PAGE:    1     2     3     4 

January 27th, 2005
Check out Fabricio Werdum's interview from tatame.com here. In his interview Silva has announced that he is considering moving to heawyweight division and that he would like to face Fedor Emilianenko and Mirko because they are the best heawyweights in the moment.
January 17th, 2005
Dream Stage Entertainment announced that Mirko will probably face Fedor Emalianenko in June. Fight is still questionable because Emelianenko still hasn't exceed his contract with PRIDE. There's a chance that Mirko will have one fight before the title bout. Two of the most mention contenders are Mark Hunt and Mark Coleman.
 
January 8th, 2005
Read the latest crocop's interview here
January 8th, 2005
Nobuyuki Sakakibara, President of Dream Stage Entertainment in his recent interview said that we could expect a heavyweight title match early this year. It's very likely possible that Mirko will fight Fedor in February.
 
January 2nd, 2005
Read Crocop's post-fight interview here or watch video clip from sherdog of crocop's interview here
December 31st, 2004
Mirko wins again! After only 41 seconds of the 1st round Mirko won by guillotine choke. Mirko was 188cm, 103kg and Kevin was 178cm, 100kg.
VIDEO CLIP OF THE FIGHT here
Bigest upset of the night came from Mark Hunt who won over Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision. After the fight Mark said that Silva is great and that he would like to fight Mirko next. Mirko replied with smile.
December 29th, 2004
Mirko has departured for Tokyo yesterday. He purchased a magazine "Doctor in house" (health guide magazine) at the airport while he was waiting for the plane saying that he might need it in Japan. If Mirko overcomes Kevin there is a big possibility that he will face PRIDE champion in February next year.
December 23rd, 2004
In his recent interview for croatian sport paper Mirko said: "I live for that fight. Randleman beat me because i was too relaxed. My loss was result of recklessness, not tactical mistake. I underestimated Kevin and believe me that won't happen again, i will be more focused now, i learned my lesson last time. Kevin is unpredictable he is extremely strong and very explosive. His strongest side is his heart which is big like bus. I think positive and i hope for the best and that is victory, after that i'll probably face winner of Emalianenko-Nogueira fight"
December 7th, 2004
After lot of talks Kevin "The Monster"Randelman agreed to fight Mirko again. Mirko still has bitter taste in his mouth from the fight that happend in PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix opening round when Kevin KO'ed Mirko and now he wants to redeem to himself and his fans. Fight is scheduled for December 31st.
Scroll down to see Randelmans statistics.
November 28th, 2004
It has been long time from last update so we will try to brief you with informations that have been important.
As most of you all already know, Mirko changed his BJJ trainer. Fabrizio Werdum is a new guy in crocop team. 27 years old Brazilian from Porto Alegre, 4 times world JJ champion, 4 times Panamerican games champion, 5 times european champion, US open JJ champion... He has 7 years experience in BJJ. Fabrizio will stay in Croatia for 4 months training with Mirko.
August 8th at PRIDE-Final Conflict 2004 Mirko faced Aleksander Emelianenko. Mirko won in 1st round after 2:09 minutes with left high kick, knocking Aleksander on the ground. That was Crocop's 12th victory in Pride rings. After Aleksander came Josh Barnett at PRIDE 28-High Octane. It was first Crocop's win by submission, Barnett injured his shoulder and tapped out in Cro Cop's guard. Check Josh Barnett's official response to his fight with Mirko.
In the meantime Mirko signed for Cibalia, 2nd division Croatian soccer club from his hometown. Mirko said that he always wanted to play soccer as a young boy.
July 19th, 2004
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic def Shungo Oyama by KO from a left uppercut 0:59 R1 on PRIDE Bushido 4.
June 13th, 2004
Mike Bencic is not longer Mirko's coach anymore. Mirko's manager, Mr. Lucic said: "I'm grateful on everything Mike (Bencic) done for Mirko, but it looks like that my fighter can't make any progress working with Mike anymore, and in front of Mirko are several fights which are crucial for his career. "
Crocop team is now looking for a new coach
May 23rd, 2004
Mirko won by judge decision (3-0) over Hiromitsu Kanehara
Post-fight interview with Mirko here (real media)
May 20th, 2004
Mirko departured for Japan this morning.
May 13th, 2004
The President of DSE, Mr Sakakibara, said "Mirko said that he will fight without any fight money. After his first round loss in the Pride GP, he has become very hot to put things right. Mr Sakakibara said that DSE arranged this fight at Mirko's strong request. Mirko said that he will fight without any payment and he just wants to fight. However, Mr Sakakibara said that Mirko is a professional so we wont accept him fighting for nothing and we will pay him 30% of his usual amount."
Mirko is curentlly in Pula, training for the upcoming fight.
May 12th, 2004
Mirko is going to fight Hiromitsu Kanehara at PRIDE Bushido 3 tournament. Winner will enter Grand Prix as a replacement fighter.

   
Name Hiromitsu Kanehara
Record W-L-D 10 - 8 - 1
Association Rings Japan
Height 5'10 (178cm)
Weight 200lbs (91kg)
Style Rings Submission Fighting
Birth Date 10/5/1970
Country Japan
   
 
April 29th, 2004
There is still a chance for Mirko to enter Grand Prix. Mirko asked PRIDE to give him another chance May 23rd at Bushido event. Winner would be a reserve for GP and it would fight if someone from current 8 fighters quits due to injury. His opponent would probably be Ron Waterman which Mirko fought February 1st.
 
April 25th, 2004
Mirko feels OK, he hasn't suffered any major injuries.
April 25th, 2004
Mirko lost in 1st round after 1:57 by KO.
During the ref check Randleman was staring at Mirko from the ring. Not the typical Randleman at all. From the begining Randleman went for the tackle, though Mirko defended and was held in the corner. Randleman was only pushing though, and couldn`t take Mirko down so the referee re-started them. It looked from here to be turning to Mirko`s typical fight, but when he went to throw a left kick Randleman landed a devestating left hook. Mirko went down. Kevin jumped on him and threw several hard rights from the guard. On the 4th punch Mirko was KO`d.
April 22nd, 2004
Mirko left Croatia today, full of confidence. He said he'll try to KO Kevin and that he doesn't expect an easy fight.
April 15th, 2004
It has been confirmed. Mirko will face Kevin Randleman in the opening round of Total elimination 2004, April 25th.
 
