Mirko “Cro Cop” Undergoes Surgery at St. Catherine's Hospital
Zabok, May 22, 2018. UFC heavyweight champion Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) as well as partial tear of a medial collateral ligament (MCL). The following day he underwent artroscopic ACL reconstruction at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Zabok, Croatia and several hours later he was released from the hospital. Upon being discharged from the hospital he continued with physical medicine and rehabilitation at St. Catherine’s Polyclinic in Zagreb. Despite the extent of his injury, the Croatian legend told reporters that he is targeting a return in October and wants to fight Nelson “ASAP.”
Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the most common ligamentous injury, ranging from up to 200,000 injuries per year in the United States. Sports such as soccer, football, martial arts and skiing have been reported to be high‐risk sports that can cause injury to the ACL when compared to other sport activities. Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament is removed from the knee before the graft is inserted in an arthroscopic procedure. The anterior cruciate ligament graft takes approximately 6 months to biologically heal. The final goal is to prevent knee instability and enable patient to return to the level of physical activity that the patient enjoyed prior to ACL injury.
Mirko Filipović born 10 September 1974), known by the nickname Mirko Cro Cop, is a Croatian mixed martial artist, former kickboxer and amateur boxer. He currently competes in Bellator as part of their Heavyweight division and is mostly known for his time in Pride Fighting Championships. Cro Cop has also fought for the UFC and RIZIN.
Cro Cop is the 2006 Pride Open-Weight Grand Prix Champion, the 2012 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion and the 2016 and 2018 Rizin Openweight Grand Prix Champion becoming the second fighter in the world to win mixed martial arts and kickboxing championships and tournaments. He is also a former IGF Champion. His nickname, Cro Cop, short for "Croatian Cop", comes from his membership in the Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit, Croatia's elite Police Special Forces tactical unit.
Photo: Mirko Filipović with St. Catherine Hospital’s physicians after the surgery: dr. Damir Hudetz, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Dr. Igor Borić, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Radiology, dr. Eduard Rod, Orthopedic Surgeon and Prof. Dragan Primorac, M.D., Ph.D.
