Although many called for him to retire from active MMA competition following his second KO loss in a row to Brendan Schaub in April, fan-favorite, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic appeared on the Croatian sports TV show "Gol" this morning to discuss his career and at the same time, announced that he would be given one more UFC fight, and that it will come in October at UFC 137 against Roy "Big Country" Nelson.
This will be the last fight on Cro Cop's UFC contract and barring a decisive win against Nelson, it's unlikely he'll be offered a new deal. It's truly make or break for the Croatian legend, and for "Big Country" as well, who came under heavy fire from fans, journalists, and UFC brass after his embarassing performance against Frank Mir at UFC 130 in May.
Cro Cop also expressed regret that he would be unable to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a rematch for his last contracted bout:
"The UFC does not like when fighters choose their opponents. Minotauro requested this match-up first and I said to Fighters Only that I agree. Then the UFC said, "not now."
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-9-2-1)
Loss Brendan Schaub (KO) - UFC 128
Loss Frank Mir (KO) - UFC 119
Win Pat Barry (submission) - UFC 115
Roy "Big Country" Nelson (15-6)
Loss Frank Mir (decision) - UFC 130
Loss Junior Dos Santos (decision) - UFC 117
Win Stefan Struve (KO) - UFN 21
UFC 137 is expected to take place on October 29th in Las Vegas. The current rumored card now includes:
-Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz - UFC welterweight championship
-B.J. Penn vs. Carlos Condit
-Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop
-Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson
Source: Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson Planned for UFC 137