Cro Cop ready for quick rise to the top

By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.comPosted: Apr.18, 2007, 12:32 pm EDT

He's mysterious, a foreign instrument of pain with leg kicks that sound like the crack of a baseball bat and a scarily calm demeanor in the octagon that borders on robotic.

Since joining the UFC and defeating Eddie Sanchez in his debut, Mirko Cro Cop hasn't said much to the US media until Tuesday's conference call publicizing Saturday's UFC 70.

Cro Cop is a heavy favorite over Gabriel Gonzaga in match that will decide the next challenger for Randy Couture's UFC heavyweight championship. But after seeing Couture upset Tim Sylvia in February and Matt Serra shock George St. Pierre just two weeks ago, Cro Cop vows that he's ready to go.

"My condition is perfect, my health is OK, and I can't wait for this Saturday night," he said.

Gonzaga is a jiu-jitsu specialist while Cro Cop, a former kickboxer, is most dangerous on his feet, possessing one of the most complete and explosive stand-up games in the sport. Still, the style contrast doesn't worry him.

"Gonzaga is good fighter, a tough guy," he said. "He doesn't hesitate to fight. He's a world-class grappler and I have to be careful. He'll try to take the fight on the ground. I will not underestimate him.

"In his first UFC win over Sanchez, Cro Cop earned a workmanlike but unspectacular TKO late in the first round, a result he said was caused by his opponent's unwillingness to engage him along with his own unfamiliarity of the octagon.

After fighting in Pride's rings for so long, he says it's an adjustment he's now more familiar with.

"Sanchez avoided the fight so it was hard for me," he said. "[It was my] first time in the cage. It's bigger than the ring and it's very different. He was running away so I had to run after him. I don't like that kind of fight. Gonzaga is a different type of fighter.

"A cage is bigger than ring," he added. "You cannot push your opponent in the corner. I already adapted myself to it."

The exposure on Spike TV will give Cro Cop his largest American audience ever, a fact that should help the company draw a huge audience to Couture's title defense if the Croatian emerges successful.

UFC President Dana White noted that the organization has billboards of Cro Cop and Gonzaga in places like New York, Las Vegas and the UK to help raise their profiles with more casual fight fans who haven't been exposed to them on other TV vehicles like The Ultimate Fighter.

"There's already a buzz around the world around Cro Cop, and Couture is one of the most beloved fighters ever. I think the fight will be really big," he said.

In one of the more humorous moments of the call, Cro Cop admitted he hadn't seen Couture's entire win over Sylvia, saying he'd seen clips of it on YouTube. Of course, the UFC frowns upon the popular site, aggressively pulling down its trademarked content.

Though Cro Cop wouldn't discuss a future fight with Couture in depth, saying he believed it was a jinx, he did praise the champion's achievements and dismissed his age as a factor in a showdown, saying, "He shows in his previous fights that age has nothing to do with results. He has excellent preparation, which is amazing for a man of 43 years old."

The following are selected sound bytes from Cro Cop on a host of topics.
On his trademark kicks:

"I've liked kicks since I was a kid, 11 or 12. I began by kicking a sandbag I made myself. I liked it. I have good timing for it, and my legs are huge. I have very powerful kicks."

On being in the Croatian special police:

"I was a special police. It was a great time of my life. I enjoyed it very much but when I became a member of parliament, I had to quit. I'm seriously thinking about returning when my parliament duty ends at end of year."

"I can't say that it helped in my fighting career, it's something I wanted to be when I was a kid. It fulfilled my dream."

On why he served in the Croatian parliament:

"First, I hoped that I could give something of myself. The second thing is it is a big challenge for me, and lastly it was an honor for me. It was worth it, a big experience in my life. It's the fourth year of my term and I have six more months. After that I will not be in politics anymore."

"It's a great responsibility. Fighting is too, but I'm a sportsman first, then a politician."

On his return to the special police following his Parliament service:

"I just like the job, and the people that I used to work with. It makes me happy and that's the most important thing. It won't affect my fighting career."

On his machinelike demeanor:

"I don't know. I just feel that [calmness]. I'm calm and concentrated. I don't know how to answer that. Every fighter has a feeling before the fight. For me, it's nothing special. It's a job, a job I like to do, and I've been training all my life for."

On MMA in Croatia:

"People in Croatia first saw MMA fighting when I was fighting in Pride. I brought it here. It's very popular and many people are watching it."

On a potential rematch with Fedor Emelianenko:

"I would definitely like to have a rematch with Fedor, and I hope it will happen as soon as possible. But right now I am thinking about my next fight, and then taking the UFC belt."