Big Nog Out, Cro Cop In For UFC 119 Main Event

[Turd Ferguson]

Rodrigo Nogueira is out of his UFC 119 fight with Frank Mir after suffering an injury in training, a Brazilian source tells Fighters Only.

The nature of the injury was not disclosed but the source says it will require surgery. Nogueira is said to be “incredibly frustrated” by it and expects to be out until the New Year.

The fight with Mir was to headline UFC 119 and was a rematch of their meeting, which saw Nogueira stopped for the first time in his professional career.

Fighters Only has also been told the UFC has already secured a replacement and it will be “a really big name opponent”, although the source we spoke to did not provide a name.

I think I might have been one of the few people looking forward to this fight, just because Minotauro swore up and down that the only reason why Mir won was because of the staph infection he had the week before. I really wanted to see him win, submit Frank Mir, and get back in the title picture. His body is breaking down though. Rogan and Goldie always say that he's like a Cadillac with about 250,000 miles on it. I don't think Nogueira will ever be a major player again... he's been in some wars. As time goes on, the more time he spends fighting, the more likely it is that injuries like this pop up.

I wonder who the "really big name" replacement is though. Let's take a look at the Heavyweight Division.

Lesnar/Velasquez: Already tied up for UFC 121.

Junior Dos Santos: Just fought at UFC 117. Already has a title shot, has nothing to gain by taking a Frank Mir fight.

Shane Carwin: Might not be ready to fight after the Lesnar fight and his lactic acidosis. Embroiled in a steroid scandal, and Frank Mir probably has PTSD-like flashbacks to getting damn near murdered by him. He probably wants nothing to do with him.

Roy Nelson: Getting surgery done.

Then you go down the list. Would Gabriel Gonzaga really be a "big name" worthy of a main event at this point? He already destroyed Cheick Kongo. They're targeting Cro Cop for the show they're doing in Germany.

I couldn't even guess as to who the "big name" would be. Carwin I guess would make the most sense, but I really don't see that happening. I'm trying to think of names outside of the UFC, and the only one I could think of would be Josh Barnett. The thing with Barnett is that he might not even be able to get a license to fight stateside after the steroid scandals he's been a part of.

EDIT:

The replacement has been confirmed to be Mirko Cro Cop.

Mirko ‘CroCop’ Filipovic will be stepping in for an injured Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 119, Fighters Only can confirm.

We broke the news of Nogueira’s withdrawal earlier and can now confirm that Filipovic is the replacement.

Nogueira’s injury is undisclosed at this point but a Brazilian source tells us it is one that requires surgery and is not an recurrence of the staph infection he suffered around the time of the first fight with Mir.

Filipovic’s inclusion in the UFC 119 headlining fight was notified to Fighters Only by sources close to the event. It will be the first time that the Croatian legend and former PRIDE FC title challenger has fought Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion.

He has fought two former UFC heavyweight champions in the past, going 1-1 with Kevin Randleman and 3-0 over Josh Barnett while fighting in PRIDE, the Japanese promotion which once rivalled the UFC in stature.

UFC 119 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 25, 2010 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event will be the first that the UFC has hosted in Indiana.

Since getting dismantled by Junior Dos Santos, Cro Cop has beaten Anthony Perosh and Pat Barry. For the Perosh and Barry fights, Cro Cop looked like he had regained that killer instinct and showed that he might have finally gotten past the Gonzaga knockout, which you know had been haunting him for awhile.

With Frank Mir, Cro Cop has easily his toughest overall challenge that he's had in a long time. I think Cro Cop can win. He doesn't get submitted, period, and has very good takedown defense. Much like the Carwin fight, Mir might try to keep it standing. And in that case, Cro Cop has the definite advantage. I really think Cro Cop will knock Mir out, and I think he'll get Nogueira early next year.

I would love to see Cro Cop make a run for the title, and right now, it's now or never for him.

 

[Slyfox696]

I can tell you right now UFC 119 just got a whole lot more interesting for me. The idea of a Big Nog and Mir main-event bored me to tears, but this might actually be something worth watching now.

