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SUNSTONE

By SUNSTONE
in The Tailgate

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#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
Posted

New Cro Cop interview, he talks about the Overeem fight

http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/10/02/mirko-cro-cop-plans-to-get-revenge-on-alistair-overeem-on-new-ye/

Cro Cop made the comments in an interview with a Croatian publication, and we have the translation, thanks to Robert at betwwx.com. The full interview is after the jump.

Cro Cop: Ending my career is not a option

Ending his career is not a option for Mirko Cro Cop. Currently his mind is only occupied with revenging Overeem.

Q: How's your health?

CC: Right now everything is fine. My injuries have healed up and I'll return to training soon.

Q: It wasn't easy watching those knees to your groin...

CC: I'll quote a favorite movie of mine "Maratonci trce pocasni krug" -- "I don't like it, but its part of the job!" That's how I feel about what happened at Dream 6.

Q: Were you surprised he wasn't disqualified?

CC: I wouldn't have gained anything from a disqualification. I don't need that kind of win. More importantly I shouldn't have given him the opportunity to knee me to the groin.

Q: Disqualifying him would make him think twice about where he places his knees.

CC: Well next him he'll be well advised not to go near my groin. If he does it again, I'll give him a taste of his own medicine. And I'll do it deliberately without holding back. Mixed martial arts is a brutal sport but there are rules to be followed. I have followed them throughout my career and my opponents have also. There is no point crying over spilt milk. I expect my revenge at New Year's Eve.

Q: Do you have any plans between New Year's Eve and now?

CC: I'll travel to Seoul, Korea on 11.11.08 to support Igor Pokrajac when he fights against a yet unknown opponent.

Q: Do you concede that Overeem was the dominant one up until the injury?

CC: Yes he was, but it's a 15-minute fight and anything could have happened had the fight continued. I should have been more aggressive of course. Its something I'll have to work on.

Q: Did you properly train for the fight?

CC: Despite the commentary that I'm too old, all my physical conditioning and speed point to the fact that I've never been better prepared than for my last fight. But it doesn't matter what I think, the only thing that matters is what actually happens in the ring.

Q: So what's the problem then?

CC: I'm under more pressure then I have been earlier in my career. I lost two fights in the UFC, and I have a fear of it happening again. I can't afford more failures. I have a fear of failing not of punches or kicks. Many fighters have the same problem.

Q: Do you have an exit strategy after you leave the sport?

No, as long as I'm healthy my mind is only on fighting on.

Q: So you don't have any plans to leave the sport?

CC: Peter Aerts has been written of for 5 years now. He recently defeated K1's best fighter and tournament favorite Semmy Schilt. If he can do it why should I at 35 be too old? I feel great, my conditioning is excellent and I'm motivated to fight. There is no reason to end my career.

--- Translated by Betwwx.com

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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"Q: So what's the problem then?

CC: I'm under more pressure then I have been earlier in my career. I lost two fights in the UFC, and I have a fear of it happening again. I can't afford more failures. I have a fear of failing not of punches or kicks. Many fighters have the same problem. "

damn shame its come down to that for CroCop. he can't get out of his own way, fear of failure either motivates you or completely destroys you. right now its looking like its destroying CroCop

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#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

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damn shame its come down to that for CroCop. he can't get out of his own way, fear of failure either motivates you or completely destroys you. right now its looking like its destroying CroCop

It's been obvious since the Gonzaga KO that he's got a fear of losing..he fights to not lose now instead of going for the home run.

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lovetoaster

lovetoaster

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"Q: So what's the problem then?

CC: I'm under more pressure then I have been earlier in my career. I lost two fights in the UFC, and I have a fear of it happening again. I can't afford more failures. I have a fear of failing not of punches or kicks. Many fighters have the same problem. "

damn shame its come down to that for CroCop. he can't get out of his own way, fear of failure either motivates you or completely destroys you. right now its looking like its destroying CroCop

As much as I hate to hear that from CroCop, the honesty is almost refreshing.

