It appears the legendary Croatian fighter Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic has called it quits after over 20 years in proffesional combat sports. Yesterday morning Filipovic announced his withdrawl from his up coming fight and subsequent retirement from the sport.
“Unfortunately I had to cancel the fight in Seoul,” the Croatian fighter wrote on his website, mirkofilipovic.com. “In the beginning of the preparation I already hurt my shoulder, so I couldn’t raise a hand. I tried to save a shoulder injury and repair in all possible ways: daily therapy, injections of blood plasma and various cocktails of drugs but didn’t work out. The only cure would be a break of two to three weeks, and that I could not afford in the midst of final preparations. By daily trainings the injury gets worse. Part of the muscle is snapped, the shoulder is filled with a lot of fluids, and the great danger is that tendon ruptures and then go to operation again.”
“I am aware that I have come to the end of my martial times, but training with pain I want no longer,” he said. “My body is battered by countless trainings. I collected nine operations. The body has become prone to injury. After each workout I put ice on my knee operated on because it’s filled with fluid, therapies twice a week. The next fight would be 80th professional, and that is a lot, especially in the competition: K-1, Pride, IGF, UFC.”
It appeared that injuries have gotten the best of the heavyweight legend and forced his retirement but today a twist was added to the story. UFC officials today announced the veteran heavyweight is the first athlete to be flagged for a potential violation of the company’s new anti-doping policy, which is administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The substance found in Filipovic’s system was not revealed.
“UFC announced today that a scheduled bout between Mirko Cro Cop and Anthony Hamilton in Seoul, South Korea has been canceled. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) has notified both Mirko Cro Cop and UFC that he has been provisionally suspended at this time due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation. “
“USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Cro Cop. Additional information will be provided at the appropriate time in the process.”
At this time what exactly caused Filipovic to fail his drug test is uncertain as many various drugs fall under the strict testing policy. It could be a number of things such as performance enhancing drugs or a simple pain medication.
I will have more information regarding this story as it becomes available. Also will be looking back at the legend and his accomplishments in the sport of MMA and kickboxing in the up coming weeks.
UPDATE
Mirko Filipovic made this statement today via his website regarding the failed drug test.
“I might be the first fighter who has ever been suspended after retirement. Maybe they think it is good for them to sanction someone that is well known. As you all know, the UFC has a deal with the USADA, an anti doping agency, who now tests all fighters.”
“Every fighter has to fill up questionnaires for the USADA “whereabouts” system. Like all the other fighters, I also had to fill out the questionnaire so they knew where to come and test me.”
“When my shoulder problems started, basic methods like massages and icing the shoulder did not help. Then I went to blood plasma which went straight into my shoulder. With each blood plasma, I had a little mix of growth hormone to make my shoulder heal faster.”
“Growth hormones are on the list of banned substances. I knew that already. But there was no other way to save my shoulder – at least in my mind – without combining the blood plasma with growth hormones.”
“Unfortunately it turns out the only cure was a good break and rest. But a desperate man will try anything.”
“After 6 days of growth hormone and plasma injections, the USADA came to test me. I gave them my blood sample and urine samples and immediately told the UFC about the test. I also said that I had been taking blood plasma and growth hormone since nothing else was working.”
“I wanted to have this fight, at any cost. I knew if I didn’t have the fight after an 8 month layoff, it was the end for me. I could not afford to wait 5 or 6 more months to fight.”
“The test results are not even finished, and I’m not even sure if they are going to find anything because I used the treatment for a few days to recover my shoulder and fight, that’s it. Now they have given me some kind of suspension because I told them myself that I have been getting the treatment, and to top it all of I pulled out of the fight.”
“It is stupid to even mention that the hormone only heals the body and that the dosages can probably only be detected for a few (10) days. I would be perfectly clean until the fight.”
“It did not make me any better or increase my performance like testosterone or anabolic steroids would, but those are the rules. On Friday I was still telling them to not cancel the fight and that I wanted to fight because of all the hard work I had done.”
“I told them I will go to the USADA and tell them what is going on, and I was willing to get a lot of tests before and after the fight and everything would be OK.”
