Mirko CroCop Leaves for Japan

[tuco]

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Mirko Cro Cop has left for Japan with his NYE bout with Korean giant Hong Man Choi less than three days away.

In preparation for the 2.18 meter tall and 160 kg K1 star Mirko has been sparing with former Croatian basketball star Franjo Arapovic.

We met Mirko at Zagreb airport for his final interview before leaving for Japan.

Cro Cop Doesn’t Plan To Exchange Strikes With Choi

“Its just another fight. I have to follow my game plan. I cant exchange with a man that’s has such big reach and weight advantage over me. I’ll be cautious.” explained Cro Cop.

When asked of what he thought about his opponent “It’s a dangerous fight. Any one that size is dangerous. ”

When asked about his plans for 2009 Cro Cop replied;

“I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see. I cant say anything right now. I’m just focused on this fight and we’ll see what happens after that.”

His will be Cro Cop first fight since the no-contest with Overeem in September. His last victory a first round TKO over Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 1. You’ll be able to catch Cro Cop’s new years eve match live on Nova TV staring at 12.00 noon.

[tuco]

Mirko Cro Cop has been dropping several hints in recent interviews in the Croatian press that he is planning a major move in 2009.

These rumors first appeared when Mirko made a blog post on MMA ID stating that his NYE fight would mark a new chapter in his career: "This fight I'll end one chapter and start another. I'll post more information about my plans after the show. And no, I'm not retiring, thanks for asking!"

When asked about his plans for 2009 at Zagreb airport earlier today he remained vague: “I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see. I cant say anything right now. I’m just focused on this fight and we’ll see what happens after that.”

Thinks became clear when Dana White appeared on the Best Damn Sports show and stated that he'd the Cro Cop could return to the UFC 2009.

"We haven't really discussed that yet. We have a lot of shit we are doing, and that event isn't on our heads. We could see the return of Cro Cop on the show, who knows. If he wins, he will definitely be welcomed back into the ufc."

It looks like his move very much depends on his fight with Hong Man Choi. If the Croatian returns to winning form a move back to the UFC looks likely. What makes this rumer even more plausible is the fact that Cro Cop still trains in a cage rather than a ring. This could mean two things. One he is too cheap to remove the cage and install another ring or B he still plans to return to the UFC as he promised when he left the organization one year ago.

[NWOWolfpack]

I would be shocked if he ever goes back to the UFC......................

[Shogun90]

honestly i dont want him to go back to the UFC just yet, if he can beat Hong man Choi and then beat Overeem in a rematch and possibly another big name fight in Japan, maybe Hunt or Le Banner, then he should look at a return to the UFC cause as of this point i think he would lose in rematches to both Kongo and Gonzaga, that being said WAR MIRKOOO!!!

[broncofan]

I don't see him beating Overeem but who knows the UFC could have him come back. I am very interested to see how his fight tonight goes