Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović Bows Out of Sport

One of Croatia’s sporting greats has announced his retirement today…

Legendary Croatian mixed martial artist Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipović has called an end to his amazing career.

Filipović was due to fight Anthony Hamilton on 28 November in Seoul but due to an ongoing injury announced that he would not be able to fight. He then announced that he was not be getting back in the ring again.

“Dear friends, unfortunately I have to cancel the fight in Seoul. I hurt my shoulder and I couldn’t lift my arm up during preparations. I tried everything I could to heal the injury with therapy, blood plasma injections and a cocktail of different medicines, but it did not help,” Cro Cop wrote on his Facebook profile, before continuing.

“Now it is 2am and I can not sleep, my whole career I am reflecting on. I am aware that I have come to the end of my fighting career. I do not want to train under pain any longer. I have had 9 operations, my body has become susceptible to injury. My next fight was going to be my 80th professional fight, which is a lot. Especially in K-1, Pride, IGF, UFC,” he said, before saying adapting to ‘civilian’ life will be his next problem.

“Without training twice a day and travelling endlessly around the world it will be tough. I will train as long as I live because that is my life, but not that kind of tempo and in a way which I enjoy. This is not a spur of the moment decision, it is my final decision,” he said.

Filipović will go down as one of the greatest heavyweights in kickboxing and mixed martial arts in history. He was the 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion and the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion becoming the second fighter in the world to win mixed martial arts and kickboxing championships and tournaments. He is also a former IGF Champion.