Who should be Cro Cop's last opponent?

[JWGunslinger]

As many of you know after being KO'd by Brendan Schaub, it was announced by Dana White that Cro Cop would not be fighting anymore. But with some pushing from Mirko he has been granted one more fight, but to me it seems as though there isnt a good opponent for him on the HW roster.

Big Nog would have been the best possible(even though he's beaten Mirko theyre both on their way out) but unfortunatly he's fighting Schaub at Rio. The perfect match that I can think of is Andrei Arlovski vs Cro Cop, I think it would be a great meeting of two legendary eastern european fighters who have never crossed paths, however this cant happen anytime soon as Arlovski is still under the Strikeforce banner for the time being.

So who on the current roster would give him the best fight for his last match and why?

 

[SalvIsWin]

Why CroCop is being given yet another shot is beyond me, it's painfully obvious that he has nothing left. Honestly, I don't know who you can give Mirko, because even fighters than he completely outclasses, like Anthony Perosh, make him look bad because he can't even dominate a fighter we know he would have absolutely killed before.

 

[Fizzy]

Nobody. He should have retired after the Barry fight. Mirko has had a fantastic career and has given us many highlights but he now has Chuck Liddell syndrome. Age waits for no man and Mirko is just taking unnecessary punishment at this point. I highly doubt you can throw him a can. Mirko doesn't seem like the type of guy who would enjoy being fed an easy fight. He needs to call it quits before he receives anymore punishment and develops long term effects from being KOed so much. I love the guy, he's had a great career but it's time to hang em up.

 

[INDYjon22]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see CC fight one more time, but that would be the fan in me talking. The truth is he should retire. I really don't want to see him suffer anymore loses and injure his legacy and health anymore then he already has. CC is a legend in the sport and as someone has already pointed out, he has a case of the Chuck Liddell's where he just cannot give up the sport even though it has passed him by. I just want to see him get out of the sport before he gets himself seriously hurt.

Now the fan in me has two fights I would love to see and previous posters have already pointed them out. If he is going to fight again then it should be against either Andrei Arlovski or Big Nog. Big Nog would be my first choice but seeing as he is busy with Schaub right now AA makes the most sense. Both AA and CC were two of the best in the world when they were on top and a lot of people wondered what would happen if these two got matched up together. Unfortunately the fight was never made when they were in their primes, but I would still love to see the fight. It would also pain me a lot to see either guy lose, but I think we would still get one hell of a fight from them. Even if CC is hesitant again like he was with Mir you know AA will push the action and probably walk into a nasty KO. I love AA and though I don't think he would beat CC, I do think he would give us one hell of a show before being put away. If CC has to have another fight I am 100% on the Arlovski vs. Mirko wagon.

 

[jmt225]

Stefan Struve.

Just a pitch perfect opponent for Cro Cop. Struve has shit defense on the feet, and there's just no doubt the head kick will be there for the taking if Cro Cop fought his old Pride style.

Cro Cop's career needs to end with him kicking someone's head off, and in the UFC... Stefan Struve is the best option for him to accomplish that against. I like the Arlovski suggestion by Jon as that was a big dream fight of mine years ago, but Arlovski would beat Cro Cop. I want Cro Cop to go out on a victory, and there's not a single doubt in my mind he can do that in devastating fashion against Stefan Struve.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

I like a few have said want to see him fight again. But I believe it is time for him to hang his boots up. He really has nothing to be ashamed of. I would love to see him putting in some training with a group or a single fighter who has a great background in kickboxing. Cro cop could only help him. But I do hope if he fights again we can see one of the famous kicks. That would be a great topper to his allredy great legacy.

 

[That Other Guy]

So far the two plausible suggestions I've seen have been Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski. Of the two, I'd choose Struve. Mirko is the reason I got into MMA. His "Kick of Death" highlight video on YouTube is incredible. The problem is that he just doesn't have it anymore. I think Arlovski has the higher chance of beating Cro Cop, so leave him out. I'm not sure I'd want to see a merging between UFC and Strikeforce anyway.

