PRIDE 25 "Body Blow" - Predictions

[Guest Army Eye]

The last Pride card sucked, and as has often happened, Pride rewards us in the next one with a card that is totally off the charts. Newton vs. A. Silva, Sakuraba vs. Nino, Minotauro vs. Fedor, and Rampage vs. Randleman should all be really great matches. Then you have Henderson whose matches are almost always exciting, and Steibling vs. Shoji should be a war too. There are really only two 'duds' and at least one of them should be nice and quick. You've got a heavyweight title match with a legit #1 contender, and Rampage vs. Randleman to decide who will fight Vanderlei for the title. This card simply rules.

 

Pride recently signed a deal with InDemand which means that soon Pride PPVs will be available to just about everybody in the States. This is GREAT news to me as now I'll be able to order Pride shows instead of downloading them. I'm not sure when the deal 'kicks in' exactly. Hopefully for Pride 26, and/or.. dare I say, the Grand Prix??? PLEASE!

 

Here's the card and my predictions:

 

 

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Kazuhiro Nakamura

 

- Nakamura's first MMA fight. He's an understudy of Yoshida. Minotoro is proving to be a really solid fighter; not quite the submission wizard that his big bro is, but very solid on the ground and with strikes. I think Nogueira finishes this quickly.

 

Alex Steibling vs Akira Shoji

 

- Steibling is in quite a slump but he's definitely the more talented of the two here. Both guys really need a win. Stiebling wins by GnP, but Shoji is a very tough guy, so this won't be easy by any stretch.

 

Kenichi Yamamoto vs Alexander Otsuka

- Otsuka always loses. It's a Pride tradition. Yamamoto had a couple wins at UFC Ultimate Japan 2, a show which I haven't seen. Since then he has lost to Miletich, Sudo, and Randleman, but no shame in that as they are all world-class fighters. Yamamoto is the pick by default.

 

Carlos Newton vs Anderson Silva

 

- Obviously this match causes one to draw parallels to Newton vs. Pele, a CLASSIC from Pride 19. Newton did win, but Pele was kicking the crap out of Newton when he decided to voluntarily take the fight to the ground where he ended up getting armbarred. I think Anderson is a better all-around fighter than Pele, and he has seen what NOT to do against Newton as demonstrated by Pele. His ground skills are very solid although we haven't seen him roll with a great submitter like Newton very much at all, so it's hard to assess. Newton will surely score a takedown here and there so Silva will have to know what he's doing down there. Newton does have a chin of steel, so I'm going with Silva to win by decision by landing some great shots standing up and at least holding his own on the ground, but this is a real tough one to call.

 

Dan Henderson vs Shungo Oyama

 

- Henderon's stock rose even with a loss as he repeatedly escaped Minotauro's submissions in their big rematch at the last Pride show. He's one of the best light-heavies in the world. Oyama's only real claim to fame is a decison win over Renzo Gracie. This should be a fun exhibition for Henderson as he wins by TKO.

 

Antonio Schembri vs Kazushi Sakuraba

 

- I have to go with Sakuraba here because he just eats BJJ specialists for lunch. Still, we don't really know if he's the same fighter he used to be after all his injuries. The fight with Gilles Arsene was an atrocity that really didn't show us anything. He will definitely have to be close to 100%, because Nino is an AMAZING submission artist, and I am really excited to see him in Pride again, against Sakuraba no less, wow..

 

 

Quinton Jackson vs Kevin Randleman

 

- Two guys who are really on fire, and the winner gets a match with Vanderlei Silva. Randleman unofficially weighed in at 221 today so he'll have to cut some major weight and fast. On the ground I don't think Randleman can finish Jackson even if on top. He can take down basically anybody, but his technique still leaves a lot to be desired, as Ninja pretty much had his way with Randleman on the ground from the bottom in their recent fight. Standing up is where most of the fireworks will likely happen. Randleman is improving his striking skills for sure; and he's SO strong that any punch from him is dangerous if its lands flush (ask Ninja) , but at the same time he was losing that fight IMO while Rampage totally killed Vovchancyn in his last fight. Despite Randleman's improvements, Rampage is the much more skilled stand-up fighter. I give the nod to Jackson due to his superior stand-up skills and because Randleman's weight situation is a little unsettling.

