Mir, Cro Cop Greenlit for UFC 119
A marquee showdown once thought to be in jeopardy has been given
its final green light.
Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir tipped the scales at 252 pounds for his UFC 119 main event against 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (227) on Saturday at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The eight other men booked for main card duty -- including co-headliners Ryan Bader (205) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) -- also made weight without incident at Friday’s official weigh-in.
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 knockout or technical knockout. Mir owns notable wins against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, current UFC heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Filipovic -- who suffered an eye injury while training, leading to speculation that the bout might be cancelled -- will carry a two-fight winning streak into the match. The 36-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 KO or TKO. 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.
UFC 119 -- which also features a rematch pairing former welterweight champion Matt Serra (170) with Chris Lytle (171), a matchup pitting one-time lightweight king Sean Sherk (155) against the world-ranked Evan Dunham (156) and a lightweight duel between Jeremy Stephens (155) and Melvin Guillard (155) -- will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of fights from the undercard: C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Joe Doerksen (186) and Matt Mitrione (253) vs. Joey Beltran (239).
UFC 119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop”
Saturday, Sept. 25
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis
Frank Mir (252) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (227)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Ryan Bader (205)
Matt Serra (170) vs. Chris Lytle (171)
Evan Dunham (156) vs. Sean Sherk (155)
Jeremy Stephens (155) vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Joe Doerksen (186)
Matt Mitrione (253) vs. Joey Beltran (239)
Thiago Tavares (155) vs. Pat Audinwood (156)
Waylon Lowe (154) vs. Steve Lopez (156)
T.J. Grant (170) vs. Julio Paulino (170)
Mark Hunt (265) vs. Sean McCorkle (263)
Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir tipped the scales at 252 pounds for his UFC 119 main event against 2006 Pride Fighting Championships open weight grand prix winner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (227) on Saturday at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The eight other men booked for main card duty -- including co-headliners Ryan Bader (205) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) -- also made weight without incident at Friday’s official weigh-in.
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 knockout or technical knockout. Mir owns notable wins against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, current UFC heavyweight titleholder Brock Lesnar and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia.
Filipovic -- who suffered an eye injury while training, leading to speculation that the bout might be cancelled -- will carry a two-fight winning streak into the match. The 36-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 KO or TKO. 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.
UFC 119 -- which also features a rematch pairing former welterweight champion Matt Serra (170) with Chris Lytle (171), a matchup pitting one-time lightweight king Sean Sherk (155) against the world-ranked Evan Dunham (156) and a lightweight duel between Jeremy Stephens (155) and Melvin Guillard (155) -- will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of fights from the undercard: C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Joe Doerksen (186) and Matt Mitrione (253) vs. Joey Beltran (239).
UFC 119 “Mir vs. Cro Cop”
Saturday, Sept. 25
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis
Frank Mir (252) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (227)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (205) vs. Ryan Bader (205)
Matt Serra (170) vs. Chris Lytle (171)
Evan Dunham (156) vs. Sean Sherk (155)
Jeremy Stephens (155) vs. Melvin Guillard (155)
C.B. Dollaway (186) vs. Joe Doerksen (186)
Matt Mitrione (253) vs. Joey Beltran (239)
Thiago Tavares (155) vs. Pat Audinwood (156)
Waylon Lowe (154) vs. Steve Lopez (156)
T.J. Grant (170) vs. Julio Paulino (170)
Mark Hunt (265) vs. Sean McCorkle (263)
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