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09/11/09 - CroCop drops boxing coach amid "drastic" changes to training regime
Mirko ‘CroCop’ Filipovic has announced “drastic” changes in the way he will be training for his next UFC fight, it was reported today. These changes include dropping his long-time boxing coach Marjan Žižanovic and sparring partner Igor Pokrajac.
“After the defeat by Dos Santos, Filipovic has announced drastic changes in the training methods and composition of Team CroCop,” Croatian newspaper Index.hr revealed, citing “sources close to the fighter”.
“Marjan Zizanovic is no longer his boxing coach. Instead, CroCop is now working with the Dutch Muay Thai legend Ivan Hippolyte, who these days resides in Zagreb. Filipovic will combine training at his own facility with visits to the Netherlands where he can train with top-notch sparring partners,” the report states.
“Igor Pokrajac, CroCop’s long-time friend and sparring partner, is also no longer in Filipovic's team. Pokrajac continues his career with the UFC, but is no longer training with Filipovic although the pair remain on good terms.”
The report adds that Filipovic is set to fight Ben Rothwell at UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia, with final confirmation expected “within a few days”. The fight has been strongly rumoured in recent weeks and CroCop’s big name would be a significant draw for Australia’s first UFC event, despite his recent loss of form.
Translated from the original Croatian by Fighters Only. Copyright in this English-language translation rests with Fighters Only, please feel free to use any part of it but credit us for any English-language extracts that you use from this article. Thanks, FO Team
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