Cro Cop Steps Up To The Plate For Injured Minotauro At UFC 119

A rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira was set for UFC 119 on September 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. This could have been a great matchup since Mir won their previous meeting with a second-round knockout. It was only later after the fight that we found out about Noqgueira's staph infection and knee injury. Seeing a healthy Minotauro fight Mir would have been interesting. However, things were not meant to be.

Nogueira had to pull out due to a reported recurring hip injury. In his place comes Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic on short notice. Cro Cop accepted the challenge feeling he owes it to the fans, to the Fertittas and Dana White who have taken him to where he is right now.

I would say that this may not be a good match right now. Cro Cop may have enough time to prepare for Mir who has, despite losing to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin recently, has shown improvements in his conditioning and striking. Cro Cop still has superior striking skills compared to Mir but the fight will most likely take place on the ground with Mir using his superior ground and submission skills.

Cro Cop has a shot with his head kicks but it may take more than that to beat a tough Frank Mir. Mir should submit Cro Cop once they get to the ground. Cro Cop still gets credit for taking on this fight on short notice.