The Curious Case of Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic by Jack Slack

The case of Mirko Filipovic is an interesting one, to many he is one of the top three heavyweight MMA fighters to date, and to many he is a fighter who was severely over-rated and exposed when he stepped onto U.S. soil. Now the second view is idiocy, but legitimate questions have been raised about Cro Cop's rapid decline. As the legitimacy of the UFC heavyweight division's main stars seems to be based around feeding a decrepit Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to Frank Mir and Cain Velasquez, it seems odd to think that a man who gave Nogueira one of his worst beatings during his prime would be considered over-rated or a fake fighter.

Are there cans on Mirko Cro Cop's record? Of course. It was Japan, and that was the rage. Their fans are quiet and respectful during Mixed Martial Arts bouts, but they love a freak show match every bit as much as U.S. fans do. Furthermore, it was simply the way at that time in MMA. Many detractors are happy to trot out a list of "cans" that Cro Cop fought, but forget to mention in the same breath the even weaker competition that Andre Arlovski, Tim Sylvia and Frank Mir had been fighting over that period.

Besides that, you will be hard pressed to find a fighter who received a tougher test in his early career.