Two decades after their legendary 2005 clash in Pride FC — still regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight bouts in mixed martial arts history — Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović and Fedor Emelianenko may once again share the ring.
Rumors of a rematch between the two icons of the sport have circulated for months, and now Filipović himself has confirmed that serious discussions have already taken place.
Speaking from his gym in Zagreb, Croatia, the Croatian legend revealed to the local news agency that the bout was closer to reality than fans might think:
To be honest, I was surprised by Fedor’s recent announcement.
There were talks about a rematch roughly a year ago.
His team reached out to Orsat Zovko, my friend who brought me back to Japan, and they proposed a boxing exhibition.Fedor said he could no longer do MMA because of injury concerns, so discussions began.
In the end, we came to an agreement.It was supposed to happen earlier this year — I signed the contract back in February.
Filipović explained that the Japanese promoters had initially reserved several major venues, including Saitama, Yokohama, and the iconic Tokyo Dome.
However, the delay in finalizing Fedor’s signature derailed those plans:
Fedor only signed in June, and by then all the arenas were booked.
The earliest available venue in Japan is in August next year.We haven’t discussed a date or location yet, but he wants a boxing match.
If the opportunity comes, I see no reason not to do it.
The former Pride Grand Prix champion, now 51, famously announced his retirement six and a half years ago after suffering a stroke.
When asked whether he was medically cleared to compete again, Filipović was confident:
Since my retirement, I only took a few months off. After that, I went straight back to training.
I enjoy it. We’re actually doing a hard session tonight — that’s how I train.
Despite his age, Filipović insists he’s in good health and regularly undergoes medical evaluations:
Twice a year, I go for routine checkups.
When the talks about the fight started getting serious, I had another MRI done about 20 days ago.
Everything came back fine.No professional sport is healthy — especially contact sports.
Every strike is trauma to the brain. But if you’re prepared, it’s easier to handle.A light exhibition match? I can absolutely do that.
As for the match details, Cro Cop says nothing has been finalized yet:
We don’t know how many rounds it’ll be, how long they’ll last, or what glove size we’ll use.
Nothing’s decided.
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