In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
‘Til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
-Simon and Garfunkel, The Boxer
My sense of compassion hit me a minute-and-a-half into the third round when Junior dos Santos, a big buck of a Brazilian, landed a devastating knee to the face of Mirko Cro Cop. In that instant, all the questions surrounding the Croatian’s future were answered.
The following thirty seconds became the final period to the novel of Cro Cop’s career. He stumbled back with a look in his eyes that told me he had no more left to give. When dos Santos latched on the Muay Thai plum, I begged for a merciful finish. It became clear to me that Cro Cop had lost not only his physical strength, but his will to fight.
The ultimate ending proved anti-climatic as Cro Cop pushed dos Santos away – his most effective technique throughout the bout – and motioned to the referee that he had had enough. Filipovic may not have uttered Roberto Duran’s infamous “no mas”, but his words following the event gave me the same feeling:
I’ve been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 A.M. and having physically challenging task up to 8 P.M. I want a normal life. I’m entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can’t win that way. Maybe I should’ve quit after I won the open weight grand prix.
Yet, before he leaves the sport for good, I want to see Cro Cop fight Randy Couture. It’s the fight the UFC angled for when they brought Mirko in from Pride and Couture held the heavyweight strap. It’s a fight that still means something now. Bill it as the final UFC vs. Pride dream match. Bill it as two fading legends looking to go out on top. Bill it as a celebration of two men who helped build the sport of MMA in their own unique way.
Enjoy the fish in Privlaka, Mirko.