Is Cro-Cop still the same from Pride?

Following UFC 119 some of the fighters were getting flak for their performances.  Spearheading much of these discussions has been Mirko Cro-Cop.  Many people feel that Cro-Cop has lost his killer instinct.  He is not the same fighter that he was in Pride.  I try to think that this is not what has happened.

MMA has evolved drastically since the Pride days.  Fighters have evolved.  The game has evolved.  Star fighters like Mirko Cro-Cop and Wanderlei Silva had to change their game.  They cannot just run out to the center or the ring and start throwing head kicks or clinching up to throw knees.  The game is much more technical and methodical.

I don’t think Cro-Cop has lost his killer instinct because he isn’t throwing as many head kicks or because he apologized for the low blow to Frank Mir.  The hug and touching gloves in the Pat Berry fight, was not exactly normal, but that is the type of fight Cro-Cop wants, and he was having a great time during it.  He wants to stand and bang and not just try to avoid the takedown.

It’s no secret that Frank Mir wanted to take Cro-Cop down and that was the last place Cro-Cop wanted to be.  Yes, he submitted Pat Berry, but come on.  Cro-Cop was doing everything he could to stay on his feet and when he felt comfortable in the third round he went for the kill and tried to take out Mir.  Unfortunately he took a hard knee on his way in, and was finished rather than finishing Mir.

Cro-Cop isn’t the same fighter he used to be, but MMA isn’t the same sport it used to be.  He is still a killer, and anyone who is willing to stand in front of him and take one of his head kicks can start making comments when they wake back up.  Till then, Mirko Cro-Cop is still someone to watch out for.

UFC 119 Fan Perspective

I wrote this to post on http://www.cagewarfare.com and it is poster there but I am trying to keep this going more often and keep directing people to cagewarfare and support them and connect to here.

After UFC 119 concluded, and my first live UFC was over, there were many thoughts going through my head. On this occasion I got the chance to meet numerous fighters and other MMA notables that I see online and on podcasts. Along with these people I also met MMA hardcore fans along with a few people who couldn’t name 5 submissions. Although I got my fill of Tapout and Affliction apparel there is so much more about the evening I cannot wait to see again.

First off I cannot wait until the UFC comes back to Indianapolis. The feeling in the arena was electrifying. Seeing the hometown guys like Sean McCorkle, Matt Mitrione, and Chris Lytle take home big wins made the experience even better. Afterwards discovering they also took home some big bonus checks added to that great feeling and experience from the evening.

With all the good things I took away, there were some bad things that I would like to see changed. I understand the UFC is a Pay-Per-View programmed show and they have a time limit. After the Jeremy Stephens versus Melvin Guillard fight no one was given the chance to speak with Joe Rogan. Anyone who has watched more than one UFC pay-per-view knows that whoever wins the bout speaks with Rogan about their win. It may not always be shown on the broadcast but they get to for the arena crowd. At times even the loser gets to talk also. When a fighter gets interviewed and gets the chance to talk about their fight they always finish with a plug for their sponsor. This plug is what helps the fighters continue to be able to fight. Fighters have their walkout shirts, logos on their shorts, and the banner they display while they are being introduced by Bruce Buffer. That is what pays fighters. They get something from showing and more for winning, but the rest of their income is from sponsors. The plug at the end while getting interviewed is their last chance to get the sponsor’s name out and thank their camp. Just like they make more money if they are on Spike TV or the Pay-Per-View they make more when mentioning the sponsor and denying them that opportunity is taking money out of the fighter’s pocket.

After UFC 113 Machida versus Shogun II, Paul “Semtex” Daley took a cheap shot at Josh “KOS” Koscheck after the final bell and he was released by the UFC. Dana White came out and said he would never fight for Zuffa again. Sportsmanship is held high in MMA. At the same time so is the respect that fighters show for each other. Fighters always say they want to beat the crap out of each other. In the end usually a mutual respect is shown and fighters always touch gloves before the fight and usually finish it with a hug regardless of the result.

If the fighters hold respect to such a high degree so should the promotion. It is no secret that Dana White is very outspoken and will let everyone know how he feels. During the Guillard fight he was posting on his twitter that he was not impressed with the fight. I have to agree with that. It was not the most exciting fight, but it was also not the worst. Melvin Guillard stepped into the cage against a very tough guy in Jeremy Stephens and put his body and well-being on the line and that deserves the same respect that someone who goes out and finished the fight in the by submission or knockout gets.

In the main event of the evening Frank Mir squared off with Mirko Cro-Cop. The first two rounds of the fight were very show and technical. Neither fighter really wanted to let go and go for the win. This was very unsettling to the Indianapolis fans. The boo’s started and still nothing started to happen. This was when many people started getting up and walking out of the arena. People had been streaming out of the arena when about halfway through the third and final round Cro-Cop went for a flurry of punches and what looked like a takedown and was caught with a huge knee that brought him down followed up by 3 punches. Cro-Cops night was ended there. He was knocked out and was not getting up.
Unfortunately for so many fans that got up and left, they missed it. You would think MMA fans would know better. Lessons should have been learned earlier in UFC history. In UFC 117 Silva versus Sonnen, Sonnen dominated for four and a half rounds and then got caught in a triangle. Another example was when Carlos Condit knocked out Rory MacDonald at UFC 115 with only seconds left in the fight, after being down the whole fight. This is not the NFL where someone is able to take a knee and run the clock out at the end. This is MMA and it’s not over till it’s over.

Overall I loved the experience of going to UFC 119. I am already looking forward to the next time I am able to go to a UFC event. The experience was everything I could have hoped for and getting to meet the people I did was amazing. Yes, some UFC fans are uneducated and fickle, but just as many if not more are just the exact opposite. Those are the fans that will keep this great sport growing and keep it moving forward to become the biggest sport in the world.

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