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gstahl

gstahl

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Don't know if folks saw this. Brandon is okay, a bit shaken from the whole thing but doing well. He is in London no getting ready or the Jardine fight next weekend (free on Spike, I think noon and 7 PM pacific).

Reported on the 6th...

Speaking exclusively to BloodyElbow.com, world champion grappler Lloyd Irvin said his home in Accokeek, Maryland was invaded by two armed gunman on Saturday morning at approximately 4:30am.

According to Irvin, the two gunman held Irvin, his son, wife and UFC light heavyweight contender Brandon Vera at gun point while demanding to be directed towards valuables like cash or jewelry.

While one gunman held Irvin's family hostage, another gunman directed Irvin to the the master bedroom. According to Irvin, he led the gunman toward his bedroom. Once in the bedroom, Irvin said he noticed the other gunman was far enough away down the hall to make a move to disarm the attacker in his bedroom. Irvin, an expert in Sambo defensive gun and knife techniques, was able to get ahold of the gun in the attacker's hands, first separating the clip from the gun and then removing the gun from the attacker's hands.

At that point, the attacker in Irvin's room ran yelling to his accomplice that Irvin had his gun and both gunman fled the house. It's not clear what, if anything, they were able to take with them. Police were called to the scene and have launched an investigation.

According to Irvin, no one in his family was physically hurt, although the psychological trauma at this point is considerable.

While Vera is physically unharmed, leaving for England this Tuesday and will continue training, it is not clear to what extent the psychological trauma from this event will have as he heads into his fight with Keith Jardine at UFC 89 on October 18th. Irvin indicated that to the extent possible, training would continue as normal.

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=7346&zoneid=2

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday confirmed a report by MMAWeekly.com that Diego Sanchez is out of his scheduled UFC 90 bout with Thiago Alves due to torn rib cartilage. Stepping in to take his place is American Kickboxing Academy's Josh Koscheck.

“There is nothing worse than having a great fight and then having one of the fighters drop out at the last second,” said UFC President Dana White. “But the one thing the UFC has proven time and time again is our ability to replace fights with ones as good as or better than the original fight."

Koscheck had already been training for a fight on the UFC Fight For The Troops event in December, and says he actually hadn't stopped training after his last fight, against Chris Lytle at UFC 86. “I think he’s a tough opponent. He’s on a tear right now in the UFC and for me to step up and fight him, I think it’s gonna be an exciting fight. I’ve been in training since Chris Lytle, I haven’t taken any time off."

Though he had prepared for Sanchez, Alvez doesn't appear to be all that bothered by the change in opponents, relishing the chance to fight Koscheck instead.

“Josh Koscheck is a great fighter and I think he’s an even better matchup for me,” said Alves. “I’m looking forward to fighting him, and I’m gonna knock him out.”

great to see Koscheck step in for Sanchez. UFC 90 still gets a great match between two of the top 5 WW in the world :applause:

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Sebowski

Sebowski

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Huge new here:

Josh Koscheck vs Thiago Alves UFC 90 fight booked with Diego Sanchez scratched

By: MMAmania

kos alves

Josh Koscheck will replace an injured Diego Sanchez to fight Thiago Alves on less than two weeks notice at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., on October 25.

“The Nightmare” had to withdraw from the highly anticipated welterweight showdown because of torn rib cartilage sustained during training the promotion just announced.

Koscheck — who is still scheduled to fight Yoshiyuki Yoshida at UFC Fight Night 16: “Fight for the Troops” on December 10 — has won nine of 11 bouts inside the Octagon since his stint on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) back in early 2005, transforming from a world class wrestler into a dangerous well-rounded fighter in less than three years.

He has faced top competition in the loaded division in his last five appearances, including a showdown with current welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre (he was not champion at the time). He lost that bout via three-round decision but won over a legion of new fans with the performance for being able to hang with the uber talented Canadian.

Koscheck has since defeated rising star Dustin Hazelett with a second round technical knockout at UFC 82: “Pride of a Champion” back in March and grizzled veteran Chris Lytle via bloodbath, er, unanimous decision at UFC 86: “Jackson vs. Griffin” this past July.

