Pride GP Preview
Crocop vs. Emelianenko
Aug 12, 2004
Mirko Filipovic “Cro
Cop” vs. Aleksander
Emelianenko
FILIPOVIC: Croatian kickboxer, Mirko Filipovic is the I.K.B.F. World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, K-1 Grand Prix ’99 finalist and a K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka finalist. “Cro Cop” has a 40-5 amateur and 12-5 professional boxing record, and an 11-2-2 record in MMA. He makes his thirteenth appearance (8-2-2) in the PFC.
Mirko usually exudes confidence in the ring and possesses a deadly
accurate left leg that all who face him must respect. His ground
game is developing and a recent change in training partners in his
Cro Cop Squad Gym shows a real commitment to diminish this
weakness.
Filipovic came to MMA via K-1 and had immediate success in the sport taking on numerous Japanese professional wrestlers and pounding them with strikes. He battled Pride matchmaker Nobuhiko Takada in his PFC debut and went on to face PFC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva in a limited rules bout with both contests ending in a draw. Then “Cro Cop” began to heat up and had a string of knockouts and stoppages that included some impressive names like Kazushi Sakuraba, Heath Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn and Ron Waterman.
EMELIANENKO: Aleksander Emelianenko is 3-0 in MMA, 2-0 in the PFC and a Combat Sambo World champion like his brother. Although sharing the last name of the most feared man in the division and posing an even greater physical challenge than his brother (he’s six-foot-five and about 265 pounds), Aleksander has been brought along more slowly than Fedor and has not faced any significant competition to date.
His most seasoned opponent, and likely the best bout to evaluate his overall game, was against Assuerio Silva. He traded with the large Brazilian striker and though he didn’t drop Assuerio (Aleksander was in lousy shape), he showed no fear throwing heavy lumber and brought Silva to the mat at will. Both fighters looked tired and it resembled a Toughman contest for much of the bout. Emelianenko had enough power to stop Silva’s takedowns and muscled several reversals crashing the Chute Boxe fighter to the floor. Silva turned it up a little in the second round and achieved mount and a rear-naked choke from behind but Emelianenko did enough to fend off the choke, move back into guard, avoid an armlock and finish the round punching from in Silva’s guard. He won a split decision in a somewhat uninspired performance from both men.
MY PICK: Emelianenko. This could be a career defining fight for “the other Emelianenko.” Filpovic is deadly as ever standing but some of his mystique is gone. He has been humbled by both Randleman and Nogueira. It doesn’t mean he is easily vanquished, it just means if you can weather the initial storm standing, beat his takedown defense and bring him to the mat, your chances of winning go way up. Aleksander’s ground-and-pound looks a lot like his brother's.
However unlike his brother, this Emelianenko has a bad habit of losing his mouthpiece and that tells you he needs to work on his conditioning more. He has to stay out of the range of “Cro Cop,” following Randleman’s game of being either close enough to clinch or two far away for the left kick to score. The weight will be a factor with “Cro Cop” too. Aleksander is good at picking people up and slamming them to the mat. If Mirko is shaken, it could be over quick, but I think this one will probably last most of the opening round. Of course if Mirko wins here and Fedor wins the title, it is pretty obvious what the first title bout will be. Emelianenko by technical knockout in round one.
FILIPOVIC: Croatian kickboxer, Mirko Filipovic is the I.K.B.F. World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, K-1 Grand Prix ’99 finalist and a K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka finalist. “Cro Cop” has a 40-5 amateur and 12-5 professional boxing record, and an 11-2-2 record in MMA. He makes his thirteenth appearance (8-2-2) in the PFC.
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Filipovic came to MMA via K-1 and had immediate success in the sport taking on numerous Japanese professional wrestlers and pounding them with strikes. He battled Pride matchmaker Nobuhiko Takada in his PFC debut and went on to face PFC Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva in a limited rules bout with both contests ending in a draw. Then “Cro Cop” began to heat up and had a string of knockouts and stoppages that included some impressive names like Kazushi Sakuraba, Heath Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn and Ron Waterman.
An exciting bout against Rodrigo Nogueira provided Filipovic’s
first stumble as his inability to finish the Brazilian in the first
round lead to Nogueira’s submission win in the second. Filipovic
and much of the MMA world were shocked when he was taken out early
in the first round of the Total Elimination show with strikes by
wrestler Kevin
Randleman. Now no longer in the tournament, Mirko continues to
work his way back up the divisional ladder in hopes of getting
another opportunity to challenge for the illusive PFC heavyweight
title.
EMELIANENKO: Aleksander Emelianenko is 3-0 in MMA, 2-0 in the PFC and a Combat Sambo World champion like his brother. Although sharing the last name of the most feared man in the division and posing an even greater physical challenge than his brother (he’s six-foot-five and about 265 pounds), Aleksander has been brought along more slowly than Fedor and has not faced any significant competition to date.
His most seasoned opponent, and likely the best bout to evaluate his overall game, was against Assuerio Silva. He traded with the large Brazilian striker and though he didn’t drop Assuerio (Aleksander was in lousy shape), he showed no fear throwing heavy lumber and brought Silva to the mat at will. Both fighters looked tired and it resembled a Toughman contest for much of the bout. Emelianenko had enough power to stop Silva’s takedowns and muscled several reversals crashing the Chute Boxe fighter to the floor. Silva turned it up a little in the second round and achieved mount and a rear-naked choke from behind but Emelianenko did enough to fend off the choke, move back into guard, avoid an armlock and finish the round punching from in Silva’s guard. He won a split decision in a somewhat uninspired performance from both men.
MY PICK: Emelianenko. This could be a career defining fight for “the other Emelianenko.” Filpovic is deadly as ever standing but some of his mystique is gone. He has been humbled by both Randleman and Nogueira. It doesn’t mean he is easily vanquished, it just means if you can weather the initial storm standing, beat his takedown defense and bring him to the mat, your chances of winning go way up. Aleksander’s ground-and-pound looks a lot like his brother's.
However unlike his brother, this Emelianenko has a bad habit of losing his mouthpiece and that tells you he needs to work on his conditioning more. He has to stay out of the range of “Cro Cop,” following Randleman’s game of being either close enough to clinch or two far away for the left kick to score. The weight will be a factor with “Cro Cop” too. Aleksander is good at picking people up and slamming them to the mat. If Mirko is shaken, it could be over quick, but I think this one will probably last most of the opening round. Of course if Mirko wins here and Fedor wins the title, it is pretty obvious what the first title bout will be. Emelianenko by technical knockout in round one.
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