Don’t sit there with your morning coffee and pretend like Big Nog vs. Mirko Cro Cop II is a fight that you wouldn’t want to see. Not many of you were around on November 9th 2003 when Big Nog slapped a slick armbar on Mirko Cro Cop to grab the Pride heavyweight interim belt. It’s the same card in which Rampage Jackson said ‘I need that money’ roughly thirty times in his pre-fight interview (which also included a hip-hop hype video that reinstated how badly Rampage Jackson ‘needed that money’). In the first bout, Big Nog shot for a double-leg and then pulled guard on Cro Cop to control him for much of the first round. In the second, Big Nog successfully took down Mirko early in the round, fully mounted him and then used his oversized hands to lay strikes directly on Cro Cop’s skull. Mirko somehow bucked up and tried to reverse, only to be caught in an armbar that appeared to be placed almost effortlessly by Nogueira. Big Nog was then awarded his second shot at Fedor which instantaneously turned into his third shot just months later. He was unable to snatch the Pride heavyweight belt from Emelianenko.
Although no bling will be up for grabs, it appears that Nogueira’s camp is still gunning for a rematch with Mirko Cro Cop in this TATAME interview.
“I’d like to see him fighting (Mirko) Cro Cop. If it doesn’t happen in August, it can be in September, October… But it’s a fight I’d like to see. I’ve seen Cro Cop saying things about it, saying he’d like to fight Rodrigo. They’re two legends, two big names… It really would be an interesting fight to watch in MMA. As for the when, to me, it’ll only happen in August if he’s 100% healed. Rodrigo has a big heart, he really loves doing it and he’s fought while not 100% for his fans, because of his commitment, because he respects UFC, so he has fought while injured.”
I can’t stress to you how badly this bout needs to happen. I have no supporting statements to back up my claim, but you must trust me. If you do, I will give everyone an invisible and intangible award. No, not that prizes for the 2010 MiddleEasy Reader Comment Awards. Those are coming soon, and you will love them. [Source]
