On Saturday, MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop stepped into the Octagon against Gabriel Gonzaga. As the underdog, the former Pride and K-1 Champion shocked the entire MMA community by unleashing vicious elbow on Gonzaga before the referee intervened.
Since Cro Cop turned back the clock, I thought it would be fitting to do the same, and take a look at the career of the Croatian Sensation.
Cro Cop is one of the most famous heavyweights in MMA history. He started his career in K-1, before choosing to leave kickboxing and head to MMA.
Cro Cop’s time with Pride FC in Japan is absolutely legendary, including a legendary heavyweight title challenge to Fedor Emelianko, and of course winning the 2006 Pride Open Weight World Grand Prix Tournament.
While his three stints in UFC have had many saying that he is well past the prime of his career, this weekend’s victory over Gabriel Gonzaga shows that the 40-year-old is still a dangerous and effective fighter, especially in the stand-up game. He may never become the Heavyweight Champion that he dreamed of earlier in his career, but Mirko Cro Cop has proven to be a legend of the sport.
Overall he is 31-11-2 (1) in Mixed Martial Arts bouts, and 23-8 as a kickboxer. He is the only person to win both a Pride Grand Prix and a K-1 Grand Prix.
Main Photo: KRAKOW, POLAND – APRIL 11: (R-L) Mirko Cro Cop of Croatia elbows Gabriel Gonzaga of Brazil in their heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at the Tauron Arena on April 11, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
