PRIDE 27 INFERNO Preview

Mirco "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Ron "H2O Man" Waterman

MIRCO FILIPOVIC: Croatian Kickboxer, known as "Cro Cop", I.K.B.F. World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion, K-1Grand Prix '99 finalist, K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka finalist, has a 40-5 amateur and 12-5 professional boxing record, trains under PFC veteran Mike Bencic and at the Cro Cop Squad Gym, with a 6-1-2 record in MMA, making his 7th appearance (3-1-2) in the ring of the PFC

Abbreviated Fight History:
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is actually a Croatian Special Forces officer as well as an accomplished athlete. He has made it to the final round of two K-1 tournaments and fought for a number of years as a boxer. Filipovic didn't make the transition to MMA until 2001 and has been fighting 3 bouts a year under these rules as well as continuing to compete in kickboxing. The "Cro Cop" has set his sights on winning both the Pride Fighting Championships heavyweight title and winning a K-1 tournament to be at the very top of both sports. Below are some of Filipovic's more significant contests.

Filipovic/Kazuyuki Fujita: His first MMA bout was at the K-1 Andy Hug Memorial in Japan where he faced Antonio Inoki disciple Kazuyuki Fujita. Fujita's big head cut easily from a kick and the match was over quickly.

Filipovic/Wanderlei Silva: Some felt it was Silva who would be in trouble but Wanderlei was happy to stand and strike with Filipovic. Silva was respectful of his power (and felt it on a few occasions) but it was apparent he was always in control. "Cro Cop" looked tentative at times and fearful of the ground. It was ruled a draw but had Wanderlei been given the opportunity under full PFC rules, he would've likely finished Mirko on the ground.

Filipovic/Kazushi Sakuraba: Filpovic battled the significantly smaller Japanese grappler Kazushi Sakuraba under the full PFC rules. Kazushi grappled well with Mirko but the larger "Cro Cop" showed good takedown defense and made Sak pay on a number of occasions with punishing kicks to the face. The doctor's determined Kazushi had a broken orbital bone under his eye and called a halt to the match in the second round.

Filipovic/Heath Herring: Herring looked flustered and unfocussed from the opening bell and paid for it. He kept shooting in for the takedown without relaxing. Granted Mirko is a devastating striker and worthy of concern, but the mindset of bringing "Cro Cop" to the ground seemed to overwhelm him and led to his demise. Filipovic looked good, avoiding takedowns and seizing the opportunities Heath provided en route to victory.

Filipovic/Igor Vovchanchyn: Igor begins by testing his range as he always does and Mirko misses with a high left roundhouse kick to the head. Vovchanchyn misses with a few hard rights but lands a partially blocked right roundhouse of his own. They would engage instrikes two more times with no real damage and then Filipovic lands a devastating left roundhouse kick to the head KOing Vovchanchyn early in the first round.

Filipovic/Rodrigo Nogueira: Nogueira scored a takedown early and fought Mirko from guard. Filipovic did a good job of keeping his arms in tight and controlling Nogueira's midsection until the opportunity to stand up presented itself. Nogueira waited for Mirko to regain his composure on the feet and paid for it. Filipovic tested Nogueira's defense with a series of left roundhouses to the head and to the body. He followed with combinations that set up left hands to the head. Rodrigo defended well but could not bring "Cro Cop" down and he was showing the signs of being hounded by a world class kickboxer. They would circle but it was all Filipovic as Nogueira's only offense was to drop to the mat to avoid being kicked. Rodrigo got kicked in the head once on the mat and later was tagged solid in the face with a left roundhouse as he reached for a leg. Filipovic lands his best kick of the period with a roundhouse to the face followed by a short left punch that stuns Nogueira and drops him to the mat. As the bell sounds, Filipovic hits him once in the face. In round two Nogueira committed to the takedown and dropped him to the mat. He quickly moved from sidemount to mount and "Cro Cop" glanced up at the ref with a priceless look on his face like "Minotauro" had done something illegal. Rodrigo locked his legs underneath Mirko and pounded his face. Filipovic bucked his hips to roll Nogueira off but Rodrigo had the armbar sunk in before Mirko could even get to his feet. Nogueira wins the PFC Interim Heavyweight Championship Title.

Also worthy of note: Filipovic battled Nobuhiko Takada (draw) and Yuji Nagata (win/TKO)

Strengths And Weaknesses:
Filpovic's strength lies in his kickboxing. The strike of his kicks literally sound like swings of a baseball bat. He is also very agile. He has a dangerous ring presence as well, something you can't pin down but you observe. With all of the years of kickboxing behind him, the transition to MMA has been a fairly successful one. His weakness would be the ground, specifically from his back. However he is now training with Sakuraba that is diminishing with each battle. Mirko showed serious takedown defense skills in recent action. Right now he understands ground defense better than he understands the actual application of submission techniques. It will come with time. And when he provides a complete, balanced attack standing and on the mat, he'll likely have a belt around his waist.

How He Can Beat Waterman: Keep it standing. If Mirko can avoid the mat like he did with Vovchanchyn, Herring and for most of the Nogueira bout, he'll find an opening to unleash a kick with KO power or set him up for the left hand.