“I was tested 5 different times up to this point in the UFC, the last time after the Gonzaga fight, and each time the test results were clear.”
“Saturday training was the last one that I had with preparations in mind, which is when my shoulder “broke” its limit. The MRI showed on Monday that it was a ruptured muscle and damaged tendons, filled with liquid.”
“And that is when I broke and made my decision.
This calling out and suspensions have no meaning anymore, but I do understand the UFC; I get it. They just want to defend themselves.”
What are your thoughts on his retirement and subsequent failed drug test?
Does it tarnish his legacy?
You can follow me on Twitter @Crocrippler or on Facebook @ Croatian Crippler
The talking point should be how the UFC knew Belfort was on drugs and still let him compete against Jon Jones! But now these monkeys at USADA want to make it look like they’re on the job by busting Cro Cop’s balls, and he didn’t even compete. Cro Cop would’ve been clean by fight time. We all know that all the American fighters will get a free pass to do drugs. Hopefully USADA test that small breasted Rhonda Rousey, small breasts is a sign of steroid use in women, she says she gets tested regularly, but I reckon she’s full of shit. Rousey beat up one of her boyfriends once, I mean if that ain’t roid rage I don’t know what is
Hercegovci???????What are you talking about. What have I said about hercegovci?
You do realize this is a website where people like to fuck around a bit, don’t you?
Did I touch a nerve with you calling Mall Cop a doper? Again, let me know what I got wrong. usually, when you fail a doping test, you are a doper.
I’d pay good money to see Cro Cop head kick you.
And then I’d laugh my ass off as you were convulsing on the pavement.
Absolutely!
You talk shit on people that are respected and who aren’t there to defend themselves and you’d be bound to get confronted.
I don’t know what type of Hrvati you know but the Hercegovci I know are stand up people that wouldnt stand for your petty shit.
Quit being a little bitch and learn to be a man.
What are you like 40?!
You come across as a 15 year old that hasn’t learned a thing sometimes.
Not true……..so if I said Mall Cop was a doper at a Croatian event, I would get beat up???? By who????? A fanboy????So, a fanboy who doesn’t know Mall Cop would get pissed off because I called Mall Cop a doper.
And you think I have no dignity. You claim someone is willing to commit violence to defend someone they don’t even know.
Your jokes are all petty.
Everything you say sounds like its coming from a giant pussy.
You’d get beat up on the regular if you ran your mouth like this at parties or picnics and it would be absolutley warranted!
And please stop mentioning “Za Dom Spremni” or anything about religion.
You have zero fucking dignity especially when you try explaining yourself.
Fair enough……I’m not saying you are wrong. IS there a line? I am sure there is. Some might think I have crossed it or others have on this site.
All, I’ll say is this…….If people don’t like what I post, then don’t even look at what I posted when you see the “Ziva Istina” name at the top of the post.
But, I’ll leave it to the guys who run this site and readers. Maybe a poll is needed.
But, I will say the name Doper Mall Cop is deserved after this past week.
sometimes we should stay away from jokes…especially when during the World Cup we brought up Pletikosa’s wife or with Petrovic’s girlfriend…don’t you think we should have some limits on where we draw the line?
maybe I’m too sensitive about this shit but I really feel for those people and their challenges and loss.
They are jokes, nothing more, nothing less. Jokes. When guys sit around a bar watching a game they joke with each other and depending on the relationship with those around you, you can joke to some far extremes. You can make fun of a guy’s wife. kids, etc…..It’s all done in joking manner. Hell, Saturday Night Live has done it for 40 plus years. Please note I am not comparing myself to that, just pointing out that people make jokes up all the time.
You just wrote 800-plus words questioning why we joke around.
This is a website that asks people to comment. Guess what, people comment. And when nothing is going on I make a few dumb jokes.
From Kum Kovac to Look at Me Livaja to STD Corluka to whoever……all of it is a joke with some sense of truth to it.
Just ignore what I post.
