PrideFC: Total Elimination 2003

[Brush with Greatness 0]

Has it been confirmed 100% that they are fighting the standard 10 and two 5's? I would think so, but I'm not sure. I'm justing hoping they don't do something stupid like 3 five minute rounds.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I would assume they are doing 10, 5, 5.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Hey, Rudo, I was looking at your avatar and I have come to the conclusion that Bas is the man.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

His name is Rutten

Ladies call him "El Guapo"

Protect your liver.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

All the kids who watch

Learn how to take a man down

Use the liver shot

[Brush with Greatness 0]

I think the greatest part about this card is that every fight has a distinct favourite, but not in one fight, in my opinion, can you totally discount the underdog.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Which is why I won't be on the computer on Sunday.

 

That's right... the guy who likes to read the end of the book before he's done won't be reading the spoilers.

 

Pray for me.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

So I can come by after I'm off work to watch the show, right?

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Yes.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Japanese Talk Show

August 8, 2003

 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira participated in an August 5th Tokyo talk show, only 5 days away from his August 10th bout at the Saitama Super Arena.

 

Under an air-conditioned tent, fans were shown the actual ring to be used in the August 10th PRIDE Grand Prix and they formed long lines to get a chance to see one of the most popular fighters.

 

The already-hot August day seemed to get even hotter when Nogueira appeared on stage at 1pm. Nogueira looked a little bigger and in good condition, doing some shadow boxing for the excited fans. His secret…3 months training in Holland.

 

This was Nogueira's 5th trip to Holland. In addition to therapy for his back, he also trained with K-1's Peter Aerts in Muay Thai for 1 month. With the help of a trainer, Nogueira was also able to do some body-building. "I didn't have time to work on conditioning last year because of all my fights." Nogueira continued "This time I had a lot of time so I was able to adjust my schedule and get in some good conditioning training." The time off definitely seems to have benefited Nogueira.

 

Nogueira seems confident about his future, as well. "Rico is a great fighter but I will prove that PRIDE fighters are better than the UFC's. I will beat him. I lost to him in Abu Dhabi but I won't lose in vale tudo. Beating Fedor is my goal now. I want to fight him again and show everyone that I am the best heavyweight."

 

Nogueira also did the fans a favor by having a triangle-choke "seminar." Asked for volunteers than didn't mind being choked out, many fans raised their hands but only 2 were selected to become prey. Of course, they tapped out immediately. The 2 volunteers later commented that Nogueira is a lot more flexible than he looks on TV. Next was an omo-plata "seminar", followed by picture taking with the fans.

 

After the event, Nogueira showed his confidence again when speaking with reporters. "I'm better than Rico standing and on the ground. I'd like to finish with striking since I've been doing so much Muay Thai training. Rico is heavier so I don't want to be on bottom."

 

As his followers know, Nogueira's talent really shows when he's fighting from the bottom. However, Nogueira must have re-thought his strategy since he lost beneath Emelianenko Fedor last time. In the current field of PRIDE fighters, it's dangerous to be on bottom, even if you have the skill level of Nogueira. Nogueira has improved himself all around, including his ground work. The proof? He sent Mario Sperry to the hospital with a wrist injury from their sparring. Nogueira may just be able to show us a new side and beat Ricco Rodriguez from the top.

 

------------

 

1 Month with Peter Aerts? OOOOOH YEEAAAAHH!!! Nog is gonna fuck shit up. FUCK IT UP! YEAH! YEAH! FUCK THAT SHIT! FUCK THAT SHIT UP GOOD! YEAH! YEAH! FUCK IT HARD~!

 

..ahem..

 

Getting too excited.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Yes.

YES!

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

From DA meltz:

 

There were no problems at weigh-ins as all the competitors made the 205 pound weight limit without any issues.

 

There will be a ceremony on the show for Giant Ochiai, who passed away on Friday. Ochiai had fought on one major and three minor Pride events.

 

An announcement will be made for a 10/5 show, which will likely not be on PPV in the U.S., at the same Saitama Super Arena. It will be the first of a new series called Pride Bushido, open to fighters 183 pounds or less.

 

Fuji Network aired a live show earlier today showing Hidehiko Yoshida training to catch Kiyoshi Tamura's kicks and taking him down from there, and countering the kick with a straight right.

