Van Damme and Cro - cop

**kick** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 1:40am

Jean-Claude van Damme coming to visit Mirko Cro Cop

Jean-Claude van Damme coming to visit Mirko Cro Cop

Famous Belgian actor Jean-Claude van Damme recently found out that Mirko Filipovic was inspired as a teenager by his movies. After watching "Blood Sport", Mirko started training martial arts. So Van Damme decided to give him a phone call.
When Crocop received phone call from Van Damme, he thought someone is making fun of him. They spoke for almost an hour, and after Crocop was convinced that it is actually Van Damme, he called Van Damme to visit him in his house in Zagreb. Van Damme was very pleased and he accepted the offer.
Van Damme is shooting a movie in Bulgaria at the moment, and he will come to Zagreb on 21st or 22nd of March. He will stay in Mirko's house for 7 days, and during that time he will train in his gym and visit Mirko's house in village Privlaka, where Mirko lived as a boy.
(from jutarnji.hr - translation by djoni - www.nokaut.com/forum)

Van Damme says that he watches MMA, but he heard about Mirko from his father, who watched one of Pride shows, and before Mirko's fight there was a short movie about Mirko. After watching it, Van Damme's father told him: "there is one great fighter who wears checkered shorts and as a teenager had your poster in his room". Van Damme says that he felt satisfaction in fact that one Pride champion found inspiration in his movies for all that Spartan work. So he decided to call Mirko.
Van Damme says that he wants to make a movie about mixed martial arts, and that Crocop would have a role in this movie. Besides Crocop, Van Damme wants Jerome Le Banner, Fedor Emelianenko and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in that movie. Van Damme says that this movie would be for mixed martial arts what "Raging Bull" (with Robert De Niro) was for boxing.
In rest of the interview, Van Damme says that he trains more now, cause he doesn't want to embarass himself in front of Crocop. He is also joking that he plans to stay for 7 days at Crocop's home, but there is possibility that it will last shorter, if he doesn't meet Crocop's expectations
They ask him about Sylvester Stallone, and he compares their relationship to Crocop and Fedor. He says they are rivals, so they can't be friends. But he also says that he hopes Crocop and Fedor will become friends, if they agree to shoot a movie together
from vecernji.hr - translation by djoni

**Asriel** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 3:37am

Does this mean that Cro Cop will be competing in an NHB Tournament made up of Martial Artists all around the world just like Van Damme did in..... Oh, wait a minute....

**namaste** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 3:56am

it's nice that they are friends and can have joyous times.

**mcjon** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 4:27am

When you think about it, its pretty cool. If cro cop was inspired by bloodsport, you know he sometimes dreamed about going to Asia and competing and winning a NHB tournament. I guess now he is actually living his childhood dream.

**Emevas** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 10:59am

It must be a weird feeling to totally and completely surpass your idol.

**Asriel** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 11:12am

Maybe this will spur Van Damme to train his arse off and compete in MMA. Oh I'd love to see that!

**thehorned1** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 11:16am

That's the good thing about MA movies. They may be utter bollocks but they inspired a lot of good fighters. Enter The Dragon made Bas Rutten start MA's and he said the Bruce Lee inspired a lot of other fighters too...

**bad credit** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 11:58am

Diego the "Nightmare" Sanchez said once that when he was a kid he rewatched Bloodsport over and over trying to copy and perfect the moves.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 3/15/2007 12:34pm

Originally Posted by Asriel

Maybe this will spur Van Damme to train his arse off and compete in MMA. Oh I'd love to see that!

He's over 40 already, so who knows if he wants to do that. I mean, he is in excellent shape for his age, and I give him props to that. But after a certain age, people focus on other things. Who knows.