Mirko Cro Cop announces retirement
One of MMA's most beloved heavyweights has thrown his last head kick.
Former UFC and PRIDE star Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic announced his retirement on a Croatian TV show Tuesday, according to Croatia Week. The news follows his successful performance this past weekend in Saitama, Japan, at the Rizin Fighting Federation's Open-Weight Grand Prix, in which he defeated three fighters to win the tournament.
"That was definitely my last tournament. I have health problems and this is definitely the end of my career," Filipovic said. "I know I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it."
It's the 42-year-old's second retirement. In November 2015, Filipovic pulled out of a scheduled bout at UFC Fight Night 79 citing an injury and he declared that he would no longer be competing in MMA. It was later revealed that he had been flagged for a USADA violation and would be suspended from fighting in the U.S. for two years.
The UFC terminated Filipovic's contract in July 2016. Shortly after, he signed with Rizin and made his debut this past September with a submission win over Hyun Man Myung.
In his prime, Filipovic was one of the most feared heavyweights in the world. Fighting for Japan's PRIDE organization from 2001-2006, the former K-1 kickboxing king made an indelible impact with his terrifying head kick knockouts and memorable battles with Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Kevin Randleman, and Wanderlei Silva.
That success didn't carry over to the UFC, where he struggled to a 5-6 record in three separate stints with the promotion. After leaving the Octagon for good, he ended his 15-year career on an 8-1 run with fights in Japan, Poland, and Russia.
Filipovic retires with a record of 35-11-2 with one no-contest.