 

They are trying to remake Kazushi Sakuraba as a killer to hype late interest, since the show will be airing on network television in prime time and the company is hoping for its biggest audience in history. The story is that Sakuraba didn't show up at the press conference because he is so serious and mad that he didn't want to even see Vanderlei Silva before the fight. The claim is that in a training session, Sakuraba busted up Daijiro Matsui's face horribly.

[Guest Choken One]

WHOO!

 

The Bar is playing the show...So that means I can just watch it and not worry if I blew my money...

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

YOUR (Final) Tournament Fight and Tournament Fighters of the Day ARE:

 

Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

 

Name: Wanderlei Silva

Nickname: The Axe Murderer

Record: 21 - 3 - 1

Height/Weight: 5’11 / 199 lbs.

Birth Date: 7/3/1976

From: Brazil

Style: Muay Thai

Association: Chute Boxe

• Last Fight: vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara (Win *TKO/Towel* - Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2)

Key Fight: vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Win *TKO/Strikes* - Pride 13: Collision Course)

Key Win: vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Win *TKO/Doctor* - Pride 17: Collision Course)

Vs.

 

Name: Kazushi Sakuraba

Nickname: The IQ Wrestler/The Gracie Hunter

Record: 14 - 5 - 1

Height/Weight: 6’0 / 185 lbs.

Birth Date: 7/14/1968

From: Japan

Style: Submission Wrestling

Association: Takada Dojo

• Last Fight: vs. Antonio Schembri (Loss *TKO/Knees* - Pride 25: Body Blow)

Key Win: vs. Royce Gracie (Win *TKO/Towel* - Pride GP 2000: Finals

Kazushi Sakuraba is a legend. He has participated in 19 Pride fights. At the last Grand Prix he went 90 minutes with Royce Gracie and won. He has beaten 4 Gracies. He is the biggest draw in MMA history. His inventive and creative style of fighting has made him one of the greatest, and most endearing fighters of all time. At such a small size, to have done all this, is an inspiration to fighters everywhere. Kazushi Sakuraba is a legend.

 

If Sakuraba is a legend, then Wanderlei Silva is a legend-killer.

 

In their first match back on March 25th 2001 Sakuraba was on his legendary run having beaten the 4th Gracie to meet him in the ring in Ryan Gracie and only lost one fight to date (against Igor Vovchanchyn after said 90 minute match with Royce). He was the odds on favourite to win. March 26th had the MMA world in shock. On March 25th 2001, Wanderlei Silva obliterated Kazushi Sakuraba. When I say obliterated, I mean O-B-L-I-T-E-R-A-T-E-D. He went through Sak like a hot knife though butter. He made the legend seem like a rookie. He truly was the Axe Murderer.

 

People will make excuses for Sakuraba in that fight. “He didn’t know knees were allowed”, “Silva had too much weight on him”, “He underestimated Wanderlei”, some may be valid, but none can escape the simple fact that Sakuraba got beaten to a bloody pulp and that Wanderlei Silva did it to him. And those excuses were put to rest in their second fight where Silva once again beat Kazushi Sakuraba for the newly created Pride Middleweight Title at Championship Chaos. Since then, a new cry has been heard about Sakuraba in the MMA world, “He is burned out”, “He is past his Prime”, “He should quit”.

 

Since his first fight with Silva, the once 12 - 1 - 1 Sakuraba is now 2 - 4 - 0. So those cries may be true. Sakuraba is 35 years old. His body has taken a beating, be it from in-ring competition or “extra-curricular activities”. The “IQ Wrestler” may not even be there mentally, as a short-sighted error cost him his last fight against Nino “Elvis” Schembri. The Sakuraba-camp has been saying he’s bigger and stronger and meaner than before, that this fight will be the fight where he gets his revenge. Forgive me for being skeptical, but I’ll believe it when I see it. But then again, many people were skeptical a former pro wrestler and 185 pounder could become one of the biggest draws and greatest fighters in the world. People didn’t think he could beat Royce Gracie, let alone go 90 minutes and win convincingly. Sakuraba is the underdog, he has made a career of proving people wrong, and that may very well be the best place for him going into this fight.

