Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s next fight will be at UFC 70 in Manchester, England and we now know who his opponent will be - Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga.
Gonzaga is 3-0 in the UFC, and you may remember that after his last victory against Carmelo Marrero at UFC 66, Gonzaga was thought to be next in line to challenge Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title. However, that was before both Cro Cop signed with the UFC and Randy Couture decided to return to fighting.
So Gonzaga, may not be getting a title shot, but in the eyes of most MMA fans, fighting Cro Cop is just as good as a UFC title shot.
In today’s issue of the Republican, Gonzaga confirms that he will be fighting Cro Cop at UFC 70.
“That’s the most important commitment of my life,” Gonzaga said through Alvan, his trainer and interpreter. “Everybody knows (Filipovic) is the No.1 fighter in the world at the moment.”




NOW THIS SHOULD BE FUN
[...] MMAHQ reports: UFC 70: Mirko CroCop vs Gabriel Gonzaga [...]
Winner…… Cro Cop via KO of Round 1. Then the warm up fights are over and it’s on the be the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Good night Gonzaga zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I hope Crocop wins this one in impressive fashion also so he gets to fight Silvia sometime this summer. Gonzaga is a good fighter but I don’t see Mirko having much trouble with him. I was rewatching the Eddie Sanchez fight last night with some friends and it looked like Eddie was pretty scared after the first couple of minutes. Mirko was just stalking him and Eddie looked like he was just trying to avoid being KO’d like Salmon with the high kick. With 4 fights left on his contract after this one it will give the UFC at least a couple of title defenses for him. Next should be the Pit bull.
GO PITBULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Well Cro Cop is really the number 2 fighter in the world, but yes…he’s going to kick you really really hard.
This should be a cut and dry win for Mirco Cro Cop, but honestly, I hope Gonzaga puts up a really good fight. I would like to see how hard Cro Cop can get hit and keep fighting. It would also be good to see him on his back in the Octagon, so I will be hoping to see him in different positions. You know, I enjoy a fight more than a 30 second knock-out, so I hope this one goes a couple rounds, or at least Gozaga puts out a good show, but I am not counting on it.
“I would like to see how hard Cro Cop can get hit and keep fighting”—watch his fight with Fedor because all I can say about this one is “T-I-M-B-E-R”!
I bet you miss me guys, but I was in Vegas, and there was no time for typing.
I agree that Cro Cop will when by KO in the first round. I just hope that he grows a personality before then…..not that he needs it to gain popularity.
Hey Fuzznutz, where can I view the Cro cop - Fedor fight?
They have the Crocop-Fedor fight on either youtube or dailymotion.
http://www.dailymotion.com/visited/search/fedor%2Bv%2Bcrocop/video/xbgs8_fedor-emelianenko-vs-mirko-crocop
hillbilly i was wondering were u were at and the only reason why i know gabriel cuz he was in a boring azz fight that almost got stopped for lack of action then he pulls this superman punch out of nowhere but isnt he a bjj black belt we all remember the nogiera cro crop fight
Testing 1-2-3
@Dr. J
This topic is not controversial enough! Everyone knows Cro Cop will stomp him.
This gravatar thing is making me crazy!!!
Me too! It is not working or something. I entered everything and my little MMA man is still not up. It must be still having bugs…
YOYOYOYOYOYOYO GONZAGA SUCKS…. I CANT WAIT TO SEE
CRO COP LAY INTO THAT BOY
Finally, they believe Babalu belongs above the hypesters…..
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (205-pound limit)
#1 Light Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Chuck Liddell
2. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
3. Wanderlei Silva
4. Ricardo Arona
5. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
6. Renato “Babalu” Sobral
7. Quinton Jackson
8. Tito Ortiz
9. Kazuhiro Nakamura
10. Alistair Overeem
MMAWeekly Rankings last updated on February 20, 2007
HEY DENNIS ….. CAN U PASTE THE HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION AND LOOK THAT ONE UP?????
