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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief It looks like the Mirko Cro Cop saga may not over just yet when it comes to the UFC. Reports from Croatian websites today are reporting that UFC Owner Lorenzo Fertitta personally flew to meet with Cro Cop Friday in Zagreb, Croatia, to discuss a deal that would keep him with the UFC.
The U.K. based Fighter's Only posted some translated comments from the story at Index.hr that stated Fertitta gave Cro Cop an offer that was "non-refusable."
After reports earlier last month that all but confirmed Cro Cop was signing with DREAM after his one verbal bout with Mostapha Al-Turk at UFC 99, it appears that it was not the case. Cro Cop's point of contention was the frequency of bouts, as he wanted to fight multiple times still this year and at the time it was apparently not on the table from the UFC. That may no longer be the case.
With UFC 99's attendance and general interest spiking once Cro Cop was announced as officially on the card, it's clear he can still be a draw with the UFC. Who they match him up with next is the real question, as many of the top flight heavyweights are already set for fights, thus why he wasn't going to be fighting until near the end of the year in the first place.
Penick's Analysis: With the litany of rumors and reports on where Cro Cop was or wasn't going after his UFC 99 bout, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the DREAM deal was coming, especially when those reports pegged him for a spot on the DREAM 10 card. If that hasn't actually been signed than this will definitely have more legs and we'll just have to wait for some type of official announcement to get this entire thing cleared up. Let's hope that comes sometime sooner than a week before his next fight.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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