starting to think that we will never see Cro Cop fighting in the UFC. He went to DREAM to get ready to m ake a UFC comeback. he had his tune up fight against that bum Mizuno, but now instead of fighting Sergie Kharitonov, which would be an awesome mma bout and a hell of a test for cro cop, he is fighting another kick boxer….It makes no sense to me.
Id rather see cro cop fight Kimbo than LeBanner. At least Kimbo is trying to become a mixed martial artist. Jerome has always been and will always be a kickboxer….This fight is awesome for the fans, but leads me to believe cro cop will never come back to the UFC.
I agree. Really wanted to see him fight Sergie, that would have been a rough night for Cro Cop, win or lose.
John - I don’t see how this won’t prepare him for the UFC. He last loss was against a similar opponent style wise. There was some stuff on the ground, but the fight was decided based on the stand up.
Start thinking sometime. You must think Kimbo is an elite fighter.
Dude… he’s fighting LeBanner. So much for running away from top fighters. FUCKING LEBANNER. THIS IS AN AWESOME FIGHT.
Ironic how you accuse cro cop of running away from the ufc when tito himself is doing the exact same thing. Hope machida rapes him.
whahaha haters!!! Yeah Mirko never beat somebody with a big name right?! haha suckers
I will not be moved by this resurgence from Mirko. Until he is back in the Octagon ripping off two, three straight wins, I will remain skeptical. I feel his time has past and he needs to either stay where he is or retire, because 09 is not going to be any nicer to him than 07. I see him struggling with Lesnar!!!!
The UFC HW division is really hurting. They need all the decent HW they can get their hands on. If he puts together a few wins and gains some confidence he needs to come back. There are still some interesting match-ups for him there. I’d like to see him fight Vera, Arlovski (if he stays), and rematch Congo. Everybody gets in a slump, I hope he starts killing again.
I think Lebanner will have the advantage this time around. That guy has heart for days and Mirko, well we all know Mirko doesn’t have much in the way of heart. Lebanner via brutal KO in the second.
how do ‘we all know’ mirko doesnt have any heart?
Because he got ko by a head kick?
because he continued to fight with a broken rib and got kneed in the balls 3+ times?
Can Mirko take an easier route? Have some pride and just admit you lost a step, a kick and a punch. You are not the same guy you use to be, hell, I don’t think you were ever that good. You came to the show and you were 1-2 and got KO’d with one of the most savage kicks to the head I have ever seen. Stay in Japan and keep playing the role of the recycling machine and keep crushing those spoon fed cans!
LeBanner is not a can. Ok, he hasn’t done much in MMA, but styles make fights. Mirko has no ground game, LeBanner has no ground game. This is basically a kickboxing match under MMA rules.
this guy is no can, and mirko could easily lose to le banner.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Mirko lost this one.
You all say CC is washed up and is fighting nobodies.
Do you recall RC who lost a couple of fights, Retires and comes back and is now considered the best in the world at 44yrs. Give me a break. CC is still young and if these fights get him back to his old self, Great, So we will be entertained once again with CC stiking and KO’s. If he loses a couple as well, Shit happens and that is why MMA is so entaining, because it is so unpredictable.
i agree… cro cop can come back.. and i fucking hope he goes back to the UFC and shows them!
Whoever thinks that Lebanner is a can is stupid and most likely just started watching this sport recently and has no clue what K-1 is or MMA for that matter. Two great kickboxers this is gona be one hell of a fight and its a better fight then what UFC can put on at the moment in HW division.
I wanted to see CC vs HMC
Cro cop will always be a legend no matter what anybody says
Lebanner is no joke. He has as much chance as beating Cro Cop as Cro Cop does of beating him. If you have seen Lebanner in K1 you would know this. His time away from fighting may be the deciding factor though. As someone mentioned earlier take a look at his fight with Mark Hunt, also two serious knockouts, him knocking out Don Frye, and him being knocked out by Ray Sefo. These are both in my top ten most devastating knockouts.
This cro cop guy is running from top compitition.
He should after Godzanga decapitated him.
I’ve never even heard of the guys hes fighting in Dream. they are nobodys
Ufc is where it is at. Kong is better kickboxer than crop cop.
Liddell would cream him too.
Every fighters strength is the confidence he has. Mirko’s confidence is so vulnerable, that after those two losts in UFC he was dissapointed. Now he went to Japan, and he is not fighting nobodies, (that was just his first fight - some Japanese amateur - just like Eddie Sanchez).
Jerome Le Banner is strong physically as much as Mirko and their “kickboxing” skills are pretty even also. In this fight the key factor for winning will be Mirko’s confidence, if he lost confidence and if he can’t handle pressure, Banner will win, and that would bring Mirko much more dissapointment, and would probably mean a little retirement, just like Randy did. But if he wins they might put him - in a rematch with Fedor which he will lose for sure, so either way it looks bad for Mirko….
kool