 

[Via Armbar]

I like JMT's idea of having Cro Cop and Struve face off. There's the obvious height and reach...advantage of Struve but just like pretty much everyone before him Mirko will be able to blast through it. Struve seems to forget that he's as tall as a damn door frame and ends up fighting like one. The Skyscraper doesn't have the power or skill to knock Cro Cop out so it should be a decent fight.

I still wouldn't mind seeing him face off with Big Nog again. Just a fun, nostalgic fight for the old school fans with no real title or ranking implications. Both are the only men I wouldn't mind seeing the other lose against. And Cro Crops chin might be gone but it would seem that Nogs is slipping as well so who knows. Really though...if we're talking about easy fights to give a fighter it's probably time for them to hang it up unfortunately.

 

[That Other Guy]

I like JMT's idea of having Cro Cop and Struve face off. There's the obvious height and reach...advantage of Struve but just like pretty much everyone before him Mirko will be able to blast through it. Struve seems to forget that he's as tall as a damn door frame and ends up fighting like one. The Skyscraper doesn't have the power or skill to knock Cro Cop out so it should be a decent fight.

I still wouldn't mind seeing him face off with Big Nog again. Just a fun, nostalgic fight for the old school fans with no real title or ranking implications. Both are the only men I wouldn't mind seeing the other lose against. And Cro Crops chin might be gone but it would seem that Nogs is slipping as well so who knows. Really though...if we're talking about easy fights to give a fighter it's probably time for them to hang it up unfortunately.

I want to disagree about Big Nog's chin. We haven't really seen whether or not he's losing it. Velasquez made pretty short work of Nogueira, but that guy has an insane amount of power in those hands. If Nog is indeed on his way out, which seems very likely, hold off Cro Cop's final fight until he is recovered from his fight with Schaub and let those two go at it. It can be billed as their last fight in UFC. It's a smart business move. Both fighters can still draw. It doesn't even have to be the main event. You can have a title fight afterwards.

I just checked out the UFC 137 Wikipedia page. Nothing has been officially announced yet, but they're apparently working on a Cro Cop/Roy Nelson fight. Any thoughts on that match-up?

 

[Fizzy]

Shitty terrible match-up. Big Country is way to much for Cro Cop at this point in their careers. If JDS couldn't KO him, Cro Cop won't and Big Country can throw some bombs. If one lands on Cro Cop's suspect chin, it's over in a flash. Cro Cop is not as sharp as he was nor is he as fast as he was and Big Country will show that. Don't let Roy's previous two losses sway your mind, he lost to two guys at the top of the division one of which is the number one contender. Cro Cop is in the twilight of his career and I can't see him beating Roy.

 

[Via Armbar]

I want to disagree about Big Nog's chin. We haven't really seen whether or not he's losing it. Velasquez made pretty short work of Nogueira, but that guy has an insane amount of power in those hands. If Nog is indeed on his way out, which seems very likely, hold off Cro Cop's final fight until he is recovered from his fight with Schaub and let those two go at it. It can be billed as their last fight in UFC. It's a smart business move. Both fighters can still draw. It doesn't even have to be the main event. You can have a title fight afterwards.

I just checked out the UFC 137 Wikipedia page. Nothing has been officially announced yet, but they're apparently working on a Cro Cop/Roy Nelson fight. Any thoughts on that match-up?

He was also knocked out by Mir who has far less noted power. Yada yada, staph infection or whatever; the fact is the more times your lights go off the more susceptible you become to getting knocked out again. Happened to Chuck, happened to Wanderlei and it's happened to Cro Cop. It's the nature of the sport, especially when you get to that age.