WTF this is bull let babalu try some bjj with rampage and hell slam his *** two but whats gonna happen when rampage knocks out liddel its gonna show how the ufc was really being overpertective of him
heh, heh, heh, *** you’re on your own.
Here Patrick, this is for you….
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION (over 205 pounds)
#1 Heavyweight Fighter in the World: Fedor Emelianenko
2. Mirko Cro Cop
3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
4. Josh Barnett
5. Tim Sylvia
6. Andrei Arlovski
7. Fabricio Werdum
8. Aleksander Emelianenko
9. Mark Hunt
10. Sergei Kharitonov
MMAWeekly Rankings last updated on February 20, 2007
didnt nogueria beat cro crop why is cro crop number 2
I might just be your daddy!
@Cody
Yea maybe, but more likely………my mama. There’s been more loads shot off in you than Jenna Jameson!
Thanks Fuzz, even in that video Crocop was pretty darn good.
Although Mirko lost to Nog, it was an upset as Mirko was beating his *** badly up until the submission. He ended the first round on top of Nog beating the brains out of him, he got saved by the bell. Not only that but Nog has since lost to a few less-than-A grade fighters. That’s why he’s not above Mirko. Mirko has become better since his loss, beating both Barnett and Silva in the same night, while Nog lost to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou last night, who saw that comming? hahaha
@MC
Thats the wrong nogueira your talking about that was his twin brother who is a lightheavyweight.
No it’s not, it’s Antonio Rodrigo Nogeira “Minatauro”. It was a huge upset and it happened at Pride 33 2 weekends ago. That’s who we’re talking about. And Mirko lost to him via armbar, but not before beating him until that moment. He reached down to punch him while on the ground, leaving his arm exposed and nogeira got it and submitted him.
Allen’s right it was his twin brother that lost last week. Mirko lost to the HW Nogueira.
MC you ‘ve got the two Nogueria’s mixed-up. But it dosen’t matter if Cro Cop was beating Nogueira, what matters is that he couldn’t finish him off and Nogueria ended up winning. Nog has never been knocked out or submitted. Since their fight Cro Cop has lost to Kevin Randelman(KO), Mark Hunt(Cro Cop was running away from Hunt the whole fight) and Fedor, while Nog has only lost to fedor and Josh Barnett.
There is no doubt that the violent strikes mirko crocop resolve the interview again to be valid with gabriel gonzaga heavy discount in strikes
4 all crocop fans, you can watch the fight for free on http://www.crocop.de/gonzaga-video.html
I think it’s safe to say that Nogueira and Cro Cop should and will have a rematch soon. Perhaps this is Dana Whites plan (should Cro Cop win his next two fights…first Gabriel, then Randy).
I don’t think it matters what happens there will be a re-match between those two. For the rematch, Cro Cop’s ground work has gotten much better (Fedor couldnt’ submit him), but I haven’t seen much improvement in Nog since he was Pride champ (not that there is much to improve). I think it will be a great fight if/when it happens.
cro cop lost, its not live, SPIKE tv lied very sad for cro cop
I thought you were joking but it’s true…one of the most vicious KO’s I’ve ever seen…I feel nautious. Cro Cop must have a broken right ankle.
DAAAAAAAM, year of the underdogs baby!! im gon put some money on rampage! Chuck is going down this year dennis!! maybe not to rampage.. but this is the year..
The ankle must be okay, he walked off. I just don’t see how the hell he dropped his guard like that. It’s ashame because I don’t think Gonzaga is a real contender in the same capacity as Cro Cop.
MMA is sincerely vicious. My stomach was spinning after watching it, and I didn’t even bet on the fight.
I’m just stunned right now. These are what give me a love hate relationship with MMA. I really wanted the american audiences to see what a fighter like cro-cop can do…I’m speechless. Congrats to Ganzaga. Dr J. I’de to know how cro-cops injuries are as soon you can find out..it looked nasty.
If you think that was bad, I’ve seen some absolutely horrendous injuries on youtube… There was one clip I will never forget until the day I die. It was some guy going for a leg kick, and I guess his opponent was doing the same…both their legs collided…and the guy’s foot broke in mid-air and looked like it became rubber. He fell to the ground screaming while the other guy ran off celebrating his victory.
