Perosh on fighting Crocop: “I said no the first time”
Twenty-four hours ago Anthony Perosh was training at his gym in Sydney, with half an eye on a stopwatch and…
Twenty-four hours ago Anthony Perosh was training at his gym in Sydney, with half an eye on a stopwatch and the other on the scales. Scaling a trim and fit 215-pounds at the time, Perosh was preparing friends and halfway through the process of cutting down to light heavyweight, the division he’s campaigned in for his last seven bouts. Watch interview
With no immediate bout on the horizon, Perosh was content to keep in shape while helping out fellow Croatians Goran Reljic, Elvis Sinosic and Igor Pokrajac prepare for their respective fights at UFC 110 in Sydney.
Then the phone rang, the clock stopped and Perosh backed away from the scales. I first got the call on Thursday afternoon, recalls Australian Perosh. Joe Silva asked me what my weight was and I said 215. He then asked me if I wanted to fight and that Ben Rothwell might withdraw from his bout with (Mirko) Cro Cop. He said they were going to wait until Friday morning to make a final decision and that I should think about it.
Perosh hung up and collected his thoughts. Reljic, Sinosic and Pokrajac continued to go through the motions around him, each excited by the prospect of appearing on Australia’s first ever UFC card this coming Sunday (February 21st; airing live in the US Saturday night).
Happy to help them train at his gym, Perosh wasn’t sure whether he wanted in on the action. The gym soon emptied and Friday morning rolled around. The tossing and turning in his sleep had brought Perosh to various conclusions.
Unsure at First
I actually said ‘no’ originally, admits Perosh. I look up to Cro Cop and he’s a fellow Croatian. My parents are Croatian and I’ve actually been training the other Croatians appearing on this UFC 110 card. I then went and watched yesterday’s (Thursday) press conference and listened to the comment Dana White made about how many fighters actually turn down opportunities. That just made me realise what a big chance this was. How could I turn down the opportunity to fight on the main card at UFC 110 against one of the best guys in the world? Not only that, the fight takes place on the UFC’s first ever show in Australia. I quickly called Joe Silva back and said, ‘yeah – I’ll do it’.
Perosh is going to do it. With Rothwell out with a virus, the home hero takes his place and faces up to the idea of beating Cro Cop.