As far as the Mirko/Nelson fight goes...I hate it. It makes almost no sense and does nothing for either. Cro Crop loses to Schaub but gets the guy who knocked out The Hybrid? Say whaaaaat? It doesn't do anything for Nelson either except put him back in the win column which is good I suppose though I don't ever seen him being more than a gatekeeper. I think Nelson/Kongo would have been an interesting fight and Nelson could submit Cheick for sure. Instead he's in a lose/lose match up. A rare miss by Joe Silva.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

He was also knocked out by Mir who has far less noted power. Yada yada, staph infection or whatever; the fact is the more times your lights go off the more susceptible you become to getting knocked out again. Happened to Chuck, happened to Wanderlei and it's happened to Cro Cop. It's the nature of the sport, especially when you get to that age.

This, this and this.

Nog was taking excessive amounts of punishment in Pride without breaking. It had to catch up with him sooner or later. Now he is left the shell of a fighter that he once was.

As far as the Mirko/Nelson fight goes...I hate it. It makes almost no sense and does nothing for either.

Exactly. Because if Roy beats/stops Mirko it was exactly what he was meant to do. If he loses to Mirko then whats next for Mirko going to face an opponent who has already stopped him before? This fight is lose-lose for both the fighters and the fans. I personally wanted to see Mirko's (potentially) last fight against a bigger name... Like Carwin or something.

Cro Crop loses to Schaub but gets the guy who knocked out The Hybrid? Say whaaaaat? It doesn't do anything for Nelson either except put him back in the win column which is good I suppose though I don't ever seen him being more than a gatekeeper. I think Nelson/Kongo would have been an interesting fight and Nelson could submit Cheick for sure. Instead he's in a lose/lose match up. A rare miss by Joe Silva.

That is one thing I find fucked up with the match making process. Roy loses to both of the Heavyweight title contenders and all of a sudden he is back down the ladder fighting the "cans". I don't necessarily know whether to blame Dana White and Joe Sliva or the depth (or lack thereof) in the Heavyweight division.

 

[wrestlingfan]

@ General Disarray: Because it seems like really the UFC relies on their top 5, Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, then they they have their plane of alternative fighters who include Roy Nelson, Big Nog, and Cro Cop, then there's the rookies like Travis Browne, Stefan Struve, and Brendan Schaub, In honesty these are the reasons there needs to be a merger with SF.

Though I think Cro Cop should retire. He's becoming predictable, and chinny, His time is up. Sure he can fight Arlovski but I just found out Arlovski is only 32, so very young, while Cro Cop is 36.

 

[INDYjon22]

@ General Disarray: Because it seems like really the UFC relies on their top 5, Shane Carwin, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez, Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos, then they they have their plane of alternative fighters who include Roy Nelson, Big Nog, and Cro Cop, then there's the rookies like Travis Browne, Stefan Struve, and Brendan Schaub, In honesty these are the reasons there needs to be a merger with SF.

Though I think Cro Cop should retire. He's becoming predictable, and chinny, His time is up. Sure he can fight Arlovski but I just found out Arlovski is only 32, so very young, while Cro Cop is 36.

32 in a sport where you get knocked out is not young. In fact, I would say AA has taken just as much head damage as CC at this point in their careers which make both of them easily susceptible to the knockout. The only real advantage I think I would give to AA would be his speed. His head movement isn't there, CC is stronger and probably the better striker at this point, and cardio is a toss up, though I am leaning toward AA. So I would see that fight as a very close match up and would still love to see it just because I am a fan of both guys and wanted to see it way back when they were dominating Heavyweights.

 

[wrestlingfan]

32 in a sport where you get knocked out is not young. In fact, I would say AA has taken just as much head damage as CC at this point in their careers which make both of them easily susceptible to the knockout. The only real advantage I think I would give to AA would be his speed. His head movement isn't there, CC is stronger and probably the better striker at this point, and cardio is a toss up, though I am leaning toward AA. So I would see that fight as a very close match up and would still love to see it just because I am a fan of both guys and wanted to see it way back when they were dominating Heavyweights.

But age wise, 32 is very young, He shouldn't even be at his prime yet. Arlovski just hasn't adapted to the new Heavyweights these days.

