Mirko Cro Cop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mirko Cro Cop
Mirko Cro Cop in April 2015
Born	Mirko Filipović (1974-09-10) 10 September 1974 (age 50) Vinkovci, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Other names	Cro Cop
Nationality	Croatian
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	234 lb (106 kg)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	73 in (185 cm)
Style	Kickboxing
Stance	Southpaw
Fighting out of	Zagreb, Croatia
Team	Cro Cop Squad Gym Tigar Gym Vos Gym
Trainer	Ivan Hippolyte, Stipe Drviš, Mario Mlinarić
Rank	Black belt in Taekwondo
Years active	1996–2003, 2012–2014 (Kickboxing) 2001–2019 (MMA)
Kickboxing record
Total	34
Wins	26
By knockout	13
Losses	8
By knockout	4
Mixed martial arts record
Total	52
Wins	38
By knockout	30
By submission	4
By decision	4
Losses	11
By knockout	6
By submission	2
By decision	3
Draws	2
No contests	1
Amateur boxing record
Total	56
Wins	48
By knockout	31
Losses	8
Other information
Occupation	Special forces officer, politician
Spouse	Klaudija Filipović ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2
Member of the Croatian Parliament
In office 23 December 2003 – 11 January 2008
President	Stjepan Mesić
Prime Minister	Ivo Sanader
Constituency	District 1
Personal details
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Social Democratic Party (SDP)
last updated on: 3 November 2016

Mirko Filipović, known as Mirko Cro Cop, is a famous former fighter from Croatia. He was a professional in mixed martial arts (MMA), kickboxing, and amateur boxing. He became very well known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro Cop also competed in other big fighting organizations like the UFC, K-1, RIZIN, and Bellator. Many people think he is one of the best Heavyweight Kickboxers and MMA fighters ever.

Cro Cop won many important titles. He was the 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion. He also won the K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb and the 2016 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix Champion. This made him one of the few fighters to win major championships in both mixed martial arts and kickboxing. He was also an IGF Champion. His nickname, "Cro Cop," means "Croatian Cop." He got it because he worked for the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, which is an elite police special forces team in Croatia.

Cro Cop's most famous move was his super-fast left high roundhouse kick. People used to joke about it, saying "right leg, hospital; left leg, cemetery." He was also a successful amateur boxer and won many medals in international competitions. He was part of Croatia's national boxing team in 1997.

From 2003 to 2008, he was a Member of the Croatian Parliament. He was chosen as an independent candidate, supported by the Social Democratic Party of Croatia.

In March 2019, he announced he was stopping fighting because of health reasons, including a stroke he had.

Early Life and Training

Mirko Filipović was born on September 10, 1974, in Vinkovci, which was then part of Yugoslavia. He grew up in a regular family with his older sister. As a child, Mirko trained in track and field, focusing on short races like the 100m, 200m, and 400m dashes.

After watching the movie Bloodsport with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mirko started training at home. He used his father's boxing gear and weights in their garage. His father, who worked for a railway company, even made him a simple punching bag filled with sand and cotton. He also brought home metal scraps for Mirko to use for weight training. Mirko began formal training in taekwondo when he was 7 and later learned karate.

Mirko's father passed away in 1994 when Mirko was 19. Mirko had joined the Croatian Army a year before, working as a radio operator. He asked his commander if he could train with the Croatian national kickboxing team. His commander agreed, telling him, "I don't think you will be a special soldier, but I believe you will be a good fighter one day. So you don't have to learn [with the radio operators]. I release you and I want you to train twice a day. And I want you to make your country and your homeland proud one day." Mirko said this was one of the best days of his life. After this, he started his professional kickboxing career.

Boxing and Kickboxing Career

Mirko Filipović started his professional fighting career in 1996 as a kickboxer. Before becoming a pro, he had a good record in amateur boxing, winning 48 fights and losing 8. He won his first professional kickboxing match against Jérôme Le Banner. However, after losing to Ernesto Hoost in his next fight, he focused more on boxing and his job in law enforcement.

He became a three-time national amateur boxing champion. He then joined the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, an elite police team, where he worked for six years. This job is where he got his famous nickname, "Cro Cop." Sometimes, early in his career, he fought under the nickname "Tigar," which means "tiger" in Croatian.

