Immediately after the UFC 99 heavyweight bout between Mirko Cro Cop and Mostapha Al-Turk, Kevin Iole from Yahoo Sports stated that he had sources indicating a 3-fight deal between Cro Cop and DREAM, the Japanese promotion.
Snip from Kevin Iole:
“Not long after stopping Mostapha Al-Turk in the first round of UFC 99 on Saturday at Lanxess Arena in his first fight in the UFC since back-to-back losses in 2007, Filipovic informed UFC president Dana White that he had signed a three-fight contract with the Japan-based DREAM.”
Dana White’s reaction toward the rumors showed how furious he was with Cro Cop:
“Isn’t that a dirty [expletive] thing to do? He [expletived] me. The first time in the history of the company I do one over the phone. He promised me a three-fight deal and he [expletived] me…. He didn’t keep his word. He talked about honor and all this other [expletive] and he [expletived] me. He fed me this bull [expletive] about wanting to take a run for the title, and what I think he did was, he went out and did this. He turned down every other [expletive] fighter I offered him, because I needed him to fight Cain. He didn’t just poke Al-Turk; he poked me, too.”
In Mirko Cro Cop’s website, he denies any sort of contract with DREAM. On the contrary, he seems more than willing to re-sign with the UFC and expects to sit down and discuss a deal with Dana White:
“I don’t know why White listened to the rumors instead of talking to me. I hoped that we will talk about a continuing of our collaboration, because the only obstacle was the long period between two fights that has been offered to me. I don’t want to sit at home so long and waiting that someone calls me for a fight. However, I am grateful to Dana White for an opportunity to fight in Cologne and despite his harsh words, I don’t see the reason that we don’t prolong the contract.”
