Mirko Cro Cop returns, meets Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Dec. 31 Rizin FF event

Mirko Cro Cop is coming out of retirement. Again.

The veteran MMA fighter and kickboxer, who’s previously announced multiple retirements of sorts that never quite stuck, is returning to action again.

Risen FF officials today announced Cro Cop (35-11-2) will fight fellow heavyweight Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (29-12-2) on Dec. 31. The event, “Rizin FF 9: World Grand Prix Final Round,” takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and it steams on FITE TV in North America.

The announcement came on day after Rizin FF President Nobuyuki Sakakibara first mentioned that Cro Cop was returning to action to fight “a few more times” with the promotion (via Instagram):

RIZIN GP2016??????????????????RIZIN??????????? ???????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????! #mirkocrocop #RIZINFF #RIZIN2017 The RIZIN GP 2016 winner Mirko Crocop will be returning to the RIZIN ring after a year. He has decided to fight in front of his beloved Japanese fans a few more times before he retires. He would like to continue to face meaningful opponents until he hangs his gloves. Keep an eye out for Mirko's final chapter.

A post shared by NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA (@nobu_sakakibara) on Nov 10, 2017 at 8:09am PST

Cro Cop, a 43-year-old UFC and PRIDE vet, claimed Rizin FF’s 2016 open-weight grand prix title after winning four fights – over the likes of Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal and Amir Aliakbari – to close out last year. It pushed the Croatian striker’s overall winning streak to seven fights. After the tourney win, he hit the sidelines but left open the door for a possible return.

He now meets Kohsaka, a 47-year-old Japanese fighter who’s a vet at both MMA and pro wrestling. He made his MMA debut 23 years ago and has fought some of the biggest names in the sport. Since returning from a nine-year layoff from 2006-2015, the famed grappler and former King of Pancrase is 1-1 with a TKO victory over James Thompson and a decision defeat to Baruto Kaito – both under the Rizin FF banner.

Rizin FF 9 also featured the conclusion of the organization’s men’s bantamweight and women’s atomweight tournaments.

For more on Rizin FF 9, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.