MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop, who has fought in both the UFC and Pride, will make his Glory kickboxing debut on March 8th in the Middleweight Contender tournament against Remy Bonjasky on Spike TV's Glory 14.
While Cro Cop is a household name, Bonjasky might not be as well-known to fight fans, even though he's a well-respected, three-time K-1 champion. His nickname is "The Flying Gentleman," and he's compiled a career record of 98-12-0. He earned his spectacular moniker by becoming a master of flying knees and roundhouse kicks, difficult moves to execute but ones that can end bouts in mind-blowing fashion.
He could be at the end of his rope, however, as MMAFighting.com reported he has recently contemplated retirement because of multiple retina surgeries. At 38 years old, he should remain a threat to Cro Cop, but is far from his prime.
Cro Cop, whose real name is Mirko Filipovic, is no spring chicken himself. At 39 years old he continues to be an exciting fighter, but recent losses in the UFC to fighters like Roy Nelson, Brendan Schaub and Frank Mir painted the picture of an aging legend hanging on too long.
He actually retired in 2011, but returned to mixed martial arts in 2012. Since his comeback he is 1-1, most recently falling to Oleksiy Oliynyk at Legend-Part 2: Invasion.
That shouldn't dull excitement for his Glory debut; he has transitioned to kickboxing well, going 6-0 and netting a K-1 World Grand Prix title. Overall he is 22-7 as a kickboxer and could elevate the Glory promotion to the national consciousness.
Cro Cop vs. Bonjasky was to be co-headlined by Andy Ristie vs. Ky Hollenbeck, which was being billed as a Lightweight title match. Hollenbeck pulled out of the bout though because he's decided to focus on a Firefighter Cadet Program. He's been replaced by Georgian kickboxer Davit Kiria, who has a 4-3 record in Glory. Ristie is 6-0 in Glory, and 43-3-1 overall.
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