I guess my opinion on certain “names you assign” is that sometimes you put a label on people unjustifiably.
when it came to Kovac, I personally liked him and still do as a person although I feel he was in waaaayyyy over his head as a coach we get the luxury of 20/20 vision. if we look at his hiring, its not fair to say he got the job because he has a “kum” relationship with Mamic, he is not any “kum” of Zdravko’s…not sure why its been presented that way. also, the savez took a chance on Bilic and I thought he did very well, the guy has the aptitude for coaching and learning, Kovac also seemed like the type of guy that could have done well considering his experience as a player and learning from some extremely good coaches. Kovac, in my opinion, was NOT a Mamic guy and never once demonstrated that in any way…not one! some think he was because of Sammir but as we’ve already gone down this road a million times, based on soccer and nothing else, he was forced to take a player that had a physical presence, some decent technique and was doing well during that period over many that were not playing and did not prove any value to the team for that tournament…in hindsight, Kovac was strategically a disaster but in the case of Sammir, I felt he had no other viable options and in most cases, you have to look past the color of a guys skin even if I myself hated Sammir, I had to agree with Kovac taking him.
when it comes to attacking Pletikosa and his wife, this is where I get really confused. people here were making fun of his wife attempting suicide and in the next breath stating they live a “Za Dom Spremni” lifestyle. I always thought religion is part of “Za Dom…” and I’ve always been told that there are limits to what we say, especially if not provoked.
then we go after Drazen Petrovic’s girlfriend. on one hand, Petrovic is a hero and on the other, he’s only a half-breed that made a poor choice in women…really? once again, attacking something I find very controversial…especially considering people here tie in religion and Croatianism…its pretty unthinkable for me to attack a guys girlfriend and use it as a joke, especially considering the fact she must live her life in guilt, severe pain and it will live with her til the day she dies…but lets make fun of that?
then there’s Corluka. a guy I love and respect a lot….if there’s anyone on the NT that demonstrates emotions and bleeds our colors its him and yet we constantly hear about the STD’s he’s transmitting. you know, if he was Italian or German, his popularity with the ladies would be somewhat like celebrities and yet amongst us here on this site, he’s a disgusting AIDS victim…I just don’t get it.
Cro Cop was a good fighter several years ago and like many athlete’s, his responsibility is to provide for his family. why anyone would go out of their way to now discredit his highlite reels and try to ruin his name is beyond me. I could most likely understand why he juiced if he did and anyone that has followed this sport at all know’s most people are using enhancements…who gives a shit at this point in his career, we should all be proud of the guy, he represents Croatians all over the world and wears our grb on his clothing and we find the opportunity to shit on him?
I always felt bad for Kranjcar because of the way people attacked him. On one hand he stood up to Mamic, something many of you apparently should really like and yet, you find every reason to fuck him over and attack him for his weight issues, for his personal life, constantly bombarding him over anything and everything (something I have done at times as well…a few times) while I think the guy is a credible person, loves Croatia and is just an athlete who has been disgraced over and over again by people on here…why?
I have more issues over dado Prso singing an anti Catholic song than I do with any of these other topics.
we are a great culture with some incredible people that represent all of us. we have a small population and yet, we still achieve. we want to associate Croatians and Croatianism to anything thats a success but at the same time, we royally fuck our own in the ass just because some of us think they deserve to be treated like dog shit….that really makes me wonder…how can we be so damn primitive and show disrespect to those that represent us?
I have no issues with singling out certain people like Marko Livaja, the Croatian Balotelli or others that crave attention in a negative way but those and many more I’ve listed are all good people that don’t really deserve all the negative shit we throw at them.
@Bobby V………I’m equal opportunity. I comment about what is going on in Cro sports. ALl of us usually comment longer about something negative. When Kum Kovac had the players turn their back to him and lost the Norway game, that got all sorts of comments in the 24 hours after the match. Much more than the win against Malta. Why??? Because the saga around Kum Kovac was more interesting. I’ve said this before……people slow and look at an accident on the highway because it is interesting. Same thing when we post here. The negative items usually draw more engagement.
As for the nicknames…….honestly, who cares what nicknames I assign or don’t assign. They all have a certain element of truth to them.