Then again, anytime Mir gets knocked out is worth watching. This may make the show worth watching.

 

[Ferbian]

I'm sure this is gonna be one hell of a match. As you know Guy, I'm quite the fan of Mikro Cro Cop, and I'm sure Frank Mir is one hell of a guy to deliver. So both of these guys mixed together is definitely gonna be interesting.

I'm not sure who will come out victorious, but I can say I would love to see Mikro win this one, just because of the fan in me. I'll certainly try to find a way to watch this fight, cause it's gonna be pretty good I'm sure.

 

[Fizzy]

Man this is awesome. Cro Cop was my favorite fighter in Pride, and i've always wanted to see him succeed in the UFC. I really had no interest in seeing Mir/Nog II because I think it would end the same exact way as their first meeting. This fight is very interesting because Cro Cop has very good takedown defense, and is better in striking than Mir. I think that if Mir can't get it to the ground than Cro Cop will pick him apart on the feet. Cro Cop is on the tail end of his career, and I would love to see him knock out a big named opponent, and Mir is perfect for that. I am very much looking forward to this fight.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Mirko definitely made the most sense to step in as a replacement. I'm with you Guy, I really think he will take it to Mir. Maybe then Mir will drop down to 205 like he has been talking about. Mir is really gonna have to think which way he wants to approach Mirko like Guy said Mirko doesn't get submitted, in his 37 fights he only submitted once to Big Nog, there was the eye injury that he suffered from JDS that was counted as a submission to his record as well but thats not tapping. Plus everyone knows Mirko's striking is his bread and butter, so Mir will really have to think on which way he is gonna handle him. Mirko has looked really good as of late, his striking seems to be on again, and his chin very tough, since he was the first guy to take JDS into the 3rd round and was rocked a few times by him, also in the Barry fight he was rocked and came back to win by submission by rear naked choke. If he beats Mir Dana and Co. are gonna have to give him a look at possibly fighting for a number one contender spot.

 

[Dressler]

Sounds interesting. I don't like Mir, I don't know why, mind you I was always a Lesnar fan be it in WWE and now MMA so I guess there "Mini-Feud" makes me to dislike Mir. the idea of Mirko Cro Cop vs Frank Mir is a fun idea. Mirko looks like hes slowly but efficiently coming back to form with two straight wins, and if he can Knockout Mir (Which I can call right now to be my prediction for UFC 119 in the Contest Guy), I think it'll put Mirko in a very good position to make one last run at a title. I once hear, I can't remember from who, that in the UFC, 3 is the magic number, you win 3 you start to move up into the big time, you lose 3 you might be out the door. So come on Cro Cop.

As for Mir, this is a "Win and you stay in the Heavyweight Division, Lose and you might have to Reconsider" type of thing, mind you to me Mir is to stubborn to say he can't fight at Heavyweight so I can't see him moving down anyway.

Either way, this got a bit more interesting from Nog vs Mir to Cop vs Mir.

 

[The Holy One]

This is a perfect senario for me. I wasn't that much into Mir/NOG but with Cro Cop now in this fight has me very interested. I have been a Crop Cop fan since 2007 after watching some of his old PRIDE fights. I hope Crop Cop will pick up the win and make one last run at the title. As long as he knocks out Mir though, I would still be happy.

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

Frank Mir vs Big Nog i was quite looking forward to that, it just seemed there was a lot more to be seen and offered from those two. But nonetheless Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is looking really strong and is an excellent oppoent. He is comingoff an excellent bout against Pat Barry which was a joy to watch, and this could prove to be an excellent bout and entertaining fight for sure. We have that striker vs grappler dynamic which is always good to see. i don't know why, but i want Frank Mir to win, i just want to see Mir vs Lesnar III. Frank Mir will beat Cro Cop on shear desperation, because lets face it Frank Mir cannot afford to lose.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

The Nog vs Mir rematch would have been a great package to see, but not if Nog isn't 100% for the second time in a row. Mir in my opinion wouldn't have beaten Nog standing, especially the boxing aspect of it. While I am a fan of Nog's BJJ I think that Mir's is at a higher level. Now with the withdrawal of Nogueira and the replacement being named as Cro Cop has thrown a spanner in the works for Mir who was preparing for Nog's boxing and BJJ rather than Mirko's Kickboxing. This could be a fatal match in the UFC career of Frank with me thinking he gets KO'd.

