Striking Will Determine The Winner Of Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic At UFC 119

When it was reported that Frank Mir would be taking on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic at UFC 119, MMA fans around the world rejoiced.  After all, almost no one wanted to see a rematch between Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Mir, especially considering how one-sided Mir’s victory over him the last time was.  Furthering things, Cro Cop is still one of the most popular fighters in the world today, even if he has lost more than one step since arriving in the UFC in 2007.  Of course, right after fans realized who would be fighting in the main event, most- without even thinking- began touting it as a grappler (Mir) vs. striker  (Cro Cop) match up.  The whole if Mir gets him to the ground thing began to show up on the internet.

Yes, Mir is a far better submission fighter and grappler than Cro Cop.  But this fight probably won’t be about his grappling vs. Cro Cop’s striking.  Rather, the winner will likely be determined by the fighter that does better on his feet.

Mir has gotten a lot stronger.  He is one of the best Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in the heavyweight division.  But the majority of what he has done on the ground during his MMA career has happened off of his back.  He has never truly been a great takedown guy.  Along with this, Cro Cop has always had a pretty good sprawl.  So coming into looking for a fast takedown against the former PRIDE Grand Prix Champion could be a tall order.  Not to mention, if that’s Mir’s primary focus, it may lend to him getting hit.

Mir is simply going to have to strike with the former kickboxer.

“I think Cro Cop has a good sprawl, he has a good double underhooks,” Mir said on The MMA Hour. “I think if I were to try to just drop and shoot on him, he would stop my shot. I think standing up with him is actually the route to go at first and then eventually when you work in the clinch, going to the ground is obviously a lot easier to do with him than Nogueira.”

Some might say this bodes well for Cro Cop.  Considering that he’s definitely not the better grappler in the fight, this would seem true.  Still, Mir’s striking should not be underestimated.  He has improved immensely in that regard.  And when you couple how good he looked against Nogueira on his feet at UFC 92 with his ability to out-strike Cheick Kongo at UFC 107- a man that once defeated Cro Cop on his feet- you realize that Mir may just be able to do some damage with his stand up in this one.  This is particularly true if he crowds Cro Cop and is aggressive, a strategy that has worked in the past for fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Junior dos Santos.

In the end, this UFC 119 match up will likely be decided by striking.  There was a time when everyone would’ve said that Cro Cop would have had the clear and severe advantage in that department.  But with the threat of Mir takedowns coupled with his much improved striking, that remains to be seen in the here and now.