ok , i'm not talking about their first fight (which ended in 10 or 30 seconds) nor the one of pride's grand prix... i'm talking about the one from Pride 30. I'm just finished watching this...and it's sooo ****ing strange to look at this now. Looking back at this is like day and night. Here's crocop...VS a top competitor (Barnett , who'd **** ufc's hw division and who btw , already beat their champ in his prime anyway)... Crocop , all active , fast , accurate , very mobile , fantastic dominance on the ground , great gameplan... WOW!...Mirko has sunken so ****ing low now... i can't even rank mirko in the top 10 , better yet , top 20...
That was far from Randy Couture's prime, in fact it was undoubtedly the lowest point in his career. And Barnett pissed white hot, and he spent most of that fight getting dominated by Randy. The Babyfat Assassin gassed after about 4 minutes in that fight with Mirko and CroCop still didn't finish him. It was hardly an impressive showing by Josh. And in the OWGP Mirko beat a Barnett who had been through hell and defeated Nog, a feat Cro Cop himself failed to do. I honestly wonder if you even think about what you are typing sometimes. That said, it was no doubt a much better Cro COp performance than we saw this weekend though.
No doubt, Cro Cop is not the same fighter. When he walked out yesterday, I knew he wouldn't win. He didn't have that same confidence. He walked in with his head down and wearing a wife beater. Then when he got in the ring, he looked small and scared compared to Kongo. It's best the Cop retires.
I sometimes considered Cro Cop one dimentional . But when you look back on his career, all the names his beaten in both MMA and K1, its impressive. He went as far as a pure striker can go in such a versetile world as MMA.
Cro Cop doesnt need to fight anymore.Im of the opinion he lives off his name and pride now.That is all he has left.
I think that people are mistaking the people that he is fighting not allowing him to look that good... for him being over the hill. Cro-Cop would still look amazing if his opponents allowed him to. The cat is out of the bag. Cro-Cop's 1 dimensional style, and weaknesses have been exposed. His opponents no longer play into his strengths, and if they are good enough, they can make him look very ordinary.
yeah but personally , that's a pill that's a bit hard to swallow because when you actually see the competition , that just can't be it... I'm sorry but Gonzaga? Kongo? naaahhh...who the **** are they? nobodies. and the only reason why people remember gonzaga's name is because he fought crocop. who was that guy before crocop? the guy who got schooled by arona in bjj competitions? the guy who got koed by another bjj artist? (werdum). he even used to look quite average before ever fighting crocop. as for Kongo. there again , who is kongo? the guy never was able to make it into the big leagues as a kickboxer and his mma career is not too bright either... Kongo? compared to a prime crocop , the one from the K1 days would've koed that guy in the first. better yet , just imagine kongo against a prime aerts or jlb, ignashov... that's right...there's no comparisons.. no , the guy's career is just dead. loking back , even his fight against sanchez was already showing some signs. Besides , do you guys realise that a guy like barnett in ufc's hw division , would be a nightmare for everyone? including dana. (since he doesn't like him)
When Cro has fire in him he is a sensational fighter but he has shown himself to be passive way too many times. It is a deep flaw in his game.
How can you go on about how terrible Mirko is and then in the same post go on about how good Barnett is, when Mirko has 3 victories over Barnett?
it doesn't matter. Barnett was just unfortunate to face crocop at a time when he still had something left... but a guy like barnett , who's naturally bigger than most heavyweights and way superior in the wrestling department than most , (and top notch with his submissions)... would be a big problem for everyone in this division. + he's already used to the octagon. dana should let josh barnett participate and give couture his rematch. but he won't...he sounded very pissed and cold in his latest interviews.. maybe josh will end up in K1's heros instead.
C'mon now, are you being serious? We are talking about the man who had just won the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix.... who was at the best he has ever been, and many people were saying that if he fought Fedor again, that Cro-Cop would win. Now, overnight he goes from that, to being completely finished in his next fights? That is honestly nonsense. Cro-Cop is not all of the sudden washed up immediately after being considered at his absolute best.
Josh Barnett is a very good fighter, but I dont think Dana White likes him personally . So, Barnett maybe shut out of Pride and UFC because Dana White is pissed for some reason and wont use him.
tko4, i gotta agree the wife beater looked pretty crap, he didnt exactly look like the most professional athlete wearing it
