Record: 36-11-2 (1)
Achievements:
- 2006 Pride FC Openweight Grand Prix Winner
- 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix Winner
- 2016 Rizin FF Openweight Grand Prix Winner
What Made Him Great
Catchphrases and slogans aren't really much of a thing in MMA. Sometimes, a fighter can say something that becomes a bit of a meme in certain circles ("who the f--k is that guy" being the best recent example), but almost every fighter who has tried to take that particular page out of the pro wrestling playbook has had it blow up in their faces.
One of the only exceptions to that is Mirko Cro Cop.
Opponents who found themselves lined up to face the Croatian kickboxer heard one thing from fans and commentators going in: right leg hospital, left leg cemetery. It was an ominous warning about the pure power behind his kicking game, but even though everyone was well aware of what Cro Cop was capable of, few foes were able to avoid a devastating outcome.
Capable of attacking the legs, body and head with kicks, he was able to crush almost anyone he came across in the ring. In Pride FC, where soccer kicks, stomps and knees to downed opponents were all legal, Cro Cop managed to produce some of the most brutal moments in the promotion's history.
Unfortunately, he struggled to emulate that success in the cage. With only a few months to learn the differences between the Pride FC ring and the UFC's Octagon, he was visibly less comfortable in his new environment. This was exacerbated further by his on-again-off-again relationship with the UFC, which resulted in him making frequent returns to Japan between three separate runs with the promotion before leaving for good in 2015.
In 2016 he kicked off what has been an ongoing career resurgence in Rizin FF, winning the 2016 Openweight Grand Prix with four consecutive stoppage victories and following that up with another big victory at the promotion's 2017 year-end show over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka.
Cro Cop's not done, either, as he has been sizing up returns on both ends of the Pacific Ocean, so look for him to continue building up his legacy in the near future.
