Mirko Cro Crop Will Beat Gabriel Gonzaga Or Die Trying
Mirko Cro Crop Filipovic is one of the very best pure strikers to have ever competed inside of the Octagon. It was recently announced that the Croatian striker would be making his return to the UFC, last being seen inside of the Octagon back in 2011 at UC 137.
Cro Crop was riding three-straight loses, and decided it was time to return to his kickboxing roots. He took a few fights with GLORY kickboxing, but recently he has competed in some mixed martial arts (MMA) bouts in Japan.
At age 40, many may say it’s time for him to retire, but the idea of returning to the UFC appealed to Cro Crop, especially because he wanted to avenge some prior defeats. One rematch he wanted in particular was against Gabriel Gonzaga, who brutally knocked Cro Crop out with a head kick back in 2007.
The Croatian will get his wish, as he is slated to take on Gonzaga in the main event of UFC Fight Night 64 on April 11 in Krakow, Poland. He admits that it’s a fight that he will never forget, and he plans to beat Gonzaga in the rematch, or die trying:
“It was one of the fights I will never forget, and I just want a rematch with him,” Cro Cop told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I can’t say I will beat him, but I will die trying. That’s how I feel. I feel good right now. There are a few things I still want to do and definitely fighting Gabriel Gonzaga is one of them.”
Cro Crop was on the verge of gaining a coveted UFC title shot had he taken out Gonzaga, but after that bout he went on a lackluster 3-6 run in the Octagon. However, he believes he is the better fighter and that come April, the two will put on a great show:
“I really believe that I’m a better fighter than Gabriel Gonzaga,” Cro Cop said. “I don’t want to be a big mouth and I respect him. He’s a great fighter. But I will do my best, definitely. He will do his best. We are going to perform a great show and the fans will be happy.”
Since leaving the UFC, Filipovic has gone 3-1 in MMA fights. He is coming off of two-straight finishes over Satoshi Ishii with the second one being a head kick knockout. Cro Crop claims that he is healthier than ever and happy to be training and competing:
“I’m training with a smile on my face,” Cro Cop said. “This is what I want to do. No big mystery. No big philosophy. This is my job and I love to do it.”
Signing a three-fight contract with the UFC, the Croatian knows this will be his last run. He says his kickboxing career is already over, and he wants to now avenge some defeats he has suffered in the UFC. And what if he fails? Well at least he knows he tried:
“Even if I fail, which I don’t think I will, I know I tried,” Cro Cop said. “That’s how I function. That’s how I think. That’s me. That’s my life philosophy.”
Despite the struggles he endured at the latter part of his previous UFC run, Cro Crop is confident and wants to beat Gonzaga more than anything:
“I already studied all his fights after we fought,” he said. “No big surprises. I know exactly what he’s going to do. Things will be different this time.”
“I really want that victory [against Gonzaga] more than anything,” he said. “Believe me. More than anything.”
Will the legendary striker get the job done in Poland?