Cro Cop was a runner-up in the K-1 Grand Prix in 1999 and 2000. He finally won the K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb title in 2014. He had a great record of 21 wins and 7 losses in K-1 and is seen as one of the best kickboxers ever.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Joining Pride FC

In 2001, Mirko decided to switch to mixed martial arts (MMA) and joined Pride Fighting Championships. He wanted a new challenge and was not happy with his pay in K-1. A year later, he left his job with the anti-terrorist unit to focus completely on fighting.

Cro Cop's first few MMA fights were in different events. He beat experienced fighters like Kazuyuki Fujita (twice) and Japanese legend Kazushi Sakuraba. He also had a draw with Nobuhiko Takada and the reigning PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva.

Early PRIDE Fights

Fighting only in PRIDE, Cro Cop's seventh MMA fight was against Heath Herring. Cro Cop won by hitting Herring with a body kick and punches early in the first round.

In his eighth fight, he was the first fighter to knock out the legendary striker Igor Vovchanchyn with his famous head kick. This win showed that Cro Cop was becoming a top fighter in the heavyweight division. He then knocked out Dos Caras Jr. with a head kick in just 46 seconds. After that win, he told fans he was ready to fight Fedor Emelianenko for the title.

PRIDE Interim Heavyweight Championship Fight

Because of some issues between PRIDE and Fedor Emelianenko, Cro Cop fought former champion Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira for the PRIDE Interim Heavyweight Championship. Cro Cop started strong, even knocking Nogueira down. However, in the second round, Nogueira took Cro Cop to the ground and won by a submission move called an armbar. This was Cro Cop's first loss in his MMA career.

PRIDE 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix and Comeback

After losing to Nogueira, Cro Cop quickly won two fights by TKO. He then entered the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix. In a big surprise, Cro Cop was knocked out by former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman in the first round. This meant he was out of the tournament early, even though many expected him to win.

After this, Cro Cop went on an amazing seven-fight winning streak from May 2004 to June 2005. He started by beating Hiromitsu Kanehara by decision. Then he knocked out Shungo Oyama in just one minute. A month later, he knocked out Alexander Emelianenko (Fedor's brother) with a head kick. He also beat former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett when Barnett injured his shoulder. Two months after that, Cro Cop got his revenge on Randleman, winning by a guillotine choke submission.

After beating Randleman, Cro Cop wanted to fight another former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Mark Coleman. Coleman said he would take Cro Cop down, but Cro Cop stopped all of Coleman's takedown attempts. Cro Cop then knocked Coleman out in the first round.

Cro Cop had now beaten three former UFC Heavyweight Champions in a row. After beating Coleman, he famously said, "I'm still standing, and I'm still waiting for a title fight. Emelianenko Fedor, you are next."

Cro Cop then fought Ibragim Magomedov, winning by a body kick TKO. Fedor Emelianenko was in Magomedov's corner for this fight. After the fight, Fedor stepped into the ring and shook hands with Cro Cop. Finally, Cro Cop got his chance to fight Fedor for the Pride Heavyweight Championship. This highly anticipated match happened at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005.

PRIDE Title Fight with Emelianenko

In the first round, Cro Cop hit Emelianenko with two quick punches, breaking his nose. He also landed powerful body kicks. However, Emelianenko was able to take the fight to the ground and land many punches. As the fight went on, Emelianenko became more dominant, winning most of the standing exchanges and getting several takedowns. After 20 minutes, Emelianenko won by a unanimous decision. This fight was named "Fight of the Year" by mmafighting.com and "Fight of the Decade" by Sports Illustrated.

After the Title Shot and PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix

After losing to Emelianenko, Cro Cop beat Josh Barnett again by decision. Then he lost a close fight to K-1 veteran Mark Hunt.

In the 2006 Openweight Grand Prix, Cro Cop knocked out two Japanese legends: Ikuhisa Minowa and 1992 Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. On his 32nd birthday, he faced Wanderlei Silva in the semi-finals. Cro Cop had one of his best performances, knocking out the Middleweight champion with his famous head kick.

This win put him in the final against Josh Barnett for the third time. Cro Cop won by hitting Barnett with many punches while on the ground. Barnett gave up, and Cro Cop won his first MMA championship, the PRIDE 2006 Openweight Grand Prix championship. When he received the belt, Cro Cop cried tears of joy and told the crowd, "This is the happiest day in my life. It's my 32nd birthday, and I want to thank all my fans in the arena, and all around the world for supporting me during my career. I love you, thank you."