April 10th, 2004
Although it hasn't been confirmed yet there is big chance that Mirko is going to face Kevin Randleman in the opening round of Total elimination 2004, April 25th. Randleman agreed to the fight after "no one else would", and said he looks forward to the challenge. Undeterred by Filipovic's heralded striking skills, the All-American Ohio State wrestler suggested that he possesses the necessary stand-up skills to compete with the dangerous kickboxer.

   
Name Kevin Randleman
Nick Name The Monster
Record W-L-D 15 - 9 - 0
Association Hammer House
Height 5'10 (178cm)
Weight 220lbs (100kg)
Style Wrestling
Birth Date 08/10/71
City Columbus
State Ohio
Country USA
   
Career Highlights
  • Defeats Ebenezor Braga and Mario Socata at UVC 6 
  • Makes his American MMA debut at UFC 19 defeating Maurice Smith by decision 
  • Meets Bas Rutten for the Heavyweight title at UFC 20, but loses by split decision 
  • Beats Pete Williams by decision to win the vacant Heavyweight title at UFC 23 
  • Defeats Pedro Rizzo by decision at UFC 26
Background
Kevin started wrestling at the age of 10. He won the State championship in high school, wrestled for Ohio State, won the Big Ten Championship 3 times and he won the Nationals twice. He was on the Olympic Developmental program. Kevin's college coach and roommate was Mark Coleman and he now fights for Mark Coleman's Hammer House team.
Striking
Kevin Randleman trains under Mark Coleman, so he is a master of the "Ground & Pound technique. He is quick in the standing position, but prefers to take people down and beat on them with punches, elbows, and knees. Unfortunately he's not as devastating a striker as Mark Kerr nor as systematic as his mentor.
Grappling
He has been Coleman's protégé since he was a freshmen in college and became a world class wrestler. Randleman is a master of takedowns and dominates on the ground. He is so powerful and well conditioned that he can hold down the best opponents and often have his way with them.
Submission
Randleman is a "Ground & Pound" master, so he has little knowledge of holds, although submissions could possibly make him a complete fighter.
Strengths
Kevin Randleman is a tremendous athlete with superb conditioning, great quickness, and awesome vertical leap. He is a tough and confident competitor and often backs up his words with action. Randleman's relatively raw talents were able to score him the UFC Heavyweight title.
Weaknesses
When hearing Randleman one instantly thinks he is over confident, which he is to an extent. Perhaps Randleman's biggest flaw is that he overestimates himself and his ability to absorb strikes. Though he may be able to take leg kicks well, Randleman's chin has always been suspect which is evident by the fact that he has been knocked out on several occasions. As stated before, Randleman is not well versed in submissions which makes him a two-dimensional fighter who is unable to finish people off unless he is provided the opportunity to strike. 
Conclusion
He came in as Mark Coleman's protégé and even avenged all of his losses. Then as soon as he seemed to have become the man in the UFC, things began falling apart. Now Randleman is trying to rebuild himself much like Coleman did with Pride in 2000. Randleman was one step away from being given the opportunity to fight Vanderlei Silva for his Pride title but Randleman suffered a setback once again, this time at the hands of Quinton Jackson by way of a Knockout. We'll have to wait a see what effect the loss to Jackson has on Kevin Randleman's career and confidence.

mmarewiew.com
April 01st, 2004

A couple of days ago they had an interesting show on Japanese TV with Mirko, Wanderlei, Saku, Don Frye and others. They were competing in an interesting game ... they had them spinning in a special chair(kinda like the one for the astronauts) for a minute, top speed. When they let them go, they were supposed to walk straight for ten meters, as fast as they can, to a hanging doll and high kick it. The one with the fastest time wins.
It was hillarious, Don Frye was first... he was so dazed, he stumbled over to the side and fell. After they let Wand go, he stopped for a second, went forward and fell, face first. The crowd were laughing their asses off... Then it was Mirko's turn ... he walked very, very slowly on rubber legs, but was able to knock it down as soon as he came in front of it(still dazed). Saku was the winner – like the spinning chair had no effect on him, he knocked the doll down in mere 3 seconds!!

props to Marko S.
April 01st, 2004
Mirko will participate at the sixteen man heavyweight tournament, TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004, which will take place on April 25th, 2004 in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Mirko's opponent  is still unknown. Other fighters that are are confirmed for that tournament are:
• Fedor Emelianenko
• Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira
• “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring
• Kevin Randleman (there is a roumor that he will fight Mirko)
• Stefan “Blitz” Leko
• Sylvester “The Predator” Terkay
• Henry “Sentoryu” Miller
• Mark “The Hammer” Coleman
• Hirotaka Yokoi
• Paulo “Giant” Silva Cesar
• Sergei Kharitonov

March 02nd, 2004
During the Pride Bushido's behind the scenes on last Feb15th, the Pride Champion Rodrigo Nogueira Minotauro had a surprise at the Pride hall. "I was training when suddenly I was caught with a key-lock. I thought it was a friend messing around with me."
I cannot believe when I saw Cro Cop," revealed Minotauro saying that the Croatian was damn curious to know about his training. "We chat a little bit and he wanted to know about my training. I told him I was not training so hard and that I was hurt!," stated Nogueira, who is in Salvador training with Brazilian Boxing trainer Luiz Dória.
 
February 15th, 2004
Mirko won again! Only 2:12 minutes of the first round where enough to end the fight with TKO.
Mirko started to attack with low kicks, though Yamamoto tried to show that it wasn't hurting him at all.
Yamamoto attempted a takedown after catching a mid kick but had to let go after Mirko continued to punch at his face.
The fight was stopped here as Yamamoto gestured that Mirko's finger or something had poked him in the eye.
After it was restated Yamamoto quickly tried to take him to the ground but Mirko was saved by his quick reactions. At this point Yamamoto again stopped this time appealing to the referee  that he'd been thumbed in the eye.
Mirko seemed upset after this second stop and after another failed tackle he pounded Yamamoto while he was on the ground. He then repeatedly soccer kicked him much worse than he did against Waterman.
Yamamoto manged to somehow get to his feet but, unusually for the generally calm Mirko, he attacked with a passion and put Yamamoto down with a strong right hook followed by a left straight.

Thanks to (o Y o) from sherdog

Picture#1  Picture#2  Picture#3  Picture#4  Picture#5  Picture#6  Picture#7  Picture#8  Picture#9  Picture#10  Picture#11    Picture#12
Mike Bencic, Mirko's BJJ trainer, was KO'ed with a counter right hook right on the jaw after only 11 seconds of the first round by Mario Sperry. That is his second loss out of two fights.