 

[INDYjon22]

But age wise, 32 is very young, He shouldn't even be at his prime yet. Arlovski just hasn't adapted to the new Heavyweights these days.

Or maybe it is because he hit his prime at an early age.....it does happen. Look at guys like Vitor Belfort for proof. They were there best when they were younger, not when they would typically be. Age really plays no factor in a fight with CC and AA. Both are past their primes at this point, no argument about it. As for AA not adapting to new Heavyweights, I don't really see that as the case. I see it more as he has no head movement and gets his face wrecked. Sergie Kharitonov is not a new Heavyweight, he has been around for awhile now. Brett Rogers just had big hands, had AA taken him down with his sambo he would have won easily. But the what ifs don't matter at this point. AA vs. CC would be a competitive and close fight, no doubt in my mind.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Or maybe it is because he hit his prime at an early age.....it does happen. Look at guys like Vitor Belfort for proof. They were there best when they were younger, not when they would typically be. Age really plays no factor in a fight with CC and AA. Both are past their primes at this point, no argument about it. As for AA not adapting to new Heavyweights, I don't really see that as the case. I see it more as he has no head movement and gets his face wrecked. Sergie Kharitonov is not a new Heavyweight, he has been around for awhile now. Brett Rogers just had big hands, had AA taken him down with his sambo he would have won easily. But the what ifs don't matter at this point. AA vs. CC would be a competitive and close fight, no doubt in my mind.

I agree with you on that one. AA should stop trying to use his standup, After being knockout, he should at least revert back to his strengths which in my mind would be his ground game given that he's an International Master in Sambo and has trained in BJJ also.

 

[Final Form Snyper.]

I agree with you on that one. AA should stop trying to use his standup, After being knockout, he should at least revert back to his strengths which in my mind would be his ground game given that he's an International Master in Sambo and has trained in BJJ also.

To Andrei his stand up is his bread and butter. He knocked out afew opponents and seemed to have forget that he has good grappling skills and has become over reliant on his striking prowless. That in turn has left him to take necessary damage when facing more proficient strikers. While he is only in MMA years the damage caused has left him body feeling alot more older and broken.

 

[Fizzy]

32 is past prime for most athletes. I'm pretty sure a study said that prime for a male athlete is late twenty's. That's when they are at peak physical condition. Going off that study, they start declining and would be pulling out of their prime at 32. There are obvious exceptions of course as some people hit their prime early or later than others. Some examples would be as Indy said, Vitor Belfort. Started fighting when he was like, 19 and peaked very early. Another obvious exception to the rule is Randy Couture who peaked very late. He started fighting when most athletes retire. Point is, you are usually just leaving your prime at 32. Very few athletes will peak later than that.

 

[vthokie8]

As many of you know after being KO'd by Brendan Schaub, it was announced by Dana White that Cro Cop would not be fighting anymore. But with some pushing from Mirko he has been granted one more fight, but to me it seems as though there isnt a good opponent for him on the HW roster.

Big Nog would have been the best possible(even though he's beaten Mirko theyre both on their way out) but unfortunatly he's fighting Schaub at Rio. The perfect match that I can think of is Andrei Arlovski vs Cro Cop, I think it would be a great meeting of two legendary eastern european fighters who have never crossed paths, however this cant happen anytime soon as Arlovski is still under the Strikeforce banner for the time being.

So who on the current roster would give him the best fight for his last match and why?

I agree with you on the Big Nog fight. I think both men are at that point in their career where they are not knocking down the door for a title shot, and neither are huge HWs to begin with, and the division is only getting bigger. I think with all of the Pride nostalgia this would be a sensable fight if they could make it happen. Sadly, there is not many HWs on the roster I could see Cro Cop matching up well with. I would say maybe a Joey Beltran or Stefan Struve, and even these fights would be up in the air. It's hard to give somebody a farewell fight, because MMA is so unpredictable just ask Ryan Bader.