ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCES UFC 75 HEAVYWEIGHT FEATURE
MIRKO “CRO COP” vs. CHEICK KONGO
LIVE FROM THE O2 ARENA IN LONDON
SATURDAY, SEPT 8, 2007
Las Vegas, NV (USA) — Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White today announced that Croatian superstar Mirko “Cro Cop” will return to the Octagon in September and take on France’s Cheick Kongo in a featured heavyweight bout at UFC 75 in London’s new O2 Arena. White delivered the UFC 75 announcement today live from Las Vegas via satellite on ESPN’s The Hot List and discussed the upcoming bout with host Scott Reiss.
“Mirko `Cro Cop’ is fighting Cheick Kongo from France,” said White. “He’s six foot four and two hundred and forty pounds — he’s huge. They are both strikers. Cheick Kongo is a very good striker and he’s good with his feet, knees and hands — it’s going to be a very interesting matchup.”
White also commented on the UFC’s continued dominance in sports and his mission to hold events in countries all over the world.
“We’ve done so well over here in the last six years in the U.S., we have this product…it translates all the cultural barriers, language barriers and we know this can work worldwide. We opened an office in London and we will have done three events in the UK this year, and they will all have been successful. Our plan is to move out into Europe and next year go into Italy, Spain, Germany, France, etc.”
ESPNEWS was the first to deliver official news of Cro Cop’s Octagon-return since his loss by knockout to Brazil’s Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 in Manchester. The 2006 PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix Champion was expected by many to defeat the Brazilian heavyweight and face Randy Couture for a heavyweight title fight at UFC 74. Instead, Gonzaga caught Cro Cop with a right leg kick to the head, sending him to the canvas in a stunning upset nine seconds before the end of the first round.
In a press conference held in London, Cro Cop spoke about his condition, his last fight and his desire to get back into the Octagon. He also stated his fight prediction and that he is already training full-time in preparation for UFC 75.
“I am one of the most dangerous strikers in the
world, but unfortunately, I did not prove that reputation in my last fight,” said Cro Cop.
“It was a great shock for me and I believe for all my fans and I was very disappointed. But I am a true professional and fighting is my life so I’m training harder than ever. And in the next fight I will be better than ever so I hope you will all be there to see it. I am going to beat my opponent. As I already told you, it was a shock for me and many people ask me if I am okay, if I am injured — it didn’t look good — that my ankle twisted, that my knee was looking bad, but it’s okay now. I have started running already, I started full training already and I am dying for my next fight.”
Cro Cop will take on Kongo, who like himself, is a kickboxer turned mixed martial artist. Not much was known of the 6’4″ 240-pound Paris-native when he made his UFC 61 debut in July of 2006 against Gilbert Aldana. He had an impressive record and a stellar reputation as a fearsome kickboxer, but many wondered if he could compete in the MMA arena. He answered that question quickly as he halted the rugged Aldana in the first round. Kongo then jumped back and scored another first round stoppage at UFC 62, this one over Christian Wellisch. At UFC 70, the same night that Cro Cop was taken down, Kongo triumphed with a majority decision over popular Brazilian heavyweight Assuerio Silva, scoring his third win in the UFC.
Cro Cop vs. Kongo is the third bout announced for UFC 75. Last week the UFC announced the main event championship bout Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Dan “Hollywood” Henderson along with the special attraction Michael “The Count” Bisping in a light heavyweight battle vs. his bitter rival Matt “The Hammer” Hamill.
Tickets for UFC 75 are available online at www.ticketmaster.co.uk starting at 25. UFC 75 will be screened live in the UK on Setanta PPV1 (Sky channel 481) at 8:00pm BST on Saturday, September 8, available via remote control through Sky Box Office or by calling 08708 500 005.
The remaining bouts for UFC 75 will be announced in the near future. All bouts are subject to change. For more information about UFC 75, or current UFC fight news, visit www.ufc.com or uk.ufc.com.
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