Picture#1  Picture#2
February 13th, 2004

 Mirko Crocop Filipovic, a fighter-turned-member of parliament of Croatia, smiles as he gets a jab from Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi wearing a PRIDE glove during their meeting at Koizumi's official residence in Tokyo Friday, Feb. 13, 2004. Crocop was elected as a lawmaker back in his home country in November 2003 after becoming a hero in Japan through his fightings in popular Japanese TV bouts .

February 10th, 2004
In recent interview about Mirko said: Yamamoto is tall and very strong. But i think my form is at highest level right now, i feel great and i think Yamamoto is going to end up like Wateman did.
Doesn't it concern you that he recently KO'ed Mark Kerr in only 40 seconds of the first round?
That shows that every oponnent in the ring is dangerous, Yamamoto is good, that is not doubtful and he deserves mine full attention.
Did you practice with Kazushi Sakuraba?
No i didn't, i feel sorry for that because i really wanted to practice with him. Sakuraba has eye infection so we didn't practice together because i was affraid that i don't get infected from him before the fight.
Mirko also said that he is spending his days training and giving interviews
One more big notice  is that Croatian fighter Stefan Leko signed 2 year deal with PRIDE. After he was banned from K-1 finals , K-1 organisers apologised for that and they offer him a new contract which he didn't accept so he signed for PRIDE. Contract predicts 7 fights, first one should be April 20th.

February 4th, 2004
On PRIDE Bushido II Mirko will fight Norihisa Yamamoto.
Mirko and his trainer Mike Bencic, who will be fighting Mario Sperry, are currently training at Takada Dojo.
 

   
Name: Norihisa Yamamoto
Record 6 - 11 - 0
Height 6'3 / 190.5 cm
Weight 220 lbs / 100 kg
Birth Date 7/4/1970
Country Japan
   

February 1st, 2004
Mirko strikes again, he won over 20 kgs (44 lbs) heavier Waterman by TKO after 4 minutes and 37seconds of first round.
H2O taked Mirko down immediately but Mirko landed few punches blooding Waterman's nose, Mirko was in closed guard. Waterman wasn't doing too much in the guard, just not letting Mirko do anything. Mirko was defending punches well from the bottom.Waterman tried to throw hammers but he gassed soon. Mirko escaped guard and he started to punch Watermans head, Waterman went down and Mirko landed few soccer kicks and referee stopped the fight.
We are currently in process of changing the servers so pictures won't  available on this site, we will link you to them.

Picture#1  Picture#2  Picture#3  Picture#4  Picture#5
 

   Interview with Mirko

   Interview with Waterman

  

pridefc.com

January 30th, 2004

Mirko arrived in Japan today. His time between two PRIDE's will be very occupied. He was recently interviewed by CNN and Fuji TV and he was invited to participate in Japanese political talk show, Mirko accepted that invitation.
Japanese media discover that Mirko is very big fan of Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan. Its very likely two of them could meet.
About Waterman Mirko said:"Waterman is big, strong, athletic and quality fighter. I don't underestimate him but i think he won't see round two".
Mirko will move from Osaka to Tokio on monday, where he will train in Takada Dojo with Sakuraba.
Mirko wanted to fight Minotauro February 1st, but that couldn't be arranged, than he wanted to fight Minotauro in opening round of Heavyweight GP but PRIDE promotors don't want it to happen that early. They will probably encounter in HWGP half finals in June.
One more news is that Mirko will act in a action movie called Ultimate 7, which will be filmed in Croatia.

January 21st, 2004
Mirko is also going to fight at PRIDE Bushido 2 scheduled for February 15th, if he comes uninjured from his fight vs Waterman. Between the two fights he will probably train with Sakuraba at Takada Dojo.

January 20th, 2004
On PRIDE 27 February 1st, PPV is February 8th, Mirko will fight Ron Waterman

   
Name: Ron Waterman
Nick Name: H20MAN
Record: 10 - 1 - 2
Association: Colorado Stars
Style : Wrestling 
Height: 6'2 / 187.96 cm
Weight: 250 lbs / 113 kg
Birth Date: 11/23/1965
City: Greenly
State: Colorado
Country: USA
   
Career Highlights
  • Defeats Chris Condo by TKO at UFC 20 
  • Goes to draw with Tim Lajcik at UFC 22
  • Scores a submission victory over Valentijn Overeem at PRIDE 24
  • Defeats James Nevarez by TKO at WEC 7
Summary:
Ron Waterman began his MMA career with his entry into the "Bas Rutten Invitational 1" event which was held in 1999. Waterman went on to defeat all three of his opponents by TKO that evening. After competing in the Bas Rutten Invitational, Waterman made his UFC debut at UFC 20 where he would defeat Chris Condo.
Waterman would compete in a total of four UFC events before following his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Shortly after UFC 25, Ron Waterman was offered a developmental contract by the WWF wrestling association and it seemed as if we, the fans of MMA competition, had seen the last of the "H2O man". After more than two years of pursuing a career as a professional wrestler with the WWF, the "H20 man," has made the transition back into MMA.
A former All-American wrestler, Ron Waterman is believed to be one of the most physically gifted heavyweights in the world today. Even with all of the accolades, athletics are not all that Ron Waterman is about. With a masters degree in Administration, Ron was a High School wrestling coach and art teacher for nine years. In 2002, Ron Waterman became a minister and presently travels with a power-lifting team called "Team Impact" which is a Christian group that offers motivational speeches in High Schools.
Considering that his natural weight ranges between 260-300 pounds, Waterman often has difficulty finding opponents. Waterman hopes that MMA organizations will consider implementing a super-heavyweight division which would allow fighters such as Tom Erikson, Bob Sapp and himself the opportunity to compete in a division of their own.
Striking :
Ron Waterman will always be a threat when it comes to striking. At 6' 2" tall, weighing in at over 250 pounds and all muscle, Waterman is a big guy who possesses a tremendous amount of power. Although Waterman will often use his strikes to quickly take control of the fight, he frequently uses palm strikes only as a means to get an opponent down.
Grappling :
As a former All-American wrestler with outstanding conditioning, this is Waterman's greatest asset. Waterman possesses excellent wrestling skills and can easily control an opponent of the ground. For a man of his size, Waterman is very quick and displays great balance.
Submission :
Very rarely do you see fighters that qualify as super heavyweights using submissions to obtain the victory but Waterman is not your average super heavyweight. Waterman has some Jiu-Jitsu training and has obtained submission victories in both PRIDE and Pancrase events.
Strengths :
Raw power, size, speed and superb conditioning set Waterman apart from a majority of other fighters within his weight class. Waterman's wrestling skills and ground & pound abilities combined with submissions make Ron Waterman one of the most dangerous competitors in his weight class.
Weaknesses :
Although Ron Waterman holds an impressive record of 8-1-1 he hasn't established himself within any particular MMA organization. If Ron Waterman wishes to be recognized as one of the world's top MMA competitors, Waterman needs to secure a contract with PRIDE or the UFC which will allow him the opportunity to work his way to the top of that particular organization and face the best they have to offer.
Conclusion :
Although Ron Waterman has returned to MMA competition the question is, for how long? Ron Waterman has stated in past interviews that his return to MMA competition was due to the fact that he was no longer under contract by a pro wrestling organization. He has also stated that he may still pursue a career as a pro wrestler. Considering his age and his desire to return to pro wrestling, it is very likely that Ron Waterman will exit the MMA scene as quickly as he had returned. Either way Ron Waterman will be remembered as a tough guy with a heart the size of Colorado.