 

 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Fedor Emelianenko

 

- Another awesome fight. Fedor has an outstanding career record with a RINGS World Championship and his only career loss being due to a cut. He earned his title shot by decimating Heath Herring with ferociious ground and pound. I have never seen Herring get served like that. But on the other hand you have Minotauro, and after the punishment he took from Bob Sapp and how he kept going, you really have to wonder if it's humanly possible to beat this guy. On top of that he's always been great at defending the GnP and submitting just about anyone who tries it. I have to pick Nogueira due to his remarkable technique and the fact that he is so incredibly tough.

[The Dames 0]

Did you check the article by Dave Dymond on the main site?

 

What time is the PPV, I want to check this out.

 

Dames

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Dave Dymond has an article on the main site? I didn't see it, unless it was posted long ago, and is now wiped off the main page..

[The Dames 0]

Egads....here is the link...

 

The Tap Out Wrap Up

 

He put it up on Sunday and it's already been pushed off....thats why you got to check out TSM every day baby!

 

Dames

[Guest Angle-plex]

I actually agree with all your predictions, Army Eye.

[Guest Army Eye]

Did you check the article by Dave Dymond on the main site?

 

What time is the PPV, I want to check this out.

 

Dames

Yes I always read Dave's stuff

 

The PPV airs in the U.S. this Sunday at 9:00pm Eastern. (tape delayed) You may or may not have it available where you are. I know DirecTV and DishNetwork carry it.

[Guest benoitrulz4life]

I have DirectTV and it is on the schedule to order.

 

By the way, Jackson vs. Silva would be a [Quadros] TREMENDOUS [/Quadros] fight. I might even go so far as to say Jackson is my favorite fighter in PRIDE right now. Randleman is a beast, but Jackson is a bad-ass so he wins it.

 

As for Fedor/Nogueira, I really can't tell as Fedor's only fought twice in PRIDE, but has looked impressive in both fights, esp. against Herring. But Nogueira is Nogueira, and NOBODY's beaten the quality of opponents that he has. Goodridge, Coleman, Herring, Enson, Schilt, Sapp, Henderson. That is an extremely impressive list.

 

Can't wait for the Grand Prix.

[Guest Army Eye]

Oh man, agreed. If Randleman fought Silva, I think he'd just go for the lay-and-pray, but Jackson vs. Silva, that would be an incredible battle.

[Guest benoitrulz4life]

I would like to see Vitor Belfort fight Quinton Jackson too.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Kazuhiro Nakamura

 

Rogerio. I don't really care for this fight.

 

Alex Steibling vs Akira Shoji

 

Ooh this is a tuffy. I haven't seen Alexes last few fights, but I'll still give him this. This fight could be the sleeper of the night.

 

Kenichi Yamamoto vs Alexander Otsuka

 

Otsuka will win!

 

Carlos Newton vs Anderson Silva

 

I was just watching Newton/Henderson from UFC 17 last night - fuckin amazing fight. Pele/Newton is one of my favourites. Why do I mention these two fights? CAUSE NEWTON CAN TAKE A SHOT! I can't see anyone beating him on standup simply because he can't be knocked out. With Newton you always know his fight will be one of the best on the card. Amazing ground work, great takedowns and he always goes for the win. I never bet against him unless he is fighting Hughes . Newton.

 

 

Dan Henderson vs Shungo Oyama

 

Henderson. Man, it was weird watching UFC 17 last night. Henderson wasn't polished at all, but you could still see some hints of greatness when he was pressed. Newton shoulda won the fight, but nevertheless, Henderson will win this one.

 

Antonio Schembri vs Kazushi Sakuraba

 

Match of the Night. Elvis is wicked on the ground and Saks not that bad either . I wouldn't be surprised if Sak kept it standing though. Sakuraba, but after a tough fight.

 

 

Quinton Jackson vs Kevin Randleman

 

This is either going to be really great or really bad - there is no middle ground here. Either each man will neutralize eachothers skills or they will go balls out and try to kill each other. Either way, I have no clue who is going to win it. I'll give it to Jackson.

 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Fedor Emelianenko

 

The sky is blue. Fire is hot. Don't pee against the wind. Never bet against Nogueira. These are the things I know... Fedor is a wrestler - Mark Coleman is a better wrestler. Nog tapped out Coleman. Nog will tap out Fedor. This is my logic. However, I won't totally discount Fedor because I am sure he has been studying Minotauro and has a game plan. Whether that game plan is "avoid the triangle" or not, we will see.

 

This card is STACKED! I'd get this on PPV if I didn't know someone...