Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, 44, is among the most recognizable fighters in the world. This weekend, he will bolster Bellator 216 in a rematch with the ferocious-hitting Roy Nelson.
Credit: Igor Kralj
Cro Cop’s name alone would have secured him a spot on Bellator’s roster. But a resurgence, winning nine straight fights dating back to 2014, made the powerful kickboxer about as worthy as anybody.
Among that streak was a first-place finish in RIZIN’s 2016 Grand Prix, an open-weight tournament. The Croatian KO artist is more than familiar with limitless tourney action. In 2006, he won the PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix.
The tournament victory culminated in one legendary night. After eliminating two popular Japanese grapplers in the opening rounds, Cro Cop defeated both former UFC champion Josh Barnett and the warmongering Wanderlei Silva in a matter of hours.
While the win over Barnett was anticlimactic, Filipovic’s first-round decapitation of Silva was anything but. The head kick knockout would prove to be the defining moment of Cro Cop’s career.
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