Many people say these fights were Cro Cop's best. Wanderlei Silva's trainer said, "That was Mirko's day. He fought two perfect fights and I believe even Fedor could lose to him on that night." Josh Barnett later said that Cro Cop was the best fighter he ever faced.

After winning, Cro Cop shared more about his feelings. He said he had waited 10 years for this and that he trained harder than ever. He also said he would have quit fighting if he hadn't won. He dedicated the belt to his father, who passed away years before.

A rematch between Cro Cop and Fedor Emelianenko did not happen. Cro Cop later pulled out of a New Year's Eve event because of a foot injury. He wanted to be in perfect shape for his next fights.

Cro Cop is often called one of the "Holy Trinity of PRIDE" along with Rodrigo Nogueira and Emelianenko. These three heavyweights were considered the top fighters between 2003 and 2007, a time often called the "golden age" of MMA.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (First Stint)

In December 2006, rumors started that Cro Cop was looking at offers from other MMA organizations. The UFC was one of them. It was announced during a UFC event that Cro Cop had signed with the UFC.

UFC Debut

Mirko made his UFC debut at UFC 67 on February 3, 2007. He stopped the undefeated fighter Eddie Sanchez by TKO in the first round. Many people expected Cro Cop to win easily, as he was a huge favorite in betting.

UFC Title Eliminator

On April 21, 2007, Cro Cop faced Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 in England. The winner would get to challenge the champion, Randy Couture. In a big surprise, Gonzaga won by a head kick knockout in the first round. Cro Cop later said about the fight, "He hit me at least 10 or 15 times, clean shots to the head. It was a miracle that I didn't start bleeding. Maybe it would have been better for me if he had cut me, as the referee would stop the fight. But when we stood up I saw 3 opponents. I was finished already. I took too many shots to the head. I was totally out of control. He threw a high kick, it landed on my head and that was it. But I'm a fighter and there's no shame in falling down, only not to rise again. But that's my life, you cannot win all the time. But of course the goal is that you must try [to always win]. It was my mistake. He did what he had to do. He had his plan and he threw too many elbows and I lost the fight and that's it."

End of First UFC Time

Cro Cop's next fight was on September 8, 2007, at UFC 75 against French kickboxer Cheick Kongo. Cro Cop lost by a unanimous decision. There was some debate because Kongo landed three illegal groin strikes, but he was not penalized. Cro Cop trained with Remy Bonjasky and Gilbert Yvel for this fight. His coach was Ivan "Hydro" Hippolyte.

Dream Fighting Promotion

In February 2008, Cro Cop announced he would visit Japan. A new MMA event called 'Dream' was starting, and Cro Cop decided to join it, ending his time in the UFC for a while.

Dream confirmed that Cro Cop would fight Tatsuya Mizuno at Dream 1 on March 15, 2008, in Japan.

When asked about his UFC contract, Cro Cop said he planned to return to the UFC later. He explained that he preferred fighting in a ring instead of a cage and loved fighting in Japan, which felt like a second home. He felt ready again, both physically and mentally.

On September 23, 2008, Cro Cop fought Alistair Overeem at Dream 6. The fight was stopped and declared a "no contest" because Overeem landed several illegal knees to Cro Cop's groin. Cro Cop wanted to continue, but the doctor would not let him. His manager said the injury was not serious, and they wanted a rematch. Cro Cop was frustrated, saying he was waiting for his chance to knock Overeem out.

Return to the UFC (Second Stint)

Mirko Cro Cop defeated Pat Barry by submission due to a rear-naked choke at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In May 2009, Cro Cop announced he would return to the UFC. His first fight back was at UFC 99 in Germany against Mostapha al-Turk. Cro Cop knocked al-Turk down with punches and then finished him with more punches. After this one-fight deal, it was announced Cro Cop would return to Dream. However, he then signed a new three-fight contract with the UFC.

Cro Cop fought against rising striker Junior dos Santos at UFC 103. In the third round, Cro Cop was hit in his left eye and gave up, signaling to the referee that he had a problem with his eye. Dos Santos won. After the fight, Cro Cop showed frustration, saying, "I don't feel the hunger anymore. I started playing it safe, I'm not ready to take risks."

He then hired the famous Muay Thai champion Ivan Hippolyte and changed his training team. Cro Cop was supposed to fight Ben Rothwell at UFC 110, but Rothwell got sick. Australian fighter Anthony Perosh stepped in to replace him.