Here is my method to this:
Frank is a known slow almost too calm posture and doesn't look to come out of the gates sharp enough..... he waits until mid fight to start firing and by then he is usually hit a few times........ plain and simple much like Carwin's power in his hands Mir wants to avoid the power in Mirko's legs. I think Mirko gets him early or Frank gases out after trying to take Cro Cop down and gets eaten up standing.

 

[INDYjon22]

I fucking love it!!!!! Honestly I wouldn't care so much but seeing as this is the first UFC is Indiana I am pumped and I think it is really cool that they found a suitable replacement for Big Nog. They could have easily just thrown Mir a bone and given him some upper level jobber but they put a legend in for a legend and it just makes me really happy. The UFC honestly appears to be trying to put together a really good card, even without a title fight, just to make it a very enjoyable event for the Indiana fans. I can't wait to go, hopefully, and see this baby live.

 

[jmt225]

It's a shame Big Nog suffered yet another injury while training, but I must say this is now definitely a more intriguing card with Cro Cop now headlining against Mir.

2005 Cro Crop vs. Before Motorcycle Accident Frank Mir has always been one of my dream matches, but I certainly don't mind settling for this.

This fight's definitely going to be a stand-up War. Mir's without a doubt going to have enough confidence in his boxing to stand and trade with Cro Cop. And even if Mir wanted to take the fight to the ground, Cro Cop has some of the best takedown defense in MMA history, so I don't think Mir, whose wrestling has always been weak, would be able take him down anyway.

So, yeah.. this is going to be a great fight. Not sure who I'm predicting as of yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

 

[M. Winters]

Mir is going to decimate Cro-Cop. His boxing IMO is superior to Mirko's and Cro-Cop hasn't thrown a head kick in what seems forever. The rest of the card is pretty unappealing, excited to see Bader but other than that nothing too exciting. Usually the worst cards on paper end up having crazy fights though, so should be interesting.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

I'm looking forward to this match and will be putting my money on Cro Cop. Mostly because of the pay out I'll receive if he wins. UK betting offices know nothing about MMA.

In reality, this match promises to deliver hugely. This to me is Cro Cop's final opportunity to make it big in UFC. He has his Pride reputation and that has carried him through UFC so far. One more loss and that's not going to be enough.

The beauty of it is the flip. There are only just over five weeks for him to prepare for this fight against one of the biggest and best in the UFC, if not the whole of MMA. A win over Frank Mir would count for a lot and would also benefit Cro Cop, giving him a huge boost of confidence. He has everything to play for right now and hopefully he'll put on a show for us.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Mir is going to decimate Cro-Cop. His boxing IMO is superior to Mirko's and Cro-Cop hasn't thrown a head kick in what seems forever.

I'm not gonna knock your opinion thinking Mir is gonna dominate Mirko. But to call Mir's boxing superior to Mirko's is a little absurd. In no way is Mir a better boxer. Mirko has an amateur boxing record of 40-5 with 31 knockouts. Trust watch some older Mirko fights that he won by punches! Shit his most recent fight against Pat Barry he displayed some of his boxing skills, plus he even threw a head kicks something you claimed he hasn't done in forever. Plus the reason you haven't seen him throwing the head kicks as much is because his knee was injured for a long time, before the Barry fight he said that it was healed.

The rest of the card is pretty unappealing, excited to see Bader but other than that nothing too exciting. Usually the worst cards on paper end up having crazy fights though, so should be interesting.

