No HW title for Mirko???

[rrrazzle]

Im always happy to see an upset, for me its one of the elements that makes MMA so beautiful. Its the aftermath of the upset that seems to be the difficult part. After this weekends event's the near future of MMA match ups seems quite different now. First off, I think this leaves Fedor vs. Cro Cop on the backburner for now. Cro Crop obviously needs a considerable recovery period after this weekend and realistically we should only see him on one or two more bouts before NYE In his own famous words, Cro Cop had a plan before he got hit, and boy did that happen. I actually think 'Napao' displayed a finer kick than ive ever seen from Mirkos left leg (maybe bar vs. Igor). What we all seen was the complete lack of a game plan from Mirko and definitely not the man I could see de-throning Fedor right now. Something to also consider is the recent addition to the UFC HW division. We now have Big Nog, Gonzaga, and Couture as future opponents for Mirko two of which he will now have to pass before he puts his hands on the belt. If the there is truth Mirkos statement that he will have four more fights and then quit, it makes his shot at winning UFC HW title and beating Fedor seem even less imaginable.

[killrkain]

i hope cc mans-up and takes out all 4 opponents.

[x fifty 1ne]

I think it's too early to say really. He has 4 fights left and after that it gets spacey because CC has said he might retire. But he's said that before. As far as the title. If CC truly wants it. He can easily make a run back to the top to get another shot. But he has to come motivated and at least train in the cage.

[Sgt. Angel Eyes]

fedor/crocop II is on the backburner. i wanted to see that so bad, but no the match I most want to see is CC's revenge match against gonzaga

[Moskau]

Originally Posted by Sgt. Angel Eyes

fedor/crocop II is on the backburner. i wanted to see that so bad, but no the match I most want to see is CC's revenge match against gonzaga

I'll be scared for CC/Gorgonzola II

[t-money0925]

I agree except for the part about the lack of CC game plan vs Gonzaga. CC has always been the type of fighter to stalk an opponent, take his time and not waste his shots. Gonzaga just never gave him chance because he went all out from start to finish.

[Moskau]

Originally Posted by t-money0925

I agree except for the part about the lack of CC game plan vs Gonzaga. CC has always been the type of fighter to stalk an opponent, take his time and not waste his shots. Gonzaga just never gave him chance because he went all out from start to finish.

GG will go all out from start to finish next time too.. I don't like it for mirko. If mirko tries to kick, Gorgonzola takes him down

[SuperHoss]

Originally Posted by rrrazzle

Im always happy to see an upset, for me its one of the elements that makes MMA so beautiful. Its the aftermath of the upset that seems to be the difficult part. After this weekends event's the near future of MMA match ups seems quite different now. First off, I think this leaves Fedor vs. Cro Cop on the backburner for now. Cro Crop obviously needs a considerable recovery period after this weekend and realistically we should only see him on one or two more bouts before NYE In his own famous words, Cro Cop had a plan before he got hit, and boy did that happen. I actually think 'Napao' displayed a finer kick than ive ever seen from Mirkos left leg (maybe bar vs. Igor). What we all seen was the complete lack of a game plan from Mirko and definitely not the man I could see de-throning Fedor right now. Something to also consider is the recent addition to the UFC HW division. We now have Big Nog, Gonzaga, and Couture as future opponents for Mirko two of which he will now have to pass before he puts his hands on the belt. If the there is truth Mirkos statement that he will have four more fights and then quit, it makes his shot at winning UFC HW title and beating Fedor seem even less imaginable.

It is going to be a tough road for CroCop to get another title shot in the UFC.

1) There seems to be some bad blood between Dana and CroCop. Dana and Joe Silva aren't going to make it easy for CroCop to get back in title contention. Don't expect the kind of special treatment Randy got for CroCop.

2) The UFC HW division which seemed kind of thin 6 months ago is pretty stacked with title contenders, Gonzaga, Big Nog, Arlovski, Big Tim and Vera. With CroCop's loss and the bad blood, there is now way they are going to let CroCop get ahead of some of those guys for a title shot.

3) CroCop has 4 fights left on his UFC contract, Dana and Joe Silva don't seem to give title shots to guys that are expected to depart. CroCop is going to have fight some top guys and probably have to resign with the UFC to get a title shot. If he resigns with the UFC and wins all his fights against elite competitors, he still probably won't get a title shot until next year.

It will be interesting to see how they handle CroCop from here on in.

[Jerky1312]

Originally Posted by SuperHoss

1) There seems to be some bad blood between Dana and CroCop. Dana and Joe Silva aren't going to make it easy for CroCop to get back in title contention. Don't expect the kind of special treatment Randy got for CroCop.

With what Dana said about CroCop recently, it seems to show Dana was willing to give CroCop a title shot immediately for CroCop. He argues that CroCop wanted lesser opponents so he could get accustomed to the cage. I think that is BS on the part of Dana, but if true, it would counter that claim that he wouldn't give CroCop special treatment and give him a title shot in his UFC debut. I don't he can give any special treatment after the loss, although I still think Dana wanted CroCop to win the title and organize a Super Fight between Fedor and CroCop at the New Year's Eve show, where the cross-promotion between Pride and UFC is most likely going to take place.

I think if he is given 3 solid and name worthy opponents (Sylvia, Vera, Arlovski), he could be in line for another title shot down the road. This would mean risking having awarded a champion and his contract is up and he is a free agent. This makes contract negotiations difficult for UFC, as they would have to pay more to a champion just because he is a champion, but also having your champion go to another organization would have alot of consequences as well. In any event, CroCop against Fedor at the New Year's Show is most likely out of the question now, due to CroCop's loss. It'll be interesting to see how Dana sets up the title fights from this point on, as I he wants to have a big HW champ vs. champ at the New Year's Eve show. It would be interesting to see if Big Nog is thrown into the fire and given a title shot soon before the year ends. The possible HW representative for Fedor are either Couture, Nogueira, Arlovski and Gonzaga.

[moreorless87]

Originally Posted by SuperHoss

It is going to be a tough road for CroCop to get another title shot in the UFC.

1) There seems to be some bad blood between Dana and CroCop. Dana and Joe Silva aren't going to make it easy for CroCop to get back in title contention. Don't expect the kind of special treatment Randy got for CroCop.

I doubt that will have much effect, there was way more bad blood between Dana and Tito and that didnt stop him from being booked in high profile fights.

2) The UFC HW division which seemed kind of thin 6 months ago is pretty stacked with title contenders, Gonzaga, Big Nog, Arlovski, Big Tim and Vera. With CroCop's loss and the bad blood, there is now way they are going to let CroCop get ahead of some of those guys for a title shot.

3) CroCop has 4 fights left on his UFC contract, Dana and Joe Silva don't seem to give title shots to guys that are expected to depart. CroCop is going to have fight some top guys and probably have to resign with the UFC to get a title shot. If he resigns with the UFC and wins all his fights against elite competitors, he still probably won't get a title shot until next year.

It will be interesting to see how they handle CroCop from here on in.

Point 3 is exactly why they are likely to rush Crocop back into a title match if you ask me, there paying him a ton of money and he isnt going to be around for ever. Look at the other people they could potentially move into title fights...

Sylvia - Maybe the most hated fighter in the UFC.
AA - Three less than exciting performances in a row
Vera - Must have pissed off Dana alot more than Crocop
Big Nog - Still unknown in the UFC

The really big positive Crocop has IMHO is that every time he fights one person comes out looking strong. Book him verus AA or Vera and the chances one guy gets KOed are very high.