RON WATERMAN: American wrestler, jiu-jitsu black belt, University of Northern Colorado Wrestler, All American Wrestler, 1993 Olympic Wrestling hopeful, Greeley West High School Head Wrestling Coach, 25 years amateur wrestling, former WWE professional wrestler, minister of Team Impact power-lifting team, WEC Heavyweight Champion, UFC veteran, IFC veteran, Pancrase veteran, Bas Rutten Invitational veteran, has trained with Nathan Marquardt, Larry Parker and the rest of the Colorado Stars Team, with a record of 10-1-2 in MMA, making his 2nd appearance (1-0) in the PFC

Abbreviated Fight History: Ron first saw fellow wrestler and UFC triple crown winner (8-man tournament winner, Superfight winner, Ultimate Ultimate winner) Dan "The Beast" Severn fighting in the UFC. He felt it was something he could do and began training with friends who studied jiu-jitsu. He entered the Bas Rutten Invitational which was refereed by then UFC matchmaker John Perretti and won the event. He debuted at UFC 20 and fought in 4 bouts going 2-1-1. A friend worked for WWE and mentioned him to Shane McMahon. After an interview with Jim Ross and a background check Ron was offered a 4-year contract. Ron came back to fighting in 2002 at the Pancrase Anniversary Show and is 5-0-1 since his return. Below are some of Waterman's more significant contests.

Waterman/Chris Condo: Chris "Big as a Two Flat" Condo debuted against Waterman in UFC 20. Ron rushes Chirs into the side of the cage, takes him down and pounds him with about a dozen unanswered left hands until the ref stops the bout.

Waterman/Andre Roberts: Waterman lands punching combinations and continuously throws knees from the clinch to bloody "The Chief" up early. He stays busy and the check the cut after a minute and a half. They resume with Roberts trying to mount offense but Waterman is quicker and continues to land good strikes. It's punch for punch in the side of the cage with Waterman scoring consistently. Roberts lands a combination finishing with one solid left that sends Waterman to his knees. Andre follows up but he's too tired to finish and Ron grabs a leg to stop his momentum. They grapple for position with Roberts on top and then both fighters stand. "The Chief" drops "H2O Man" with what looks like a lazy left to the head and the bout is over.

Waterman/Tim Lajcik: They trade standing with Lajcik scoring. Waterman gets the takedown and works from sidemount pounding Lajcik's head with the left while trapping Tim's left arm. Ron has him pinned and then seizes his back but Tim is able to stand. They clinch in the side of the cage and trade knees and elbows until the end of the round. They open the second round standing and Lajcik appears to be the quicker and more precise puncher. Ron goes for a takedown but Tim sprawls and momentarily gets his back. Waterman quickly rolls to guard and Lajcik is able to open him up with strikes. A kick from the ground frees Waterman and they resume standing. Waterman shoots again but Lajcik sprawls and when Ron chases him, Tim nails him with a solid short left hand in the head. Additional takedowns from Waterman are stifled and met with right hands from Lajcik. Late in the round Ron puts his striking together and lands some lefts to the head. With under a minute both fighters look tired. Waterman misses a knee to the head and Tim gets a takedown to finish the round. In the third Lajcik looks fresher with good striking but Waterman gets the takedown. They grapple from Tim's guard but there very little offense from this point on and the bout is ruled a draw.

Waterman/Kengo Watanabe: Waterman takes Watanabe down and establishes sidemount. Kengo pulls guard and Ron works for a series of neck cranks while pounding Watanabe's face and body. Ron goes back to sidemount and muscles out a keylock.

Also worthy of note: Waterman battled Valentijn Overeem (win/submission) and Jimmy Ambriz (draw)

Strengths And Weaknesses: Ron is a wrestler and taking people down and pounding them is what he does best. His stand-up game is good for a man his size and his left hand does most of the damage. Like Randy Couture, Waterman utilizes knees in the clinch very effectively. He can apply submissions as well, scoring wins by keylock, ankle lock and neck crank. As for weaknesses, word is his stamina has not been good in his last few bouts. His weight fluctuates from 250-300lbs so while that affords him the opportunity to get bigger or smaller depending on the opponent, it also increases the likelihood of him showing up out of shape.

How He Can Beat Filipovic: Bring him down immediately. Mirko's takedown defense against Herring and Nogueira was good but Heath was a bit shaky in that fight and when Rodrigo got his second opportunity to bring him down, he made the most of it. Filipovic is not the best from his back and Waterman fights very well from sidemount. Waterman needs to commit to the takedown early. It will be easiest to bring him down early when Ron's skills are sharpest and he hasn't absorbed too many kicks to the legs or head. Filipovic looked lost on the mat with Nogueira so he may be susceptible to a keylock if it is well disguised.

MY PICK: I'm going with the upset and picking Waterman. It's too easy to pick Mirko and say he'll just come in and KO Ron. It's certainly possible and maybe even likely but "Cro Cop" has shown he's not invincible. It won't be easy and Waterman will have to work for it but if he nails that first takedown and gets sidemount, this one could be over quicker than people think. The key is to keep Mirko on his back. Of course I can see Waterman walking into a high roundhouse and hitting the canvas like a wall coming down but where's the fun in predicting that? I feel it will be Waterman by submission (likely a keylock) midway through the 1st Rd.

DOWN THE ROAD:
Filipovic/Fedor Emelianenko: The bout that has to happen someday. With all of the backbiting, show jumping and team/management trading going on between these two and their camps, it may not happen for a year.

Filipovic/Wanderlei Silva: Do it again under full MMA rules and see what happens.

Waterman/Tom Erikson: Erikson needs to stay busy if he has any hope of resurrecting his fighting career and getting into the PFC Heavyweight GP. He hasn't fought MMA in two years and got clobbered in K-1. If he'd only kept fighting, he might've had a title somewhere along the way.

Waterman/Tim Sylvia: This could be a GP qualifier bout as well. If "H2O Man" gets past "Cro Cop", he'll be looking at Sylvia or Fedor real soon.