I liked Cro Cop too but he made his UFC debut in 2007. He was only 32 years old. I always wondered why he didn’t have more success in the Octagon. I don’t think he ever got comfortable in the UFC. He always looked out of place and tentative, completely different from the guy who dominated the PRIDE Absolute tournament the year before. He was unstoppable. Just walked people down and kicked their heads off.
UFC and PRIDE were different though. Significantly. Different rules and regulations, in and out of the ring. Or cage. Whatever.