Mirko Cro Cop
Active 2007–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 86.0
Scouting report
Mirko Cro Cop served in the Lucko Anti-Terrorist Unit in Croatia, which gave him his nickname, and sat in the Croatian Parliament from December 2003 to January 2008. He won the 2006 Pride Openweight Grand Prix by knocking out Wanderlei Silva with a head kick in the semifinal and beating Josh Barnett in the final. In the UFC he went 5-6. He lost to Gabriel Gonzaga by head-kick knockout at UFC 70 on April 21, 2007 and avenged it with a TKO at UFC Fight Night 64 on April 11, 2015.
Peak ratings
Mirko Cro Cop: a K-1 headliner who fought in three UFC stints
Before MMA he was a K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up in 1999 and a three-time national amateur boxing champion with a 48-8 record. His Pride run included knockouts of Igor Vovchanchyn, Mark Coleman and Silva, and a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by armbar. His first UFC fight, at UFC 67 in February 2007, was a first-round TKO of Eddie Sanchez. After retiring in November 2015 he returned in 2016 and won the Rizin Openweight Grand Prix. His final fight was a decision win over Roy Nelson at Bellator in February 2019.
Cro Cop, one rating at a time
Boxing. 86. Mostapha al-Turk lost by TKO in round one at UFC 99 in Cologne in June 2009.
Kickboxing. 93, his best. Silva was knocked out by a head kick in 2006. He was a K-1 World Grand Prix runner-up in 1999.
Wrestling. 78. Cheick Kongo beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC 75 in London in September 2007. Three illegal groin strikes from Kongo went without a point deduction.
BJJ. 72. Nogueira armbarred him in Pride, and Aleksei Oleinik submitted him in November 2013.
Strength. 88. Gonzaga knocked him out at 4:51 of round one at UFC 70 in Manchester.
Durability. 82. Junior dos Santos stopped him in round three at UFC 103 after an eye injury, and Frank Mir knocked him out with a knee at 4:02 of round three at UFC 119.
Cardio. 78. He went to round three against Brendan Schaub at UFC 128 in March 2011 and lost by knockout.
Fight IQ. 84. He submitted Barry with a rear-naked choke in round three at UFC 115 in Vancouver in June 2010, a Submission of the Night.
Kickboxing at 93 and a head kick that won a Grand Prix
The Silva head kick sent him to the 2006 final, where Barnett tapped to strikes at 7:32 of round one. In 2013 he won the K-1 World Grand Prix final in Zagreb with three unanimous decisions. The 2015 rematch with Gonzaga earned a Fight of the Night. For a striking slot, he is among the best on the board.
BJJ at 72 and seven years of near-misses
Kongo, dos Santos, Mir, Schaub and Roy Nelson, who stopped him in round three at UFC 137 in October 2011, all beat him between 2007 and 2011. He pulled out of a December 2006 Pride card with a foot injury and had an undisclosed disc herniation before UFC 119. He won three times between UFC 99 and UFC 115, then lost three in a row. A grappler in another slot covers the gap.
Keep exploring
Closest heavyweight profiles to Mirko Cro Cop, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Travis Brownebest strength 88 · weakest bjj 74
- Alistair Overeembest kickboxing 95 · weakest cardio 78
- Marcos Rogerio de Limabest strength 89 · weakest bjj 76
- Cheick Kongobest strength 89 · weakest bjj 70
- Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Mirko Cro Cop's strongest attribute, Kickboxing.
Draft Mirko Cro Cop into your build
Mirko Cro Cop enters the pool on any spin landing on heavyweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Mirko Cro Cop is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Mirko Cro Cop's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.