Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Retires Again Following Rizin Grand Prix Victory

Mirko Filipovic has announced his retirement — again.

For the second time in less than two years, “Cro Cop” is calling it a career — albeit under entirely different circumstances than his last announcement in November 2015. The Pride Fighting Championships and UFC veteran recently revealed his decision in an interview with Nova TV (translation via Croatia Week).

“That was definitely my last tournament. I have health problems and this is definitely the end of my career,” he said.

“I have announced my retirement before, but this is definitely it.”

Filipovic is coming off a trio of victories in Rizin Fighting Federation’s open-weight grand prix. The 42-year-old began the tournament with a second-round stoppage of Bellator MMA talent Muhammed Lawal on Dec. 29 before scoring back-to-back first-round knockouts of Kaido Hoovelson and Amir Aliakbari on New Year’s Eve.

Filipovic said that he will remain active in the sport and already has “offers from abroad.” He previously announced his retirement in 2015 after a shoulder injury forced him to pull out of a scheduled clash with Anthony Hamilton at a UFC Fight Night event in South Korea. Shortly thereafter, “Cro Cop” was suspended for two years by USADA for his use of human growth hormone.

Barring another comeback, the Zagreb, Croatia, native ends his career on a seven-fight winning streak and with a 35-11-2 mark overall.