“Now I am training with sparring partners who are nice people, sure, but not my friends. These are sparring partners who want to knock me out in sparring. In the Croatian media, they said it was 'life and death' sparring - it was not quite life and death, but it was all-out fighting, very hard.”

Croatian former mixed martial artist and kickboxer

Mirko Filipović, known as Mirko Cro Cop, is a Croatian former professional mixed martial artist, kickboxer, and amateur boxer. He became widely known for his career in Pride Fighting Championships. He also fought in the UFC, K-1, RIZIN, and Bellator. His name is closely associated with heavyweight kickboxing and mixed martial arts, where he is often cited among the sport’s leading figures.