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[Warchief]

Zašto ste napustili UFC?

- Nisam mogao čekati ponuđeni dvoboj u svibnju.

Ali menadžer UFC-a Dana White govorio je da on čeka vas, a ne obrnuto?

- White je očito mislio da sam i dalje na odmoru, ali obavijestio sam ga da normalno treniram i da želim nastupiti već u ožujku. Međutim, UFC mi nije mogao pronaći suparnika, a ja nisam želio prekidati pripreme i onda započeti novi ciklus da bih se borio u svibnju. Osim toga, bio sam gladan borbe i nervozan kao pas.

Kako ste došli do dogovora s Dreamom?

- Ubrzo nakon razgovora s Whiteom došao je poziv od čelnika Dreama. Iako nisam potpisao nikakav ugovor, dogovorili smo tri nastupa, u ožujku, lipnju i rujnu. S Japancima ionako nikad nisam imao ugovor, sve smo radili na riječ i nikad nije bilo problema.

Što vas je privuklo Dreamu?

- Ključna je bila mogućnost da se borim u ožujku. K tome, Japan je zemlja moje afirmacije i na neki način moja druga domovina.

Mnogi ljubitelji slobodne borbe shvatili su vaš prelazak u Dream kao bijeg?

- Briga me kako će to netko shvatiti, nisam dužan nikome polagati račune. Naglasio sam da ću odraditi tri borbe u Dreamu i da se onda vraćam u UFC. A tim sveznadarima s interneta poručujem da navuku rukavice i sami se okušaju u ringu ili kavezu prije nego počnu vrijeđati bilo kojeg borca. Ponavljam, apsolutno ne bježim iz UFC-a i do kraja godine vraćam se u kavez.�
Što je s vašim obvezama prema UFC-u?

- Vraćam se u UFC, to uopće nije upitno, iako me ugovor na to ne obvezuje. A datum povratka ovisi o dvoboju protiv Fjodora Jemjeljanjenka u Dreamovom ringu. Borba bi se trebala održati 31. prosinca ove godine, naravno pod uvjetom da Fjodor pristane. Ako to propadne, eto me do kraja godine u UFC-ovom kavezu.

UFC pristaje “prepustiti” vas konkurenciji?

- Uspio sam se dogovoriti s Whiteom, zahvalan sam mu na suradnji i korektnosti. Ostao sam dužan ne samo UFC-u, nego i navijačima, posebice britanskim, koji su me zaista fantastično podržali u posljednjim dvobojima. Takvo navijanje nisam doživio ni u Japanu, baš mi je žao što sam tada bio u krizi.

S kime ste se željeli boriti u UFC-u?

- Tražio sam revanš s Gabrielom Gonzagom, ali to nije bilo moguće jer je u siječnju izgubio od Werduma. Onda sam pitao za Konga, no ni to nisu mogli dogovoriti.

Hoćete li trenirati u oktagonu ili ringu?

- Nastavljam trenirati u kavezu. Nije nikakav problem prijeći iz kaveza u ring, ali obrnuti smjer zahtijeva temeljitu prilagodbu. A zašto je tako, zaista ne znam. Činjenica je da su svi Prideovi borci barem malo podbacili prešavši u UFC.

Niste baš dobro podnijeli transfer iz ringa u kavez?

- Očito sam zapao u nekakvu psihološku krizu. Ni u prvom dvoboju protiv Sancheza nije to bio ‘onaj stari Mirko’. Možda sam se zasitio borbe nakon osvajanja Pride Grand Prixa krajem 2006. godine.

Kako objašnjavate da ste nakon osvajanja Grand Prixa zapali u takvu krizu?

- Teško je to objasniti, znam samo da nisam imao onaj ubilački instinkt. Gubio sam po pet kilograma uoči nastupa, treninzi su mi teško padali, na dan borbe s Kongom sam se probudio i pomislio ‘što meni ovo treba, zašto se tučem s čovjekom kojeg nikad nisam vidio’. Bilo mi je svega dosta.

Jeste li sada ponovno u nekadašnjoj formi?

- Sada je sve OK. U meni se ponovno probudila ona stara vatra i željan sam borbe. Nikad se nisam ovako dobro osjećao, u odličnoj sam formi. Nekad sam se borio zbog egzistencije, a danas zbog ponosa.

Što je s televizijskim prijenosima Dreamovih turnira u Hrvatskoj?

- Svakako će ih biti.�

Translation

Why did you leave the UFC?

Crocop: I just couldn't wait until May.

But Dana White told the press he was waiting for you and not the other way around?