mmarewiew.com
 

January 13th, 2004
At PRIDE 27 'Inferno' scheduled for February 1st, Mirko will be fighting some american wrestler. Rumours says that will be Daniel Bobish, but his opponent for PRIDE 27 is still unknown.
Mirko will attend PRIDE Bushido 2 scheduled for February 15th, 2004, so he will have two fights in less than 15 days.
Also at PRIDE Bushido 2 Mike Bencic, Mirko's jiu-jitsu trainer, will fight Mario Sperry. Mike already had one fight at PRIDE against Alistair Overeem.
Mirko is also going to fight at PRIDE Heavyweight GP - (Opening Round) in April this year.

January 03, 2004
The Japanese media is reporting that Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic may be a possibility for PRIDE 27, scheduled for February 1st. The winner would take on Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira to unify the heavyweight belt.

www.fightsport.com
December 16th, 2003
Today, I, Mirko Cro Cop, have an important message to announce. I have decided not to participate in any event as a fighter on Dec. 31st.
I have been adviced by my physician, Dr. Bucan, to refrain from intense training for 2 weeks and to allow my back to recuperate from injury that has been bothering me for a while. I have decided to take his advice seriously this time and to nourish my body in order to fully recover and to prepare for 2004.
From now on I will be communicating with any promoters directly, for year 2004. offers.
I will be totally fresh mentally and physically next year, and I will fulfill my promise to become the champion and meet your expectations.
Thank you very much for all of your support.
Sincerely,
Mirko Cro Cop

Mirko-CroCop.com
December 15th, 2003
Fedor and Mirko may never fight for PRIDE again because of PRIDE's threatened legal action and constant protesting of them fighting for Inoki.
Dave Meltzer wrote, "Management of Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop are saying that neither will ever work for Pride again."
He also wrote, "Things are getting even messier in Japan as Pride has produced a contract signed by Fedor Emelianenko which is an exclusive deal through October. This is going to court."
December 1st, 2003
The vision card "Fedor vs Mirko" is surfacing suddenly. DSE's president Sakakibara talked after the press conference of "PRIDE SPECIAL Otoko Matsuri 2003" in 1st. There is a possibility that Mirko Cro Cop will challenge Fedor ahead in time if Heavy Weight interim Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira fights in New Year's Eve because from New Year's Eve to PRIDE 27 (2004.2.1 at Osaka Jo Hall), there is about one month, it is a very short time.
President Sakakibara said, "From 12.31 to 2.1, it is only 30 days. It is difficult for Nogueira to fight in PRIDE 27." and inspired there was a possibility that he would set Fedor vs Mirco in February. If this card is decided before the rematch Fedor vs Nogueira, it means that Heavy Weight 3 top fighters will fight in round robin.
Also, about the Heavy Weight GP which is planned to be held in 2004, he would like to hold the 1st Round in April and Final Round in June. If they are put off, he has such a plan that common PRIDE is held in April, GP opening in June and Final in August. Now the GP is planned to be the same system of Middle Weight GP.

Kakuto

November 30th, 2003
Crocop fight vs Yoshihiro Takayama is still questionable because Crocop has problems with his lower back. Also he stated that he will participate on HW Grand Prix Tournament next year and that he will probably fight Nogueira in April.

November 27th, 2003
The Cro Cop web shop is finally up and running! Please visit it and find something for yourself.
November 27th, 2003
In 23th, becoming the strongest member of Congress in the history, Mirco Cro Cop is very likely to fight in K-1 World GP (12.6 Tokyo Dome). It is talked by producer Sadaharu Tanigawa who announced that former IBF Heavy Weight Champion Francois Botha would fight in GP tournament. He has not fought in K-1 since he fought against Bob Sapp in March.

Kakuto
November 26th, 2003
NWF champion Yoshihiro Takayama (37) inspires that he has possibility training with Yoshida to prepare for the New Year Eve's fight against Mirco in "Inoki Bob-Ba-Ye".
Does a "Dream union" come true!? Last year, he opened to become a pupil of Yoshida Dojo before the fight against Sapp in New Year's Eve but he couldn't because of his business. However by grace of his condition and the card has already been decided more than 1 month before this year, he seems to have possibility.
Takayama said, "I don't tell I don't have posibility. Whenever i meet Yoshida, I say to him, "Please let's train together." Now it is only a verbal promise. If I can do it, I will be able to study a lot. Indeed it will be the biggest subject that I go before the match against Sakaguchi."
Thoush his opponent is a striking specialist Mirco CroCop, he doesn't mind. "I have not done simulation training. I can suck up something from various fighters. And I would like to see Yoshida to amuse myself." said Takayama. He is going to spread his ability as fighter and attack on "Prowrestling Hunter" Mirko CroCop.