 

Despite being a legend-killer, Wanderlei Silva has a big problem. That is to say, he hasn’t had a big problem in a long time. How is that a problem you ask? Well, he has gotten the distinction of being a Tomato Can fighter. He has fought nobodies since winning his Middleweight Title. Hiromitsu Kanehara? Tatsuya Iwasaki? Kiyoshi Tamura? Alexander Otsuka? The only credible fighter he has faced was in a non-title, non-pride rules, match in Mirko Cro Cop (which, to Silvas credit, was a match he won despite the rule changes and size disadvantage, though it was ruled a draw.) And quite frankly this 3rd fight against Sakuraba isn’t going to prove the critics wrong. In order to prove his worth as a champion Wanderlei Silva will have to win the Middleweight tournament, and he will have to beat #1 contender Quinton “Rampage” Jackson to do so... but THAT is another story for another time.

 

To be honest, I don’t want to see this fight. I’ve seen it twice before and I don’t think anything new will happen the 3rd time. Silva will win, Sakuraba will lose. I don’t think there’s much more to say about it than that.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Sakuraba came prepared for their first rematch.

 

After the first was a total bonehead decision to stand and throw with Silva (although he did almost lay him out!) he waited for Silva to strike and took him down.

 

But by the time the round was half over Silva had just overpowered him...and then the injury came.

 

I don't think it's impossible that Sakuraba can win...especially with Silva coming off a lenghty lay off.

 

Let's just say...if Sakuraba wins I would be shocked...but not to the point of unbeleivability

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

All Hope is Lost.

 

No good can come from this.

 

I was going to do a fight analysis; a "what should ___ do, what will ___ do" etc. but then I realized it would be pointless, since they fought eachother twice before and I don't see how this will stray from the 2nd. Maybe is Sak goes for a knee bar... but knowing his luck lately, Silva would pull out of it and kick him dead.

 

RRR: Lost $80 at the Casino last night. Is a bit pessimistic.

[the pinjockey 0]

Only a hour and a half left before it starts:

 

Will Sak avenge his previous losses?

Will Goodridge pull off the upset?

Will RRR be able to avoid spoilers?

 

No

No

NO FUCKING WAY

 

On another note the casino sucks. I went on my 21st birthday lost $140 and haven't been back since. I would rather waste my money on stuff like this and DVDs than just give it to Donald Trump.

[Guest Choken One]

RRR should just move to Japan.

[the pinjockey 0]

I am pretty sure I saw this was on national primetime over there. So free PRIDE is even more incentive.

 

On a similar note, some of those Sherdog guys are nuts. Browsing around the forums a bunch of them were like "Yeah, I'll be getting into Japan on Friday." Going over there for that is nuts.

[Guest Army Eye]

Last minute picks: Hoped to do a more lengthy prediction article for TSM, and wanted to do it sooner, but just did not have the time.

 

The show's starting soon and probably nobody will get to read these But still I want to go on the record lol

 

Wanderlei Silva over Kazushi Sakuraba - Much has been said about Sakuraba being possibly over the hill, sustaining too many injuries, and that's all on top of this just being a terrrible matchup for Sakuraba. He is just so vulnerable to strikes, and Silva is an unbelievable striker. Think about this: Kazushi Sakuraba was knocked out by a knee from NINO SCHEMBRI. Now consider how devastating Silva's knees are, and you have a recipe for disaster. I hope whatever happens to Sakuraba, he does not have to eat too many of those knees. His only possibe win is by submission and Silva has never been submitted or even been close. In fact, it was Silva who almost got an armbar in their second fight. Sakuraba doesn't win this one, and as much of a markout matchup it is, I wish Pride hadn't booked it.

 

Hidehiko Yoshida over Kiyoshi Tamura - Yoshida is a heavyweight. He will take the fight to the ground at will and will be all over Tamura. Tamura will not be able to stop the eventual submission. Tamura is actually an OK striker, so you'd think that would give some some chance, but if Don Frye couldn't/didn't do it, for whatever reason, should we somehow expect more from Tamura? I don't think so.

