Mr. IWS
09-21-2009, 12:12 PM
One of the all time greats IMO. These kids are just bigger, faster, and stronger now.
“Maybe the ones who have said that I’m done are right. Obviously, I can’t break my mental block in the Octagon. Besides, I’ve been training like a spartan for 20 years now — my body is worn out. The years caught up to me, I’ve been worn out…. [Junior dos Santos] won that fight and would have won it by decision. Simply put, he is younger, more hungry, more aggressive. He wanted to win a lot more…. The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I’m not looking for an alibi. This was not the performance the public would pay for. I don’t feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I’m not ready to take risks. I would like to thank everybody that supported me and stood by me and everyone who helped me to prepare for this fight. I’ve been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 a.m. and having physically challenging task up to 8 p.m. I want a normal life. I’m entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can’t win that way. Maybe I should’ve quit after I won the open weight grand prix.”
Legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Mirko Cro Cop, reflects on his submission (verbal) loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103: “Franklin vs. Belfort” from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19. He was beaten to the punch, and pretty much beat up, in what essentially turned out to be a striking match for two-plus rounds. The Croatian waved off the Brazilian in the third after eating a brutal knee to the face that wiped out his vision. It marked his third loss inside the Octagon in five attempts — a far cry from the world beater who was scalping his opponents just three years ago under the Pride FC banner. In fact, he has not defeated a top-level fighter he made Josh Barnett quit at “Final Conflict Absolute,” which earned him the Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Championship. Prior to the loss to dos Santos, Cro Cop signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, saying he wanted to compete as often as possible and make one final run at heavyweight glory. It’s too early to tell, but could these remarks signal the end of the road of Cro Cop’s long and distinguished professional career, which dates back to the mid 1990s?
“Maybe the ones who have said that I’m done are right. Obviously, I can’t break my mental block in the Octagon. Besides, I’ve been training like a spartan for 20 years now — my body is worn out. The years caught up to me, I’ve been worn out…. [Junior dos Santos] won that fight and would have won it by decision. Simply put, he is younger, more hungry, more aggressive. He wanted to win a lot more…. The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I’m not looking for an alibi. This was not the performance the public would pay for. I don’t feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I’m not ready to take risks. I would like to thank everybody that supported me and stood by me and everyone who helped me to prepare for this fight. I’ve been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 a.m. and having physically challenging task up to 8 p.m. I want a normal life. I’m entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can’t win that way. Maybe I should’ve quit after I won the open weight grand prix.”
Legendary mixed martial arts fighter, Mirko Cro Cop, reflects on his submission (verbal) loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 103: “Franklin vs. Belfort” from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 19. He was beaten to the punch, and pretty much beat up, in what essentially turned out to be a striking match for two-plus rounds. The Croatian waved off the Brazilian in the third after eating a brutal knee to the face that wiped out his vision. It marked his third loss inside the Octagon in five attempts — a far cry from the world beater who was scalping his opponents just three years ago under the Pride FC banner. In fact, he has not defeated a top-level fighter he made Josh Barnett quit at “Final Conflict Absolute,” which earned him the Pride FC 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix Championship. Prior to the loss to dos Santos, Cro Cop signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, saying he wanted to compete as often as possible and make one final run at heavyweight glory. It’s too early to tell, but could these remarks signal the end of the road of Cro Cop’s long and distinguished professional career, which dates back to the mid 1990s?