Kakuto
November 21st, 2003
Crocop will be fighting Yoshihiro Takayama on Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye December 31st, 2003

   
Name: Yoshihiro Takayama
Record: 0 - 4 - 0
Height: 6'5 / 195.58 cm
Weight: 253 lbs / 115 kg
Birth Date: 9/19/1966
Place of Birth: Sumida Ward, Tokyo
Country: Japan
   
After pursuing rugby and lifesaving during his youth, Yoshihiro Takayama turned to combat sports, and was initated into UWF-I in November, 1991, debuting in April of 1992. Despite moderate fame in UWF-I, his greater success would come in later years, and following the company's demise, he began competing for All Japan, making his first appearance in May, 1997. He formally joined All Japan in 1999, and formed the immensely popular Team No Fear with Takao Omori, the two winning the prestigious AJPW World Tag Team Title. Like all but two natives, Takayama followed Mitsuharu Misawa to form Pro Wrestling NOAH, where No Fear continued to be successful, winning the GHC Tag Team Title. In 2001, he became a freelancer, primarily competing in NOAH, but also entering the vale tudo/mixed martial arts world with PRIDE, where he had a fierce, memorable fight with IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Kazuyuki Fujita, and later Don Frye. His brave performances in PRIDE won him a massive fan following, and in 2002 he would begin to obtain more singles success in wrestling. In May, 2002, he made his first New Japan appearance since the New Japan vs. UWF-I feud, challenging Yuji Nagata for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in a close match, one that Antonio Inoki described as a "perfect world title match". Days after the loss, he and Omori disbanded Team No Fear, concluding that chapter of Takayama's career. In August, 2002, he made his first G1 Climax appearance, defeating many of New Japan's top heavyweights and reaching the final, where he lost to Masahiro Chono. In January, 2003, at the Tokyo Dome, Takayama defeated former RINGS star, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, to capture the vacant NWF Heavyweight Title. Then in May of that year, once again at the Tokyo Dome, he scored the biggest win of his career, defeating Nagata in a double title match to win the prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Title. One of the tallest, most imposing, and charismatic heavyweights in wrestling, Takayama towers over opponents. Utilizing hard strikes and a beautiful "Everest" German suplex hold, he has become one of the most popular wrestlers around, and his uncanny tolerance for pain has captivated fans worldwide.

puroresufan.com
November 11th, 2003
Mirko will participate on Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye and two top candidates for his opponent are Yoshihiro Takayama and Naoya Ogawa.

puroresupower
November 9th, 2003
Crocop suffered his first loos since June 16th 2001. and 13 wins in a row. In the fight for interim champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira armbared Crocop in second round.
Crocop comments:
I am sad, i had him in first round. If there was only 30 left in first round, i would have won. I made a mistake, i let him to armbar me, he almost broke my arm. It hurts but my heart is more hurted than my arm is. Well, there will be more chances in the future.
When Nogueira was in full mount he didn't punch me hard. I could stay that way whole round but judge was asking to stop my passive position. I was affraid that judge was going to decide that i can't defend anymore so i tried to stand up and Nogueira saw his chance and armbared me. He is the biggest Jiu-Jitsu master in the world.
I loose my title shot but fact is that we (Nogueira, Emalianenko and I) rule the HW division so after their fight i think i will fight the champion.
I have met Antonio before the fight, he shaked my hand and he wished me good fight.
About fight Nogueira said: I expected such hard fight and i had some hard moments in first round. After first round i realise that standing up is too dangerous for me and that i must take him down. I knew that Mirko will try to get up and i waited for that moment and i armbared Mirko.
November 4th, 2003
About Nogueiras statement that he is ready for  stand up fight after he had trained with Acelino Freitas Mirko said:
Some people train boxing all their life and they never learn it properly and Minotauro thinks he can improve his boxing intrinsically in a few weeks. I don't doubt that Minotauro can punch but i think i am much better in stand up fight then he is. If we stay on the feet i will massacre him, if fight goes to the ground then Minotauro is in advance for sure. I thing my ground abilities are better then his boxing is.
November 3rd, 2003
Nogueira told his confidence for a striking fight with Mirko. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira who was old PRIDE Heavy Weight Champion came to Japan in 3rd November with Murilo Bustamante. Nogueira will fight with Mirko Cro Cop for the Heavy Weight interim champion title at PRIDE GP Final (11/9) The schema is standing vs ground technique. But Nogueira said, "I take a perfect measure against standing. I sparred with various fighters. I trained boxing. I have confidence." He showed his stance he was also ready for standing fight.
"Mirko is a world level fighter surely. All you know his left high kick is threat." --Even Nogueira can't help admitting Mirko's perfect striking. But as he KOed Sanae Kikuta by one punch and had an heated striking fight with Semmy Schilt who fights in K-1, Nogueira is good at striking. He trained for 8 hours a day in BTT and added a special striking training for 3 hours. And against Mirko who predict his win by his left straight, he said, " If it become like boxing, I can take down in a clinch." He appealed his striking measure was perfect.
However it is adequacy for us to predict striking fight or ground fight. Nogueira said, "He is a striker and I am a grappler. If I can draw him to ground, I will win." And "He was taken down by Sakuraba, Fujita. I can do." He declared he would be able to take down via body tackle. Also "I hope I will submit him in 1R. But it is easier to aim at his joint and submit after he ran short his stamina". He assumes the fighr becomes long. About his mystique against Mirko, he said, "That is secret till the fight starts." and didn't reveal.
If he wins against Mirko, he will get an oppotunity to revenge for Fedor. "Now I concentrate for Mirko. If the fight with Fedor is decided, I will train hard and fight." At PRIDE 25 in March, every chance was killed off and he lost. He hit the mat befor he knew the desicion and was mortified. He must beat Mirko in order to regain the belt.

Yuki from SportsNavi
October 19th, 2003
In sports tv show in which Mirko was one of the guests, he answered few questions about Fedor and upcoming fight.
Mirko, as we all know Minotauro is your next opponent, is this the most important fight in your career so far?
Of course it is, i will be fighting for interim title against one of the greatest fighters in PRIDE. He lost the title when he faced Fedor. Fedor broke the thumb and he couldn't fight me so PRIDE decided that i will face ex champion Minotauro for the, so called, interim title.
Do u know is it seriously broken or is he avoidind the fight?
Well, they showed Fedors thumb x-ray, of course they could bring anyones x-ray but Fedor is great sportsman and fighter to do such a thing and to avoid me in any way.
What is going to be the most important thing you will have to look out for in you fight with Minotauro?
Minotauro is most dangerous when fight goes to the ground. He is BJJ specialist and that are the things i will have to pay attention to. I hope i practiced my defence enough to aviod beeing submitted. I know to submit as well, but not nearly good as Minotauro can.

October 16th, 2003
Mirko vs Nogueira will be for the interim title. The unification fight will take place with the winner fighting Fedor in Febuary.

