The following is an excerpt from an article with Dana White from the LATimes.com website:
“Cro Cop's guys wanted to have a couple fights before they fought Randy Couture. And to be honest with you I think they wanted the fights to milk the contract.”
On the other hand, giving fighters easier fights to showcase their skills has always been a part of combat sports. Cro Cop never would have become such a star in Japan were it not for the impressive knockouts he scored over countless overmatched Japanese opponents.
White, though, has accepted unpredictability as part of his job, and feels a balance between a few fighters exerting dominance and an unpredictable world of evenly matched fighters is desirable.
“I think it's a combination of both. Over the years we've had guys that have gone in and dominated — Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Rich Franklin was on a streak there for a while. There are guys that can do it. But also what makes it so fun is the unpredictability. Think of some of boxing's biggest fights. People used to love to see Mike Tyson come out and crush people in a minute thirty of the first round. But then it got to the point where you didn't know what was going to happen with Mike after Buster Douglas beat him. Anyone could win, and it was definitely more compelling.”
As for Cro Cop's future, UFC doesn't have any set plans. “No idea. I don't even know what he wants to do next,” White said. “I'll have to talk to his people, see what he's thinking, see where his head is, no pun intended.”
White says that Cro Cop's next opponent is likely to be high profile. “I think he needs to go out and fight a big name guy. Gonzaga's an awesome fighter but nobody knew who he was.”
To read the complete article, click here.
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