Report: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic replaces "Big Nog" in UFC 119 headliner
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (27-7-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) replaces an injured Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) and now meets Frank Mir (13-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in the headliner of next month's UFC 119 event, according to a report from "Fighters Only."
Although details of Nogueira's injury were not reported, a source close to the fighter told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) a reoccurring hip injury is to blame.
UFC 119 takes place Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The main card airs on pay-per-view, and two preliminary-card bouts air on Spike TV.
Mir and Nogueira were slated to rematch at UFC 119. Mir, of course, won his first meeting with Nogueira with an impressive second-round knockout at UFC 92 in December 2008. Only after the fight did we learn that Nogueira was slowed by staph-infection recovery and a knee injury. Still, Nogueira praised his opponent's performance and said he was surprised by Mir's noticeably improved striking skills.
Mir is just 1-2 since that big win, which marked Nogueira's first stoppage loss, with knockout losses to Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin and a submission win over Cheick Kongo. The Carwin loss, which came at UFC 111 in March with an interim title on the line, marks his most recent outing.
Filipovic, a former PRIDE star who's now in his second stint with the UFC, looks to improve upon his recent and impressive 5-1 run. The only loss during the stretch came to current top UFC contender Junior Dos Santos, and Filipovic immediately rebounded from that loss with recent stoppage wins over Anthony Perosh at UFC 110 and Pat Barry at UFC 115.
Filipovic had been medical suspended 180 days after the UFC 115 event due to head and face contusions, but he could've sought early clearance by a physician.
The latest UFC 119 card now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
* Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Frank Mir*
* Ryan Bader vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Chris Lytle vs. Matt Serra
* Evan Dunham vs. Sean Sherk
* Melvin Guillard vs. Jeremy Stephens
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen
* Joey Beltran vs. Matt Mitrione
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Steve Lopez vs. Waylon Lowe
* T.J. Grant vs. Julio Paulino
* Mark Hunt vs. Sean McCorkle
* Pat Audinwood vs. Aaron Riley*
* - Not officially announced
For more on UFC 119, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
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