One of the most exciting moments in UFC history was when the organization announced, on New Year's Eve 2006, that it had signed Pride superstar Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. And one of the most shocking moments in UFC history was when Cro Cop was knocked out by Gabriel Gonzaga in his second UFC fight, on April 21, 2007.Cro Cop was dropped by the organization after another loss in September of 2007, but he will return to the Octagon on Saturday at UFC 99. And he said Tuesday that he considers his failures in the UFC to be a major disappointment, and he wants to give the UFC and its fans some of the thrilling knockouts they thought they'd get two years ago.
"I think I owe a lot to the UFC and to UFC fans," Cro Cop said. "Right after (knee surgery early this year) when I was in the hospital, I was thinking that I would fight in Cologne, because UFC was coming to Germany, and it was my big, big wish to participate. People -- even my doctor -- didn't think I would make it, but I did."
While acknowledging that he had never heard of Mostapha Al Turk before he signed on to fight against him, Cro Cop said he is completely focused on beating Al-Turk, and that his mental approach will be much better in his second UFC stint than it was in his first.
"To tell the truth, it's hard to say 100 percent why I struggled in my first appearance in the UFC, my first three fights," Cro Cop said. "I won one fight and then I lost two fights, and I just think I wasn't the bold Mirko Cro Cop that I used to be. I don't know the reason. I spent too much time thinking about it. Maybe I was just empty after I won the Pride Grand Prix. I don't know. To tell the truth, I don't know. Maybe I wasn't adapting to fighting in a cage. Maybe I wasn't hungry enough. I don't know. I don't know. I just didn't smell the blood -- I don't mean blood for real -- but I just didn't smell the blood like I did in my previous fights. I don't know."
UFC President Dana White said that he can tell Cro Cop is hungry.
"He was all fired up, saying, 'I want to win that title'," White said. "I've been in the fight business for a long time and talked to a lot of guys in a lot of different points in their careers. When I talked to Mirko about fighting in Germany, he was fired up and wanted to come back."
Now healthy and motivated, Cro Cop said he weighs 106 kilograms (233 pounds), and he added, "I feel good. I don't have a gram of fat."
Cro Cop said his life now consists of "Nothing but training. Every morning I take my dogs out in the forest and then it's all training. ... I have the best motivation. I want to return to the top and prove everyone wrong. I hope God will give me the strength to prove my worth. I don't like to talk too much about it because I have to prove my worth in the cage and that's what I intend to do. I have a lot of motivation. I've never been motivatied like this."