I was not surprised that Gonzaga won, but I WAS VERY surprised at HOW he won and how devistating it was. My wife thought Cro Cop was dead… .it was a sic knockout for sure, one of the sickest I have witnessed in the UFC in a very very long time. WOW is all I can say… perhaps year of the underdog will run into UFC 71 as well, dont tell me with confidence it wont because I will cite 3 HUGE reasons it could.
1. Randy Couture
2. Matt Serra
3. Gabriel Gonzaga
Gabriel will be the next champion, Randy looked pretty shaken up after that fight, and Cro Cop sounded ready to retire….
What is the deal with Arlovski? he used to be one of my favorite fighters but he’s really starting to dissapoint me. Joe Silva should be re-assigned, cause a lot of the fights he’s been setting up lately have really turned to ****. Every UFC event is getting booed out.
Interesting situation mentally for Chucky boy. He knows all eyes will be on him come May 26th, but they don’t call him the iceman for nothing.
One of the most brutal KO’s I have ever seen. I did NOT see that coming…rematch?
One other observation was that in the Cro Cop / Gonzaga fight, Herb, (bob marley) Dean stood them up while Gonzaga was pounding Cro Cop on the ground, actively. I can see that happening if they are just lying there, but Cro Cop was getting beaten badly on the ground, and Herb interupted it to stand them up, (I assume to let Cro Cop regroup so he could win). Instead Gabriel did to Cro Cop what he has done to so many others only in a much more devasting fashion.
Point: I think Herb Dean is Dana’s do boy, Dana raises his finger when he wants a fight to stand up, Dana makes a thumbs down when he wants an early stoppage, and basically I think Dean is who he uses to control the pace of fights, only it backfired this time.. just my assesment of the situation. Either its that or Herb Dean has been smoking Herb more than he has been eating and breathing because there are just too many cases of this crap and then Dana walking into the octagon smiling afterwards. WHERE THE HE LL WAS BIG JOHN FOR THE MAIN EVENT?!?!
Mirko “Cro Cop” Filopovic was tonight dominated and knocked out by UFC fighter Gabriel Gonzaga. A win I did not see coming. While I hope Cro Cop is okay, this proves my point. Cro Cop is ranked 2nd in the world, buy people that don’t know **** about the sport. Gabriel Gonzaga is not even ranked in the top 10, but knocked out the 2nd ranked Pride fighter . This proves my point over and over again. These morons that rank Pride fighters as being the best, are stupid, mindless, trend followers! If a low ranked UFC fighter, can knock out the so-called 2nd best in the world, imagine what the number 1 ranked UFC heavyweight Randy Couture would do in Pride! I wanted Cro Cop to win, to show every mindless Pride fan that UFC has the top fighters when Cro Cop lost to Randy. But Cro Cop lost to a lower ranked fighter. No disrespect to Gabriel, I’m just going based on the stupid stats of these reporters.
So shove it Pride fans!! UFC proves again they have the best of the best! If the so-called 2nd best heavyweight fighter on earth lost to a lower rated fighter, then there is no room to talk when comparing UFC to Pride.
I hope Cro Cop is okay though. He took a nasty fall and seemed to hurt his foot and leg. And a F*** Yeah to Gabriel Gonzaga!! You proved UFC is the top of the food chain!
We’ve just witnessed Russell losing his mind.
WOW!!! stunning KO and no one saw it coming. I blinked and missed it only to see it in the slo-mo. Cro Cop squinted and put his hand down. Very strange for such an optimum type of fighter, but what a shot he took. I thought for sure that his leg was busted or close to it, but thankfully it’s all good and all he’ll end up with is a bruised ego and a sore leg. Just devastating to watch and points out to me again that anyone can get beat on his best day any day of the week.
to say that gonzaga is “a low ranked ufc fighter” during a speech calling out people who dont know **** about the sport is ironic isnt it. hes not low-ranked. i agree that his fight with jordan was really really lame but his 2 fights after that were impressive. hes top ranked, just hasnt fought the big names yet. i predict that gonzaga is our next UFC heavyweight champion. they always say styles make fights, and couture will have a hard time with gonzaga. he pushes the pace insanely for a 245 pound man.
also, fighters are fighters, we cant judge them by what organization they fight in.
