A sudden switch in opponents has installed Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-8-2 MMA, 4-4 UFC) in a main-card match with Brendan Schaub (7-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC 128.
"Fighters Only" first reported the pairing.
Although not officially announced by the promotion, UFC 128 takes place March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
The event is expected to feature a light-heavyweight headliner between champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and former champ Rashad Evans.
Schaub tentatively was slotted for an early-2011 fight with former champion Frank Mir before the matchup was scratched in favor of a meeting with Stefan Struve at the New Jersey pay-per-view event.
Then, for reasons unknown, that pairing gave way to a scrap with "Cro Cop," sources told MMAjunkie.com.
The shuffle still is good news for Schaub, who passionately expressed his desire to face Mir after he recently extended his win streak to three with a dominant decision win over former contender Gabriel Gonzaga in October at UFC 121.
"No one cares if you're beating up the fat wrestlers all the time," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio. "To go in there and do a war with a guy like Frank Mir – win, lose, or draw, that's what this is about.
"You don't want to look back on your career and be like, 'Oh yeah, Brendan beat up that out-of-shape wrestler. That was awesome.' My kids watching the tape (would be) like, 'Dad, are you serious?'"
Although Filipovic's age and recent record suggest a fighter on the tail end of a career, he provides the name recognition Schaub needs for a bid at the title.
Meanwhile, it's a pivotal fight for the former PRIDE open-weight grand-prix champion, who was knocked out badly by Mir at UFC 119 in the final moments of a three-round snoozer.
Filipovic, whose participation in the September fight was jeopardized by an accidental eye-poke in training, gave no illusions that he was under-prepared for Mir and said he took it out of a duty to fans, not to mention a handsome offer from the UFC.
After a 14-year career in combat sports, he could not guarantee he would be around much longer.
"I always tell people ... it could be any fight," Filipovic said of his retirement. "I tell them it could be the last one. This is a hard sport, (and) this is a brutal sport, and any new injury – especially because I turned 36 a few days ago – would definitely take me out of competition. In my age, with my experience (and) so many fights on my back, it would be hard to start over again (with) some rehabilitation."
It appears for now, though, that "Cro Cop" is not ready to call it quits. In fact, the often-surly fighter has shown a lighter side in his most recent appearances, and prior to the Mir loss, he triumphantly submitted Pat Barry in June at UFC 115.
But a loss to an up-and-comer could speed his exit from MMA.
No comments:
Post a Comment