October 16th, 2003
Big turnaround has happend. Fedor seems to be injured and he won't be able to defend title against Mirko November 9th on FINAL CONFLICT. After a verbal agreement in August, the originally scheduled match was to be Cro Cop against reigning PRIDE FC heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, but due to a recently broken thumb, Fedor has been forced to pull out. The thumb on Fedor’s right hand was injured during in his match against Gary Goodridge at TOTAL ELIMINATION on August 10th. After some time off, the thumb did not improve and the injury was re-aggravated during a training session on September 15th. With no improvement since then, Fedor was forced to back out of his match with Mirko. Because of the sensitivity of the injury, it is unknown when Fedor will be able to train or fight again. As a result, the Nogueira/Mirko match will be for the PRIDE FC interim heavyweight championship. The hope is that the winner will be able to face Fedor sometime during 2004 when he is ready to fight again. Fedor would like to apologize to his fans and plans to be in attendance at FINAL CONFLICT as a spectator.
The injury creates a dynamic and style-contrasting match-up between two legendary fighters … Nogueira and Mirko. Nogueira, arguably the world’s top heavyweight grappler, is coming off a decision victory against Ricco Rodriguez while Mirko, arguably the world’s top heavyweight striker, is coming off of a dramatic knockout victory over Igor Vovchanchyn.
According to Vadim Finkelchstein, the owner of the Red Devil team, Fedor Emelianenko left the Russian Top Team and will fight for the Red Devil team from now on.
FINAL CONFLICT is scheduled for November 9th, 2003 from the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The event will premiere on North American pay per view (through iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, Bell Express Vu, and Viewer’s Choice) on November 9th via same day delay.

   
Name Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Nick Name Minotauro
Record 20 - 2 - 1
Association Brazilian Top Team
Height 6'3 / 190.5 cm
Weight 231 lbs / 105 kg
Style Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Birth Date 6/2/1976
City Vitoria da Conquista 
State Bahia
Country Brazil
   
Career Highlights:
 
  • Makes his MMA debut at World Extreme Fighting 6, where he defeated David Dodd 
  • Beats Nate Schroeder by submission at World Extreme Fighting 7 
  • Gets a win over Valentijn Overeem at Rings - King of Kings (Block A) 
  • Scores a victory over Jeremy Horn by unanimous decision at World Extreme Fighting 8
  • Goes to a draw with Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Rings - Millennium Combine 3
  • Defeats Volk Han, Hiromitsu Kanehara and Valentijn Overeem to win RINGS' 2000 King of Kings tournament
  • Beats NHB veteran Gary Goodridge to win his Pride debut at Pride 15
  • Chokes out Pride Grand Prix 2000 Champion Mark Coleman at Pride 16
  • Becomes Pride's first Heavyweight champion by winning a decision victory over Heath Herring at Pride 17
  • Defeats Enson Inoue by submission at Pride 19
  • Gets a surprising victory over Bob Sapp at Pride - Shockwave by submitting "The Beast"
  • Beats Semmy Schilt at Pride 23 by submission
  • Submits Dan Henderson in the final minutes of their match at Pride 24
Born on June 2nd, 1976, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira comes from a big family. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (who we will refer to as Rodrigo Nogueira from this point forward so we do not confuse him with his brother Antonio Rogerio Nogueira) has two brothers (Rogerio and Julio) and two sisters (Jamile and Juliana). At the age of 5, Rodrigo Nogueira began his life in Martial Arts at a local Judo Gym.
At the age of 10, he faced the most difficult challenge of his life when he was run over by a truck, leaving him with multiple injuries to his liver, lungs, ribs and leg. Rodrigo Nogueira was in a coma for 4 days and was required to remain in the hospital for nearly a year. After finally being released from the hospital, Rodrigo Nogueira once again began training in Judo. 
At the age of 14, Rodrigo Nogueira moved to Salvador to begin studies at an electronic school. He divided his time between studies and training at the Triathlon gym where he began training in boxing. By 1995, Rodrigo Nogueira's interest in Jiu-Jitsu had grown and he began practicing Jiu-Jitsu. 
By 1996, Rodrigo Nogueira was the Brazilian Blue Belt Champion and would later become the Brown Belt Champion in 1998. In 1999 he went to the United States where he was introduced to a World Extreme Fighting promoter named Jamie Levine. Rodrigo Nogueira won the Pan-American Jiu-Jitsu Championship and Judo Championship in the same year. 
In June of 1999, Rodrigo Nogueira made his MMA debut at World Extreme Fighting 6, where he defeated David Dodd. Following his victory, Rodrigo Nogueira decided to remain in the Unites States where he continued to train in Wrestling and Muay Thai. After obtaining numerous wins in World Extreme Fighting and King of Kings events (which are held in Japan), Rodrigo Nogueira decided to return to Brazil in search of better Jiu-Jitsu training with the assistance of the Brazilian Top Team.
Striking - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has proven to be a gifted striker with quick jabs that surprise many fighters. He has a protected boxing style that suits him well, but he is equally good with knees from the clinch and kicks from afar. Nogueira is an underrated striker because he always plays to his strengths, speed and accuracy! 

Grappling - Along with his Brazilian Top Team teammates, Minotauro has excellent grappling skills. He has proven that he can successfully handle powerful wrestlers on the mat by transitioning from the defensive to the offensive in an instant. Nogueira is also exceptional at takedowns. 

Submission - A Jiu-Jitsu master, Nogueira is definitely one of the best in the world. His submission accolades are impressive. He seems to have a handful of specialties including Arm Bars and Triangle Chokes. Arm Bars were his favorite while competing in RINGS, but since jumping into Pride the Triangle Choke has given him the majority of his victories. 

Strengths - Nogueira has proven to be one of the top heavyweights because of his versatility alone. Few grapplers have been more dominant in MMA competition as he displays aggression accompanied by submissions which is usually not seen out of Brazilians. 

Weaknesses - Rodrigo Nogueira has proven to be practically flawless, surprising opponents by revealing potential weaknesses. He's only suffered two losses, with both coming by way of decision. His most recent lose came at the hands of Fedor Emelianenko who had managed to elude Rodrigo Nogueira's submission attempts while ground & pounding him for the unanimous decision. One might argue that Rodrigo Nogueira had a bad day and only a rematch will reveal the truth. 

Conclusion - Nogueira came into Pride and immediately pushed his way to the top heavyweight spot by becoming their first Heavyweight Champion. He has a solid resume behind him and he now looks forward to regaining his title as Pride's Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately for the Japanese fans, Nogueira is a native fighter who lacks the charismatic and dynamic fighting styles for which the Japanese fans thrive. He is however a true talent and certainly has the potential to become Pride's Heavyweight Champion once again. 

