Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will answer the bell against former heavyweight champion
Frank Mir in the
UFC 119 main event on Sept. 25 at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Filipovic replaces
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who withdrew from the match because of injury.
Filipovic will carry a two-fight winning streak into the match. The 35-year-old Croatian last appeared at UFC 115 in June, when he submitted
Patrick Barry with a third-round rear-naked choke in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the most feared stand-up fighters in MMA history, Filipovic has delivered 20 of his 27 career victories by knockout or technical knockout. Wins against former Pride Fighting Championships middleweight titleholder
Wanderlei Silva, Japanese legend
Kazushi Sakuraba, UFC hall of famer
Mark Coleman and Russian heavyweight
Aleksander Emelianenko highlight his resume, along with three victories over former UFC heavyweight champion
Josh Barnett. Filipovic won the Pride open weight grand prix in 2006.
Mir has not competed since being knocked out by
Shane Carwin in the UFC 111 co-main event in March. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has secured more than half (eight) of his 13 victories by submission. However, the 31-year-old Las Vegas native has proven vulnerable to strikes throughout his career, as all five of his defeats have come by KO or TKO. Mir owns notable wins against Nogueira, current UFC heavyweight titleholder
Brock Lesnar and former UFC heavyweight champion
Tim Sylvia.
Frank Mir vs.
Mirko Filipovic
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs.
Ryan Bader
Matt Serra vs.
Chris Lytle
Evan Dunham vs.
Sean Sherk
Jeremy Stephens vs.
Melvin Guillard
C.B. Dollaway vs.
Joe Doerksen
Matt Mitrione vs.
Joey Beltran
Waylon Lowe vs.
Steve Lopez
T.J. Grant vs.
Julio Paulino
Mark Hunt vs.
Sean McCorkle
*
Aaron Riley vs.
Pat Audinwood
* Not Official
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