Mirko Crocop Denies Signing with DREAM

From this Croatian news site, translated by someone on the Sherdog forums.

ZAGREB - The same Saturday night in which Mirko Filipović in only three minutes TKOed Britain Mostapha Al Turk, President of American Organization UFC Dana White without any argument accused the Croatian master of the ultimat fighting for the fraud and hypocrisy.

Ten days ago Dana White and Cro Cop have a phone made arrangements for the duel on the UFC 99 tournament in Cologne Lanxess Arena, leaving open the possibility that cooperation prolongs for the two further tournaments. However, the head of the UFC on Saturday felt fooled because he thought that the Croatian gladiator signed a new contract with the Japanese Dream.

Before we accuse Crocop for hypocrisy, let us see what lays below Dana White's empty phrase of honor. UFC leader is angry because Mirko, just as Fedor Emilianenko, the best MMA fighter in the world, did not agree to perform only twice in the next 12 months.

However, it is not true that Cro Cop signed with Dream. We have learned that Mirko Crocop still did not sign neither with Dream nor with UFC, and that he is ready to discuss any offer. Moreover, Mirko expected after the victory in Cologne immediate talks with Dana White about the new contract and is surprised by the accusations of UFC's president.

"I don’t know why White listened to the roumors instead of talking to me. I hoped that we will talk about a continuing of our collaboration, because the only obstacle was the long period between two fights that has been offered to me. I don’t want to sit at home so long and waiting that someone calls me for a figh. However, I am grateful to Dana White for an opportunity to fight in Cologne and despite his harsh words, I don’t see the reason that we don’t prolong the contract – explained Mirko after returning from Germany.

White gave Crocop the opportunity to fight in Cologne to use his charisma of the most popular European fighter and suggested two more bouts, under the condition that he doesn’t fight for other promotions. Because Dream offered him also three-fights contract, but in the next 6 months, why shouldn’t Mirko take some time to consider what is better to him?

Well who knows what is going on now. Here's hoping they can rectify the situation. I've been reading some of your comments and have some thoughts. To begin with I'm all for DREAM becoming the next Pride and signing big name fighters, but lets be honest, its not going to happen anytime soon. Fedor/Crocop 2 is something I would watch, but its not as intriguing as Mirko taking a run at the UFC title. Secondly, is there a side of me that is rolling and laughing all over the floor that Dana White(possibly) got completely punk'd? Yes, it is a little satisfying. The problem is it is not more satisfying than a career revival UFC heavyweight title run by Crocop.

Mirko Crocop Signs Three Fight Deal with DREAM, Dana White is Pissed

Yahoo Sports Breaks the News

Not long after stopping Mostapha Al-Turk in the first round of UFC 99 on Saturday at Lanxess Arena in his first fight in the UFC since back-to-back losses in 2007, Filipovic informed UFC president Dana White that he had signed a three-fight contract with the Japan-based DREAM.

Isn’t that a dirty [expletive] thing to do?” White asked rhetorically after being queried about Filipovic’s deal with DREAM. “He [expletived] me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he [expletived] me.”

“He didn’t keep his word,” White said, who said he’d had a two-hour talk with Filipovic on the day Filipovic texted and asked to be able to return. “He talked about honor and all this other [expletive] and he [expletived] me.

He didn't just screw Dana White, he screwed his fans(me) who wanted to see him go after the UFC title one more time. This just sucks!

I'm sure that lots of wagers will get made at the leading online betting sites, but until he returns to form, I don't see lots of wagers going Crocop's way.

UFC 99 Conference Call with Crocop and Dana White(Audio)

Click here for the full audio of the conference call from Promma.info

Notable quote from Crocop

I just think I wasn’t the old Mirko “Cro Cop” that I used to be. I don’t know the reason. I spent so many times thinking about it. I don’t know, maybe I was just empty right after I won the PRIDE Grand Prix, I don’t know. To tell the truth, I don’t know, I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t adapted for the fight in the cage. Maybe I wasn’t hungry enough, I don’t know. I just couldn’t smell the blood like I did in my previous fights. What switched me on again, I don’t know.

UFC 99 Betting Odds and Thoughts

UFC 99: The Comeback kicks off this Saturday at Lanxess Arena in Germany. Let's take a look at the betting lines and my picks.