Jim Cryan from www.mmareview.com

October 11th, 2003
Few notes from the interview with Fedor in Croatian sport magazine "Sportske Novosti"
What do you think about Mirko?
Mirko is a excellent fighter, he possess great knowledge of boxing and kickboxing skills. He has strong will and clear motive. All that makes him real master.
In last two years Mirko didn't show any of his weak spots. Do you see any?
Every fighter, even the best, has particular weakness. Mirko and I are counting on opponents weaknesses. When you see our fight, you'll see what am i talking about.
Do you train for upcoming fight special?
We already made strategy for the that fight. There is still over 20 days until that fight, plans can always change.
In his free time Fedor likes to spend with his family. His favourite meal is Borsch and Pilav, and he reads Tolstoj and Chechov.
Mirko was very curious about what Fedor said. Mirko asked: "Did he insult me?" Fedor didn't insult Mirko in any way, he said only compliments about Mirko.
About Fedor Mirko said: "Fedor is a great man, excellent fighter. He is very fast, has great technique and he is very strong.When fight goes to the ground he has unusually phenomenal punches."
About fight with Caras Mirko said: "I graze his head with my left leg, after he had 6 stiches. If i had kick him instead of punch after that KO i would have killed him. If i knew before what was he talking about me and how arrogant he was before the fight, he would end up even worse"
About that punch after KO Mirko said: "When i enter the ring, i don't ask for mercy from my opponents and i don't have it for them. In the ring i am ready to die and kill if necessary"
Mirko has returned in Croatia where he began to train for upcoming fight with Fedor.

October 5th, 2003
CroCop wins again! After only 46 seconds of the 1st round CroCop landed one high kick to Caras head and Don went down. Mirko landed right hand while Caras was on the floor. After the fight Mirko said "see you next month in my title fight against Fedor". Check out the video clip of the knockout in out video clips section. Other results here.

September 30th, 2003
On Bushido event Mirko will fight Dos Caras Jr. for whom this will be PRIDE debut.
There are rumours that he could wear the mark during the fight.

Name: Dos Caras Jr.
Nicknames: Two Faces Jr.
Birth date: May 25, 1977 - San Luis Potosí
Record: 3 - 2 - 0
Association : AAA
Height: 6'5 1/2"/197 cm
Weight: 211 lbs/96 kg
Debut: August 11, 2000 - Shimonoseki, Japan
Style: Pro Wrestling
Signature moves: Plancha, Side suplex
Titles: none
Country: Mexico
* Made his pro-wrestling debut on October 11, 2000, teaming with his father Dos Caras to defeat El Azteca and Chiba, in an event promoted by the Japanese independent promotion KAGEKI PRO WRESTLING. This card was held in Shimonoseki and reports said that the junior looked very good for a rookie.
* Before turning pro, Caras Jr. was a member of the Mexican national team in Greco-Roman wrestling for five years, and he placed third at the World Junior Championships in 1997 (held in Czech Republic), won the Central-American games three times and also won a medal at the Pan-Am games. He was looking forward to compete in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, but due to lack of support, politics and government problems Mexico could not send any representatives to the Olympic wrestling competition so he turned pro instead.
* Made his AAA debut on 9/4 when he ran-in during a match involving his father, that was getting beat up by Texano, Pirata Morgan and Espectro Jr., but his first actual match was on September 29, 2000, in AAA's "Verano de Escándalo" supershow. He teamed with Alebrije, Sangre Chicana and La Parka Jr. to beat "Los Consagrados" (Pirata Morgan, Espectro Jr., El Texano and El Cobarde).
* During his first months he has feuded with the veteran stable of "Los Consagrados" and on January 21, 2001, he failed (teaming with his father) to conquer Texano and Pirata Morgan's National Tag Team Titles.
* There's no doubt that Dos Caras Jr. is one of the real stars of the future. He's got size, name value, charisma and it looks like he's going to develop into an excellent wrestler.

www.highspots.com

September 28th, 2003
Mirko has recieved, for now unofficial, invitation for this years K-1 finals in Japan.
It's doubtful that Mirko will accept this invitation because he is planing to have 3 more fights this year, at Bushido, title fight vs Fedor and at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye, at the end of the year. Will there be time for K-1, depends on Mirko's psysical condition.

September 17th, 2003
PRIDE has confirmed Mirko's fight against Fedor scheduled for November 9th.
On the other side UFC suggested,in case of Mirko's victory over Fedor, possibility of fighting against UFC HW champion, next year in June.
Mirko will probably spend whole October in Japan prepairing for the title fight, so he will be training in Takada gym with Sakuraba and Fujita.

September 12th, 2003
Mirko has asked for one more match, at upcoming Bushido event scheduled for October 5th, with a ground specialist before his match with Emelianenko Fedor for the world title.
There has been lot of rumours lately that Mirko is going to fight Ikuhisa Minowa or maybe some other Japanese fighter. But there's still no official offer from PRIDE.

September 9th, 2003
Cut from interview with Sven Bean. Sven manages some of the best fighters in the world including Duane "Bang" Ludwig and Pete Spratt.
MMAweekley: how will Mike Tyson do in K-1?
Sven: Depending on who he fights. If he fights Bob Sapp, he will knock out Sapp in my opinion. If he fights Mirko Cro Cop, he wouldn't stand a chance against him....
MMAweekley:Why do you say that?
Sven: Because Mirko will move and is very quick. Tyson would never get close to him and I know Tyson has never felt a leg kick, especially coming from a guy like Mirko, even a kick to the body, he hasn't' felt power like that from a kick. Even Tyson has said he doesn't want to get kicked in the head. Here he is fighting in K-1 and doesn't want to get kicked to the head. I don't think he has to worry about with Bob Sapp, but Mirko or Ernesto (Hoost) he will get kicked and we will see what happens. They will be smart and give him the right fights to start off. I'm not saying they will be worked fights, because he will have to win those fights on his own accord, but he isn't going to fight the top guys right away. Maybe Butterbean...(laughs)
You can find whole intreview here
September 2nd, 2003
Web shop is finally open. Please check it out, we hope you'll find something for yourself.
September 1st, 2003
PRIDE didn't yet confirm Crocop's match against Fedor. There is still possibility that Mirko will fight on next PRIDE in October and there is K-1 half-finals still in game if the title fight isn't scheduled for November 9th.
Crocop team is in contact with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and there is possibility that Quinton is going to train with Mirko for the upcoming PRIDE GP finals.

slaven@mirko-crocop.com
August 27th, 2003
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira recently said in an interview with TATAME that he would be fighting Josh Barnett at the next PRIDE show, given all negotiations go as planned.

Also scheduled for the next show will be the highly anticipated Heavyweight showdown between PRIDE champion Emelianenko Fedor and striking genius Mirko CroCop Filipovic.

