Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic retires again following RIZIN Grand Prix win
Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic retires again following RIZIN Grand Prix win
After winning the RIZIN 2016 Open Weight Grand Prix in Japan on New Years Eve, Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic returned to his native Croatia on Monday and announced his retirement in an interview with Nova TV.
“This is definitely my last tournament,” said Filipovic, via Google translate. “I have health problems, and this is definitely the end of my career. I know I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it.”
Cro Cop discussed the pain of training through torn knee ligaments, with destroyed cartilage.
“I never want to go through such hell,” he said. “I gave my best. I know I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it.”
Filipovic submitted Hyun Man Myung in the first round earlier this year and knocked out the formidable King Mo to get into the semi-finals on December 29. There, in one day, he beat Baruto Kaito with one knee to a 400-pound body and knocked Amir Aliakbari to win it all.
”It was a really special moment, it was a festive evening,” said Filipovic of his tournament win. “It was the hardest preparation for me in terms of the training, the most painful because of those injuries that dragged on and still drag on. … As much as this is an individual sport, I would not have succeeded without a team. They all made their contribution to this victory. I thank them from my heart.”
Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic was scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 79: Henderson vs. Masvidal on November 28, 2015, but following an anti-doping test, volunteered that he had taken HGH in an attempt to accelerate recovery from an injury. He retired and was released from his UFC contract but eventually returned to MMA.