Cro Cop dominated Perosh for two rounds. He opened a cut on Perosh's forehead, which made the doctor stop the fight before the third round. Cro Cop won by TKO, even though he had a cut from training that needed stitches.

Cro Cop next fought against fellow former Kickboxer Pat Barry at UFC 115 in Canada. Barry knocked him down twice in the first round. Cro Cop won the second round using his ground fighting skills. In the third round, Cro Cop landed a head kick and an axe kick on Barry. He then finished the fight with many punches and won by a rear-naked choke submission. This earned him the Submission of the Night award. Before the fight, Canadian officials held Cro Cop for six hours, asking about his past work in the Lučko ATJ.

Cro Cop faced former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir at UFC 119. Cro Cop lost to Mir by knockout in the third round after a knee strike to the head. Cro Cop later said he had a back injury three weeks before the fight but did not tell the UFC because he did not want to seem like he was trying to avoid the fight.

Cro Cop lost to Brendan Schaub at UFC 128 by knockout in the third round. After this loss, UFC president Dana White thought Cro Cop might retire. However, White later said that Cro Cop wanted to fight again, and he felt he owed him another fight.

In his last fight with the UFC at that time, Cro Cop lost to Roy Nelson at UFC 137 by TKO in round 3. He looked in good shape but did not fight like he did in his PRIDE FC days. Cro Cop later said he had an arm injury 10 days before the fight but chose to fight without telling the UFC.

Retirement from MMA and Return to Kickboxing

Even though he had not fully retired, Cro Cop thought his time in the UFC and possibly MMA was over. He announced he would return to kickboxing at Cro Cop Final Fight 2012 in Croatia. Mirko won that fight against Ray Sefo by unanimous decision.

Cro Cop fought again in May 2012 in Spain, beating Loren Javier Jorge by knockout with a left uppercut.

He faced Randy Blake in October 2012. Cro Cop won by a majority decision, even after being knocked down in the third round.

He was scheduled to fight at Cro Cop Final Fight 2013 in March 2013. This event was combined with the K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 Final, which was the first K-1 Grand Prix held outside Japan. He beat American boxer Jarrell Miller by unanimous decision. He then beat Pavel Zhuravlev by unanimous decision in the semi-finals. In the final, he fought Ismael Londt and knocked him down with his famous left high kick. Cro Cop won by unanimous decision, winning the tournament 13 years after being a runner-up in 1999.

He lost a close fight to Remy Bonjasky in a rematch in March 2014. He was set to rematch Pat Barry in June 2014, but Barry pulled out. Sergei Kharitonov replaced him, but then also pulled out. Jarrell Miller stepped in, and Cro Cop won the rematch against Miller by unanimous decision.

Return to MMA (Third Stint)

In August 2012, news came that Cro Cop wanted to return to MMA. On December 31, 2012, he made his comeback against former sumo wrestler Shinichi Suzukawa in Japan. He won the fight by submission with an armbar in the first round.

Cro Cop was expected to rematch Alexander Emelianenko in Russia in late 2013. However, Emelianenko was accused of something, so the fight was canceled. Cro Cop then fought Oleksiy Oliynyk in November 2013 in Moscow. He lost the fight by submission in the first round.

On August 23, 2014, Cro Cop defeated former 2008 Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii by TKO in Japan to win the IGF Championship.

Cro Cop was supposed to fight Satoshi Ishii again in December 2014 for the IGF Championship. The rematch was canceled because Ishii had a rib injury. However, Ishii recovered in time, and the rematch happened. Cro Cop defeated Ishii by TKO, landing a head kick and punches. Ishii could not continue, and the referee stopped the fight. When Cro Cop returned to the UFC, he gave up his IGF Championship in January 2015.

Third Stint in the UFC and Health Matters

In January 2015, Cro Cop signed with the UFC again. This was his third time with the organization.

A rematch with Gabriel Gonzaga happened on April 11, 2015, in Poland. After losing the first two rounds, Cro Cop landed an elbow that hurt Gonzaga. He then finished the fight by TKO with more elbows and punches on the ground. This fight earned both fighters a Fight of the Night bonus.

