Mirko Cro Cop Returning To Kickboxing, Says K-1 in March

Friday, 09 December 2011 15:48

Written by Rian Scalia

Many fans today know Mirko Cro Cop from his storied MMA career, where he was one of the best strikers in the sport for a long time. Mirko has declined since winning the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2006, and a number of reasons could be cited as to why. He is now out of the UFC for the second time, after dropping three in a row, getting stopped with strikes in all three.

In a recent video interview, Mirko said that he is returning to kickboxing, specifically saying that he'd be fighting on March 10 in Zagreb, Croatia. No opponent is set yet, but a name that's been floating around is Dzevad Poturak. It's tough to imagine Mirko winning in kickboxing after getting knocked out three times in a row in MMA, but he said, "It's much easier to prepare for a K-1 bout...You don't have much grappling and fighting on the mat. It's much easier."

Cro Cop also details the injury to his right arm and how he is rushing back against his doctor's advice. He said that he is essentially right now with one arm and two legs. I don't think it's a good idea for Cro Cop to be rushing back from an injury, especially at this stage in his career. Nevertheless, everytime we think Cro Cop is done, he comes back and fights again, whether he should or shouldn't.

What's also significant about this is that Cro Cop says he will be fighting for K-1. With K-1's FIKA format supposedly staging national tournaments until April, this fits the mold as it's in Croatia. I still wouldn't get 100% behind this as official though. Cro Cop is also talking of K-1 as a sport, and that's common in Europe so he could just be fighting in a kickboxing show using K-1 rules. We don't know yet and we'll just have to wait until K-1/FIKA make their announcement soon.

Share this story