Crocop. It was a name that was synonymous with power. It was a name that possessed an aura of invincibility. I’ll come right out and say it; it was a name that was feared. He has fought a relative who’s who in MMA, with wins over Kazushi Sakuraba, Igor Vovchanchyn, Aleksander Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, and Wanderlei Silva just to name a few. He has lost only six times in his thirty three professional fights, most notably to Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and his stunning knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga. After compiling such a record and fighting a list of formidable opponents, you would think he would be sitting on top of the heavyweight world or very close to it at least. Yet sadly, he has turned out to be quite the opposite.
I am a huge Crocop fan and to say that I was a little disappointed when he lost two of his first three UFC fights was the understatement of the year. I too, had high hopes of him steam rolling the entire UFC heavyweight division and earning his place among the upper echelons of UFC history. Immediately upon his loss to Cheik “I like to repeatedly knee guys in the balls and make it look like an accident” Kongo, it became apparent who the fair weather fans were. Reports, articles and blogs began to surface claiming that he was washed up and passed his prime, that he makes up too many excuses for his losses, that he isn’t the same fighter anymore, he back peddles, blah, blah, blah. That can be said about a majority of fighters after they lose. He lost two in a row and was instantly branded a wash up. Chuck Liddell lost two in a row, why isn’t anyone running him in to the ground? Dan Henderson lost both of his titles in his first two UFC fights and is now one fight away from possibly getting another title shot, I didn’t hear anyone calling him a wash up. Wanderlei Silva lost three in a row and is still considered one of the top light heavyweights around, so why have the fates been so unforgiving to Mirko? Now I know what you’re thinking: “Well, in the case of Chuck Liddell (21-6-0 in MMA), he is a huge star and has proven that he deserves a little leeway when he falls on a rough patch.” My belief is that when compared to Crocop (24-6-2 with 1 no contest) and his level of success in Japan, that argument would hold no water- so the question remains, why? My answer to that question is simple, it’s Crocop.
Let’s recap shall we? When Crocop was in Pride he was a monster who had only been knocked out once - a loss which he would avenge no more than eight months later. After that loss Crocop became a man on a mission, and that mission was to fight Fedor. He desperately wanted that fight and won seven straight fights to prove it. He had his motivation; he had a reason to not only fight but to fight and win! He wanted Fedor’s title. On August 28, 2005 Crocop got his chance. He locked horns with Fedor, only to drop a crushing unanimous decision loss to him. In my opinion, his light flickered a little bit after this fight. He would fight six more times in Pride, losing only once to Mark Hunt. He even became Prides Open Weight Grand Prix champion, defeating Wanderlei Silva (in a highly anticipated rematch) and Josh Barnett in the same night. Yet with the exception of the fights with Silva and Barnett, I did not see that flicker return. Five months after winning the Open Weight Grand Prix Crocop would make his debut in the UFC. Everyone, including me, believed he was going to tear through the ranks and annihilate who ever stood between him and the UFC title. Given his record why wouldn’t we believe it? At the time he was considered to be one of the top three heavyweights in the world (I personally believe he was number two, with the number one spot being arguably given to Fedor), so it would only seem natural that he should be the next number one contender for the title. Hell, the UFC was talking about a potential title fight between him and then champ Randy Couture prior to his debut fight, and everyone was expecting it. In my opinion, Mirko let his already weathered guard down upon his entrance in to the UFC.
His first fight in the UFC against Eddie Sanchez, although victorious, was not the dominating victory we were all expecting. Frankly, he looked out of shape and almost like he was just going through the motions. His next match was supposed to be a cakewalk; the method of the win was expected, it just wasn’t expected from the guy who won. Crocop got knocked the fuck out (pardon my French). This is where I believe Crocop’s flickering fire went out. Forget the fight with Kongo -that fight did nothing but reaffirm my theory on the accuracy of Kongo’s knees and that Crocop’s head wasn’t in the game. Crocop would leave the UFC shortly after that fight, I don’t really recall how everyone parted ways and I don’t really care, all I know is that he left. Since leaving the UFC he has had some surgeries done to fix some old injuries and potentially bring him back to his former fighting self. As a result of these operations he has only fought three times, and of those three fights, his fight with Alistair Overeem was his biggest challenge and thanks to Overeems Cheik Kongo like knee strikes that match ended in a no contest. That is taking absolutely nothing away from Overeem in that match before the fouled knee attempts, he looked phenomenal.
I would like nothing more than for Crocop to find that motivation again, to turn that faded light into the raging inferno that fueled him in his success. I want to see him return to the UFC and become a contender, maybe even a champion. It will not happen, unless he can find that motivation again. He has three fights left in his UFC contract and I’ve caught wind of a rumor that says he may be making a return sometime this year. At this point though, it is just that… a rumor. Truthfully I, and some of my other associates, believe that Crocop needs to reinvent his fighting style. He needs to bring more to the table than his mighty left kick, form a fighting style that will compliment his current demeanor. I also think maybe Crocop should consider dropping down a weight class, if nothing else it would help him get somewhat of a size advantage back. Despite the losses and his decision to pad his ego by taking on lighter (for lack of a better term) competition, I continue to be a huge Crocop fan and I will always be a Crocop fan. I still have faith in Mirko Crocop. Win, lose, or draw that will remain the same.
-MS
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