Mirko Filipović and Roy Nelson will not fight in the Bellator 200 spectacle in London this Friday.
The legendary Mirko Filipović will not fight in the Bellator cage against Roy Nelson this Friday, the British Telegraph reported on Monday.
“Mirko Cro Cop has been injured and had to retire from the program,” confirmed Ryan Grab, communications director of the Bellator MMA Organization, reports Gol.hr on May 21, 2018.
Index.hr wrote that during training, Mirko snapped the anterior cross ligament (ACL) of his left knee, though we still await official confirmation from Cro Cop himself. The injury was said to have happened a few days ago, but Mirko did not lose hope. However, it is a severe injury that will force the fighter to pause for months.
This fight was meant to be a crucial rematch for the Croatian after Nelson celebrated after their UFC fight in 2011. Cro Cop thought he would finally get revenge on the American fighter, though injuries still prevented him this time around.
Mirko has been in great shape in recent years and secured eight consecutive wins, including one in the UFC when he defeated Gabriel Gonzaga.
This fight should have been the debut of Mirko in the Bellator, who had promoted the highly anticipated event until yesterday. It also should have been the primary battle of the special jubilee edition of the Bellator, even though the title fight between Michael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi is part of the program. The battle between Carvalho and Mousasi is now being promoted as the fight of the evening.
Recall, Cro Cop was also supposed to fight in the Rizin at the end of July in Japan, but this fight will also most likely canceled. Now, we must wait and see when the Croatian martial arts legend will again be ready for new battles. The Croatian fighter announced a definitive end to his career after this December’s Rizin – the same event in which he won the heavyweight Grand Prix at the end of 2016.
