Now just one day prior to UFC 110, Croatian website MMAAxion.com is reporting that Mirko Cro Cop received a cut over his eye while sparring and had to get stitches. Cro Cop apparently refuses to pull out of the fight citing he does not want weeks of preparation to go to waste.
UFC 110 takes place Sunday at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, and will air live in the U.S. Saturday night on Pay-Per-View.
This incident comes less than 24-hours after Cro Cop’s heavyweight opponent, Ben Rothwell had to pull out of their fight due to illness. The report also states the UFC originally asked Randy Couture and Quinton Jackson to step in for Rothwell, but they declined due to lack of preparation.
Instead, Anthony Perosh, a 10-5 UFC veteran from Australia, will fight Cro Cop. Perosh negotiated himself a four-fight contract for stepping in on two days notice according to the Croatian website.
It is interesting to note, if this card was taking place in the U.S. and sanctioned by one of the state athletic commissions, Cro Cop almost certainly would not be allowed to fight with stitches in his head.