September 20, 2006 Observer Newsletter: Mirko Cro Cop, Trish Stratus

While its future is still very much uncertain, Pride Fighting Championships put together one of the great events in MMA history, as Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic put to rest any questions about where he stands among the all-time greats by winning the toughest final four tournament ever.

On his 32nd birthday, on a show broadcast live in his native Croatia, where he's such a hero that he now serves in parliament, Cro Cop put on a textbook display of how to beat Wanderlei Silva. He followed it up by overwhelming Josh Barnett. When it was over, he broke down in tears, but even in the end, when asked, refused to show weakness, claiming he didn't know why he cried nor was he thinking of anything in particular at the time. But after getting out of the ring, he claimed he had decided going into the tournament several months back, that had he not won, it would be the end of his MMA career.

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