After his knockout loss to Roy Nelson at UFC 137 last October and the retirement announcement that followed, the former UFC and PRIDE star Mirko Cro Cop, has hinted that he may not be totally calling it a day after all.
In an interview with USAToday.com, Filipovic clarified a little more on his current ‘retired status’:
“Concerning my retirement from the UFC, I said it was my last fight for the UFC and last fight on the present contract, but I did not say, ‘I won’t keep fighting,’ “
“I never said that. I think the best thing to say is that I was born to fight.”
Ai??”Iai??i??m training every day. I usually train twice a day, and Thursdays and Sundays are supposed to be my days off. But even on those days Iai??i??m training at least once. I have to do at least one session each day to be happy.ai???
ai???If you ask me, when I look deep into my soul, of course I would like to fight MMA again. People donai??i??t get it. Martial arts is my life. My motivation now is to prove to everyone that Iai??i??m still capable of being in the cage. Iai??i??m not old. Iai??i??m 37, but I can do things that fighters 10 years younger cannot.Ai??I will prove that, or I will die trying.ai???
Judging by those comments, he’s still very much active when it comes to his training and his hunger doesn’t seem to have waned at all!
There’ll be a chance to see the Croatian in action again later on this year in an up and coming K-1 tournament in October in Tokyo.