Cro Cop was scheduled to fight Anthony Hamilton in November 2015. However, Cro Cop pulled out of the fight and announced he was retiring. He later explained that he had used a substance to help heal a shoulder injury and had told the UFC about it. Because of this, he was suspended for two years. Even though his tests for the substance were negative, his admission led to the suspension. In July 2016, the UFC ended his contract.

Second MMA Return

In July 2016, Cro Cop announced he was ending his retirement and would fight again in Japan. He returned with the Rizin Fighting Federation as part of a big tournament.

RIZIN Fights

Cro Cop defeated Korean fighter Hyun Man Myung in the first round of the tournament by a submission move called an arm-triangle choke.

Cro Cop was supposed to fight Wanderlei Silva for a third time in December, but Silva pulled out.

Rizin then announced that Cro Cop would face Muhammed Lawal. Cro Cop won the fight by TKO in the second round. This was Lawal's first loss as a heavyweight fighter.

Cro Cop then faced Baruto Kaito in the Rizin Openweight Grand Prix Semifinals. He won the fight with a knee to the body in the first round. Cro Cop then fought Amir Aliakbari in the final on the same night. He won the fight by knockout, becoming the first Rizin Openweight Grand Prix champion.

After winning the Grand Prix, he said he might have one more farewell fight in Japan if he recovered enough from surgery.

In October 2017, Cro Cop said he wanted to rematch Fedor Emelianenko. He also talked about his knee injury, saying he had stem cells transplanted into his knee, which helped new cartilage grow.

It was later announced that Cro Cop would fight in RIZIN several more times. He faced Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in December 2017 and won by TKO early in the first round.

Bellator MMA Fights

In March 2018, it was announced that Cro Cop had signed with Bellator MMA. He was expected to fight Roy Nelson in a rematch in May 2018, but Cro Cop pulled out due to an injury.

The rematch against Nelson finally happened in February 2019. Cro Cop got his revenge, winning the fight by unanimous decision. This was his tenth win in a row and the eighth time in his career that he won a rematch.

On March 1, 2019, Mirko Filipovic announced he was immediately retiring from fighting. He had a stroke after the fight with Nelson. Filipovic said he had neck problems before, which affected his movement and balance. Doctors strictly told him not to fight anymore, fearing that a blow to the head could cause serious harm.

Professional Wrestling Appearance

Cro Cop also made a special appearance in a professional wrestling show called Hustle in 2007. He helped a team win a match by using some of his fighting moves. He accidentally kicked one of the wrestlers, Kintaman, too hard, and he had to go to the hospital.

Fighting Style

Cro Cop was known as a "sprawl and brawl" fighter. This means he focused on his kickboxing skills and tried to avoid being taken to the ground. He used powerful and technical strikes, especially his famous left roundhouse kick to the head. He often combined it with a fast left punch to create openings. Even though his moves were somewhat predictable, Cro Cop was able to land them often because of his speed and timing. He had 28 knockout or TKO wins, with four of them coming from head kicks. Later in his career, it became harder to land his signature kick because opponents expected it.

When defending, he often used a special left sidestep to avoid attacks. He was also good at stopping takedowns from skilled wrestlers and judo champions. Even though he always focused on striking, Cro Cop improved his ground fighting skills over time. He became good at fighting from his back and getting back to his feet.

His fighting style has inspired many newer fighters. For example, Demetrious Johnson once mentioned Cro Cop after a big win, saying he felt like Cro Cop on his birthday, where no one could take his championship away.

Personal Life

Cro Cop and his wife have two sons, Ivan and Filip. In 2004–05, Cro Cop played for his hometown football club, HNK Cibalia, for 8 minutes in one match.

Cro Cop speaks English very well.

Film Career

Cro Cop starred in the 2005 action film Ultimate Force as a character named Axon Rey.

Political Career

Cro Cop was elected to the Croatian Parliament. He served one term from December 23, 2003, to January 11, 2008. He was elected as an independent candidate.