Hello from Germany….looks like I missed another good one!
This still doesn’t prove anything regarding the Pride vs. UFC debate. I think we are coming to the realization that the days of a dominating champion are coming to an end. So many fighters have raised their games. I can’t believe Cro Cop doesn’t believe in training inside a cage to prepare for his fights, that’s just ignorant.
Pride vs UFC debate Diaz vs Gomi
Monson vs Fujita
O’Brian vs Herring
AA vs Werdum
Gonzaga vs Cro Cop
UFC =5 Pride= 0
Get used to this trend pride nuthuggers.
I couldnt believe it, cro cop got Knocked Da F*uck Out by Gonzaga, most people underestmated him like matt serra but hes definately a great fighter now thats everyone seen him fight cro cop, although gonzaga won i think hes going to get his *** handed to him by randy
the year of the upsets just goes to prove ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN IN A FIGHT
The results of the Cro Cop fight are no surprise to the UFC fans who have seen fighter after fighter get beat in the Octagon only to show up in Pride later on. Guys like Baroni, Coleman, etc., etc.. A year later they are buffed up on steroids and fighting chumps in Pride.
Ground fighting is not highlighted in Pride and as anyone could see it was the downfall of Cro Cop and will be of any Pride fighter that steps into the octagon. Has anyone ever seen a Pride fighter catch Cro Cop’s kick and throw him down like a rag doll. This was no upset and Cro Cop was probably lucky that he got out clean by getting knocked out so hard. Otherwise, Gonzaga was going to take him down and punish him even further round after found. The ref even tried to help Cro Cop out by standing them up while he was actively getting punished on the ground. I’ve never seen a UFC referee stand up two fighters like that when there was still action. The UFC must have wanted Cro Cop to advance because the PPV for Couture vs. Cro Cop would have been enormous.
Gonzaga was in total control from the bell and there was not once instance when Cro Cop looked like he was going to walk away with this fight. Cro Cop’s last fight was close as well and that guy was a no name fighter.
The truth comes out, Pride fighters are chumps and Liddel’s loss to Rampage will be avenged just as hard!
i just have one thing to say on the ground game FEDOR
“i just have one thing to say on the ground game FEDOR”
– Quick, retreat to another Pride fighter now that your poster boy is fked!
Hahaha Yeah Cro Cop will totally win and kick Gonz-…What’s that? You say Cro Cop got knocked out? In the very first round? By Gonzaga? With a kick? You don’t say.
Well, I guess all that hype was for nothing.
retreat to another pride fighter what the fu*ck brent the guy started saying sh*it about ground games fedor is the best guy to fu*ck ur azzz up on the ground if u want to talk about pride sucking u still got fedor
PrideFC definately doesnt have the same fighters as UFC but one fighter that i truly respect is Fedor i like him in the way that hes not cocky as the other fighters he gets in the ring does his job gets a smile on his face and gets out, i cant picture him hooked up in roids as coleman or baroni id like to see him fight in UFC and fight some guys like tim sylvia, andrei arlovski or even gabriel gonzaga, especially tim so he can just shut hes f*cking mouth and sit his fat *** in the ground
All fight leagues are judged by their Heavyweights. The UFC was unfortunate to have Tim Silvia for too long. They deserved the criticism then but they are on track to rock the MMA world and be the league of elites.
The Brazilians são the I improved of the world , do not have for nobody!!!!!!!
YOYOYOYOYOYOYO GONZAGA SUCKS…. I CANT WAIT TO SEE
CRO COP LAY INTO THAT BOY
YOYOYOYOYOYOYO The only thing Cro Cop laid into was the mat!
Another Pride nuthugger tucks his tail between his legs. HA HA!