Mirko's return to the UFC

Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic returns to the UFC this weekend at UFC 99 in Germany as he fights Mustapha Al-Turk. This is his first fight since New Year's Eve and his first fight in the UFC since his back-to-back losses to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo back in 2007. I am very excited to see him back in the UFC as he has always been one of my favorite fighters. From when he was on top of the world when he won the Pride Open Weight Grand prix back in 2006 to the low of getting ko'ed by Gabriel Gonzaga just 7 months after that.

Would I love for CroCop to make a huge run in the UFC and get a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Title a year or so from now? Of course. Do I think that it is going to happen? Not a chance. Baring a major upset that would be bigger than him losing to Gonzaga, CroCop should get by Al-Turk with minimal problems. But after that, I do not know what the UFC can do with him. They could give him another c-level fighter and get him another win, but that would do nothing for him for the hardcore fans. So you have to think they will have to match him up against one of the younger guys such as Shane Carwin or Cain Velasquez, and I believe that both of those guys beat CroCop. And of course he does not have much hope against the top guys like Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Rodrigo Nogueira, etc. He looked so poor against Alistair Overeem, who is a borderline top 10 guy. I do not think CroCop will ever return to the top 10 rankings. Of course he has the talent too, anyone with striking skills that dangerous has a chance in every fight, but overall the game has passed him by I think and until he proves me otherwise, I will have to live with the fact that one of my favorite fighters is no longer the fighter he once was.