Cro Cop: Slow start was the strategy
Mirko Cro Cop: “It would sound like I am playing smart now, but it was our strategy, to make him tired in the first two rounds and try to finish him in the third.”
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In the main event of UFC Fight Night Krakow, Gabriel Gonzaga came out strong and won the first two rounds, handling Cro Cop with control on the ground, but was unable to finish him. Then Cro Cop came alive in the third round and was able to stop Gonzaga with elbows on the ground, which according to the Croatian was all part of the plan:
Gonzaga is a tough guy, but I needed stay away from him in the first and second rounds, said Filipovic, whose low output in the early stages of his headliner at UFC Fight Night 64 gave way to a thunderous attack that ended with a third-round TKO victory. It would sound like I am playing smart now, but it was our strategy, to make him tired in the first two rounds and try to finish him in the third.
The result gave Filipovic (31-11-2 MMA, 5-6 UFC) his first UFC win in five years and avenged a highlight-reel knockout loss to Gonzaga (16-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) in 2007 that cost him a shot at the promotion’s heavyweight title. Filipovic hadn’t fought in the UFC since a three-fight skid prompted his exit for the international circuit, where he built a 3-1 record.
Although no title shot was on the line in their rematch, Filipovic, 40, said a lot was on the line.
I did what I had to do, he said. I was excellently prepared for this fight and since the fight was scheduled for five rounds, I knew I had time. This was a must-win situation for me, not because of my future status with the UFC, but because of my whole career. I just knew I had to beat him.
This was one of the most important fights in my career, he added. Not just (among) rematches.