Rich Franklin -155 vs Wanderlei Silva +115

Cain Velasquez -200 vs Cheick Kongo +160

Marcus Davis -225 vs Dan Hardy +175

Spencer Fisher -225 vs Caol Uno +175

Mike Swick -225 vs Ben Saunders +175

Terry Etim -250 vs Justin Buchholz +225

Paul Taylor -500 vs Peter Sobatta +300

Mirko Crocop -450 vs Mustapha Al-Turk +275

Paul Kelly -550 vs Ronald Delgado +325

Denis Stojnic -110 vs Stefan Struve -130

Dennis Siver -200 vs Dale Hartt +150

(John Hathaway vs Rick Story has no line yet)

I think there is some real good value betting on Kongo. Cain Velasquez is amazing and one of the most hyped MMA prospects in a long time, but he is still raw. Kongo has a ton of experience and some serious skills to boot. Personally, I think Cain pulls out the victory, but it wouldn't surprise me if the underdog makes you some cash in this bout.

I think Ben Saunders is also a good underdog bet. He is a huge welterweight, undefeated and was ridiculous in his last fight. He may just have the skills to beat Mike "Quick" Swick.

Some other underdogs with a chance- Dan Hardy, Wanderlei Silva and Justin Buchholz. I am not familiar enough with Peter Sobatta or Ronald Delgado to know if its worth taking the risk.

Place your bets over at Betus!

Mirko Crocop vs Hong Man Choi Rumored for NYE K-1 FIELDS Dynamite!!

Its not official yet, Fighters Only Magazine has the scoop.

Mirko ‘CroCop' Filopovic is being lined up for a fight with Korean giant Hong Man Choi, it has been rumoured.

Reports on several Korean websites indicate the pair are being offered a fight with each other for K-1 Fields Dynamite on New Year's Eve.

But the reports are unconfirmed and there has been no official statement from either fighter's camp, nor the K-1 organisation.

Filopovic last fought in October, when a long-awaited clash with Dutch heavyweight Alistair Overeem ended in controversy.

With so many great bouts rumored and comfirmed for this event, it was a foregone conclusion that there had to be one freak show bout thrown in. The rumors are that it will be fought under K-1 kickboxing rules. Choi just got his ass handed to him by Ray Sefo at the K-1 World GP Finals. Can Crocop's left high kick reach Choi's enormous cranium?

DREAM 6 Live Blog Results Play-by-Play at 3am EST

I'm staying up all night and I will post the televised results as they happen with full play-by-play, my first time trying it.

Here is the card.

Middleweight tournament final:

Melvin Manhoef or Gegard Mousasi vs. Zelg Galesic or Ronaldo Souza

Middleweight tournament semifinals:

Melvin Manhoef (22-4-1) vs. Gegard Mousasi (22-2-1)
Zelg Galesic (9-3) vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (9-1)

Middleweight tournament reserve bout:

Dong Sik Yoon (4-5) vs. Andrews Nakahara (0-1)

Non-tournament bouts:

265 lbs.: Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (23-6-2) vs. Alistair “Demolition Man” Overeem (28-11)
265 lbs.: Sergei Kharitonov (15-3-0) vs. Jimmy “The Titan” Ambriz (13-9-1)
185 lbs.: Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (40-28-8) vs. Masakatsu Funaki (38-13-1)
185 lbs.: Yoshihiro Akiyama (11-1) vs. Masanori Tonooka (1-1)
170 lbs.: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (32-8-2) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (12-5)
160 lbs.: Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki (17-3) vs. Todd “Maniac” Moore (9-2)
160 lbs.: Keita “K-taro” Nakamura (14-3-2) vs. Adriano Martins (9-3)
145 lbs.: Hideo Tokoro (21-13-1) vs. Atsushi Yamamoto (11-5-1)

Play-by-Play begins below at 3am EST.

Let the show begin! The show starts with a nice little description of all the middleweight tourney semi-finalists. Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are talking about tonight's festivities, and they go to Ron Kruck with a little preview of Crocop vs. Overeem. First fight coming up and its gonna be the tourney reserve match of Andrews Nakahara vs. Dong Sik Yoon. We'll have to wait for the action as they announce the judges and officials ringside, now Saitama Super Arena goes dark and they start the opening, looks awesome, but HDNet is not letting us in on the fun, all they're showing is a wide shot of the arena and screen. Some pyrotechnics and now fighter introductions, this will take awhile I'm sure, I'll be back when the match starts.