Championships and Accomplishments

• Only person to win K-1, Pride, and RIZIN Grand Prix championships

Kickboxing Achievements

• K-1
  • K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb Champion
  • K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka Runner-up
  • K-1 Braves '99 3rd Place
  • K-1 World Grand Prix 1999 Runner-up
  • Prague Kickboxing 8-man tournament 1997 Champion
• International Kick-Boxing Federation
  • I.K.B.F. World Heavyweight Full Contact Champion

Mixed Martial Arts Achievements

• Rizin Fighting Federation
  • 2016 Rizin World Openweight Grand Prix Champion
  • Undefeated in 'Rizin Fighting Federation' competition (6–0)
• Inoki Genome Federation
  • IGF Championship (One time)
  • One successful title defense
  • Undefeated in 'IGF' competition (5–0)
• Pride Fighting Championships
  • 2006 Pride World Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion
  • Tied (Wanderlei Silva) for most finishes in Pride history (16)
  • Most first round finishes in Pride history (15)
  • Most wins through kicks in Pride history (8)
  • Most head kicks knockouts in Pride history (4)
  • Second most knockouts in Pride history (14)
  • Tied (Igor Vovchanchyn and Kazushi Sakuraba) for second most wins in Pride history (18)
  • Fourth most fights in Pride history (24)
  • Only fighter consecutively defeated three former UFC Heavyweight Champions in Pride history (Josh Barnett, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman)
• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Most finishes in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (21)
  • Most first round finishes in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (17)
  • Most wins through kicks in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (8)
  • Second most head kick knockouts in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (4) (behind Donald Cerrone)
  • Second most knockouts in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (18) (behind Wanderlei Silva)
  • Second most knockdowns landed in Zuffa, LLC (UFC, Pride, WEC, Strikeforce) history (19) (behind Donald Cerrone)
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Gabriel Gonzaga
  • Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Pat Barry
• MMAFighting
  • 2003 Fight of the Year vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira on November 9
  • 2005 Fight of the Year vs. Fedor Emelianenko on August 28
  • 2006 Knockout of the Year vs. Wanderlei Silva on September 10
  • 2006 Heavyweight Fighter of the Year
• Black Belt Magazine
  • 2003 Full-Contact Fighter of the Year
• Fight Matrix
  • 2003 Knockout of the Year vs. Igor Vovchanchyn on 10 August
  • 2005 Fight of the Year vs. Fedor Emelianenko on 28 August
  • 2005 Most Noteworthy Match of the Year vs. Fedor Emelianenko on 28 August
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • 2006 Most Outstanding Fighter
• Sherdog
  • 2006 Knockout of the Year vs. Wanderlei Silva on September 10
  • Mixed Martial Arts Hall of Fame
• Sports Illustrated
  • 2000's Fight of the Decade vs. Fedor Emelianenko on August 28
• Yahoo! Sports
  • 2000's Fight of the Decade vs. Fedor Emelianenko on 28 August
• Bleacher Report
  • 2000s Striker of the Decade

Amateur Boxing Achievements

• International Military Sports Council
  • 1998 CISM World Military Championships Silver Medalist
• Czech Amateur Boxing Association
  • 1998 Usti Grand Prix Bronze Medalist
• International Committee for the Mediterranean Games
  • 1997 Mediterranean Games Bronze Medalist
• Hellenic Boxing Federation
  • 1997 Acropolis Cup Silver Medalist

