I don't see any evidence of him being overpowered, just outstruck, partly because of his 73" reach. His main problem is that he's not the same fighter he once was mentally -- too little willingness to engage and take chances.
Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys. This would make any HW with KO power look like a god.
Even in pride, whenever he fought another HW who was prepared to scrap (Fedor, Mark Hunt) he looked like shit.
CroCops career is a joke. Pride was the set-up, UFC is the punch line.
No question he should move to 205. He cannot deal with these new heavyweights.
mirko needs to retire.
HarryLime - Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys. This would make any HW with KO power look like a god.I thought maybe a stand up fighter vs cro cop at 205 would be a better fight to watch...
Even in pride, whenever he fought another HW who was prepared to scrap (Fedor, Mark Hunt) he looked like shit.
CroCops career is a joke. Pride was the set-up, UFC is the punch line.
What about Franklin and Cro Cop at 205?
The National - What the fuck did size have to do with getting beaten by Junior? Nothing.
Not true. Junior was bigger, heavier, more solid, and bullied Cro Cop around the ring w/ superior mass, strength, and power....not to mention youth and speed.
"Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys."
You're saying Vanderlei (x2), Vovchanchyn, Nogueira, Waterman, Randleman(x2), Alex Emelianenko, Barnett (x3), Coleman, FEDOR, Hunt, and Yoshida are an easy bunch of dudes to take on?
Dude, you have no point.
HarryLime - Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys. This would make any HW with KO power look like a god.
Even in pride, whenever he fought another HW who was prepared to scrap (Fedor, Mark Hunt) he looked like shit.
CroCops career is a joke. Pride was the set-up, UFC is the punch line.
Yeah he's a joke. Seriously...how old are you ?
Fedor stole his soul
threestars35 - Fedor stole his soulThat's not true. He looked like the 'old mirko' in the '06 GP (even if his performance in that tournament is vastly over rated - he fought Minowa, Yoshida a bloated up Wanderlei and an exhausted Barnett and everyone said he was unstoppable), and that was after losing to Fedor and then Mark Hunt.
He's the same fighter he's always been atleast mentally. When things are going his way he's are great. When things start to not go his way he shuts down. I think it was Peter Aerts that said many years ago something like 'the longer the fight goes on, the more ways for Mirko to lose'. That's what happened with Fedor, Hunt and Kongo. Gonzaga he just came in unprepared and arrogant (no training in cage, not prepared for elbows etc) and got creamed. Add to that age, wear and tear, the 'next generation of mma fighters' etc and there you see why he is where is at right now.
Attila - "Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys."
You're saying Vanderlei (x2), Vovchanchyn, Nogueira, Waterman, Randleman(x2), Alex Emelianenko, Barnett (x3), Coleman, FEDOR, Hunt, and Yoshida are an easy bunch of dudes to take on?
Dude, you have no point.
Dude you made my point. Most those guys are either:
A. Way too small to be in the ring with true HWs (Vanderlei, Vov)
B. Grapplers with tenuous boxing skills, tailor made for CC (Alex, Coleman, Barnett, Yoshida)
Or they were the only two really talent HW at Pride - Fedor & Nog.
You guys can worship CroCock all you want. The highlight reels of him knocking out professional wrestlers are very impressive. Doesn't change the fact that he's been exposed in the UFC as thoroughly mediocre.
HarryLime -Attila - "Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys."
You're saying Vanderlei (x2), Vovchanchyn, Nogueira, Waterman, Randleman(x2), Alex Emelianenko, Barnett (x3), Coleman, FEDOR, Hunt, and Yoshida are an easy bunch of dudes to take on?
Dude, you have no point.
Dude you made my point. Most those guys are either:
A. Way too small to be in the ring with true HWs (Vanderlei, Vov)
B. Grapplers with tenuous boxing skills, tailor made for CC (Alex, Coleman, Barnett, Yoshida)
Or they were the only two really talent HW at Pride - Fedor & Nog.
You guys can worship CroCock all you want. The highlight reels of him knocking out professional wrestlers are very impressive. Doesn't change the fact that he's been exposed in the UFC as thoroughly mediocre.
Nice job diminishing all these legends of the sport to "pro wrestlers." If CroCop can beat top guys because they are "tailor made" for him, that just speaks to how awesome he is, not how he was fed cans. BTW, Barnett, as of a month ago, was ranked as the #2 heavyweight. I guess beating him 3x means shit.
It's just so laughably predictable how people go back and revise history to make a guy seem like a glorified can-smasher after he starts slowing down and dropping some fights.
Attila - "Pride fed him a steady diet of cans, grapplers and little guys."
You're saying Vanderlei (x2), Vovchanchyn, Nogueira, Waterman, Randleman(x2), Alex Emelianenko, Barnett (x3), Coleman, FEDOR, Hunt, and Yoshida are an easy bunch of dudes to take on?
Dude, you have no point.
CC record was padded with midgits and pro-wrestlers who make him look like the terminator, but I agree that he fought some good guys too.
He was a bad match up for Barnett/Coleman/Yoshida/Alex because those guys never learned how to box and couldn't defend kicks/punches well. Not bad fighters, just not well rounded.
As soon as Mirko started fighting guys who can both box & wrestle, he looks like shit.
It's a pleasure to see him get punked in the UFC over and over, CC has been overrated for years.
He seems to slip quite a bit on the mat, especially when he's trying to kick. The UFC mats are slippery and it may just be bad for his style. He also looks slower and less explosive than he used to. That along with the mystique being gone has led to his demise.
Its simple.
Crocop inst hungry for it anymore. His "fighting spirit" is gone, and he's afraid to get hit.
Put him in there at 205 and he's still going to lose at this point.