Middleweight Tournament Reserve Match- Andrews Nakahara vs. Dong Sik Yoon
Round 1- Yoon is sporting a full Gi and here we go. Nakahara misses with a low kick, then stuffs a Yoon takedown attempt. Some clinching in the corner and the fight ends up on the mat with Nakahara on top in Yoon's guard, but Nakahara quickly stands up and out. Low kicks are finding their mark for Nakahara and he also lands a nice knee to the body before being put on his back by Yoon. Yoon moves to side guard and now he moves to full mount and now is going for a Gi choke. Nakahara defends well, but is still mounted. Yoon is throwing some weak punches from the mount. Nakahara finally escapes the back door, both fighters back to their feet. Nakahara's low kicks are starting to take a bit of a toll, he also throws some Andy Hug like Axe kicks. Yoon goes for a takedown, but is stuffed and the round ends with Nakahara in north/south position and landing a knee.
MMA Post Scores the first round for Nakahara 10-9.

Round 2- Fighters come out swinging and Nakahara knocks down Yoon with a couple of well-placed left hooks, Nakahara pounces on Yoon with a flurry of unanswered punches to Yoon's face, Yoon has pretty much stopped defending himself and the ref saves him at 30 seconds into the round. Very good fight by Nakahara, he defended the dangerous submission game of Yoon well and pretty much dominated the stand-up.
Winner-Andrews Nakahara(TKO Punches)


Middleweight Tournament Semi-Final Match- Melvin Manhoef vs. Gegard Mousasi
This is gonna be a hell of a scrap, unless Mousasai gets a quick sub. Bas Rutten really likes Melvin Manhoef, not suprisingly.
Round 1- Fighters come out and Mousasi throws, but misses a low kick and not suprisingly Mousasi shoots in for a takedown. Manhoef initially sprawls, but is still taken down, he gets back to his feet, but Mousasi clinches and now gets a perfect takedown. Manhoef scrambles, Mousasi gets his back, lands some punches to the side of Mahoef's head and is now going for the rear-naked choke. Manhoef gets the sweep, but falls right into a triangle choke! Manhoef picks Mousasi up Rampage style, but man he is still caught in the choke deep while standing-up, Manhoef goes against Bas Rutten's advice and slams him on the mat, now the choke is even tighter. Mousasi pulls the head down hard now and Manhoef is forced to tap just a minute and a half into the fight.. Mousasi just totally dominated Manhoef on the ground, wow that choke was brutal!
Winner- Gegard Mousasi(Submission: Triangle Choke)


Middleweight Tournament Sem-Final Match- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Zelg Galesic
Round 1- Jacare quickly slips a front kick from Zelg and moves in with a nice takedown. Jacare works from the guard, but is immediately looking to pass. Zelg trys to get up, but Jacare keeps him down and easily advance to side mount. Jacare lands some nice punches to the head from side control and now he looks for an arm. Jacare gets knee on belly position and from there goes straight to full mount, awesome grappling display! Zelg goes for a sweep, but Jacare gets a quick armbar and Zelg is forced to tap, also a minute and a half into the fight.
Winner- Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza(Submission: Armbar)


The non-tournament bouts begin.

Keita Nakamura vs. Adriano Martins
Round 1- Martins comes out and lands a nice inside low kick. Some sloppy exchanges now. Martins now scores a knockdown with a right hand. Nakamura recovers though. Another right hand stuns Nakamura a little. Nakamura secure a single leg takedown.
Not much going on, on the ground here, but all the pitter-patter punching has led to a cut on the left eye of Nakamura, a replay shows a well-placed elbow from the bottom by Martins led to the cut. The ref stops the fighters and wants to check the cut. It's not a bad cut. The fighters come back and start on the feet. Nakamura is starting to land some good punches now. Martins is taking some shots as the bell sounds.
MMA Post scores Round 1 Nakamura 10-9.