You may say it seems unappealing but the other fights should be highly entertaining. Wait to the official UFC 119 thread goes up next month and see how people around here will be excited for it. Shrek/Dunham is gonna be good, Dunham is a prospect rising in the UFC. Serra/Lytle is will be awesome when doesn't Lytle put on a good fight? Gulliard/Stephens will be a slugfest for sure. Plus you got the Spike prelims and Mark Hunt fighting in the UFC for the first time which will be most likely aired at some point during the PPV.

 

[M. Winters]

I'm not gonna knock your opinion thinking Mir is gonna dominate Mirko. But to call Mir's boxing superior to Mirko's is a little absurd. In no way is Mir a better boxer. Mirko has an amateur boxing record of 40-5 with 31 knockouts. Trust watch some older Mirko fights that he won by punches! Shit his most recent fight against Pat Barry he displayed some of his boxing skills, plus he even threw a head kicks something you claimed he hasn't done in forever. Plus the reason you haven't seen him throwing the head kicks as much is because his knee was injured for a long time, before the Barry fight he said that it was healed.




You may say it seems unappealing but the other fights should be highly entertaining. Wait to the official UFC 121 thread goes up in a few months and see how people around here will be excited for it. Shrek/Dunham is gonna be good, Dunham is a prospect rising in the UFC. Serra/Lytle is will be awesome when doesn't Lytle put on a good fight? Gulliard/Stephens will be a slugfest for sure. Plus you got the Spike prelims and Mark Hunt fighting in the UFC for the first time which will be most likely aired at some point during the PPV.

Pertaining to your first point, yes Mirko in his prime is a far superior striker. But if you like at most of his fights in the UFC, he has been tentative to throw down with a lot of people, he usually just gets peppered the whole fights and keeps backing up, though recently it seems like he's gotten looser and more willing to throw. To your second comment, I should have said it better. I'm sure they're going to be great fights but the majority of the main card and under card are fighters who are either out of their prime or completely irrelevant to their division. I'm a big fight fan, don't get me wrong but Hamill, Cote and Gonzaga are career mid-card fighters. Excited for Diego/Thiago though, that should be interesting, hope Diego gets back to his winning ways.

 

[Buffalo Dave]

Pertaining to your first point, yes Mirko in his prime is a far superior striker. But if you like at most of his fights in the UFC, he has been tentative to throw down with a lot of people, he usually just gets peppered the whole fights and keeps backing up, though recently it seems like he's gotten looser and more willing to throw.

I'm still taking Mirko as the better boxer today. Of course he would tentative against JDS the guy trimmed through his opponents. But his other fights he pretty much fought. I'm sure with Mir he would rather stand and fight with him then worry about taking it to the ground where Mir is more dangerous. All we can do is wait and see now what is gonna go down in a little over a month.

To your second comment, I should have said it better. I'm sure they're going to be great fights but the majority of the main card and under card are fighters who are either out of their prime or completely irrelevant to their division. I'm a big fight fan, don't get me wrong but Hamill, Cote and Gonzaga are career mid-card fighters. Excited for Diego/Thiago though, that should be interesting, hope Diego gets back to his winning ways.

I messed up ment to say UFC 119 not 121, Even though I still talked about 119.

 

[Rizza]

I would bet the house on Cro Cop. His striking, even in this day of age, is so superior to Mir's I can't believe people are thinking that Mir might have a chance on the feet.

I usually never get this cocky about who I support in a fight, but I don't think Mir can get Cro Cop to the ground. His takedowns have never been much to talk about, and I don't think that his little left straight, right uppercut combo he used 20x on Nog is going to work on Cro Cop.I don't care if Cro Cop hasn't competed in K1 in forever, or that he got KO'd by Gonzaga, his striking is still leaps and bounds above Mir's. Only person Mir has really outsruck on the feet is Nog. A guy who the last thing that people thing of upon hearing his name is striking. As much as the UFC likes to claim up and down Kongo is a striker, the dude is more of a dirty clinch fighter, and he didn't get outsruck technically, as much as he just got caught by an overhand. Something I'm sure Mirko ain't gonna fall for.

