265 lbs. Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
Odds: (even Cro Cop / -130 Dos Santos) at Sportsbook.com
The semi-main event of the evening is a Heavyweight clash that is sure to bring some fireworks, as two deadly strikers collide in Brazilian slugger Junior “Cigano” dos Santos and PRIDE FC legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. Both of these guys have got serious knockout power and good technique, so this may wind up being a very short night for one of them.
Junior dos Santos, a hot prospect from Team Noguiera, is a big striker with a bright future in this sport. He has looked dominant in his two UFC appearances thus far, earning two knockout victories in just over 2 minutes total. The only real question mark about dos Santos is how well he will handle a step up in competition, something Cro Cop definitely represents. His biggest fight to date was against Fabricio Werdum, who he handily defeated, but he has never faced a striker anywhere near the caliber of Filipovic.
Cro Cop, on the other hand, has fought most of the top Heavyweights in the world, including Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, and dos Santos’ coach Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera. He debuted in UFC as one of the biggest names in the sport, but found himself out the door again quickly after two dismal performances. At UFC 99, he returned to the Octagon, destroying Mustapha al-Turk out of hand. Many pundits have questioned how much of the old Cro Cop is left at this point, but even at less than full speed Mirko is one of the best strikers in the Heavyweight division.
I think that Cro Cop’s vast experience advantage, coupled with the pressure that is on him after a few bad losses, are going to make the difference here. Dos Santos is a great fighter, but this early in his career he is going to have his hands full with a guy as skilled and experienced as Filipovic. When you add the fact that a loss here is not going to destroy dos Santos, whereas it may very well signal the end of Mirko’s career, I just think that Mirko has too much to lose to turn in an uninspired performance.
I think dos Santos’ willingness to trade is going to give the fans a glimpse of what made Cro Cop so feared to begin with. Cro Cop by KO, round 2.
