Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic has reached the end of his long and fruitful career. He’s just confirmed Rizin GP was his last competition.

As he writes on his official facebook page:

Dear friends, and everyone who has followed my career, I’d like to inform you – as I said in the news of Nova tv last night – Rizin GP was my last competition. Sadly, my health is poor and I’m unable to follow the usual rhythm and super hard work outs that are a requirement for following any kind of sport let alone mma. My knee is heavily damaged and filling up with water after every harder training and that’s pretty much all of them. I’m awaiting for my 5th surgery on the knee and 10th overall and the exact method which they’ll use to repair it will be known only in a couple of weeks after the MRI on the right knee that has wrecked ligaments as far as 8 years ago. Meniscus has been removed over the last training camp and the cartilage is also not doing great. The knee can’t take hard work outs and neither can I. For the last 4 weeks I was unable to run from pain in the knee and I don’t want any draining after trainings and I can’t take frostburn any more on it because I have to ice it after every practice. It’s hard. But I was spitefull and said I had to win the Rizin GP and leave as a champ and that doesn’t have a price. In the last couple of days I’ve received several huge offers but I thinked everyone. I’ve always said I’ll train and fight as long as training is a pleaseure but I really can’t any more. MY body is worked over from the bloody trainings and it’s not purposeful to keep going this fway. In the end you should think about the health and life ahead of me. I’ve said I’d love to do a last fight in Japan and that would be great, of course only if I manage to deal with the knee so that it can hold on through another training camp but there’s a big question mark on that. And even that would be possible only in the other half of 2017. Even if that fight doesn’t happen I leave happy, fulfilled and content. And I leave on the best possible note, as a winner which doesn’t have a price. Sadly many greats never had that privilege because they never knew when to stop. So they left with a line of defeats, not lessening their impact but leaving a bitter aftertaste. I think this is the best moment to leave and I’m particularly happy about it. I will leave as a victor, believe you me that doesn’t have a price. Thank you everyone from the bottom of my heart for the support I’ve received over 20 year long career and thank you for every message and kind word you’ve given me. ♥

 Mirko Cro Cop was the guest of NOVA TV, where he announced that his career is definetly coming to an end this time, leaving only small possibility of a farewell fight in Japan. He also commented on everything that went on during Rizin GP.
Filipović was first asked what is the next step in his life and his career and he said something we all heard before, but this time he insists it is final:
” I signed a 15 fight deal with Rizin! I’m kidding of course, this was definetly my last great competition, my last great tournament, surely the end of my career. I have health issues and I can’t do it anymore. There is just a possible farewell fight, but only if I’m able to fix my injured knee.I don’t ever again want to go through what I went through during this training camp. I am 43 and as far as MMA is concerned, I gave all I had. I know I had retired before, but this time it is for good. ”
He also spoke on the victory over Amir Aliakbari and all the health problems he had to overcome to win this tournament:
” I was happy and proud, proud of myself first, and then proud of my team because even though this is an individual sport I couldn’t have done it without them. They all contributed. Training camp was great, maybe the best of my career. I knew this was going to be my last tournament and it turned out perfectly”
Until now, he always came back out of retirement. The lure of the cage/ring was too much to handle. But things aren’t like they used to be:
” It will be tough, that’s for sure. People used to joke with me about how many times I’ve retired and then came back, but I promised my family this time it’s for real. There is too much stress involved, I can’t do it anymore and I’m at peace with that.”
Is Mirko going to remain in MMA?
“Sort of, I will be working with young prospects. Guys like Delija, Milinković, Stošić who were my sparring partners during this camp. I will continue to train, I have been training all my life, it is a part of my life I can’t do without”