Meh..That about describes it. He looked pretty good against a nobody. It means nothing really. Although it dodn't feel the same from when you watch him in Pride. In Pride it felt to a certain extent like he was invincible or close to it. Not many were gonna beat him. Now it feels like your just waiting for the other guy to land that bomb to finish it.
Damn i haven't seen the fight but i heard he won. Good start for him in his 2nd stint in the ufc. I hope he can put on a win streak and get a title shot.
I didn't like the fact that his low leg kicks were missing. In between this fight and the one with Hong Man Choi - it seems that Mirko is relying solely on his straight left hand. On a positive note - I did like the killer instinct from Crocop. Although Al Turk was temporarily incapacitated due to the fingerpoke* to the eye - Crocop didn't give him any chances to recover. Crocop jumped in right away and looked to finish him. (*As per our discussion on the fingerjab in our Bruce Lee's JKD thread. :good)
He used his boxing to win that fight and that's a damn good sign imo. His takedown defence rivaled Chucks and his hands are very dangerous. The division is wide open and Cro Cop could become champ.
Two things i've noticed... 1 - he was physically bigger 2 - he seemed a bit slower (but maybe it's because of his weight)... Also , i was really disappointed by the eye poke finish (even if it was accidental). Having said that , he was clearly owning the guy before it happened. Also , great takedown defense. Anyway Crocop's contract is finished ,( he only signed for 1 fight this time) , but seeing dana's post fight interview , i'm guessing he'll be back for sure. I'd personally love to see a Kongo vs Crocop rematch. OR Crocop vs Cain Velasquez (guy who defeated Kongo) Kongo is horrible on the ground , Herring exposed this weakness & Velasquez took advantage of this again. The crocop of 2005 used to be able to dominate Barnett on the ground. If he still has it..he'll easily beat Cain imo. Problem is... this latest fight of his does't tell us much about the rest of his career.
Crocop has always had a good straight left- but he's selling himself short in not using his kicks. I thought Crocop looked good - but I'm not convinced that he's returned to his pre-UFC Pride Open Weight Championship form.
Also , i'd like to see a rematch vs Gonzaga. Rematches vs Kongo & Gonzaga should be two priorities on his fighting agenda. He needs redemption.
NIce win for crocop. I just saw the fight in youtube hehe. I would like to see crocop fight a top heavyweight next to see where his at.
