A rematch eight years in the making finally went down inside the Krakow Arena in Krakow, Poland this past Saturday night (April 11, 2015) when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop collided in the main event of UFC Fight Night 64.

Coming into the 25-minute exchange, many fight fans were left wondering exactly what these two had left to give to mixed martial arts (MMA). Well, at least one man put retirement notions to bed and that was the former Croatian cop.

The grizzled 40-year-old won an incredible comeback over a thoroughly game opponent in the Brazilian Gonzaga. Cro Cop, who was in the hole two rounds following the impressive grappling effort put forth by the former title challenger, unleashed a barrage of short elbows in the third round, forcing the referee to stop the fight.

"This was one of the most important fights in my career, not just rematches," Cro Cop explained at the post-fight presser. "I knew I needed to stay away from him in the first and second rounds. It sounds smart but that was our strategy. It was a must-win situation for me."

Suddenly, the future appears bright for the once downtrodden kickboxer. The win gives Cro Cop his third-straight victory; by (technical) knockout no less. It would also even his score with Gonzaga and earn him a performance bonus. Consequentially, it upped his UFC/Pride win total to 22 and kept his record in rematches spotless at 6-0.

What exactly will his future hold, Octagon announcer Dan Hardy asked him following his triumphant return.

"First thing I'll do is take a shower and go to Croatia in an hour. Maybe [in] one or two weeks I'll rest and then train again," he told Hardy.

Considering Cro Cop just turned 40, and knocked off the No. 14 guy in the world in his division, a lot needs to be sorted out.

A win over Gonzaga is respectable, but the way he was dominated in the early parts of the fight only serve to prop up the drama surrounding his miraculous turnaround. More importantly, it is a stark reminder of the hole's in a one-dimensional fighter's game, and an ode to father time.

Cro Cop's most meaningful strike came on a missed head kick in the middle of the second round.

Cro Cop has committed to exactly one strike so far. The missed head kick. — Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) April 11, 2015

Long gone are the tenacious combinations that made Cro Cop a fan favorite all over the globe. His inactivity on the feet is what ultimately led to his dismissal from the UFC in the first place.









He missed out on his first and last crack at UFC gold when he was upset by Gonzaga at UFC 70 in their No. 1 contender's bout. But as is the case with former Pride champion Dan Henderson , if Cro Cop still has the itch, then UFC President Dana White will likely allow him to scratch it.





Now, White wasn't present at the post-fight press conference to elaborate on any future fights for Cro Cop, but there are a couple of names in the top 15 that stand out.





Mark Hunt bested the Croatian back on the New Year's Eve Pride card in December 2005. He has an upcoming tussle with another Croatian, Stipe Miocic -- who was a training partner for Cro Cop in his most recent camp -- next month. That would be one heck of a stand-up war between two 40 year olds.





Antonio Silva is another fighter coming off of a loss, who is at a crossroad in his MMA career. But who are we to play matchmaker? Only Cro Cop knows his body best and it sounds like the former K-1 kickboxer needs to tend to minor injuries.





"I don't think about next fight, I don't know," said Cro Cop. "First rest and [then] heal some small wounds. I had [a] problem with my shoulder in preparation and little problems with my knee."





In the sport of MMA, how often do we see a fighter retire on top? Not quite often. The greats, like Randy Couture Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, all eventually fall.





Fight fans should remember him for his penchant for head-kick knockouts, not his decline. Because those will surely outnumber the 'Ls' in the loss column when he steps into the Octagon for the final time, whenever that may be.





For complete results from UFC Fight Night 64: "Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2," including play-by-play updates, click here.