People don't get it. Martial arts is my life.
— Mirko Cro Cop
I am aware that I have come to the end of my martial times, but training with pain I want no longer. My body is battered by countless trainings. I collected nine operations; the body has become prone to injury.
Everything was good when I was in Japan, and then, unfortunately, the injuries started.
Frank Mir is gonna be my toughest fight in my UFC career. It won't be easy.
I'm not allowed to be woken up under any circumstances except if my house starts burning. Then my wife is authorised to wake me up, but only if fire gets to the door of my room.
The only 'special supplements' I'm using is two hard and bloody trainings per day, five days a week.
I really think me and my family live humbly. I've secured my life, and I won't have to open the newspaper and be looking for work.
In 1993, I joined the Croatian army. I was a radio telegraphist.
I've heard that I could be facing Randy Couture. That would a great.
I'm not angry or anything at Sonnen, but I will say one thing - I hope nobody gets offended; I don't wanna sound disgusting, and I am certainly not fan of any anthropologic theories - but you can see on that guy's face that he is limited and stupid, and his IQ is not higher than the size of the shoes he's wearing.
I usually train twice a day, and Thursdays and Sundays are supposed to be my days off. But even on those days, I'm training at least once. I have to do at least one session each day to be happy.
Sooner or later, the time comes when a man has to think on the health. I had a really long and great career, and I believe I left a deep mark in the martial arts. I have no regrets.
When I came to UFC, I was treated like a king.
All of the people I have lost against, I always want to fight again.
For my whole career, I didn't have sparring partners. I was frustrated when I came to the UFC because, after a few minutes of the first round, I would feel dead because I had no sparring partners.
I've made some investments during my career that I'm happy with, so my life, talking financially, is definitely OK.
The biggest shock was the first fight. I didn't know what to expect. I fought Fujita. At that time, he was one of the most dangerous PRIDE fighters. He was a complete beast and with 130 kilograms of pure muscle.
I was training in an old garage - just a roof. And when its snowed, it would cover the floor, so I would have to clear this first. I didn't have a punch bag. There was no place to buy it, so I managed to get a speed ball, but it didn't have the swivel mechanism, so I just nailed it to the ceiling and started kicking.
I broke people's bones, tore muscles, ribs, faces, inflicted some serious and heavy damages to my opponents, etc... I got hurt myself, too, from serious attacks.
I never liked to say any trash talk about anyone, and I never go low on that level.
I think the best thing to say is that I was born to fight.
Of course I could keep fighting, but every man comes to the point when he asks himself, 'Do I need it anymore?'
I have to be honest: when you have 70 fights under your belt, your priorities change.
I want to beat all the opponents who have beaten me before.
Win or lose, just stay calm.
People ask me if I'm going to open a school. Why not? I think I should. Maybe not a typical school where anyone can come but with young fighters definitely one day. I don't have the nerves for amateurs.
Low kicks, you need to throw at least 20 to finish the guy, and he has 20 chances to block you, and you can break your leg.
I'd most prefer to be a free agent and fight up to six times a year, but that is unlikely.
Saying that fights in Japan were fixed and that me, along with other guys like Silva, Minotauro, etc., did not win those fights legitimately is an ultimate and absurd nonsense.
