Heavyweight Bout: Frank Mir vs. Mirko Filipovic
Odds: (-260 Mir / +200 Cro Cop )
Betting Pick: Frank Mir
In the main event of the evening, PRIDE legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic returns to the Octagon to challenge former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Cro Cop was once one of the most feared men in the world, but age and a lack of quality training have somewhat tarnished his shine. Mir, in the meantime, is in the midst of a career renaissance following a near-fatal motorcycle crash a few years ago. Still, Mirko is a dangerous striker with a wide variety of offensive weapons, and underestimating him is a great way to end up in a coma.
Cro Cop, who made a name for himself in K-1 and then as PRIDE’s foremost Heavyweight striker, is deadly with all four of his limbs from a wide variety of angles. As he once famously summed up the efficacy of his high kicks, “Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery.” In addition to his kicks, he also has devastating boxing and some of the best takedown defense in the history of the sport. What is troubling for him in this matchup, though, are the fact that age has depleted his speed and power, his questionable submission defense, and his historically spotty chin.
Mir, who is probably best known for snapping Tim Sylvia’s arm like a toothpick and his heated feud with current Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, is one of the best submission fighters in the world at Heavyweight. Recently, though, he has looked like one of the best strikers in the division as well, tearing Lesnar apart in the boxing before getting taken down and destroyed and send Cheick Kongo to bed early with a huge punch to the chin. The only part of his game that is still lacking is his wrestling. On the ground he is a submission machine, but he has trouble making sure fights wind up there. Luckily it is no longer as important as it once was due to the exponential growth of his boxing and his huge punching power.
This is still an interesting fight, but Mirko is just too old and worn down to strike the kind of fear into his opponents that he did 5 years ago. If Mir gets this fight to the ground at any point, it will be over within 30 seconds, and Mirko will probably be going to physical rehab for the next year or so. Unfortunately for Cro Cop, he probably can’t even stand and box with Mir anymore, either. Mir has too much power and too much skill for the visibly slowed Cro Cop, and that spells disaster for the Croatian. Mir will drop Cro Cop with punches before submitting him with relative ease.
Prediction: Frank Mir via second round rear naked choke.
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