FORMER Liverpool star Dejan Lovren swapped hauling strikers to the ground for a wrestle with MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop.
However, the Croatian hardman came unstuck against his experienced opponent as their friendly spar ended in Lovren tapping out.
The entertaining match-up ended with a brutal arm bar forcing the 31-year-old footballer to quit.
Lovren shared footage of his venture into the octagon on Instagram.
He wrote: “Had this morning a short training session against @crocop1009.
“What a beast this man still is. Was a big pleasure Mirko. Thank you.”
Fellow Croat and UFC veteran Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic retired from MMA in 2019.
The brawler, 46, called it a day after a health scare following a stroke.
A legend of combat sports, Cro Cop is a former anti-terrorist special forces policeman – where he got his nickname (Croatian Cop) – who competed in amateur boxing and kickboxing as well as MMA.
After winning 48 of 56 amateur boxing, he became a pro in kickboxing and MMA.
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In MMA, he won 38 of 52 fights, competing in the UFC, Pride, Bellator and Rizin promotions – winning titles in both Pride and Rizin – and ending his career with ten consecutive wins.
In kickboxing, he won 26 of 34 fights and secured the vaunted K-1 Grand Prix World Championship in 2012, as well as twice finishing second.
He also served as a Croatian MP from 2003 to 2008.
Lovren joined Zenit St Petersburg last year for £12million but engaged in some unusual fitness work without a fixture this week.
The defender is preparing for Croatia’s upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.
To his credit, Lovren – who would probably line-up as a middleweight if he gave MMA a go – managed 50 seconds in the grapple with a seasoned pro.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
