OK, so the retirement rumors turned out to be untrue, but that doesn’t mean that the Croatian heavyweight known as Crocop doesn’t still have big changes in store for fans and foes alike.

On Tuesday, Mirko "Crocop" Filipovic retured to Tokyo, Japan where he was expected to announce at Wednesday's Fighting Entertainment Group press conference that he will be leaving the UFC to join a different fighting organization, possibly M-1 Global. That announcement was delayed but the predictions remain the same.

Considered Japan’s most popular MMA fighter of foreign blood and the 2006 Pride Open Grand Prix champ, Crocop signed onto the UFC in late 2006 only to find himself notching two consecutive losses and a dismal record of 1-2, weighing down his otherwise impressive overall MMA record of 22-6-2.

Fans are hoping this move could mean, among other things, a long-awaited rematch with Fedor Emelianenko.

Also expected to be announced at the FEG press conference was the creation of a new MMA group to replace the HERO*S division.

Filed under: UFC Fighters