Cro Cop's sub defense is top notch too, and Mir has never, ever submitted one with anything close to good sub defense. Hardonk, Abbott, Pete Williams, and Kongo(as much as I like the guy) have really no sub defense. I know what you thinking, "but he submitted Lesnar!!!" yes, in Lesnar's second fight. Lesnar was very, very green at the time, and proved in the rematch that it was a fluke. Please no one say Roberto Traven, look at that dudes record and who he has fought, then tell me how we would know about his submission defense in MMA. Because pure BJJ is a horse of a different color, and even if it wasn't, that was pre-crash Mir, IMO a more skilled fighter then post crash Mir.

Mir always loses by Strikes too, his chin isn't the greatest. Mirko can do this, I've got him overwhelming Mir on the feet and a TKO in the 2nd or 3rd.

Mir is going to decimate Cro-Cop. His boxing IMO is superior to Mirko's

How so? Who has he boxed up that makes his boxing better? Boxing up a slow motion zombie Nog(who is my favorite fighter by the way) doesn't make you a good boxer. Cro Cop, even in his UFC run, has shown better form then Mir ever has.

Frank Mir will beat Cro Cop on shear desperation, because lets face it Frank Mir cannot afford to lose.

Frank Mir also couldn't afford to lose to Shane Carwin. In that fight he was only one win away from getting the rematch with the man who haunts is dreams, and obsesses over. He still got KTFO'd. Desperation don't work for Frank Mir.

While I am a fan of Nog's BJJ I think that Mir's is at a higher level.

While I agree with your prediction on the Cro Cop/Mir fight, and kinda agree on the Nog/Mir boxing comment. Why on earth would you take Mir's BJJ over Nogs. Nog has many impressive Subs on his list like over Hendo, and Herring(Who had great sub defense), and Cro Cop, he was the only guy ever to submit Cro Cop. Something everyone here is not even giving Mir a chance to do. Nog's top control was better too, hence the decisions over the top JJ guys he faced. Only thing Mir has on him that I can think off is that he will go for more creative subs that guys might not see coming, and try for some subs that don't even look like they could be finished. (like the Pete Williams one)

Nog's BJJ>Mir's BJJ

 

[Via Armbar]

Awesome. Simply awesome. Rarely is a replacement fighter more intriguing for the bout than the original fighter. This is one of those cases. I love Big Nog, I honestly do. The man is an absolute legend and is always mentioned if people are talking about all time greats. There comes a time though, especially in this sport, where time can't be outran forever. The man is still young but has seen more battles than most his age. We are talking about absolute wars here and it has started to show. He looked good against a game Couture, but Couture isn't the striker (especially at heavyweight) that the other top dogs in the division are. I'm in the camp that believes Velasquez is incredibly overrated and still, Cain tooled him on the feet. I don't see him taking punches like he used to. The reason I'm talking about Nog's chin is to show that, while improved, Mir's stand up game isn't top notch. Not even close.

Mir's stand up has improved over his past couple of fights. No doubt about that, the proof is in the pudding. He worked great combos and angles against Nog and capitalized on a great set up combo in the fight with Kongo. We didn't really get to see it against Carwin because Shane took it to the fence and held Mir there with sheer strength. Mir doesn't like getting hit. Obviously that's true of any fighter, but Mir's game suffers greatly after he is hit. Look for the second Lesnar fight and the Carwin/Vera fights as examples. Sure he clocked Kongo, but it has been very obvious that Kongo is a good offensive striker, not a good defensive striker. Dos Santos is an infinitely better striker than Mir and Dos Santos couldn't get a ko/tko on a diminished Cro Cop. Mirko's chin isn't in question, his instinct and drive is.

Cro Cop has looked good in his last two fights and seems to have regained some of his past confidence. This will easily be a much tougher fight than Perosh or Barry though. He will need to utilize his underrated take down defense and be very cautious while in Mir's guard if it ends up there. Mir will no doubt try to stifle Mirko with sharp combos, much like he did with Nog. Cro Cop's defense against those kind of combos though has always been good.

I firmly believe that Mirko can take this if he can keep it standing and work counter combos against Mir's offense.