Don’t Blink: Cro Cop vs. Kongo

By Michael DiSanto
From www.ufc.com

In-Depth Cro Cop Vs. Kongo

When Mirko Cro Cop steps into the Octagon to test his mettle against Cheick Kongo this Saturday night in London, England, it will be a battle of two standup super predators – two men occupying the top of the striking food chain. It has all the earmarks of a spectacular fight, if both men come out aggressively firing shots in search of a crowd-pleasing knockout victory.

But there is a lot more at stake at UFC 75 than just trying to win the “knockout of the night” bonus check from UFC President Dana White. Cro Cop was on the fast track to a title shot against Randy Couture before he was abruptly derailed by Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70. A win over Kongo in dominant fashion puts him right back on course.

Kongo, by contrast, wants to prove that he is ready to challenge for the title, and a win over Cro Cop makes a resounding statement.

What must each man do to increase his chances of victor? Let’s break it down.

BRING THE PRESSURE EARLY AND CLOSE THE DISTANCE

Make no mistake about it: Kongo is willing to stand and trade strikes with anyone in the UFC, including Cro Cop.

The Parisian knockout artist has very good power in both hands, but his length and punching style requires that he throw shots from the outside to maximize their impact. But fighting on the outside isn’t an option on Saturday night.

Cro Cop excels, and many would argue that he is almost unbeatable, when he dictates the pace of a fight. Stalking at a measured pace, the Croatian Special Forces veteran’s aura of intimidation causes trepidation in foes, leading them to retreat and hesitate in the face of the impending onslaught. That allows Cro Cop to set the distance and use slight shoulder and hip feints to open the door for exactly what his foe fears most – a lead or counter high kick that they neither see nor feel but later hear about from their corner as they regain consciousness.

On the other hand, Cro Cop isn’t nearly as effective when he is moving backwards. He begins to hesitate himself, focusing more on preparing for a sprawl to prevent a takedown attempt than unleashing hell in the form of his vaunted strikes.

Of course, the problem with forcing Cro Cop to move backwards is an obvious one – Kongo must wade into the heart of darkness and risk getting knocked out, rather than staying on the outside and taking advantage of his superior height and reach in an attempt to outpoint Cro Cop. But that is what he needs to do if he is going to win the fight.

When referee “Big” John McCarthy signals that it is time to “get it on,” Kongo needs to quickly close the distance with his hands very high. Cro Cop’s natural tendency is to step right and throw a quick high kick in response to someone rushing him. Kongo can block the kick with his arms, if it comes, and then begin firing his very dangerous hands.

Nevertheless, Kongo should be careful not to become right hand happy. Cro Cop has a devastating left cross but a very ho-hum right hook. Kongo should guard against a counter left by quickly following any right hands with clean-up left hooks, as well as smothering Cro Cop’s left side to crowd the shot.

Cro Cop will become frustrated if he is pressured and crowded early, which could lead to sloppy, telegraphed high kicks that open the door for good crisp counter shots by Kongo.

KEEP GONZAGA FRESH IN CRO COP’S MIND

UFC 70 wasn’t the first time that Cro Cop suffered a devastating knockout loss. Back in April 2004, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman landed a leaping left hook that crumbled Cro Cop to the canvas in the opening round of Pride’s 2004 heavyweight grand prix. It was every bit as shocking and devastating as Gonzaga’s knockout win over Cro Cop in Manchester, England last April.

It is always interesting to see how an intimidating knockout fighter will rebound from getting knocked out himself. Cro Cop didn’t keep fans wondering for long, as he returned to the Pride ring less than a month later, facing Hiromitsu Kanehara at Pride Bushido 3. Despite facing a vastly inferior foe, Cro Cop was extremely tentative in the fight, hesitating to pull the trigger on fight-ending strikes time and time again, even though opportunities to fire away remained constant throughout the bout.

In other words, Cro Cop’s mind was filled with doubt following his first knockout loss. He never expected Randleman to land such a brutal blow, and his subconscious undoubtedly wondered if Kanehara would follow suit. Had Cro Cop faced a more dangerous foe on that May evening in Japan, that self doubt may have led to back-to-back losses for the first time in his career because mixed martial arts is not a game for those who hesitate.

Saturday night will be the second time in his career that Cro Cop tries to rebound from a devastating knockout loss. Will he be the same gun-shy fighter that showed up against Kanehara?

Kongo needs to find out early before Cro Cop has a chance to regain his confidence inside the Octagon. That means starting early with the intimidation game.

Kongo should show up at the weigh-ins and act very confidently toward Cro Cop. He should demonstrate to the Croatian that he isn’t intimidated—that he views Cro Cop as damaged goods.

At the beginning of the fight, he should come out very aggressively, as mentioned above. He needs to get into Cro Cop’s face early and often, looking to take advantage of any lingering effects of UFC 70.

CHOP DOWN THE TREE

One of the most underrated parts of Cro Cop’s game is the devastation he causes with leg kicks. Whereas most fighters use leg kicks sort of like a boxer uses the jab, Cro Cop views them as yet another knockout weapon in his arsenal.

One year ago, he put that weapon on vivid display against Hidehiko Yoshida.

Yoshida, a former Olympic gold medalist in judo, was a guy that needed to close the distance in order to have a shot at beating Cro Cop. The Croatian’s response was to fire leg kick after leg kick with the speed and power similar to what we see when Alex Rodriguez swings a baseball bat.

Through the first two-thirds of the opening round, Cro Cop focused his attack on the Japanese judoka’s legs. Each time one found its mark, Yoshida’s face twisted in pain. Finally, after 12 or 13 savage kicks, Yoshida’s leg was so damaged that he could not put any weight on it, and he was forced to verbally submit.

Kongo is an excellent kickboxer, so leg kicks shouldn’t be as effective against him because he is very adept at checking them. But if he fights very aggressively, then his weight will be forward more often, which leaves him very susceptible to leg kicks. Cro Cop can seize upon that by blasting leg kicks in the opening round.

Landing those kicks will allow Cro Cop to score and circle, thereby maintaining the proper distance to keep his left high kick in play.

DON’T RETREAT, PLANT AND FIRE

For all of Cro Cop’s striking prowess, it is remarkable that he rarely engages in thrilling exchanges. Cro Cop is much more of a stick-and-move fighter who can end things with a single blow than a Mike Tyson-type guy who rushes in behind scud missiles looking to destroy any and everything in his path.

Part of that is due to the fact that his standup weapon of choice is a kick, not a punch. Kicks need space. They need to be set up. So they don’t tend to be as effective during in-fighting.

Nevertheless, Cro Cop’s left cross is an extremely devastating weapon. When it finds a bull’s-eye, it can end a fight with it in the blink of an eye. At the very least, he can cause fight-altering damage, even when it isn’t perfectly placed.

Kongo loves to fire lead right hands when he charges in, and Cro Cop can effectively counter such an attack by slipping to his own right, planting his feet and firing a straight left. If Kongo drops, the fight is over. If he stops in his tracks, Cro Cop can follow up with a left high kick. Either way, he will be much better served if he plants and fires, particularly against a guy with limited takedown skills, than if he retreats and tries to fight while backing up.

Was UFC 70 merely a temporary pause in Cro Cop’s quest to eventually wear UFC gold? Can Kongo follow in Gonzaga’s footsteps and catapult his career at Cro Cop’s expense?