Mirko Cro Cop Net Worth: Mirko Filipovic (born September 10, 1974) is a former professional MMA fighter, kickboxer, and amateur boxer from Croatia who goes by the ring name Mirko Cro Cop. He is best remembered for his time spent competing in the Pride Fighting Championships. Besides the UFC and K-1, Cro Cop has competed in RIZIN and Bellator. Many consider him the best Heavyweight Kickboxer and Mixed Martial Artist.
In 2006, Cro Cop won the Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix. In 2012, he won the K-1 World Grand Prix. And in 2016, he won the Rizin Openweight Grand Prix, becoming only the second fighter in the world to accomplish this feat. Also, he used to hold the title of IGF Champion. His time working for the Luko Anti-Terrorist Unit, the elite tactical unit of the Croatian Police, earned him the moniker “Cro Cop,” short for “Croatian Cop.”
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Mirko Cro Cop Net Worth
Mirko Cro Cop is a former politician and mixed martial fighter from Croatia with a 5 million net worth. Croatian kickboxer, amateur boxer, and retired professional mixed martial artist Mirko Cro Cop is well-known for having competed in the Pride Fighting Championships, UFC, K-1, Bellator, and Rizin. He received high praise for being one of the best MMA competitors of all time and won several Grand Prix titles. In addition, he was a representative in the Croatian Parliament from 2003 to 2008.
Mirko Cro Cop Early Life
Mirko Cro Cop, whose actual name is Mirko Filipovic, was born in Vinkovci, Croatia, a part of Yugoslavia, on September 10, 1974. He grew up in a working-class home with his sister. Filipovic had training in karate, taekwondo, and track and field as a child. He was a radio telegraphist when he was a young adult and joined the Croatian Army. After asking his captain, he later trained with the national kickboxing squad.
Mirko Cro Cop Career
Filipovic started competing professionally as a kickboxer in 1996. He had a successful amateur boxing record of 48-8 with 31 knockouts before this. Filipovic competed in the 1997 World Amateur Boxing Championships but was defeated in the opening round. He served as a commando in a Croatian police anti-terrorist unit during this time, where he picked up the nickname Cro Cop.
A career in MMA at Pride FC
In 2001, Filipovic made the switch to a mixed martial arts career. His first professional matches were in the Pride FC, K-1 GP Final, and Inoki-Bom-Ba-Ye. Notably, Filipovic overcame seasoned competitors Kazushi Sakuraba and Kazuyuki Fujita. After that, he started competing just in Pride. In his ninth professional match, he became the first fighter to KO the famous Igor Vovchanchyn.
He also took down Dos Caras Jr. in just 46 seconds by KO. After losing the Pride Interim Heavyweight Championship, Filipovic recovered by quickly knocking out Yoshihisa Yamamoto and Ron Waterman in the first round. However, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman knocked him out in the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix.
Filipovic had a winning streak from May 2004 to June 2005, during which he dispatched three consecutive former UFC Heavyweight Champions. Finally, he won his first MMA championship at the Pride Openweight Grand Prix on his 32nd birthday in 2006. Filipovic referred to it as his happiest day ever.
UFC MMA Career
Late in 2006, Filipovic switched to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He made his debut at UFC 67, where he triumphed over Eddie Sanchez, early the following year. Gabriel Gonzaga defeated him at UFC 70 in April. Later, Filipovic delayed his UFC career to compete in Japan’s MMA “Dream” tournaments.
He made a triumphant comeback at UFC 99 in June 2009 and defeated Mostapha al-Turk. At UFC 137 in 2011, Filipovic fought in his then-final UFC contest before losing to Roy Nelson by TKO in round three. However, he returned to the organization in 2015 and defeated Gabriel Gonzaga by TKO in a rematch at UFC Fight Night 64.
Mirko Cro Cop Personal Life
Filipovic and his wife have two boys, Ivan and Filip. Filipovic played for his hometown football team HNK Cibalia in the final eight minutes of a game during the 2004–05 season in addition to his fight career. He made his acting debut in 2005 as the lead of the Croatian action movie “Ultimate Force,” in which he played a veteran of war named Axon Rey. Filipovic represented the 1st electoral district in the Croatian Parliament from December 2003 until January 2008.
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