UFC
Moderator: Jennifer Wenk
06-09-09/2:00 pm CT
Confirmation # 4662959
Page 1
UFC
Moderator: Jennifer Wenk
June 9, 2009
2:00 pm CT
Operator: Good day and welcome to the Zuffa LLC UFC 99 conference call. Today’s call is being recorded.
At this time, I’d like to turn the conference over to Jennifer Wenk. Please go ahead.
Jennifer Wenk: Hi, good morning everyone. Thanks for participating in the call today and thanks for your patience.
We put this call together very quickly because of the large number of media requests that we have had for Mirko Cro Cop to talk about his return to the UFC and Dana White is also on the line here to talk about our historic first event in Germany. I’ll turn it over to Dana.
Dana White: Good morning, guys. Thanks for waiting. We had to get Mirko on the phone here. He’s not in Germany yet; he’s still in Croatia, so we figured this would be the easiest way to get you guys to talk to him since he won’t be at the press conference either.
He arrives either at the same time the press conference is going on or right after. So he’s on the phone now, any body have any questions. Let’s open it up and get it going.
Operator: Thank you. If you’d like to ask a question at this point, you can do so by pressing star 1 on your telephone. Again, that is star 1 if you’d like to ask a question. And if you joined today using a speaker phone, make sure your mute function is turned off before you signal. One more time, that’s star 1.
And our first question will come from Todd Martin.
Todd Martin: Good morning, guys. Question first for Mirko. Mirko, what do you attribute your struggles in your first UFC tenure to and what are you switching up in terms of your preparation to try to ensure that this time you’ll show your full range of skills?
Mirko Cro Cop: Well, I’m afraid that I couldn’t understand you correctly.
Todd Martin: Sorry, I’ll repeat the question.
Mirko Cro Cop: Could you please repeat the question because I don’t think – can you speak little bit louder, please.
Todd Martin: Yes, absolutely. What do you attribute your struggles in your first time in the UFC to and what are you switching up this time in terms of your training to …
Mirko Cro Cop: I understand, I understand. OK.
Todd Martin: …try to ensure that it will be more successful?
Mirko Cro Cop: Well, to tell the truth, it’s hard to say 100% what was the struggle for my – what – for my first appearance in the UFC, my first three fights. I won one fight and then I lost two fights and I just think I wasn’t that old Mirko Cro Cop that I used to be. I don’t know the reason I spent so many times thinking about it and I don’t know, maybe I was just empty right after I won the Pri Grand Prix and I don’t know. To tell the truth, I don’t know, I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t adapted for the fight in the cage. Maybe I wasn’t hungry enough, I don’t know, I don’t know.
But definitely there was – I just didn’t smell the blood like I – I’m just saying like at the first, I don’t mean blood for real, but I just couldn’t smell the blood like I did it in my previous fights and it reflects on my (passion) fights and I just – I just wasn’t (that old one) and what switched me on again, I don’t know, I don’t know. So many things I was thinking hard about everything, I had the surgery in January and I had a lot of time to think and I decided to return and I hope and I think – I really think that my condition, my shape is better than ever. Of course I would have to prove in my next fights that are in front of me, but I really think that I fixed those – it was only head problem, not body, nothing with body, nothing with condition, it was problem with my head.
Why I wasn’t motivated, it’s hard to say. But definitely it’s behind me and I’m 100% motivated, I’m in very good condition, I am hungry for fighting and that’s most important thing to a fighter and I’m very happy and I can’t wait for the Saturday night.
Todd Martin: Thanks and a quick question for Dana. Dana, have you gotten any word from the arena as far as where ticket sales are coming from? Whether it’s coming primarily from Germany, the U.K., Croatia, Netherlands, et cetera.
Dana White: We haven’t really done an analysis on it yet, but I’m – it’s coming from all over Europe I’m sure. You know first time ever being in Germany and you know Croatia isn’t too far away from Germany, so obviously Mirko you know getting on the card was a good deal. But ticket sales – ticket sales are going great. We’re really happy with the way they’re moving there.
Todd Martin: OK, thanks very much. Good luck with the show.
Dana White: Thanks, I appreciate it, buddy.
Operator: Thank you. Once again, that is star 1 if you’d like to ask a question. We’ll hear from Sergio Non with USA Today.
Sergio Non: Hi, how’re you doing?
Mirko Cro Cop: Hey.
Dana White: Good morning.
Sergio Non: I have a question for Dana and a question for Mirko. First, Mirko you – there was some Croatian papers that reported a few months ago that you were in talks with some other organizations in addition to UFC, what was the difference that convinced you to sign with UFC?
