Mirko Cro Cop: This Time Is Going To Be Different

"I will fight this fight first and then sit down with Dana to talk about the future. I can tell my fans and UFC fans, I don’t know if I will win the UFC Heavyweight Title, but I will give absolutely everything trying to get that belt. I am coming back to earn my shot at the UFC title…This time is going to be different, a different Cro Cop that was in the UFC in 2007…Last time, I had injuries - old injuries from PRIDE - which prevented me from fighting to the best of my abilities. But most of all I felt like I had given everything of myself in my fights in PRIDE…I felt tired, I was empty inside and I should have taken a longer rest before coming into the UFC. I think maybe I came into the UFC too early. I should have waited for my injuries to heal and to take a break for myself before coming in…But I am 100% healed now, am in much better shape, and that’s why I have come back to the UFC. I never lost touch with Dana White, we would talk every now and then, but recently I told him my injuries were completely healed and I was ready to come back to the UFC."

I've repeatedly said that Mirko is done as a fighter, and beating Al-Turk at UFC 99 doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things.  Well, it means something to Cro Cop from a confidence point of view after going 1-2 in the UFC beforehand.  I think that was/is one of his biggest problems, losing that confidence and being pretty one dimensional.  However, he now claims that he's 100% healthy and ready to give it one more go.  The scary part now is the UFC HW division is a lot better now than it was when he first came to the UFC.  I'll always be a fan, and hopefully he can give his career a spark, but I don't know how likely that is. 

HT: Fighters Only