Losing two of his three fights in the UFC was bad enough for Mirko Cro Cop, but it was even worse because he really couldn't figure out why he wasn't performing up to his elite standards.

 

“I just knew that I was not the old Mirko Cro Cop that I used to be,” said Cro Cop, a UFC heavyweight who enjoyed tremendous success in PRIDE. “I do not know the reason.”

Cro Cop, in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, said he spent a great deal of time trying to figure out from where the problem stemmed.

“To tell you the truth, I just do not know,” he said. “Maybe I had not adapted to the cage [after fighting in PRIDE’s ring]. Maybe I was not hungry enough. I just know that I did not smell the blood like I did in my previous fights.”

Cro Cop, who is scheduled to fight this Saturday at UFC 99 against Mostapha Al Turk, said he is now definitely back.

“I think I fixed those problems,” he said. “They were just in my head — not my body. I am 100 percent motivated, hungry and happy, and I can’t wait for Saturday night.”

Cro Cop, who defeated Eddie Sanchez in his first fight and then lost to Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo, said he wants to prove to the world he can still fight.

“I want to return to the top and prove they [the doubters] were wrong,” he said in the 30-minute conference call.

UFC president Dana White, who was also on the call, said adding Cro Cop to the card came about in the most unusual manner.

“We added him [Cro Cop] at the last minute,” said White. “He and I started talking on the phone about this on Sunday, and it escalated to this. I’ve never done this in nine years.”