Mirko "Cro Cop"

By FCF Staff

It looks like another of the MMA greats is hanging up the gloves, as according to post on Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic’s website, the heavyweight has decided to retire.

The 41 year-old legend is scheduled to fight Anthony Hamilton at UFC FN 79 on November 21st. According to a post at Mirko Filipovic.com, however, the Croatian has withdraw from the event due to a shoulder injury. Filipovic also reported the injury on Facebook, and in the translated version that is posted on his personal website, “Cro Cop” relayed the following:

Dear friends, unfortunately I had to cancel the fight in Seoul. 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….

People of course see only one side of the medal, material things, and for the passion, pain, blood and tears no one asks or cares, but it is so in life. Now it’s two in the morning, and I can not fall asleep, I tinkling thoughts and swirling my career in front of my eyes. I am aware that I have come to the end of my martial times, but training with pain I want no longer. 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. The biggest problem will be my adaptation to “civilian life”, without two workouts a day and the eternal journey around the world, and that whouldn’t fall so hard. I will train as long as I live because it’s my life, but not at this rate and I’m glad in some way.

Filipovic has announced he was finished with MMA competition in the past, but ultimately elected to continue fighting, and returned to the UFC this past April. At UFC FN 64 the vaunted striker scored a thrilling, come-from-behind stoppage win over Gabriel Gonzaga.

The former PRIDE Grand Prix champion put together a record of 31-11-2 in MMA competition.

The UFC has yet to make any announcement regarding “Cro Cop’s” reported withdrawal and retirement.