UFC heavyweight and former PRIDE standout Mirko Cro Cop (27-7-2) has had a long career and battled some of the best in the business, and he admitted that his clash against former champion Frank Mir (13-5) at UFC 119 on Sept. 25 in Indianapolis could be his last.

Cro Cop isn’t looking much past the Mir fight, but he acknowledged that a serious injury, which is always a possibility in MMA, would make it difficult to continue with his chosen profession.

“[At] my age, my experience, [and with] so many fights on my back, it would be hard to start over again,” Cro Cop said during a UFC media call.

On top of a professional MMA career that dates back to 2001, Cro Cop, who just recently turned 36, also has over 70 combined K-1 kickboxing and amateur boxing matches to his credit.

“I will keep fighting as long as I feel good,” Cro Cop said.

Cro Cop took the Mir fight with only five weeks notice after Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira had to pull out of the main even with an injury. The opportunity arose when Lorenzo Fertitta, co-owner of UFC parent company Zuffa LLC, called Cro Cop — who was on vacation with his family taking a break after his thrilling back-and-forth scrap with Pat Barry at UFC 115 — and asked Mirko for a favor.

“They gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Cro Cop said, adding that he felt a responsibility to the UFC and its fans.

Cro Cop also insisted that five weeks gave him enough time to prepare.

“After many years of fighting, I should be ready,” Cro Cop said. “I don’t want to look for excuse[s].”

It’s a pretty easy fight to breakdown on paper. Mir, one of the best grapplers in the sport, has won eight of his fights by submission, while Cro Cop has excellent takedown defense and 20 wins by knockout or TKO. But in this day and age, MMA fighters have to train everywhere, Cro Cop said.

“Frank is a more experienced grappler than I, but I’ve been training Jiu Jitsu for 10 years,” he said. “Everybody knows that I will try to keep the fight in the stand-up position … but that doesn’t mean I won’t be able to defend” if it goes to the ground.

Still, as long as Cro Cop has been around the world of MMA, fighting in the spotlight against the biggest, toughest men in the sport, he still has quite a sense of humor.

Asked how he felt physically, Mirko joked that the conference call could put him out of commission. “Some research shows if you talk too much on the mobile phone, it can cause brain cancer.”

Cro Cop was equally lighthearted when a reporter asked if he would pace himself early on against Mir or come out more aggressive.

“From the first second of the fight I will run into a double-leg” he joked.

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