Round 2- Nakamura comes out and lands some nice punches. Martins' chin is way too high. Nakamura now landing numorous unanswered stiff jabs. Alot of clinching going on between the exchanges and thats how the fight ends. Fight started out pretty good, but ended up pretty uneventful.
Should be a unaminous decision victory for Nakamura.
Wow, one judge scored the bout for Martins.
Winner- Keita Nakamura(Split Decision)


Sergei Kharitonov vs. Jimmy Ambriz
Man I can't wait to see Sergei back in action. Bas and Kenny are talking about Ambriz and hey the camera catches Fedor sitting ringside. Sergei is walking out and Kenny talks about Sergei fought Fedor 2 years ago on September tenth? No idea, that has to be a mistake.
Round 1- Sergei lands a nice left and bam! a hard left hook from Sergei knocks down Ambriz, but Ambriz pops back up, gets a body lock and is going for a takedown against the ropes. Sergei is holding the ropes and gets a yellow card for it. The action resumes, the fighters circle each other a little and Sergei is pretty much landing at will, nothing too hard yet, but it looks like this guy is gonna get KO'd pretty soon. Ambriz has zero striking ability and he looks like he's gassing already. Hard right straight to the head lands for Sergei, now a nice straight body shot. Huge overhand right from Sergei staggers Ambriz a little. Sergei is starting to tee off, landing everything he throws. Ambriz is dazed now as Sergei lands a big uppercut. Now some hard knees to the chin of Ambriz, and this is gonna be over soon. Ambriz drops to his knees and Sergei(standing over top) lands two hard body punches and a hard head punch and Ambriz taps. Thats as easy as it gets for Kharitonov.
Winner- Sergei Kharitonov(Submission: Strikes)

Fedor is getting alot of camera time. Kenny(speaking of Kharitonov)-"Bas, ya think Fedor's impressed?", Bas-"NO"!

Now an interview with Zelg, he picks Mousasi to win the tournament.

Featherweights up next.

Hideo Tokoro vs. Atsushi Yamamoto
Round 1- Both fighters come out and some nice boxing from both fighters. Now a beautiful left hook-right straight combo drops Tokoro to the ground. Yamamoto smells blood and jumps on Tokoro, but Tokoro recovers fast and now has Yamamoto in rubber guard. A stall in the action now as both fighters lobby for position. Tokoro goes for an armbar, but Yamamoto escapes and the fighters are back on their feet now. Yamamoto dancing around and getting cocky as he lands a jab. Yamamoto is dropping his hands, taunting Tokoro and he lands another nice jab. Inside low kick finds its mark for Yamamoto. Yamamoto lands a decent flying knee. Tokoro comes back with a nice body kick followed by a one-two. The two fighters clinch and Tokoro goes for a Flying armbar, but ends up pulling guard. Some scrambling and Yamamoto pops back to his feet and the two look to exchange punches again. Tokoro lands some hard punches with a left-right combo to the the chin. Yamamoto is landing his jab at will. Tokoro trys a flip kick, but ends up pulling guard.
MMA Post scores the first round Yamamoto 10-9.

Round 2- Another jab from Yamamoto, this one snaps Tokoro's head back. Tokoro's nose is bloodied up good. Tokoro again trys a flip kick, but again gets guard and goes for an armbar but Yamamoto defends. The ref stops the action to take a look at Tokoro, who now has a mouse under his eye. The action resumes and Yamamoto gets a single-leg to secure his first takedown of the fight. Not much doing on the ground and Yamamoto simply stands up. The fighters are back to the ground with Yamamoto in Tokoro's guard. With 2 minutes left, Tokoro reverses and gets an arm. He has it locked, but can't break the grip of Yamamoto to fully secure the hold. Yamamoto defends all the way to the end of the fight. Really good scrap, but Yamamoto should win it easily and he does.
Winner- Yamamoto(Unanimous Decision)


Ikuhisa Minowa vs. Masakatsu Funaki
Round 1- Funaki attempts a spinning back kick, but is taken down in the process. Funaki gets a leg and rolls over. Funaki has a heel hook, Minowa is trying for the same move. Funaki gets an inverted heel hook and it is brutal looking as he twists Minowa's foot almost completely around and Minowa is forced to tap just 53 seconds in, Ouch! Bas rutten points out the huge mistake Minowa made wearing shoes against someone like Funaki.
Winner- Funaki(Submission: Inverted Heel Hook)

A break in the action as HDNet shows a nice piece on Eddie Alvarez.

Hey, Fedor is now walking to the ring! Possibly to announce a New Year's match-up? Fedor says he wants to practice the Gold Medalist Judo winner Ishii. Bas and Kenny talk about how they would want to see Fedor fight the winner of Overeem/Crocop, but why would Fedor even mention Ishii? It seems like that fight is probably in the works for New Year's.


