Mirko Cro Cop is Still Proud of His MMA Career

Mirko Cro Cop is Still Proud of His MMA Career

Mirko Cro Cop made a rare appearance in the US media yesterday as he appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour to discuss his upcoming fight at GLORY 14 Zagreb against Remy Bonjasky. Of course, the topics quickly got away from Kickboxing and into MMA, but hey, that’s alright. Cro Cop discussed his MMA career at length, as well as what some of his favorite moments were and what he’s most proud of. Don’t forget that this weekend on Spike TV Mirko Cro Cop fights Remy Bonjasky! [source]
“It’s hard to say. Every fight was the most important fight for me, but maybe, maybe, just maybe, because I was a complete underdog in that fight and everybody expected me to lose the fight, (my favorite was) when I had my first MMA fight against (Kazuyuki) Fujita. I caught him with a knee, and I made huge damage to him. I practically made a hole in his head. He had to head to the hospital right away. Maybe it was the moment when I was the happiest.

“It was my first MMA fight. I came there completely unprepared for MMA rules of fighting. I knew nothing about wrestling, about ground fighting, about jiu-jitsu. Nothing. And I managed to beat a guy who was a huge favorite in the fight. I was just the underdog and I beat him, in the first round, after, what, less than one minute? I caught him with the knee. I was training that knee! It wasn’t a lucky punch or a lucky kick or whatever. I was training that knee. I knew that I wouldn’t have too much (of a) chance, but I studied his previous fights and I knew he would go for a double leg. He would shoot a double leg and my only chance was to kick him straight through the face with my knee, and it happened just like I was preparing.

“I was so happy and proud, but I had so many good moments. The K-1 belt, the Pride grand prix championship. An amazing fight with Nogueira, an amazing fight with Fedor. So many great fights. I felt great during my UFC days because of UFC fans, they supported me like nobody ever before. Losing or winning, they were treating me like a king there and I felt very proud. Even when I fought against an American opponent, most of the arena was on my side and screaming my name. So I had really good moments in my career, some really unforgettable moments, and I’m really proud of it.”