PrideFC: Total Elimination 2003

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Since the card has been finalized with an additional 3 Superfights, I figure a new thread should be started. Same deal as last time, I hope to get in all the fighter and match profiles by the time the event occurs. Though, if any one wants to put one up feel free to do so. This card is looking to be one of the best in MMA history.

 

 

SuperFights

 

*Emelianenko Fedor vs. Gary Goodridge in a non-title match

*Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez

*Mirko Cro Cop vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

 

Middleweight Tournament Matches

 

*Chuck Liddell vs Alistair Overeem

*??? (Arona officially out) vs Quinton Jackson

*Kazushi Sakuraba vs Wanderlei Silva

*Hidehiko Yoshida vs Kiyoshi Tamura

Edited August 6, 2003 by RavishingRickRudo

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Ahem, YOUR SUPERFIGHT and SUPERFIGHTERS of the day ARE:

 

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge

 

Name: Fedor Emelianenko

Nickname: -

Record: 13 - 1 - 0

Height/Weight: 6'0 / 233 lbs

Birth Date: -

From: Russia

Style: Sambo/Judo

Association: Russian Top Team

• Last Fight: vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (Win *Submission/Choke* - Pride 26: Bad to the Bone)

Key Win: vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Win *Decision* - Pride 25: Body Blow)

VS

 

Name: Gary Goodridge

Nickname: Big Daddy

Record: 17 - 13 - 1

Height/Weight: 6'3 / 240

Birth Date: 1/17/1966

From: Canada

Style: Kuk Soo Won/Kickboxing

Association: -

• Last Fight: vs. Llyod Van Dams (Win *TKO/Strikes* - Pride: Shockwave)

Key Win: vs. Valentijn Overeem (Win *Submission/Strikes* - Pride 14: Clash of the Titans)

There is no confirmation that I am fighting anybody at this moment. However if I was to fight Fedor and that is a big if. I really do feel that I can be in shape to fight Fedor in the time that has been set. It really all depends if you have been training and fighting all year like I have, then there is absolutely no problem. If somebody was to be inactive for a year and not do anything then no you can not get in shape in that amount of time. I feel that Fedor is an excellent fighter and and great Champion. I also feel that styles make fights and my style matches up very well with his.

 

(Gary are you worried about his Powerful GnP ?)

 

He should be more worried about my standup and takedown defense.....that is if Im fighting him which I can not confirm or deny at this time.

 

- Gary Goodridge (SherdogMB)

 

I am jazzed for this fight. We have two of the strongest arm punchers in the fight game going one-on-one. Before the Fujita fight we all would have been saying "Goodridge is going to get slaughtered" and while some of us may still be saying that now, you can't help but wonder "what if?" What if Gary is able to land a clubbering right fist to the side of Fedors head? What if Fedor gets sloppy and Gary is able to use his 'improving kickboxing abilities' to get in a clean hit? Fujita did it and damn near KO'd the champ. Now we have Gary, a much better striker, in there with Fedor. Gary, like Fujita, is not a top contender (which is why this is a Non-Title fight) but he has a lot of experience (Since UFC 8 - 7 years ago). However, with that experience comes age - Gary is 37 years old. That may or may not play a big factor in this fight as I don't really see it going past the first round, but if it does, Gary will be at a disadvantage going into round 2.

 

The closest opponent Gary has had to Fedor is Don Frye - to whom he lost twice to in the UFC. Now, that was a while ago but Fedor is like 10x's the fighter Frye is and was. Gary's takedown ability is actually very good as he has trained with Coleman and Erikson, but he did get taken down eventually by Ricco Rodriguez so it's not out of the realm of possibility to for Fedor to. The closest opponent Fedor has had to Gary is probably Heath Herring (in terms of size, a little similar in ability in terms of striking). Fedor destroyed Herring. Granted, Herring wasn't ready for Fedors awesome punching power and precision which took him out of the loop early and was never able to fully recover. Gary has the benefit of knowing Fedors strengths (and now weaknesses). With that said, Fedor is a very smart fighter and has probably been working night-and-day on his striking defence since his Fujita fight as he knows that every heavyweight fighter out there saw a chink in his armour and are licking their lips at the notion of a quick knockout on the champ.

 

A big factor in this could be grip strength. If it gets taken to the mat hand control will play a big part in who has the advantage. Gary has a history in arm wrestling so you know his grip is strong, BUT, he was able to get manipulated on the ground by Nogueira - a man who is known for his tight grip - while Fedor was not. Gary did take his fight with Nog on short notice so that may have effected his strength, but Fedor is so strong on the ground I don't see how Big Daddy would withstand it. Gary has a similar stand-up style as Fedor (in the way they move their hands) which should add to the intrigue of the match.

 

I see Fedor winning it, but Gary does have a chance (albeit a small one). I think the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter as well as their respective styles should make for an exciting fight.

[Guest Army Eye]

With those three heavyweight matches, seems like Pride would be well on their way to making a dynamite heavyweight grand prix too. Coleman in to defend his title.. wonder why they didn't go that route.

