Mirko Cro Cop Should Drop to Light Heavyweight

When he was in PRIDE, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic seemed like one of the greatest MMA fighters in the world. That said, since he's come over to the UFC he's had a tough time, leaving some of us wondering if his previous dominance was a mirage or if he's just over the hill. But there's another factor- Cro Cop, who fights at 220, is not a very big heavyweight. The man who destroyed him at UFC 70 with a high kick, Gabriel Gonzaga, was. Last night at UFC 103, Junior Dos Santos, a man who enjoyed a near 20 pound weight advantage and several inches in reach over his opponent, crowded him inside- Fedor Emelianenko, anyone?- and used his superior size, power, and hands to systematically beat him down. In the end, Cro Cop verbally submitted after a vicious uppercut.

Watching a guy like Cro Cop signal he's had enough like that is just too much to take.

Right now, Cro Cop, for all of his past greatness, is obsolete in the heavyweight division. Sure the UFC could come up with some fights for him, but after another lackluster performance against Dos Santos, will anyone really get behind the story of him being a great heavyweight? He's done nothing in recent years to make us believe that he could take on behemoths like Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. And if he fights second tier heavyweights, few will be interested (American fans and even Cro Cop might not be). In the end, whether Cro Cop is initially happy with the idea or not, he should drop to 205. He's small enough to do it, and the story would be huge. Imagine the possible fights- Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, Tito Ortiz. . . Come on now.

In the end, Cro Cop needs to drop a weight class and see if his striking advantage resurfaces when everyone's size evens out.  If not, he'll likely fall off the face of the MMA planet.