CroCrop speaks: Recovery from surgery.

Mirko CroCop spoke to Croatian Newspaper, Vecernji about recovering from a surgery that corrected a deviated septum, a condition that Crocop said was affecting his ability to breathe after the first round. In addition to having trouble breathing, Crocop blamed his own strength and conditioning, citing being overwhelmed in the clinch against both Gonzaga and Kongo. Mirko pledged to change his training regimen to prepare for his next fight, likely early next year. He hopes it will be against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, who handed Mirko his first loss via armbar submission nearly four years ago.

Crocop improved dramatically from those early days in Pride, but then diminished as lack of focus affected performance both on the mat and in the gym. Whether or not Dana White will decide to pit him against Nogueira in his first fight back in the octagon after surgery remains to be seen.