Mirko will fight on December 31st (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook MirkoCroCop)
At 43 years old, legend Mirko Cro Cop is back in MMA. After announcing his retirement from the sport in January this year, the Croatian changed his mind and already has a date, place and opponent set for his return to the ring. He will face Japanese Tsuyoshi Kosaka in the final of the Rizin FF heavyweight GP, on December 31st, at the Saitama Super Arena, in Tokyo, Japan. The announcement was made by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, president of the Japanese organization.
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Mirko's last act was on January 31, 2016, when he won the Rizin FF GP title, beating two opponents on the same night: Baruto Kaito and Amir Aliakbari. Cro Cop had 49 fights in his career, having recorded 35 wins, 11 losses, two draws and one unsuccessful fight. During his 15 years as a professional, he was marked by several knockouts with high kicks, which even generated the famous phrase “Right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery.” His best moment was in the extinct Pride, when he won the GP by defeating Josh Barnett in the grand final, in 2006. In Ultimate, he had three spells, accumulating five triumphs and six setbacks.
Kosaka, 47 years old, has not had an established career, but has six fights for the UFC and stints with Pride. After retiring from the sport in 2006, the Japanese returned nine years later, in 2015, also to play for Rizin, where he recorded one victory and one defeat, having played for the last time in December last year.
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