Crocop: White obviously thought I was still on vacation but I notified him I was in full training and wanted to compete in March. However, the UFC couldn't find me an opponent that fast and I didn't want to stop my preparations and start all over again for my match in May. Besides I was HUNGRY for a fight and nervous (anxious) like a dog.

How did you come to an agreement with DREAM?

Crocop: Soon after my conversation with Dana I got a call from DREAM. Altough I didn't sign any contract we came to an agreement for 3 fights in March, June and September. I never had written contracts with the Japenese because we have always done business by oral agreement (handshake).

What has drawn you to Dream?

Crocop: The key thing was the opporunity to fight in March. Also Japan is where I built my name and in a way my second home.

What happened to your obligations towards the UFC?

Crocop: I'm going to go back to the UFC without a doubt, altough my contract doesn't bind me to do so. The date of return depends on a possible fight with Fedor. The fight should take place on 31st December if Fedor accepts. If that failes I'll be back in the UFC by the end of this year.

The UFC has 'agreed' to let you go to the competition?

Crocop: I have managed to come to terms with Dana and I'm thankful for his cooperation and understanding. I owe not only the UFC but especially my british fans who really supported me in my last two bouts. Not even in Japan have I received such support so I'm really sorry I was in a crisis back then.

With who did you want to fight in the UFC?

Crocop: I asked for a rematch with Gonzaga but that was not possible because he lost to Werdum. Then I asked for Kongo but that wasn't possible either.

Will you be training in the ring or in the cage?

Crocop: I'm continuing to train in the cage. Transitioning from the cage to the ring is not a problem but the other way around requires adjustments. It seems all the Pride fighters
underperformed when they made the transition to the UFC.

So you didn't take the transition from the ring to the octagon well?

Crocop: I had fallen into some kind of psychological crisis. Even in the Sanchez fight I wasn't my old self. Maybe I got saturated with fighting after the OWGP.

How do you explain this crisis?

Crocop: It's hard to explain, all I know is that I lost that KILLER INSTINCT. I lost 5kg (10lb) before the fight with Kongo, I had a hard time wanting to train and on the day of the fight I thought to myself: Why do I even need this, why am I fighting a guy I have never seen before. I was fed up with it all.

Are you in your old form again?

Crocop: Everything is alright now. The fire in me is back and I want to fight really bad. I've never felt better, I'm in excellent shape. Once I fought for my material excistance now i fight for pride.

Will there be a tv broadcast of your fights from DREAM?

Crocop: Most certainly.

Cro Cop: Nikad se nisam osjeæao ovako dobro - Jutarnji.hr

[The Iceman]

Looks like the Cro Cop/Fedor fight is set for Dec 31st(I'm sure he'll accept). Good to hear Cro Cop is ready to fight and still has it in him.

[Ohdokwan]

Crocop's Latest Interview: The Fire In Me Is Back And I Want To Fight Really Bad.

Not in UFC, Not in cage, I just run away! I should have stayed away like Fedor!

[BigBanda]

Sounds good and I'm glad that he is on this "good term temporary leave" from the UFC. I hope his words hold true and he does return to show some of the unknown fans what he is truly capable of.

[UFC Fann]

Im pretty sure for him to fight Fedor he would have to win his previous matches. Wouldn't make much sense if he lost his matches and face Fedor. I'm glad he explained his performance in the UFC. He sure looked like he was unhappy and out of it. Pretty much Fedor is his confidence booster if he goes back to UFC or not. If he beats Fedor his convidence will rise and hell feel like he can beat any one in the UFC, if he goes down, well....its back to square one with him.

[T]

Anyone know why not all of the interview is translated? They talk about him fighting the Pride Grand Prix in 2006 and they talk about the Pride Grand Prix in another place and it's not translated. Just curious.

[maxp84z]

Originally Posted by Ohdokwan

Crocop's Latest Interview: The Fire In Me Is Back And I Want To Fight Really Bad.

Not in UFC, Not in cage, I just run away! I should have stayed away like Fedor!

Go kill yourself.

[the_dark_angel_4ever]

I really hope Cro Cop/Fedor II happens Dec 31st and then CC returns to the UFC. Imaging if it happens and CC ends up winning. He'd most likely get a title shot as soon as he came back. Here's hoping....

Now I just pray Fedor isn't tied up on New Years fighting a one armed midget riding a donkey lol

[T]

I translated some of it and it asks how Crocop went from wining a Grand Prix in 2006 to a mental crisis or something to that effect.

[tapper]

good int, cc sounds like he has a plan that includes the ufc. a little dissapointed in his request to fight fedor, a win would be great for cc but not for fedor, it would be another win over a falling hw.