The question whether Cro Cop had already given his best in PRIDE days has yet to be answered. Although the answer looks fairly simple to those are driven solely by facts and figures, there's plenty of ammunition left in Cro Cop. The real question is - are those skills and techniques good enough to see this famous PRIDE veteran engaging top level fighters in yet another title quest.
Saying that PRIDE had brought an advanced level of mixed martial arts competitions is a safe statement. So is a statement that UFC today provides the highest level of mixed martial arts ever and what had been an elite level in PRIDE days, today is righfully considered nothing more then an average level in UFC. A growing generation of young lions who had been forged in the heat mixed martial arts evolution over past few years, are setting up new standards for the sport.
“Yes, the competition is really strong nowadays. These young lions are talented, well rounded and hungry, what makes them dangerous“, says Cro Cop.
It doesn't take expert MMA knowledge to conclude that only serious adjustments can provide skills and knowledge for challenges in today's mixed martial arts. That includes someone like Cro Cop, who was always considered as a powerful striker but also an one-dimensional fighter who lacked ground skills, clinching, takedowns and many other techniques that are generally attached to an image of well rounded fighter.
What's the level of those skills that many feel he still doesn’t have today?
“Well we are working hard on just about every part of the game. After so many years in this sport some things need improvements but some are good as they are,“ says Filipovic. “I'll always be more comfortable with striking, but I do a lot of ground work, takedowns/throws and other stuff. You can expect some new exciting techniques from me, that's for sure.”
With only one fight left on his UFC contract it's no wonder that Cro Cop emphsizes the importance of his upcoming fight with Patrick Barry. Barry might not be well rounded but he's definitely young, talented and hungry. This is also his first big chance as a win over Cro Cop would certainly move Barry into the next level of talent in the Heavyweight division.
“Barry is young but very talented, I've seen his fights. I need this win as it's important for my future in UFC. It should be a good fight, I'm sure that we'll deliver an action-packed fight.“, says Mirko.
As the clock had turned 9 AM a non-talking sign was turned on, and Cro Cop begun his regular morning session.
The first big novelty is that Cro Cop does the most of the work in the morning, which is almost an entirely new concept for him. He used to work more on his cardio and power in the mornings, while the remaining daily session was focused on punching, kicking, ground work and other specific MMA elements. Now with Ivan Hyppolite of Netherlands, a former thai-boxing world champion, Mirko experiences big novelties in his trainings, starting with an early morning sessions packed with lots of punching and kicking, wrestling and more.
The session consisted of 6 intense 5-minute rounds plus 2 warm-up rounds, which brings us to a total of 8 rounds. The usual routine is actually 10 rounds of hard work, but with 6 weeks left until the fight Ivan Hyppolite wants to have Mirko fresh for upcoming 4-week Spartan style drill.
First on schedule were rounds with shadow boxing and heavy bag work, followed by two rounds of pure kicks to thai-pads. The last 2 rounds were pretty much a mix of everything – punching, kicking, takedown defenses, throws, clinching, ground & pound and more. Usually, Mirko has 6-8 strong 5-minute rounds inside the Octagon packed with work with 2-3 sparring partners, wrestling and pads work. Although today's session was marked as a chill-down session,
Mirko was at high pace throwing more then 500 kicks during 6 rounds, which is quite impressive for a heavyweight. What could be even more important in the fight is that Mirko was tired, but his cardio looks impressive at this point when we take a look at the content of the session (hundreds of kicks and punches, numerous takedowns, countless takedown defenses, submission attempts, wrestling …).
In a development that is great for Mirko’s fans to see, Mirko was almost feeling bad to see this session ending as he was in the mood for a few extra rounds. It's hard to say if the entirely new concept of trainings will deliver an entirely new Mirko Cro Cop inside the Octagon, but it's a fact that Mirko still owes a lot to his UFC fans.
“Train hard, fight easy. We brought some changes before my last fight and even more changes in preparation for my next fight. It's something that I should've done way before,” Cro Cop said excitedly. “But I’m still motivated enough to learn more”
The final and most important question can only be answered inside the Octagon. Is Cro Cop today good enough to fight with success against young lions? Does he have what it takes to be considered as a top fighter inside the Octagon after a UFC career that has been less than impressive? This fight with Patrick Barry will decide if Mirko will get another shot to prove himself in the UFC, and there is no hyperbole in suggesting that this is the biggest fight of Cro Cop’s career.
