Few fighters in mixed martial arts history have inspired fear and trepidation quite like Mirko Filipovic.
The 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix and 2016 Rizin Fighting Federation open weight grand prix winner will be remembered as one of the best heavyweights of all-time, in the same breath with Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fabricio Werdum. “Cro Cop” debuted on Aug. 19, 2001 and went on to become one of the cornerstones of the Japan-based Pride promotion, compiling a stellar resume that includes victories over Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba, Olympic gold medalists Hidehiko Yoshida and Satoshi Ishii (twice), Brazilian buzzsaw Wanderlei Silva, onetime Strikeforce champion Muhammed Lawal and three former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders: Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman and Josh Barnett (three times).