Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic's on-again, off-again relationship with the UFC might not be off again after all.Cro Cop -- who signed with the UFC in 2006, lost two of his three fights in 2007, fought in Japan in 2008 and successfully returned to the Octagon in 2009 -- infuriated UFC President Dana White when he abruptly quit after winning at UFC 99, reportedly agreeing to go back to Japan to fight for Dream.
But a new report in Cro Cop's native Croatia says UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta may have convinced Filipovic to step back into the Octagon.
A report at the Croatian web site Index.hr says the following in English, according to Robert K from BigOddsMike.com:
Exclusive: UFC owner visiting Cro Cop in CroatiaI don't know how reliable the report is on Fertitta's travels, and I have no idea whether Cro Cop will actually return to the UFC, but the fact that Dream has still not made an official announcement of Cro Cop's return indicates that his deal with Dream is not done. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Cro Cop back in the Octagon soon.
Index understands that Lorenzo Fertitta, the head honcho and part owner of the UFC, flew to Zagreb with his own private jet earlier this morning. He was driven to Mirko's residence shortly after, where he stayed for two hours talking with the Croatian fighter. He returned to the airport afterwards, smiling, where his private jet flew off in to an unknown destination.
Filipovic receives an offer he cant refuse
There is no doubt that Fertitta came to Zagreb to persuade the Croatian fighter to change his mind and to sign with the world's strongest fight sport organization. We understand that Cro Cop has been offered an incredible deal that should see him fight with the UFC once again. Although Filipovic was unavailable for comment, it's clear that this is a major development in the ongoing negotiations. We will almost certainly see Cro Cop in the world's strongest organization once again despite Cro Cop's close ties with Dream.
Fertitta visits only with the great ones
Cro Cop refused to extend his UFC contract at UFC 99 due to the oragnziation's long breaks in between fights. Filipovic has stated that the UFC heavyweight title is a lifelong dream, though he didn't want to wait another six months for his next bout. Clearly the two parties have come to some sort of an agreement. Cro Cop's value to the UFC has become even more evident with Fertitta himself flying to Croatia. Such a move is almost unprecedented with most deals being handled by UFC president Dana White.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I dont know why the ufc would want him that bad.He hasnt done all that well against the ufc talent.But,maybe Dana wants to see him get pounded a few more times.He was very pissed at Cro cop.
I admit I did not see his last fight.I guess he poked the guy in the eye,then finished him.So is that impressive?
Once again, Dana acting like a retard, and Lorenzo cleaning it up. Shareholder or not, White keeps digging himself a hole, slowly but surely.
Cro Cop stated after UFC 99 that he hadnt signed with anyone, and the fact that Dream doesnt have anything to roll out in favor of signing Mirko is proof.
What people need to understand here is why they would want Cro Cop so bad. He isn't the same fighter he was 3-5 years ago, but he's still a threat to anyone, and that still isn't the reason.
I believe the UFC wants Cro Cop desperately for marketing purposes as they are trying to expand globally.
Cro Cop in Germany was a no brainer, with Croatia next door and a huge Croatian population in Germany the UFC sold out just with Cro Cop's name attached. Cro Cop is a national hero in Croatia and has a huge fan base in Europe and Asia.
This is all about branding with known commodities, it's a smart move by the UFC if they want to go global.
Niv said it all. Damn you Niv!
But I will say that, yes, CroCop inadvertently poked Muhstafa (I think that's his name) in the eye during their fight, but the dude was already getting hammered. It was unfortunate, but it wouldn't have really mattered.