Fresh off his tournament run in the Rizin 2016 Openweight Grand Prix, Mirko Cro Cop has announced his retirement from MMA, citing health issues as the main reason behind his retirement.
“That was definitely my last tournament,” Filipovic recently told Croatia Weekly. “I have health problems, and this is definitely the end of my career. I know I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it.”
Cro Cop is coming off of a history making run in the aforementioned Rizin 2016 Openweight Grand Prix, defeating Myung Hyun Man, King Mo, Baruto and Amir Aliakbari to win the tournament.
Cro Cop retired the first time prior to UFC Fight Night 79 in November 2015, citing injuries behind his reason to retire, but the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would announce the next day that Cro Cop was suspended for failing a drug test. He would be suspended two years. However, he would compete in Japan, where USADA has no jurisdiction, fighting under the Rizin banner.
Cro Cop ends his career with a record of 35-11-2 and on a seven fight winning streak, with the most notable wins coming over Gabriel Gonzaga, King Mo and Satoshi Ishii. Cro Cop only did challenge for one championship in his career, which was the PRIDE Heavyweight Title, he lost his title shot to Fedor Emelianenko in August 2005. He was 15-2 in combat sports after his 2011 UFC release.
Cro Cop has also stated in the interview with Croatia Weekly that he will remain in the sport as a trainer, but he said that he recently received offers from other promotions to fight prior to his retirement announcement.
