Cro Cop's UFC debut (video), comes out to PRIDE FC theme

[Julius Seeker]

This is kind of crazy! He is coming out to the PRIDE Fighting Championship anthem, this makes me wonder if UFC ad PRIDE know something we don't.

Anyways, throwing anyone from UFC in the cage with Mirco Cro Cop, talk about being thrown in the cage with a lion.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjyIHQ2UBBs

The daily motion version will be online much longer, but is just the fight, doesn't have the entrances:

http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/sear ... diesanchez


Rampage and Anderson Silva also fought tonight. With those three involved, this is probably the most talent stacked card in UFC's history.

[kali o.]

You keep spouting their virtues - but UFC 67 was a real lackluster card. Rampage couldn't put away a D-list fighter until the second and it was a pretty boring fight. Silva was either being nice to Travis or has absolutely shitty sprawls (personally, I have to guess it was the former). Cro Cop was given a punching bag, so I can't really say anything about that fight as he wasn't tested.

Pretty boring UFC really. Like I said, Rampage will get eaten by Randy when they fight - he's just not the same fighter he used to be.

[Ishamael]

Well I actually enjoyed it. Ironically, I thought one of the best matches was the dark match between Tyson Griffin and that other dude (forgot his name). Lots of great techniques. I also enjoyed the matches that Kali said sucked.

[kali o.]

Well I actually enjoyed it. Ironically, I thought one of the best matches was the dark match between Tyson Griffin and that other dude (forgot his name). Lots of great techniques. I also enjoyed the matches that Kali said sucked.

There is nothing "ironic" about that - unless you are agreeing with me and stating you preferred the undercard (hard to tell, learn engrish). Those 155-pounders put out the only real entertaining match of the night.

[Kupek]

Who said anything about Couture and Jackson fighting? The only confirmed match I know of for Couture is Sylvia, at heavyweight, in UFC 68. I'd certainly like to see Couture vs. Jackson, but I imagine Couture will be staying away from the light-heavy division, unless Liddell loses his title.

[kali o.]

Who said anything about Couture and Jackson fighting? The only confirmed match I know of for Couture is Sylvia, at heavyweight, in UFC 68. I'd certainly like to see Couture vs. Jackson, but I imagine Couture will be staying away from the light-heavy division, unless Liddell loses his title.

I didn't mean Randy, I meant Chuck. I was on the sleepy-side when I wrote that.

[Kupek]

Ah, makes more sense. Yeah, I think Liddell will win that fight, per usual, by knockout. No one has been able to keep him down since Couture did in their first fight, and he's gotten the better of all standup exchanges since he lost to Jackson. But it should make a good fight, and Jackson may be able to pull it off.

[Ishamael]

Well I actually enjoyed it. Ironically, I thought one of the best matches was the dark match between Tyson Griffin and that other dude (forgot his name). Lots of great techniques. I also enjoyed the matches that Kali said sucked.

There is nothing "ironic" about that - unless you are agreeing with me and stating you preferred the undercard (hard to tell, learn engrish). Those 155-pounders put out the only real entertaining match of the night.

It's "ironic" because the dark matches are usually the matches the promoters think won't be any good.

And I thought Alabama's public education was bad.

[Julius Seeker]

You keep spouting their virtues - but UFC 67 was a real lackluster card. Rampage couldn't put away a D-list fighter until the second and it was a pretty boring fight. Silva was either being nice to Travis or has absolutely shitty sprawls (personally, I have to guess it was the former). Cro Cop was given a punching bag, so I can't really say anything about that fight as he wasn't tested.

Pretty boring UFC really. Like I said, Rampage will get eaten by Randy when they fight - he's just not the same fighter he used to be.

Travis Fulton is one of the top Jiu Jitsu fighters from the US, Anderson still defeated him, and by submission nontheless, and Anderson is best known for his Muay Thai; which I will add, he used to demolish the former champion (and Chris Leben in like 10 seconds).

I wouldn't exactly call Beastman a "D-list fighter" or whatever, particularly since he holds championship belts and he fought fairly well; he does hold a previous victory over Rampage. Either way, it was too bad that Rampage doesn't seem to do his slams anymore, but he still knocked him out.

On Cro Cop, of course he demolished the competition, it would have been much quicker if the guy hadn't kept running away. If his head had been about an inch more to the left (before Cro Cops leg twisted) then the shin would have conected and it would have likely been a sweet KO. Either way, the entire heavyweight division in UFC are a bunch of cans for Cro Cop, he is just there on a year long break where he can make money and make himself known to the US audience. Yeah, the fight was more or less a training excersize.




Anyways, on to the main thing. Cro Cop's next opponent in UFC has been announced. Cro Cop put it quite well, I think:

"Never heard of him. But if UFC thinks he's an ideal opponent for me, I have no problem with that. I don't get to choose who I'll fight, and I have no reason to complain why my road to the title will be easier that I thought."

From www.jutarnji.hr


Dana White in his interview (which I do believe is still posted on Sherdog) seemed quite irate that Cro Cop did not make an appearance at the post-event press conference. Particularly since it is known that Cro Cop's payscale is significantly higher than anyone else in the company, plus his multi-million dollar signing bonus. Cro Cop has made it clear that he is in the UFC for one thing, to fight the fights, make the cash, and as he said earlier; he wants to face Fedor at the New Years Eve event in Japan. It would be a great match, in my opinion, just like their first one. With PRIDE's financial issues in Japan from their lost television deals (due to the supposed Yakuza connections the organization has had), we might see a lot of cross promional stuff in the future between PRIDE and K1, and PRIDE and UFC. It should be a fun year. Hopefully UFC will pick up more than one or two good fighters per division (with the exception of the Welterweight division which is quite excellent).


On a side though, Bruce Buffer sucks at announcing "Mirco Cro Cop" =P