Nelson retires 'Cro Cop' with TKO at UFC 137
31.12.69
LAS VEGAS -- A flurry of strikes put Roy "Big Country" Nelson back in the win column while ending the storied career of Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.
Nelson recorded a third-round technical knockout of Filipovic on Saturday at UFC 137 in Las Vegas. The 37-year-old Filipovic announced afterward that going into the bout, he had already decided it would be his farewell fight regardless of the outcome.
After two close rounds, Nelson landed his powerful right punch in the middle of Filipovic's face in the third round. Filipovic wobbled backward and Nelson chased him down with one punch after another. A short left hook sent Filipovic down as he desperately dove for a takedown to buy time to clear his head, but Nelson, a far superior wrestler and grappler, simply slid onto his opponent's back and started battering him with punches until the fight was halted.
In the first 10 minutes, Filipovic appeared to find some of the killer instinct that made him a legend of Pride Fighting Championships, but appeared only sporadically in the last five years during his UFC fights. Filipovic landed his dreaded left kick to Nelson's torso twice in the first round, and connected with one to Nelson's neck in the second.
Source: USA Today