FORMER Liverpool star Dejan Lovren swapped hauling strikers to the ground for a wrestle with MMA star Mirko ‘CroCop’.
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 ‘CroCop’ Filipovic retired from MMA in 2019.
The legendary brawler, 46, called it a day after a health scare following a stroke.
He ended his career with ten straight wins and only suffered two defeats in a total of 52 fights.
The Cop chalked up 38 victories in total, drawing 11 bouts with one no-contest.
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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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