With a win over Yoshida, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout would have been knocking on the door for a title shot along with the winner of the previously scheduled bout between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves.

Well, opportunity knocked sooner rather than later and “Kos” has answered the call to fight “The Pitbull” to possibly determine the next 170-pound title challenger. In fact, we’re told that if “Kos” can defeat Alves and then beat Yoshida he is guaranteed the winner of the fight between UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn sometime in early 2009.

Alves is fresh of ridiculous performance against Matt Hughes, taking out the former champion in the second round of their main event tilt at UFC 85: “Bedlam” just last month. Prior to that, “The Pitbull” wiped out another perennial powerhouse, Karo Parisyan, at UFC Fight Night 13.

The 24-year-old Brazilian was already on the fast track to an eventual title shot. And a win over Koscheck would certainly put him over the top.

This is a fine replacement for a co-main event to go along with the middleweight showdown between 185-pound champion Anderson Silva and challenger Patrick Cote.

For all the latest of UFC 90 click here.

------------

Props to Koschek for stepping up on short notice.

Looking forward to this one.

Edited by Sebowski
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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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I think a decision would go to Koscheck, but the TKO advantage goes to Alves. This is one HELL of a matchup. Wish they had more time to prepare for each other.

i said TKO because i think Kos can get him down late and finish him with g N p. if it stays standing the edge obviously goes to Alves

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d0ublestr0ker0ll

d0ublestr0ker0ll

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i said TKO because i think Kos can get him down late and finish him with g N p. if it stays standing the edge obviously goes to Alves

I agree to an extent. This is a huge test for Koscheck, if he can G&P an incredibly strong BJJ black belt in Thiago Alves, I will be more than impressed. Alves should be looking to defend Couture-like scrambling takedowns. Relentless, even sloppy looking at times. If Alves ends up pinned, the result is anybody's guess. Nonetheless, Koscheck's best bet for ending this fight before the horn is on the ground. If he can do that, it will open everyone's eyes. Because Alves has the dynamic edge in striking and on the ground. Koscheck has the training to gas a dehydrated Alves with smothering moves on the ground, but he can't make a mistake.

Watch for Alves' highly regarded leg kicks to be nullified by "Plan A" of Couture's gameplanning.

Edited by d0ublestr0ker0ll
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lovetoaster

lovetoaster

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I did not used to like Kos, but it seems like he is trying very hard to earn the fans respect. It is certainly working with me. He has really improved his striking and taking this fight on such short notice as well as still fighting on Dec. 10 (still scheduled at least) against Yoshida is pretty impressive.

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#98QBKiller

#98QBKiller

Posted
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I know I'm a bit late on this, but I just noticed this thread now. I have an article up on my site about the EliteXC Fight Fixing scandal with Kimbo :

http://www.cheatorbeat.com/mma-fight-fixing-kimbo-slice/fighting/1312

May not be news to most of you guys, but there are some good links to related stories in there. Enjoy.

Petruzelli now claims that his words were taken out of context and that he was referring to a knockout bonus...either way I bet Elite XC wishes he would've taken the fight to the floor lol

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StillUnknown

StillUnknown

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I did not used to like Kos, but it seems like he is trying very hard to earn the fans respect. It is certainly working with me. He has really improved his striking and taking this fight on such short notice as well as still fighting on Dec. 10 (still scheduled at least) against Yoshida is pretty impressive.

his improvement from his time on TUF is amazing. on the show all he had was his wrestling. His striking isn't close to being elite yet, but he's definitely competent and more comfortable trading shots. I still think he's the 2nd best WW in the world behind GSP. GSP beat the hell outta Fitch and you could see it on his face long after the fight was over. Koscheck even though he lost to GSP, didn't take any damage from that fight. its too bad Fitch & Koscheck will never fight each other, i would love to see that match to settle just who is the 2nd best WW in the world

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Chachie

Chachie

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they both train with American Kickboxing Academy, and they're said to be pretty close friends

its not uncommon for friends to fight, but i can't recall a fight between top guys from the same camp

I see. Shame because that's about the most even matchup at WW that I can think of.

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