Hayato Sakurai vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka
Round 1- Front kick and spinning back fist attempt misses for Sakurai. Hironaka lands some nice low kicks. The fighters clinch and Hironaka secures a takedown. Hironaka lobbying for position, postures up, but falls back into half guard. The fighters scramble back to their feet. Hard low kick scores for Sakurai. Some uneventful punching exchanges. Sakurai lands a nice left straight and follows up with another nice low kick. A front kick to the chin lands for Sakurai and another good low kick scores. Another really hard low kick for Sakurai. Sakurai is controlling the stand-up and lands another hard low kick. The low kicks are starting to really hurt Hironaka. The fighters clinch now and after a stall the ref re-starts the action. Sakurai loses balance and falls to the canvas. He gets the guard now, Hironaka throwing punches, but nothing significant. Hironaka stands-up and stomps his opponent on the chin(ahh back to the good old Pride days), but Hironaka just gets a warning for it. Sakurai lands a good liver punch and another one, Bas is loving it. Some good front kicks to the gut for Sakurai land and the round ends.
MMA Post scores round 1 for Sakurai 10-9.

Round 2- Hironaka shoots in and secures a double-leg takedown. The fighters are in the corner and the ref moves them to the centers. Sakurai scrambles up as Hironaka goes for a Gulliontine, but Sakurai easily escapes. The fighters on their feet again and Sakurai lands another low kick. Some good straight punches land for Sakurai and some good counters by Hironaka now. Sakurai landing some good combos now to the head of Hironaka and lands 2 good knees. Huge left hook from Sakurai lands flush and drops Hironaka to the ground! Sakurai pounces and is looking for the finish, but there's not enough time left and the bell sounds as he lands some nice ground punches. Sakurai all the way.
Winner- Sakurai(Unanimous Decision)


Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Masanori Tonooka
Round 1- Akiyama in the full Gi, nothing doing as the fighters feel each other out for the first minute. Akiyama lands a short left hook, Tonooka swings wildly. Akiyama gets a body lock and takes the fight to the floor, passes right away into side mount. Nothing happening in side mount, Akiyama goes for an armbar, but switches posiitions and now has his opponent in full mount. Goes for another armbar, but to the suprise of the Bas and Kenny and myself he escapes back to his feet. Akiyama quickly takes it back down with a nice trip. Now he has the armbar and the overmatched Tonooka is forced to tap with 3:33 left in the first round.
Winner- Akiyama(Submission: Armbar)


Shinya Aoki vs. Todd Moore
Round 1- Some strikes from both fighters don't land. They clinch and Aoki jumps on Moore's back and goes for a rear-naked-choke, they fall to the canvas and Aoki has his hips locked up and pulls off a neck crank that forces the tap from Moore. I have never seen something like that before, I've seen positions like that, the fighter always twists out of it. Aoki prevented the hips from twisting.
Winner- Aoki(Submission: Neck Crank)


Crocop vs. Overeem coming up. Kenny Rice says its possible the winner fights Fedor on New Year's Eve. Fedor gets in the ring and gives flowers to both fighters.

Mirko Crocop vs Alistair Overeem
Round 1- Good staredown and here we go. Overeem looks huge. Both fighters circle, crocop lands a inside low kick. They clinch and Overeem throws Crocop to the canvas, wow. Working in Crocop's guard, and Crocop is cut above his left eye. Overeem landing some good strikes from the top. Ref stops to check the cut, its small and restarts it on the ground. The fighters come back to the feet and Crocop lands a hard liver kick and follows up with a high kick that misses and Overeem makes him pay for it and puts him on his back with a trip takedown. Overeem is doing damage to Crocop from top position with body and head punches. Huge hammer fist lands for Overeem. A little stall and the ref stands them up, Overeem lands a hard knee to the body, Crocop complaining it was low, but ref says fight on. They clinch and Overeem is connecting with knees to the body. Knee to the groin does land this time and there is a momentary stoppage. The action resumes and they clinch again and another knee to the groin from Overeem. Crocop doesn't look like he wants to continue, he's laying flat on the ground. He was certainly getting beat up badly before the groin shots, but yep they just called it a no contest. Well this sucks, especially with Kenny Rice now spurting out every minute that Fedor will fight the winner.

I'll say this, Crocop didn't look very good even before the groin shots, but who knows, one high kick later in the fight and just like that he's Crocop again.

Alistair gets the mic and apologizes for the groin shots and says he's number 1 in DREAM and he'll fight anybody.

The final fight of the night coming up.