 

Alistair Overeem over Chuck Liddell - This is a very tough fight to judge since Liddell has faced far better competition over his career. There's gotta be some upset in the GP, right? This is the fight that looks like an upset to me. Overeem has been very impressive in his victories, showing great stand-up skills and he also boasts a number of submission victories. We all know what Liddell has done, but to me his stand-up game has been sloppy lately, and I'm more impressed with what Overeem has shown in his recent fights and he has a nice reach advantage over Chuck. I will not be surprised if Overeem gets the better of Liddell standing up. Would Liddell try to take the fight to the ground? He has a reputation as a wrestler but has never done much to show it aside from takedown defense. Overeem is more than competent in submissions though. I honestly have no idea what would happen on the ground with Liddell on top. I have a feeling the young gun takes this fight though. Liddell is coming off a demoralizing loss, will be out of his element in the Pride ring, and is facing a very dangerous fighter who has a lot to prove in by far his biggest fight in his career.

 

Quinton Jackson over Murilo Bustamante - Bustamante is an amazing fighter. Pound for pound, he may be the best in the world. Trouble is, he's giving up a lot of poundage (and strength) here. Quinton has always been vulnerable to submission so you can't count Bustamante out by a longshot, but I think Quinton will keep the fight standing and put the hurt on Murilo.

 

As boring as Arona is with his lay-and-pray, I actually was looking forward to their match before it was cancelled. I think it would've been a VERY interesting showdown between Quinton's tremendous takedown defense vs. Arona's ungodly wrestling/takedown ability. I was very curious to see who would get the better of that one. Still, BUSTAMANTE is back fighting again, and that's a very good thing.

 

Superfights -

 

Fedor Emilanenko over Gary Goodridge - Fedor will feed Gary a tasty diet of GnP. I don't see it going any other way. True, Fedor did get rocked by Fujita, and Gary can definitely throw, but man Fedor got caught FLUSH by Funaki and was only out for a second at the most before he came to his senses and clinched to regain his composure. He will be more wary of such a thing this time, but really it doesn't matter what happens, Fedor is just a machine.

 

Ricco Rodriguez over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - As great as Nogueira is, it can be argued that Ricco is the better all-around fighter. You take his strength advantage, takedowns, GnP, decent stand-up, and BJJ repertoire and you've got a tough package to handle for Nogueira. Nog may have the edge in stand-up fighting but not by much. Ricco will take him down when he wants and what happens there is the key to the fight. Take note that Ricco is very accomplished in BJJ. That's not to say that he will submit Nog (NO CHANCE IN HELL), but I think he is skilled enough in BJJ to also avoid Nog's submissions. And if Nog isn't submitting Ricco, he'll have a hard time winning.

 

Cro Cop over Igor Vovchancyn - I think this fights ends fairly quickly by leg kicks and high kicks. Igor must go for takedowns but I don't see it happening. Herring had a better chance IMO.

 

No sense trying to predict the second round brackets, but Wanderlei is my pick to win the whole tourney.

[Guest Choken One]

I am pretty sure I saw this was on national primetime over there. So free PRIDE is even more incentive.

 

On a similar note, some of those Sherdog guys are nuts. Browsing around the forums a bunch of them were like "Yeah, I'll be getting into Japan on Friday." Going over there for that is nuts.

No different then all the fanboys here willing to fly to WMXX No matter what...

[the pinjockey 0]

I agree whole heartedly that it is no different. I wish I had that kind of money to burn.

[Guest Army Eye]

That's one of the things I plan to do when I have more money is fly to Japan for the big Pride shows. I really want to visit Japan anyway.

 

Can we agree NO SPOILERS except in spoiler boxes for this thread, until the U.S. PPV has aired?

[the pinjockey 0]

I was going to avoid all spoilers. I just figured if someone wanted to put them up to create a new thread for them.

[Guest Army Eye]

Yeah separate thread is fine too, either way just no naked spoilers in this thread please

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Must...

 

Resist...

 

SPOILERS...

[Guest Choken One]

rrr...why don't you smash your CPU to piece or something?

 

Would that help?

[Guest Choken One]

This is good for me...I'll look at a couple spoilers and my friend whom doesn't know this will be taped...will be sucked into betting on the loser...

 

God I love myself

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Why don't YOU smash my CPU to piece or something.

 

RRR: Witty.

 

RRR: Would love to live in Japan. I'd tower over everyone.

[Guest Choken One]

RRR...Mysterio would tower over those people...don't get too high-headed.