Thanks to Robert K. from BigOddsMike for the story, which he gleaned from Croatian site index.hr. Make sure to go there for all your UFC 100 odds.
After making a successful UFC comeback against Al Turk, Mirko Cro Cop's next fight will most likely be on September 19th , at UFC 103, in Dellas, Texas. Although we're still awaiting an official confirmation, Mirko's opponent will likely be 24-year Brazilian Junior Dos Santos.
The rising star exploded into the heavyweight division against former UFC contender Fabricio Werdum. The fight lasted only 81 seconds.
Dos Santos, known as "The Gypsy" in Brazil was set to fight in August, but UFC organizers cancelled the bout planned for UFC 102 in favor of a possible main event with the Croatian.
"I think I'll fight September 19. They took me off the August 29 show," he said, also announcing he will no longer be facing the same opponent. "My opponent's changed. I'll probably face Cro Cop. If I beat him I'll be in really good standing. If that's truly the case, I'm guaranteed on the main card and in the main event of the evening. If I were to fight now it wouldn't be on the main card," he said
"To me it's incredible. When they asked me if they could change the fight date I was a bit bothered, because I wanted to fight right away. I've been away for some time now. But the Fertitta brothers asked me and I accepted. After that I found out it would be against Cro Cop and was overjoyed. It'll be a big opportunity in my career. Lots of good things have happened in my life and this is one more. I'm going to make the most of it," he concluded.
Cro Cop Remains Silent
The Cro Cop camp refused to comment on the situation, refusing to say whether the Croatian has signed a new contract with the UFC any other organization. Only weeks ago it was widley reported that Cro Cop had signed a three fight deal with Dream. Nonetheless Index understands that Cro Cop will more than likely return to the UFC against either Brazilian Dos Santos, Cain Velasquez or Shane Carwin. Dos Santos however remains the logical choice for Cro Cop. The most likely location is Dallas in September or Los Angeles in October.
Dana White on Cro Cop
At the UFC 100 press conference White was asked to comment on the situation. (Note: If you're looking for the current UFC 100 odds, head over to BigOddsMike.)
On Mirko Cro Cop's possible return to the US:
"I hope so. Like I said at that last press conference in Germany, he and I had a deal, and I think he's going to honor the deal. ... I have said this many times and I'll say it again: there's some crooked sh*t that goes on over in Japan. They're all crooked. There's some sneaky sh*t going on over there, and that's always a big problem, you know. These guys who are in the fight business over there, for my Mexican friends, 'No bueno. No bueno.'"
On whether Cro Cop will face Junior dos Santos when he returns to the UFC:
"That's the fight I would like to see happen."
White said he hopes to secure a Dos Santos-Cro Cop match-up for UFC 103 in Dallas in September.
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