Middleweight Grand Prix Final- Gegard Mousasi vs. Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
Round 1- Both fighters tentative early, Mousasi looks like he really doesn't want this fight to go to the ground(with good reason). A jab scores for Mousasi. Jacare goes for a takedown, but misses the legs momentarily, recovers and picks Mousasi up and slams him down to the canvas. Mousasi trying to work his way back to his feet, but ends up securing half-guard. Jacare stands over Mousasi and rains down some punches, but Mousasi lands a devastating upkick that knocks Jacare out cold! Wow!! The replay shows he was out cold before he ever hit the floor.
Winner- Mousasi(KO Upkick)

Gegard Mousasi is the DREAM Middleweight Grand Prix Champion, Congratulations to Mousasi.

Good event, I wish the Crocop/Alistair fight wouldv'e had a real ending, but I can't complain because the event as a whole was exciting.

Thanks to those who stayed up late with me!!

Mirko Crocop to Fight Sergei Kharitonov at DREAM 4

This news comes from redsweat.com

The official announcement of the bout will apparently be made at DREAM.2 which is set to take place on April 29. Olympia DREAM.2 will be the first round of the Middleweight GP.

Mirko recently left the UFC after losing two fights in a row. He was considered the heavy favorite in both of those matches and was devastated to say the least. He cited a "lack of motivation" as the reason for losing the bouts and and faced a pivotal moment in his career. He decided he would leave the UFC temporarily and was quickly picked up by the upstart organization DREAM. He made his DREAM debut this past Saturday, easily defeating Tatsuya Mizuno via TKO in under a minute flat.

Sergei Kharitonov hasn’t fought since September of 2007 when he took on Alistair Overeem at K-1 Hero’s "Tournament Final". It was business as usual for the 6′4 Russian as he defeated Overeem via TKO at 4:21 in the first round. The victory tasted extra sweet for Sergei who had lost to Alistair at Pride 31 in the same fashion. Kharitonov is remembered mainly for his fights in the former Pride FC organization from 2003 to 2007. He holds a record of fifteen wins with only three losses.

Read the Full Article Here

This would be an amazing fight and a fight I've wanted to see for a long time.

DREAM Producers Planning Fedor vs Crocop 2 for NYE 2008

This is a story that comes from the mmanews.com forums, I don't really know who to give credit too except the guy that posted it because he didn't give any links. Here's the news, defenitely a fight I would want to see again.

The producers of DREAM, the new Japanese MMA promotion borne out of the ashes of PRIDE and K-1 HERO'S, have set forth their "dream" match for the annual end-of-year fight festival known as Dynamite: a rematch between former PRIDE aces Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic.

CroCop fought most recently at the inaugural DREAM event, easily dispatching Pancrase veteran Tatsuya Mizuno via TKO in a mere 56 seconds. Emelianenko's last fight occurred at the Yarennoka New Year's Eve show, where he submitted 7'2" K-1 giant Hong Man Choi via arm bar in the opening round. Both matches were held at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the former "home court" of PRIDE FC.

While the DREAM producers are excited at the opportunity to stage a rematch of one of the biggest PRIDE fights ever, the bout would be contingent on the success of each fighter during the interim. A source indicates that both Emelianenko and Filipovic are expected to compete at least once more for DREAM in the meantime.

Their original contest, staged at PRIDE - Final Conflict in August of 2005, became one of the most talked about MMA fights in history, as Emelianenko was able to back down the K-1 veteran with impressive striking, and apply his superior ground game en route to a unanimous decision victory.

After CroCop bounced back to capture the 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix Championship, many expected he would be granted a rematch with Fedor in PRIDE. But the Croatian Sensation would surprise the MMA world by being one of the first top PRIDE fighters to cross over to the UFC.

On a Japanese TV special previewing the DREAM.1 event, Emelianenko was touted as one of the elite stars of the new promotion. CroCop appeared in a brief interview segment where he expressed his desire to reclaim his place among the top MMA heavyweights in the world and earn a second shot at Fedor, after his disappointing 1-2 run in the UFC.

Original Source

3 MMA Fights to Show Your Girlfriend So She'll Watch it Too or at Least Stop Bugging You About It!

Its been a long night on the town and you and your spouse/girlfriend just wanna relax, so you go home and she suggests that you watch a movie. Tell her that you have a better idea and that you want to share something with her that makes you happy. Now explain to her that its really important to you that she sit down, relax and watch what you put on the television. Proceed to show these fights in this order to your loved one, so she'll appreciate why we love this sport so much or least let you watch your MMA in peace. Remember this is only if your spouse/girlfriend has no knowledge of the sport, for those woman who do, God Bless You.


3. Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79- First things first be sure to explain the rules like no groin shots etc. Its very important that you show this fight first. One, because Chuck Liddell is probably the only fighter she has seen or knows anything about, and two, because there is virtually zero ground game in this fight and its way too early to show any ground work. Now explain to her the magnatude of this fight and that its been many years in the making. Give her some background on Wanderlei and maybe even pull out the old laptop and hit up some Silva highlights on youtube. Start the fight, of course the first thing she'll say is "Is that the guy from Fear Factor?" you say "Yes, honey". Now let her watch the fight, sit back and enjoy the ooh's and ahh's. After the fight tell her its only going to get better and no she can't marry Chuck Liddell.


2. Fedor Emelianenko vs Kazayuki Fujita at Pride 26- Before beginning the fight give her some history on Pride. Now explain to her who Fedor is and that he had just beat the best fighter in the world to win the belt. Again, youtube is your friend when explaining who fighters are, tell her how big of an underdog Fujita is although she'll probably figure that out by the announcers. Also, Rampage is a guest announcer in this fight so that will certainly get some laughs from her and explain who he is also. Tell her the things that make Fedor one of the best fighters ever, you know what I'm talking about. Start the fight, now this is the first time she will see a submission so let her know that these guys are professionals and that choking someone out is really not a big deal and they know what they're doing so the fighters know the difference between a choke that puts you to sleep and a choke that kills you. Hopefully she was rooting for the underdog and got excited when Fujita landed that punch, but then hopefully she appreciated the determination and recovery of Emelianenko to come back. Show her the fighters laughing and embracing afterwards.


1. Mirko Crocop vs Wanderlei Silva 2 at Pride Final Conflict Absolute- She will already be familiar with Wanderlei so she'll have someone to root for right off the bat. Again, explain some background on Crocop and youtube it for some highlights. Tell her about Crocop being in the Croatian army and that he's a very important person over there. Explain to her that many fighters have college degree's, and maybe even some accounting college, and their not just dumb jocks. Also explain the weight difference and the fact that this is an open weight grand prix and that this is their second fight against each other. Start the fight and enjoy the reactions. This will be her first Knockout, hopefully she'll enjoy it, but explain to her that there are doctors ringside and that the fighters are taken care of immediately. Make her watch Crocop's interview after this and the respect he shows Silva, I think this is important(As was the after fight embrace of Fedor/Fujita) to show her that the fighters don't hate each other(usually) and that its only a sport.

This is just for one night to get the ball rolling. Ease her into it and down the road she can start to appreciate all the things you love about mixed martial arts. Like, the gracefulness of Anderson Silva's strikes, the heart of Minotauro, an amazing ground battle, the dedication of the fighters, the athletiscism of GSP, the smaller organizations, the agelessness of Randy Couture, and thats just to name a few. If she still doesn't take to it, then maybe it was at least enough for her to respect MMA.

March 15th DREAM Fight Card

At the good old Saitama Super Arena!

Lightweight Grand Prix (16-Man Tournament) Fights:

-Shinya Aoki vs. Gesias Calvancanti

Others Confirmed For Tourney:

-Gilbert Melendez
-Tatsuya Kawajiri
-Caol Uno
-Mitsuhiro Ishida
-Joachim Hansen
-Kazuyuki Miyata
-Andre Dida
-Luiz Buscape
-Kourtetsu Boku
-Artur Oumakhanov
-Jung Bu-Kyung

Non-Tournament Fights:

-Mirko CroCop vs. TBA
-Denis Kang vs. TBA
-Marcelo Garcia vs. TBA

No word yet on whether it will be on PPV or HDNet, but this will be something to look forward too for any MMA fan. I'm hoping to see Hansen vs Melendez and Kawajiri vs Ishida. Here's hoping Crocop gets back on a winning streak.

DREAM Video:Crocop, Royce Gracie, JZ and Others Speak at DREAM Press Conference

DREAM is the new organization that Crocop will be fighting in and from the looks of it many other former Pride fighters and popular fighters in Japan. Former pride owners and K-1 are the ones behind this new promotion. Is this the new Pride?

Props to Pancrase.org for the Video

Dana White's Reaction to Crocop Leaving the UFC

This is courtesy of MMAnews.com. For those who are not up to speed on the whole situation here is a LINK explaining everything.

