Report: Fertitta Meets With Cro Cop; Makes Him "Offer He Can't Refuse"
Posted by Dan Plunkett on 07.04.2009
That was unexpected...
Less than a month after reportedly leaving the company after one fight, Mirko Cro Cop appears to be on the verge of re-signing with the UFC, says Croatian website Index.hr.
According to the report, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta flew to Croatia to meet with Cro Cop. After two hours of talks, it seems Fertitta has convinced Cro Cop to return to the UFC, making him a very favorable offer.
"A source tells us that Cro Cop got an offer that is simply non-refusable," the article states. "Cro Cop will almost certainly look at the returning to the strongest MMA league in the world currently knows."
Cro Cop left the UFC shortly after his UFC 99 bout on June 13, reportedly taking a deal with the Japanese based DREAM organization. One of Cro Cop's biggest problem with the proposed UFC deal he initially walked away from was the intervals between his fights. The UFC wanted the Croatian to fight every six months, while Cro Cop, stating that he was in the best shape of his life, wanted to fight more often.
Stay tuned to 411mania.com as this situation unfolds.
You're right. That is about as unexpected as it gets.
Posted By: The Burger King (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 12:37 AM
Shame he has no say in how often he fights if he gets messed up and is medically suspended. Cro Cop is past his prime and needs to just fade away.
Posted By: Guest#6723 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 12:47 AM
Guess we know who is a smart Business man ! MIRKO !!!!!!!!!!
EAT THAT DANA WHITE !!!!!!!
Posted By: Guest#9981 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 01:28 AM
Oh, you know Dana is going to extract his pound of flesh from Cro Cop. I would say that Cro Cop is about to fight a murderer's row over the next year, each spaced about 3 PPV's apart.
Posted By: KIng Durin (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 02:18 AM
Dana White brings in all the dumb fanboys. The Fertitas are there to give it a bit more respectability.
In actuality, DW is simply a Fertita puppet, and the Fertitas don't want to take the heat for some of their more ridiculous decisions so they play the good cop.
DW of course goes along with it because, in all honesty, this dude would be nowhere near the position he has now if he didn't. Make no mistake though, it's the Fertitas that run the UFC, not DW no matter what anybody tries to tell you.
CC is still a very good fighter and will I'm sure do well. It helps that the best HWs are not even in the UFC. I think CC can make a run as long as he remembers to use his hands (and it looks like he does).
Posted By: Guest#9432 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 03:16 AM
But what sort of deal could it be? More cans to knock over or is he going to risk fighting a proper opponent? Hope it's the second of these so he can prove again how over-rated he is.
Posted By: Cro Crap (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 03:56 AM
If this turns out to be true Mirko is gonna be fed to the best guys in the division. Should be fun to watch. I'd love to see him kick Lesnars huge head off, but more than likely he'll get his ass kicked over the entire course of his contract.
Posted By: paco smith (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 03:58 AM
lol dana white got fucked again
Posted By: Guest#7302 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 05:38 AM
So bring him back so he can lose 2 or 3 more fights in a row and then get rid of him again?
Maybe instead of making this bum an offer he could not refuse, maybe they should have done the same with Fedor? Na wouldnt wanna do that...
Posted By: Champ (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 08:53 AM
Wait what?! So I'm guessing he'll fight his 3 DREAM Fights then go straight to the UFC?
Cro-Cop is amazing. Cro Cop vs Lesnar for the title next year!
Posted By: Guest#3207 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:06 AM
Cain, Carwin, Randy, Nog, possibly the loser of Lesnar/Mir - Cro Cop's gonna fight the big dogs (and lose). I'd actually like to see Cro Cop fight Brock just to see if Lesnar can knock him out half as sickly as Gabe Gonzaga did.
And Guest#9981, if you think Dana was out of the loop on this, and it wasn't just an attempt to get Cro Cop to re-sign in order to give him bad stylistic fights and make him look horrible, you're delusional. By the time this contract is up, DREAM won't even want Cro Cop, as his drawing power will be destroyed (see: Ortiz, Tito).
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Mirko vs the guantlet.
Posted By: Daniel (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:14 AM
So a lucky eyepoke of a win against a shitty oppenent and he's a must have for the UFC ???
lol
Posted By: Guest#2336 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:23 AM
Good bussiness move for Mirko hardballing them to get a better deal. You might think Dana is pissed and if he is it does and doesn't matter since remember the Fertitta's are the owners, however Mirko recently told Dana "not too be too harsh on him" and Dana replied with "You're good" not directly but I believe on an ESPN type thing. So who knows a tip of the hat to CroCop perhaps? Anyways as good as it will be to see him back in UFC remember CroCop is a small heavyweight he'd be (more of) a monster if he cuts to 205. On the other hand CroCop fought very well in his last fight using his hands and footwork again and not thinking he's in a Chuck Norris movie with those high round kicks so maybe he'll have a reneissance at heavyweight.
Posted By: Paul (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:51 AM
I call shenanigans. First when have we ever seen a fertitta negotiate a deal. That's Joe silvas job. Second are we really gonna belive a Croatian web site. Third if he's already under contract to dream, then he can't sign. Something smells fishy and Paris Hilton isn't here
Posted By: condrab (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 09:52 AM
You know what's going to really suck?
Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga II
when Gonzaga knocks him out with ANOTHER headkick LOL
Posted By: h4gg4rd (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 11:40 AM
ok, so, what about Dream?
Posted By: jorge (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 03:18 PM
The Dream contract isn't an exclusive one, and apparently the new UFC one is non-exclusive as well. Which, yes, does make you wonder why they can't come to terms with Fedor since he wanted to do Combat Sambo and that was the major hang up.
Posted By: Guest#4467 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 03:53 PM
Again this is bull. No way they sign someone to a non exclusive contract. Cro cop isn't special enough to justify that anymore. They might buy out his dream contract, but he's set to fight for them in a few weeks
Posted By: condrab (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 06:09 PM
Why would Joe Silva negotiate contracts? He just decides matchups. And the Fertitas own and run the UFC, they've stepped in before on the whole Fitch fiasco.
Stop believing everything you see on TV. Dana White is just a stooge, Fertitas own the business and White answers to them.
Posted By: Guest#0006 (Guest) on July 04, 2009 at 07:43 PM
Joe silva does handle the contracting of fighters, frank trigg stated it in an interview last month. And Dana is far from a stooge, the fertitas may be the money, but Dana is in charge
Posted By: condrab (Guest) on July 05, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Dana wants cro cop back so that he can watch him get destroyed by brock lesnar u fuck heads. Oh and the reason UFC and MMA is popular right now is b/c of dana white so shut the fuck up.
Posted By: g43 (Guest) on July 07, 2009 at 04:57 PM
