Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic Reportedly Returning To UFC
It’s been quite the eventful Tuesday for decorated former Pride veterans in the UFC, although it hasn’t been for the same reasons.
First it was announced that Wanderlei Silva had filed suit against the NSAC and UFC seeking reinstatement from his lifetime ban, and now, news broke that former Pride Grand Prix champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will be returning to the Octagon according to John Joe O’ Regan:
CroCop is returning to the UFC. It will be announced shortly. Just got confirmation on it now from a source very 😉 close to the situation
— JJ (@johnjoeoregan) January 20, 2015
Out of the UFC since a late 2011 loss to Roy “Big Country” Nelson, Filipovic spent his recent time competing in kickboxing events such as Glory and K-1, where he won the K-1 World heavyweight Grand Prix in 2012. He was last seen defeating Olympic judoka Satoshi Ishii with an impressive second round knockout at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye on New Year’s Eve.
The re-signing has not been announced by the UFC but is expected to be shortly. If it indeed is, a plethora of potentially exciting rematches could open up for Cro Cop, such as a grudge match with former Pride foe Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a rematch with Frank Mir, a bout against surging knockout striker Andrei Arlovski, or even a revenge-fueled bout against Gabriel Gonzaga, who ruined Cro Cop’s UFC title shot chances with a now-legendary head kick in 2007.
What are your thoughts on Cro Cop’s pending return to the UFC? Do you like it?