According to Nogueira, the winner of each fight will fight each other for the PRIDE title.

mmanews.com
August 11th, 2003
Some words after the fight:
"It was fantastic, i came to Japan to do my job and i did it best way i could"
About Fedor's fight Mirko said: "Fedor proved that he is the master of his job, he KO'ed Gary in a minute and nine seconds. Fedor was fantastic"
August 10th, 2003
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic won over Igor Vovchanchyn. Mirko KO Igor with left high kick in 1:30 of the first round. Other results here.
Filipovic and Vovchanchyn felt each other out with punches. In a little over a minute into the first round, Filipovic connected with a high left kick that sent Vovchanchyn straight to the floor. The referee jumped in before Filipovic could do any more damage. “Cro Cop” is a scary, scary man. This is the first time in Vovchanchyn’s long mixed martial arts career that he has been knocked out.
After the fight, Cro Cop said he wanted to fight for the Heavyweight title next. Fedor smiled.

mmafighting.com

August 9th, 2003
Dana White Says he Wants Sakuraba and Cro Cop in UFC.
The most interesting comments from the UFC chief were about Mirko "Crocop" Filipovic. White expressed that Filipovic is "the best fighter on the planet right now," adding, "I'd love to have him in the UFC but I don't think I have anyone who can beat him." -- Keith Vargo

maxfighting.com

August 8th, 2003
Some notes from interview in "Sportske novosti", before flying for Japan.
Will you avoid fighting on the ground like you did with Herring?
No, there is no need for avoiding it. I know how to fight on the ground and i am not afraid of it at all. Igor is standup fighter, so i don't think it will be much fighting on the ground, although he likes to grab opponents leg sometimes.
You insisted on fighting Fedor instead of Igor August 10th, but Pride organizers refuse to organize that fight saying that  Fedor has a cut under his eye and he is unable to heal it. Now we can see that he is fighting on Pride.
I don't won't do get involved in commenting Pride decisions. Most important thing for me right now is that i have all guarantees that i will fight for the title in November if i beat Igor.

August 7th, 2003
Today before leaving for Japan Mirko said that the fight against Fedor is already scheduled for November 9th, if Mirko beats Igor.

August 4th, 2003
Currently weighting 102 kg, Mirko is in perfect condition and he is fully prepaired for the fight with Igor, he said: "I am so good prepaired that if i lose i really won't have any excuse".
About Igor Mirko said: "Igor is very dangerous fighter, his profile speeks for himself, 45 fights and 38 wins".
If Mirko beats Igor, Pride will probably provide one more fight in October before the title fight, if Mirko beats all his opponets. Before summer there was a rumour that Mirko's opponent in August had to be Minotauro. About that Mirko said: "Minotauro wanted that fight and he still does. He would like to redeem for loss he suffered vs Fedor. Now our ways are going in a opposite directions".
Mirko will take off for Japan in thuesday.

July  28th, 2003
Bad news for K-1 fans. Mirko decided that he will go for the PRIDE HW title this year, if he beats Igor he is going to fight current HW champion Emelianenko Fedor. If that happens Mirko wont fight in K-1 semifinals so he wont be at the K-1 Final tournament this year.

July  9th, 2003
Mirko Filipovic will fight Igor Vovcanchin on PRIDE MIDDLE WEIGHT GP 2003 "Total Elimination" which is going be held in Saitama Super Arena in Japan, August 10th.
 

 

   
Name Igor Yaroslavovich Vovchanchyn
Nick Name Ice Cold
Record 38 - 6 - 1
Association Team Vovchanchyn
Height 5'8 / 172.72 cm
Weight 235 lbs / 107 kg
Style Kickboxing / Combat Sambo
Birth Date 08/06/1973
City Kharkov
Country Ukraine
 

 

sherdog.com
 

July 2nd, 2003
UFC Interested In Mirko Filipovic:
Dana White mentioned interest in both Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic and Kazushi Sakuraba for UFC fights as part of his new relationship, or "war", with the PRIDE Fighting Championships.

mmanews.com

June 29th, 2003
From newspapers:
Mirko: "we hadn't recieved any official confirmation about fighting Nog. according to latest informations from Japan i should fight Igor Vovchanchyn, but i really don't care who my opponenet is going to be as long as he is a good and respectable fighter because i am not entering the ring with anyone.
I am impressed with fact that Nog wants to fight me, he is a legend of ultimate fight. i assume that PRIDE will announce my opponent and if terms are ok, there will be no problem for me to fight Nog."

Mirko insisted on fighting Fedor in August, but PRIDE organizers contacted Mr. Lucic (Mirko's manager) saying that Fedor is still unable to heal eye injury he suffered in match vs Fujita and he can't fight in August 10th. PRIDE offered that match to be scheduled in November, but than Mirko will be training for K-1 WORLD GP 2003 FINALS.
Mirko still has to do one qualification fight before going on K-1 WORLD GP 2003 FINALS in December.

June 17th, 2003
Rodrigo Minotauro landed in Rio de Janeiro last Thursday, June 12th, after a month in Europe, where he'd been teaching seminars and taking care of his physical preparation. Minotauro restarts his training program at the Brazilian Top Team, in preparation for his next appearance in Pride, which will happen on August 10.

There's few interesting notes from the interview:
How long were you in Holland?
Minotauro: about a month, but I didn't stay in Holland, only. I went to other neighboring countries.

What did you do during that time?
Minotauro: I taught several seminars in other countries such as England, Poland, Ireland and also in Holland. I spent a couple of weeks doing some rehab work for my back, trained a lot of Muay Thai with Peter Aerts and took care of my physical preparation.

Has your participation in Pride on August 10th been confirmed yet?
Minotauro: There's a 90% chance that I'll participate in the event. It would be a special fight inside the Pride Grand Prix, which will be for fighters up to 94kg.

What about your opponent?
Minotauro: I think I'll probably fight a striker, maybe Mirko Cro Cop, but Pride only announces the fighters three weeks in advance, tops

Mirko Cro Cop knocked out Bop Sapp and in the last edition of Pride. He also took Heath Herring down fairly easily. What would be your tactics to defeat him?
Minotauro: avoiding the stand-up combat with Mirko, who, besides being one of the best stand-up fighters today, is a left-handed guy. I think that might have confused Heath Herring, who ended up knocked down by Mirko in the last Pride, but I have good sparrings and I hope I'll be well prepared to fight him even standing, if necessary, and his ground technique, despite his improvements, is still not in the level of the best of the world.

minotauro.net

PAGE:    1     2     3     4