Mirko Cro Cop: Can you repeat the – only last sentence, what make me …
Sergio Non: What was the difference that convinced you to sign with UFC instead of somebody else?
Mirko Cro Cop: Why I sign with UFC because it was my wish, it was my wish to fight in the UFC and I think that I owe a lot to the UFC and to UFC fans and that was the main reason why I signed with the UFC.
Sergio Non: OK and Dana, when Mirko left the UFC, you said you felt he needed to rebuild his confidence, what do you see in him that leads you to believe he’s regained it?
Dana White: Well, when Mirko and I talked on the phone, the day that he said that he wanted to come, back, let me tell you he was all fired up and basically saying, listen, I got my surgery, I’ve been training, I want this, I want to come back, I want to win that title, I want to take a run at it. You know I’ve been in the fight business for a long time and talked to a lot of different guys you know throughout different points in their careers and the – but when I talked to Mirko and we started about putting him on this Germany card, he was fired up and wanted to come back bad, and you know I’ve always said, I respect Mirko and you know if you ever wanted to come back it was a phone call away and there it was.
Sergio Non: All right, great. Thanks guys.
Operator: Our next question will come from Neil Davidson with Canadian Press.
Neil Davidson: Yes, thank you. Mirko, in the past you’ve been a busy man with Parliament and your police duties, are you doing anything else now except fight?
Mirko Cro Cop: Nothing, nothing but training and every morning I have to take my dogs out in the forest and that’s all I’m doing, all I’m doing, all I’m doing. Practically, I’m not moving out from the house.
Neil Davidson: And then…
Mirko Cro Cop: And that makes me happy and just want it to stay that way. I’m staying out of everything else, all other things that can make – that can take out my concentration and my energy for the training and I think that’s most important thing to be 200% professional and to be focused on the only training. And I did – you’re right, I did a mistake in the past, I did a mistake ((inaudible)).
Neil Davidson: What was the – what was the surgery you had?
Mirko Cro Cop: I had some problems and – you know I’m professional sportsman and I hope you understand that I don’t like to speak too much about – about surgery or an injury. You are the only one who is going to hear, but it is behind me – it is behind me but I just don’t like to mention it. Maybe I’m superstitious but I just consider it as a jinx talking too much about surgeries.
Neil Davidson: And …
Mirko Cro Cop: It was – I had a problem ((inaudible)) I had a problem with the knee and I fixed it, I’m like new now, and everything is OK.
Neil Davidson: You had great – you’ve had great success in your career, your first trip to the UFC did not go according to plan. Did that stick with you? Was it in your mind? Obviously you wanted to come back and fix it.
Mirko Cro Cop: Exactly, exactly. This is good question. Exactly. This is – UFC was the black spot in my career and in my life and I’m the man who dedicates his life to fighting sport and I just want – I just want to justify the (trusts) Dana White gave me 2 years ago and calling me to UFC after I went from pride and it just bothers me a lot you know and – in the – like every fighter in the world you know in the beginning of his career you know motivation is the – for the most of them is money, how to secure his life, the life of his family you know but today that things are behind me and – but I have the maybe the strongest and the best motivation.
I just want to return – to return on the top and I just want to prove everyone that they were wrong. They were wrong you know. I just hope that God will give me the strength that I can prove my worth you know I don’t like to talk too much now on the phone about it because I have to prove my worth in the cage and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. That’s – but definitely I have a very, very high motivation. Maybe I was never motivated like this in my career, never, definitely never.
Neil Davidson: Thank you, we look forward to seeing you again.
Mirko Cro Cop: Yes, thanks. Bye.
Operator: Our next question will come from Mike Straka with Fox News.
Mike Straka: Hey, Mirko, welcome back. Wanted just to get a feeling of how do you feel in your training and did you change anything up to get ready for this upcoming fight?
Mirko Cro Cop: Well, I feel good. I feel good, I feel excellent. My condition is good and actually I didn’t train nothing much in the – but from the time when I left UFC I did a lot of, lot of wrestling. Lot of wresting – not grappling on the ground, I did a lot of stand up wrestling and of course I worked my ground game too and I trained a lot in the cage because I got a cage in my house in my gym. And – but training is not the key, I used to train hard all the time you know the key is head. Head is the key of the success. That’s the key of success, head. In my case is the head. And in the case of all other top fighters, it’s just a head. How aggressive you will be, who is going to attack first, but you need to be – do it in your head and then there is no problem you know.
Mike Straka: Mirko, is there anything about Mustapha Al-Turk that impresses you or anything that you worked specifically to overcome in his game?