@Iggy……….yes, he is a legend, but a legend who got busted for doping and had rumors about doping throughout the years. I’m not naïve. I think most people in the organized after school back yard fight club activity have tangled with doping. You claim he is one of the greatest Croatian athletes of all time. OK, that doesn’t mean he is beyond criticism. He treated those around him like crap for a long time. Don’t believe me???? Look at the pay he gave his team members.
Cro Cop will always be a legend. Absolute legend and one of the greatest Croatian athletes of all time.
Ziva trying to drag him down is like someone pissing on a Christ statue, it’s a disgrace. He has no idea at what this guy has accomplished and knows nothing about the sport.
Ziva, stfu about MMA and stick to things u are better equipped to talk about
@Ziva – Although you know your stuff, what I have noticed is that when some news about a Croatian athlete or team is negative, you will write several paragraphs about it, attach a negative nickname, and repeat yourself.
When it’s something positive, you write a half a sentence – usually three/four words.
Have you ever given a Croatian athlete a positive nickname?
Great statement by Cro Cop.
Anderson Silva should’ve took this approach when he had his failed drug test.
Boycott Ziva!!
of course its trolling ziva, you enjoy causing mischief. I don’t give a fuck dude, but don’t play dumb
Is it trolling if I believe in what I post?
I’ve always said to ignore and bypass my posts if you don’t like or agree with my content. Pretty simple…….see my name and glance over it. Not too hard.
Ziva trolls all of you because you feed him for fuck sake, and then you all cry like a bunch of babies because of what he says.
Hey, who’s posting under my name?
I mean, I agree with the comment, but still weird.
Ziva istina is a fucking goof!
Ziva you thrive on anything that brings down a Hrvat. Find another site for your negative comments.
Taking down a Croat??????? How, because I bring up the news and rumors over the years of alleged doping and that means I am taking down a Croat????? Please, you can do better than that.
So, if something negative happens to a Croat athlete, it shouldn’t be discussed. That sounds like Soviet era strategy.
Cro Cop in Pride was amazing. The man is no fraud, he paid his dues, he fought many battles.
Ziva will be ziva, anything to take down a croat.
@ Ziva
Steroids according to UFC. No shock. Look at his body in his last few fights compared to how he looked 4 or so years ago
Without testing the statistics would suggest the majority of UFC fighters juiced….just a fact.
Look at recent Russian revelations re systematic institutional corruption for all Olympic athletes, and that is WITH WADA testing.
I still remember the outrage when Ben Johnson was nailed….too funny, I knew about it 3 years prior as at least 15 members of my university football team were using his doctor and he would brag about it in the track centre. Where there is money to be made there will ALWAYS be doping….generally speaking the dopers are about 6 months ahead of the testers in terms of the latest drug combo that evades detection for a while.
sorry did i miss something? Why is Ziva calling him a doper? wtf ?? any links to any evidence etc?
Cheick Kongo once accused Cro Cop of steroid use and Cro Cop replied to him with, “You probably ate a lot of vegetables and potatoes to look like that?” Drug use is rife in MMA. Cro Cop looks like he may’ve fucked up trying to make it to this Hamilton fight, like he said in the article he used all sorts of drug cocktails. This doesn’t tarnish his legacy at all. My favourite moment was when he knocked out Fedor’s brother!
@ Slavonac
I actually see from both sides in terms of these “attacks”
On one end, its annoying. The person we’re talking about doesn’t have that much original content. The same old jokes, time after time.
On the other side, I also don’t think this poster truly has a problem with Pletikosa, Kranjcar, Petrovic, Corluka, Cro Cop, etc. He runs his mouth. He tries to be clever and witty. Sometimes it works, many a time, it doesn’t. But I don’t think he’s truly enrage about Petrovic’s choice of women, Corluka’s dealing with the opposite sex, Kranjcar’s eating habits and Cro Cop’s use of PED’s. He makes comments, people react, etc. I don’t think said poster is laying in his bed at the end of the night, pissed off about one of these sporting figures. He’s just a content driver on here.
