UFC 119 Preview: Frank Mir Vs. Mirko Cro Cop (Filopovic)

UFC 119 is just around the corner. Frank Mir was set to fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a rematch. Frank Mir won the last fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a KO at UFC 92 in 2008. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was injured recently and will not be able to fight at UFC 119. Mirko Cro Cop will take his place. The rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Nogueira may have been more exciting than Mir and Cro Cop, but this fight at UFC 119 still has some promise.

The Main Event

Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop (Filopovic)-Frank Mir's match against Mirko Cro Cop is not as exciting as a rematch vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira would have been. Antonio would have been out for revenge and there would have been fireworks by the end of the night. Mirko Cro Cop (when at his best) is a great UFC fighter. He is a dangerous fighter. Mirko Cro Cop has been up and down over the past few years. He was been knocked out by Gabriel Gonzaga three years ago. He lost to Cheick Kongo three years ago. Mirko Cro Cop has won five out of his past six fights. Frank Mir has fought all of the top heavyweight fighters in the UFC. He beat the UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar by submission. He beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by knockout. Then Frank Mir lost the UFC Heavyweight championship to Brock Lesnar by KO in their rematch. Frank Mir submitted Cheick Kongo at UFC 107 and lost by KO to Shane Carwin at UFC 111.

Frank Mir is sure of himself and he is cocky. Mirko Cro Cop has seemed unsure of himself in some of his recent fights. If this fight goes to the ground, Frank Mir will surely submit Mirko Cro Cop. Frank Mir's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is far superior to Mirko Cro Cop's ground game. Mirko Cro Cop has a kicker's chance. Normally, you would say puncher's chance, but Cro Cop has a deadly head kick.

Frank Mir's cockiness is what gets him in trouble in fights. He has decent stand-up, but he is best on the ground. Frank Mir always believes he can beat any fighter with any style of fighting. The bigger (tougher) UFC Heavyweights have used Mir's cockiness against him. They pound Mir in the stand-up. They get him to the ground and ground and pound Frank Mir. The smart and talented UFC Heavyweights (Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin) got Mir to the ground and smothered his submissions. Then they pounded Frank Mir into the ground. In this respect, Frank Mir is his own worst enemy. He is too cocky for his own good.

To win this fight against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 119, Frank Mir has to fight his fight. He has to get Mirko Cro Cop to the ground by any means necessary. Mir can try to take Mirko Cro Cop down by takedown or he can hit him with a powerful punch. However, Frank Mir cannot leave himself open to any of Mirko Cro Cop's dangerous head kicks. If he does, Frank Mir will go to sleep. Mirko Cro Cop's punching ability is not too shabby either. However, his ground game is suspect.

Frank Mir should easily win his fight against Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 119. If he uses his brain instead of his cockiness, Frank Mir should come out victorious. Again, Mirko Cro Cop has a kicker's chance. If he connects with a good kick, Frank Mir will taste defeat again. Frank Mir should win by submission, but may also surprise the MMA world with a knockout. Stay tuned for the rest of the fight card for UFC 119.

sources
UFC.com