Mirko “Crocop” Filipović did exactly what he was expected to do in his UFC return, disposing of Mostapha Al-turk in the first round of their heavyweight fight at UFC 99: The Comeback.

Crocop wins, but not in convincing fashion

Al-turk’s game plan was to push the pace against Crocop, starting the bout by throwing wild strikes, including weird-looking taekwondo kick. Crocop strided forward and eventually landed a punch that staggered Al-turk. Unable to finish Al-turk on the ground, Crocop let him back up to the feet, where Al-turk once again tried to swing for the fences. An accidental eye poke made Al-turk turtle up, but since nobody noticed initially, Crocop just pounded on Al-turk until the stoppage.

One can only wonder what Al-turk expected out of the fight; he never went for takedowns or tried to exploit the ground game of Crocop, instead choosing to throw strikes with one of the top HW strikers in the world. Not a dominant performance by Crocop, and one that adds more reservation to Crocop’s quest to be a UFC champion.