Maradona took ephedrine in 94…more like a cocktail of them. he was also a cocaine user, but that never stopped me from loving the guy for his incredible talent and entertaining style of soccer.
when Cro cop was good, he was effective at using his punches and kicks. he was entertaining, he took risks, he knew his strengths (stand-up) and tried to stay away from the ground game.
when he got to UFC, I felt he lost his way and stopped utilizing the strengths that made him successful. when I used to watch him in Pride, he used to go forward, defend well and often counter with speed and lethal strikes but once he got to the UFC, he always looked like he was one punch away from being knocked out. he backed up, his high kicks were far and few between.
That sport is filled with enhancements…some get caught, others know how to get away with it while incredible fighters like Nick Diaz doesn’t use any performance drugs and gets a 5 year suspension for smoking weed (something I am totally against but don’t care if someone smokes)….this is a bit ridiculous if you ask me.
no need to jump all over Cro cop, he paid his dues to the sport…who the hell would like to fight some of the monsters he has. he represented Croatia and Croatians very well and I have no clue why anyone should jump all over him….but I think the same about most Croatian players and yet we seem to attack Pletikosa, Kranjcar, Petrovic, Corluka and so many others….I just don’t get the constant bombardment of those 4 I named….all good guys, none have really had a bad reputation but we still seem to attack them.
aha……….so I see this is the denial portion of the reaction. Typical, usually when a fan favorite does have some bad news come down the fans go into denial mode or excuse-making mode.
@Sepp……….you might not consider him a fraud or cheater, but others will. I have no issues with any hrvati. This is a website devoted to Croatian sports, right? One of the biggest names in organized after-school backyard fight club is having doping rumors thrown at him and he happens to be a hrvat. Should we ignore it and sweep it under the rug?
Lets see what took place in the last 48 or so hours. Mall Cop announces his sudden and unexpected retirement. People begin to wonder why? The cynic in me right away thought it was PEDs because of the rumors in the past with Mall Cop. And then 24 hours later, the news comes out.
@Allen……..due process in court?????????? What are you talking about. This is no legal battle and no court case here. It will only become a legal battle if Mall Cop decides to make it one. I’m guessing he won’t knowing how tight he is with his money. He is not going to spend a few hundred thousand on this.
I have no clue what Belfort did or did not do. I don’t follow this hobby close enough, so if you say there is favoritism, I’ll go by your word.
Also funny how UFC doesn’t reveal Vitor Belfort’s positive drug test from UFC 152 (September 2012), yet reveal Cro Cop’s potential violation. Typical favoritism on their part.
http://www.mirkofilipovic.com/hr/vijesti/item/279-karijeru-sam-zavrsio-zbog-ozljeda-a-ne-zbog-usada-e
Cro Cop’s official response.
Funny how Ziva labels someone a fraud without giving him any due process in court. Typical ignorance from him, but Ziva being delusional isn’t new.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/203163/article/ekathimerini/news/five-injured-in-clashes-between-croat-serb-soccer-hooligans-at-athens-airport
I don’t consider him to be a fraud or a cheater. I have no issues with him.
Ziva, you seem to have issues with a lot of Croats. I feel for you.
No, not true…….I comment about Cro sports. So, you are saying this is not big news. One of the biggest names ever in organized after-school backyard fight club is busted for being a doper……this is news and needs to be commented on, is it not. Again, I ask you this, what did I see that is wrong or inaccurate?
Now, the fan boys might not be happy seeing their boy being labeled a fraud and a cheater, but the facts are the facts.
@ Ivica
I too have noticed that Ziva indeed is a jock sniffing, self – hating Hrvat. Any time a Hrvat is down is sprinting siphon off a little hate.
“Fraud UDBA” type posts always make me wonder ?
Cue the”I call it like I see it,” objective pretense post.
What do you care?
You’re not even into MMA, yet here you are jumping on this story with the first two posts.
You’re just a fanboy of anything that brings down a fellow Croat.
Steroids according to UFC. No shock. Look at his body in his last few fights compared to how he looked 4 or so years ago.
He will go down as a fraud.
I posted this a year or so ago about Mall Cop Filipovic…………there have always been rumors about PEDs with him. So, now it appears those suspicions were true. His name going forward is Doper Mall Cop. He is a fraud.