Mirko Cro Cop: Well for me every opponent, every coming opponent is the most dangerous one on the planet. That’s how I – that’s how I take it and Mustapha shows courage accepting only 3 weeks up to the fighting, but I did the same thing – I didn’t even know the time that I’m fighting, I also accepted you know for a short – for the short period for me to prepare. I respect Mustapha, to tell the truth, I never heard before – I never heard before for him, but I watched some of his fights and I – I’m ready for him – I’m ready for him, I’m ready for his ground work, I’m ready for his clinch. I’m ready for whatever he’s going to do.
Mike Straka: OK thank you, Mirko. Dana, do you have any indication as to European celebrities or any U.S. celebrities that will be in attendance.
Dana White: (Actually), yes there’s go to be some German football guys there, but I don’t know. I never really – I never really get into that. We start getting those kind of requests the week of the fight. So it will probably be Thursday or Friday that we’ll start figuring out who’s coming.
Mike Straka: And where will you hold the weigh in on Friday and what time, but also, is it going to be different – a much different weigh in because you’re not going to have the fan club there?
Dana White: Yes, it’s going to be at the arena.
Mike Straka: OK, do you expect a big turn out there? Is there a contingency of Europeans in the fan club?
Dana White: I don’t know what to expect until I walk out there plan day. You know what I mean? We’ve never been there. Every time we go into a new shit, we’re here in the United States we go into a new place I don’t know how many people are going to be there you know. You never know.
Mike Straka: All right, sweet. Thanks guys.
Dana White: Thanks, buddy.
Operator: One more time, that is star 1 if you have a question. Our net question will come from Anthony Springer with FightNews.com.
Anthony Springer: Hi, this question is for Mirko; can you talk to us for a little bit about the differences between fighting in the ring and the going to the cage?
Mirko Cro Cop: There are differences definitely. I know it very well because I spent whole my career fighting in the ring and then I just entered the cage. I must say that I underestimate cage. It was not so easy not to adapt. It’s much, much easier to go from the cage to the ring than from the ring to the cage. So I – I get the cage in my gym, as I already said …
((inaudible)) many experienced fighters from the UFC they like to use the cage, they like to use the wire, their elbows – you’re not so easy you know when somebody put you on the – on the wire, you can just – just cannot move.
In the ring, you can just put your head out of the ropes, ref will stop the fight, they will put you – they will put you back in the middle of the ring and it’s much easier for the fan, for escape, for as but if you are on the wire and if you don’t know how to escape, you are in trouble, that’s the difference.
Anthony Springer: All right. And one last question, can you give us your assessment of the current heavyweight division in the UFC.
Mirko Cro Cop: Excuse me, can you say again?
Anthony Springer: Your assessment of the heavyweight division in the UFC?
Mirko Cro Cop: My what, I can’t understand. I’m sorry.
Jennifer Wenk: What do you think of the …
Dana White: What do you think of the heavyweight division in the UFC right now? What do you think about the guys who are fighting in the heavyweight division?
Mirko Cro Cop: Well, there are many, many good fighters, many good fighters, many good – Randy Coutoure and Negara, Frank Mir, what’s the name of that big guy? I can’t remember. Help me, Dana.
Dana White: Lesnar, Cheik Congo.
Mirko Cro Cop: Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar. They are good; they are good; they are good; they are good; experienced and all of them – all of them are dangerous. Good fighters.
Hello?
Operator: Yes, our next question …
Dana White: Yes, we’re still here.
Mirko Cro Cop: OK.
Dana White: Our next question will come from David Meltzer with Yahoo Sports.
David Meltzer: Hey guys, how you doing? This – for Dana …
Dana White: Hey, Dave.
David Meltzer: In – are you in Germany already?
Dana White: No, I’m still in Vegas.
David Meltzer: OK, I mean have you heard anything as far as Germany, as far as like the media reaction, has it toned down or is it – is it you know as far s like the controversial aspect of it or have you – or has that kind of gone away in the last couple weeks?
Dana White: I mean it’s still here, but you know it’s nothing new; this is what we deal with. I mean I remember when we went into the U.K., Lorenzo and I were literally in a hotel room dealing with stuff right up until we went to the event you know. It’s all part of the process, this is nothing new, just this is a little more public than most – most places we go to.
David Meltzer: And as far as the deal with Mirko, is it true that this is a one-fight deal or is that not true?
Dana White: You know I think that’s – Mirko and I are working on that still. Listen, Mirko Cro Cop ended up on this card like last minute, within weeks before the event and this whole deal was done verbally over the phone with me and him, and you know since the day he left Pride and came to fight with us, right until he – you know he fought his last fight with us and has been sitting out, we’ve had a great relationship and you know this fight was – like I said, this fight was made over the phone and we’ll see what happens.