Mirko Cro Cop details extent of knee injury, targeted date for return

Mirko Filipovic’s left leg is in rough shape following his withdrawal from Bellator 200’s main event.

Filipovic, 43, pulled out of Friday’s scheduled Bellator 200 rematch against Roy Nelson after suffering an 11th hour knee injury in training. Unfortunately for “Cro Cop,” the damage appears to be extensive. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Tuesday that Filipovic’s list of injuries to his left leg includes: an ACL tear, a partial MCL tear, a meniscofemoral ligament (MFL) tear, an LCL sprain, and a median arcuate ligament (MAL) tear.

“Cro Cop” underwent surgery Monday to address the damage.

Despite the extent of his injury, the Croatian legend told Helwani that he is targeting a return in October and wants to fight Nelson “ASAP.”

While a five-month comeback is an extremely ambitious recovery timetable, Filipovic (36-11-2, 1 NC) pointed to a similar injury he suffered in January 2009 prior to the start of his second UFC stint. In that case, “Cro Cop” recovered quickly enough to return for a June 2009 fight against Mostapha al-Turk at UFC 99, which he won via first-round knockout.

Bellator 200 takes place May 25 at The SSE Arena in London, England.

With Filipovic off the card, a middleweight championship fight between Bellator titleholder Rafael Carvalho and Gegard Mousasi is expected to serve as Bellator 200’s new main event.

It is still unknown if Filipovic’s opponent, Nelson, will compete on the card.