The following is a message from Cindy Ortiz, a friend of UFC president Dana White (who happened to book Mr. White on MMANews.com's old "CFZ Radio" program a few years ago and still has a friendly relationship with him to this day):

I just talked to DW and this is what he had to say:

The split was amicable and the terms were decided on in advance. Cro Cops $350k (plus bonuses) contract had a clause in it stating that if he lost two consecutive fights Zuffa had the right to void the existing agreement and negotiate a new one.

CC never dreamed that he would be so overwhelmed by the level of competition he has faced in the UFC so far and and the losses have impacted him mentally.

The UFC did NOT cut Cro Cop from the roster nor did they threaten to make him sit out until his contract expired if he didn't take the pay cut deal.

Rather than negotiate a new contract with the UFC right now (and risk racking up more losses), Cro Cop wants to get a couple of tune up fights (and wins) in some of the smaller shows (no more tune up matches for him in the UFC) in hopes of rebuilding his confidence and getting himself back on track.

DW understood completely and supported Cro Cop in his decision. The last thing DW wants to do is shell out a six-figure purse to a fighter that isn't fighting worth a dayum. Even though it would have been lower than the original figure, it would still be a waste of money and resources.

Cro Cops ultimate goal is to win the UFC HW championship belt and DW believes he still has the potential to accomplish that goal. CC's plan when he signed with the UFC was, "I will become Champion after three matches. I will need two and a half or three months off between each match. I expect to hold the UFC belt by the Summer. Then I want Pride Champion Fedor Emelianenko, Vs Me the UFC Heavyweight Champion on New Years Eve."

Top 10 MMA Dream Matches- Sequels

Yesterday I wrote the top 10 mma dream matches with no sequels, today its all about the second, third or fourth matches between fighters who already fought each other.

10. Fedor Emelianenko vs Mirko Crocop 2- The first fight between these was our Ali-Frazier as far as MMA goes. Although Crocop has lost 2 back to back fights in the UFC, many fans would love to see this rematch.

9. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Mirko Crocop 2- The first fight is one of my favorite fights of all-time. Crocop was destroying Nog through the whole first round, landing numorous kicks and punches and stuffing every takedown attempt. Then as the second round started Nog shot in, got the takedown and secured the armbar. Would Crocop be able to finish him this time?

8. Forrest Griffin vs Mauricio Shogun Rua 2- The big question would be, would the real Shogun show up. For whatever reasons in the first fight Shogun did not look like himself, most notably gassing, when he is known for tremendous cardio. Forrest is a tough SOB and a second fight would be a war.

7. Wanderlei Silva vs Ricardo Arona 3- The ultimate grudge match, these 2 guys hate each other. Wanderlei no doubt is itching to get back in the ring with Arona after Arona yelled in his face after the last fight. Both fights were closely fought decisions and a third fight would be a rubber match for the ages.

6. Matt Hughes vs BJ Penn 3- How can fans not clamour for a third fight between these 2, the first 2 fights are classics. No doubt these 2 guys have amazing MMA skills and when they get in the cage together it will always be an entertaining bout.

5. Nick Diaz vs Takanori Gomi 2- The first fight is an amazing fight with a killer ending. Diaz tested positive for weed after the fight, which had nothing to do with his medifast coupons, so his victory is somewhat tainted, so they need to get back in there and bang it out again.

4. Fedor Emelianenko vs Ricardo Arona 2- The first fight is widely considered to be a very controversial decision which Fedor won. After the fight was over you can see the disbelief on Arona's face. Whatever you think of the first decision, a second fight would answer all the questions.

3. Randy Couture vs Josh Barnett 2- In the first fight, Couture was controlling the fight until he made a crucial mistake and Barnett finished him. These 2 guys are as tough as they come and another fight would no doubt be an entertaining affair.

2. Anderson Silva vs Ryo Chonan 2- Was the flying scissor heel hook a fluke submision? Anderson looks unstoppable right now and this would be a chance to avenge one of the more amazing losses I've evr seen in MMA. A second fight would probably see Anderson dominate.

1. Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Rampage Jackson 3- The first 2 fights are Pride classics that I would show anyone looking to get into Mixed Martial Arts. These 2 have a long history of hating each other, remember the infamous "My Belt" incident. The main question would be, can Quinton overcome the mental aspect of being finished in devastating fashion both fights. Can Rampage avoid the knees of the Muay Thai legend? I really hope this fight happens, I would never be more excited to see a fight.