The Octagon’s long awaited Hoosier State debut produced mixed results over the weekend. While UFC president Dana White claimed it was the third largest event in area history, that simply meant there were that many more fans booing the product inside the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana than originally anticipated.
UFC 119 wasn’t the most star-studded card in the organization’s history, so the expectations weren’t too high when the doors opened. However, ticket purchasers and pay-per-view buyers across the globe blasted White on his Twitter when the featured contest between Frank Mir and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic turned out to be the biggest snoozer of them all – less the final 58 seconds, of course.
CC was unable to attend the post-fight press conference due to his slapped silly state, however addressed his lackluster performance the following day after regaining his senses.
“The deal with my coach was not to go in any hard exchanges until the 3rdRound because I thought I was not as prepared as him, but it turned out that I was more prepared than him,” Cro Cop told Index.hr. (translated by FightersOnly). “I felt more powerful than him in the third and I went after him aggressively. Too bad I caught that knee, but that’s what this sport is about. I want to thank everybody for their support and apologize to the ones I’ve disappointed.”
Although the heavyweights were bombarded by boos from nearly every Hoosier in attendance, Cro Cop believes he had the former champ right where he wanted him prior blocking Mir’s knee with his face.
“I’m sorry like a dog! I could eat myself alive!” Filipovic stated. “I can only congratulate Mir, he really caught me with that knee. But taking all circumstances into consideration, I think I did a pretty decent job. It’s too bad because there was only a minute left to go [when I was stopped]. I had him against the fence and that was my chance.”
Speaking of which, there was a brief moment in the final stanza where both fighters engaged in some dialogue. While many fans thought they were sliding in some final insults, it appears the legends were negotiating where their uneventful contest should be concluded.
CC: “Let me go. Let’s go to the center and fight.”
Mir: “Let’s go to the mat.”
CC: “OK, if I’m on top.”
Mir: “We’ll stay in the clinch.”
Clearly, Mir was the better negotiator as he served up his vicious knee from within the clinch.
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