Mirko Cro Cop Talks Retirement

Posted by Bill Wannop on 09.21.2009

He can't get over mental block in octagon!

Mirko Cro Cop conducted an interview with Jutarnji.hr, below are the highlights:

On his body: "Maybe the ones who have said that I'm done are right. Obviously, I can't break my mental block in the Octagon. Besides, I've been training like a spartan for 20 years now — my body is worn out. The years caught up to me, I've been worn out."

On Santos beating him: "[Junior dos Santos] won that fight and would have won it by decision. Simply put, he is younger, more hungry, more aggressive. He wanted to win a lot more."

On losing his hunger: "The mat was slippery like glass. I almost fell down trying to do the left high kick. But I'm not looking for an alibi. This was not the performance the public would pay for. I don't feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I'm not ready to take risks. I would like to thank everybody that supported me and stood by me and everyone who helped me to prepare for this fight. I've been living a military life for 20 years now. Getting up at 6 a.m. and having physically challenging task up to 8 p.m. I want a normal life. I'm entering a cage and thinking about fishing in Privlaka. You can't win that way. Maybe I should've quit after I won the open weight grand prix."