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Kickboxing Record

Kickboxing record

26 Wins (13 (T)KO's, 12 decisions, 1 unknown), 8 Losses (4 (T)KO's, 4 decisions)
Date	Result	Opponent	Event	Location	Method	Round	Time	Record
2014-06-21	Win	Jarrell Miller	Glory 17: Los Angeles	Inglewood, California	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	26–8
2014-03-08	Loss	Remy Bonjasky	Glory 14: Zagreb	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (majority)	3	3:00	25–8
2013-03-15	Win	Ismael Londt	K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb, Final	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	25–7
Wins the K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb title.
2013-03-15	Win	Pavel Zhuravlev	K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb, Semi Finals	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	24–7
2013-03-15	Win	Jarrell Miller	K-1 World Grand Prix FINAL in Zagreb, Quarter Finals	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	23–7
2012-10-14	Win	Randy Blake	K-1 World Grand Prix 2012 in Tokyo final 16, First Round	Tokyo, Japan	Decision (majority)	3	3:00	22–7
2012-05-27	Win	Loren Javier Jorge	K-1 World MAX 2012 Tournament Final 16, Super Fight	Madrid, Spain	KO (left uppercut)	2	2:23	21–7
2012-03-10	Win	Ray Sefo	Cro Cop Final Fight	Zagreb, Croatia	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	20–7
2003-03-30	Win	Bob Sapp	K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 in Saitama	Saitama, Japan	KO (left cross)	1	1:26	19–7
2002-06-14	Win	Remy Bonjasky	K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	TKO (high kick and punches)	2	2:06	18–7
2002-03-03	Win	Mark Hunt	K-1 World Grand Prix 2002 in Nagoya	Nagoya, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	5	3:00	17–7
2002-01-27	Win	Ryushi Yanagisawa	K-1 Rising 2002	Shizuoka, Japan	TKO (doctor stoppage)	1	2:44	16–7
2001-06-16	Loss	Michael McDonald	K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 in Melbourne	Melbourne, Australia	TKO (referee stoppage)	1	1:24	15–7
2001-03-17	Win	Peter Aerts	K-1 Gladiators 2001	Yokohama, Japan	Decision (majority)	5	3:00	15–6
2001-01-30	Win	Tatsufumi Tomihara	K-1 Rising 2001	Matsuyama, Japan	TKO (referee stoppage)	2	2:55	14–6
2000-12-10	Loss	Ernesto Hoost	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 Final	Tokyo, Japan	Ext.R Decision (unanimous)	4	3:00	13–6
2000-10-09	Loss	Mike Bernardo	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	TKO (corner stoppage)	1	1:07	13–5
Fight was for the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka title.
2000-10-09	Win	Hiromi Amada	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	13–4
2000-10-09	Win	Glaube Feitosa	K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka	Fukuoka, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	3	3:00	12–4
2000-09-01	Win	Stuart Green	K-1 Grand Prix Europe 2000	Zagreb, Croatia	TKO (high kick)	2	2:51	11–4
2000-06-03	Loss	Andy Hug	K-1 Fight Night 2000	Zurich, Switzerland	Decision (unanimous)	5	3:00	10–4
Fight was for the WKA World Muay Thai Super Heavyweight title.
2000-03-19	Win	Hiromi Amada	K-1 Burning 2000	Yokohama, Japan	KO (left punch)	4	2:51	10–3
1999-12-05	Loss	Ernesto Hoost	K-1 Grand Prix 1999 final	Tokyo, Japan	KO (left body shot)	3	1:13	9–3
Fight was for K-1 Grand Prix 1999 title.
1999-12-05	Win	Sam Greco	K-1 Grand Prix 1999 semi-finals	Tokyo, Japan	TKO (referee stoppage)	2	2:50	9–2
1999-12-05	Win	Musashi	K-1 Grand Prix 1999 quarter-finals	Tokyo, Japan	TKO (referee stoppage)	2	1:09	8–2
1999-10-05	Win	Mike Bernardo	K-1 World Grand Prix '99 opening round	Osaka, Japan	TKO (3 knockdowns)	1	1:20	7–2
Qualifies for K-1 Grand Prix 1999 final.
1999-06-20	Loss	Xhavit Bajrami	K-1 Braves '99 semi-finals	Fukuoka, Japan	Ext.R decision (unanimous)	4	3:00	6–2
1999-06-20	Win	Ricky Nicholson	K-1 Braves '99 quarter-finals	Fukuoka, Japan	KO (high kick)	1	1:20	6–1
1999-04-25	Win	Jan Nortje	K-1 Revenge '99	Yokohama, Japan	KO (left hook)	4	1:58	5–1
1997-10	Win	Achille Roger	Kickboxing Tournament Prague 1997 Final	Prague, Czech Republic	Decision (unanimous)	6	2:00	4–1
Wins Prague 1997 Kickboxing 8-man tournament.
1997-10	Win	N/A	Kickboxing Tournament Prague 1997 Semi Finals	Prague, Czech Republic	Achille Roger	N/A	N/A	3–1
1997-10	Win	Lee Hasdell	Kickboxing Tournament Prague 1997 Quarter Finals	Prague, Czech Republic	TKO (doctor stoppage)	2	N/A	2–1
1996-05-06	Loss	Ernesto Hoost	K-1 Grand Prix 1996 Final Quarter Finals	Yokohama, Japan	KO (right low kick)	3	1:27	1–1
1996-03-10	Win	Jérôme Le Banner	K-1 Grand Prix '96 Opening Battle	Yokohama, Japan	Decision (unanimous)	5	3:00	1–0
Qualifies for K-1 Grand Prix 1996 final.
Legend:       Win       Loss       Draw/No contest       Notes

See also

In Spanish: Mirko Filipović para niños

• List of male kickboxers
• List of male mixed martial artists