 

Card looks beyond amazing though.. if a Gracie were in the tourney it'd be pretty much perfect.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

They really shouldn't have said a Gracie would participate in the tourny! Though it wouldn't have helped the card in terms of quality of fight it would have helped the EPIC-ness of it.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

YOUR Tournament Fight and Tournament Fighters of the Day ARE:

 

Quinton Jackson vs. ???

 

Name: Quinton Jackson

Nickname: Rampage

Record: 17 - 3 - 0

Height/Weight: 6’1 / 205 lbs

Birth Date: 6/20/1978

From: USA

Style: Wrestling

Association: Team Oyama

• Last Fight: vs. Mikhail Illoukhine (Win *Submission/Strikes* - Pride 26: Bad to the Bone)

Key Win: vs. Kevin Randleman (Win *TKO/Punches* - Pride 25: Body Blow)

vs.

 

???

 

(Arona out)

 

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has made a name for himself by delivering exciting fights with brutal finishes. In his 20 bouts I only see 4 decisions, all of which were early in his career. His fight against a slug like Satake was great for the two wicked slams, his fight with Vovchanchyn was even more exciting, and who can forget his fight with Sakuraba? Even in losing Jackson made a name for himself.

 

Quinton’s strengths lie standing. His slams are a thing of beauty, and as his fight with Randleman showed he has some top-notch takedown defence, some wicked knees and knock-out capabilities and combinations. Jackson’s weakness is on the ground. He has never faced a BJJ artist at the level of Arona so this could spell trouble if it ever gets on the mat. Jackson is a physically strong fighter and a trained wrestler so if has been studying Arona he should be ok and learn how to escape the mounted position (as best evidenced by Dan Henderson, he was able to get a headlock on Arona and rolled him off). Conditioning may play a part in this as if it goes to the 3rd round and Arona gets mount, Jackson may be too tired to escape and Arona could wait it out to a ... you guessed it... decision. In terms of slamming, Jackson can do it to Arona. Henderson was able to land a beautiful belly-to-belly suplex and Rampage has more power than Dangerous Dan. Jackson could also knock Arona out as Arona got caught a few times. That said, Guy Metzger couldn’t knock Arona out and neither could Murillo Ninja. Jackson could also get tapped out by Arona as his submission defence is suspect. He got caught in a guillotine in his last fight with Mikhail and it was sunk fairly deep. He was caught in a kimura in that fight, and though he did escape both submission attempts, with someone like Arona, being caught in a submission is a bad place to be and he may not be able to power out of it, especially if the fight gets long.

Edited August 6, 2003 by RavishingRickRudo

[Guest Brush with Greatness]

I agree. I'm really hoping that Jackson takes control of the match and forces Arona into a situation in which he has to try for the win.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Sadly, Arona will probably hold on and pray rather than counter. Hopefully Jackson will let him hang on and slam him

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I'm a huge Vovchanchyn fan...

 

...but he's going to get killed.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

...And it will be glorious.

 

Hopefully he will end it with one of these.

 

Though, I've seen recent pics of Igor and he's lookin buffed. I think I've got a pic somewhere around here... ah, yes, here it is:

 

Igor Vovchanchyn

 

But Seriously, he's in great shape... Hopefully that will help his recovery time.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

YOUR Tournament fight and Tournament fighters of the day ARE:

 

Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem

 

Name: Chuck Liddell

Nickname: The Iceman

Record: 11 - 2 - 0

Height/Weight: 6’2 / 204 lbs.

Birth Date: 12/17/1969

From: USA

Style: Kickboxing

Association: Pitfight Team

• Last Fight: vs. Randy Couture (Loss *TKO/Punches* - UFC 43: Meltdown)

Key Win: vs. Guy Mezger (Win *KO* - Pride 14: Clash of the Titans)

Name: Alistair Overeem

Nickname: The Demolition Man

Record: 16 - 3 - 0

Height/Weight: 6’5 / 209 lbs.

Birth Date: -

From: Holland

Style: Kickboxing/Submissions

Association: Golden Glory

• Last Fight: vs. Mike Bencic (Win *Submission/Strikes* - Pride 26: Bad to the Bone)

Key Win: Bazigit Atajev (Win *TKO/Knee to the Body* - Pride 24: Cold Fury 3)

One Match. One match can make a somebody out of a nobody. One match can make a good fighter into a great fighter and a great fighter into a legend. One match can change the landscape of Mixed Martial Arts forever. One match can also make the unstoppable seem all too human. Such is the case with Chuck Liddell. Before his fight with Randy Couture at UFC 43, Chuck Liddell was seen as the uncrowned king of the light-heavyweight division. His list of defeated opponents reads like a who’s who of the MMA world. It seemed like nothing could melt the Iceman. “Man, Chuck could destroy Tito!”, “Silva? Yeah, I’d like to see that fight, but Liddell would definitely have the edge” “I don’t see anyone right now who can take Chuck” Just 2 months ago Chuck was on everyone’s mind. He was on top of the world and his division and it seemed like only a matter of time before gold was placed around his waist. Like I said, this was before his fight with Randy Couture. Now, after one match, Chuck Liddell is just another fighter. The fight was a splash of cold water to the face of everyone who followed the sport. It was shocking, it was impossible, it was jaw-dropping. Not that Chuck lost per se, but Chuck was DEFEATED. Chuck was DOMINATED. The Natural made him seem like an amateur and in one match, the myth and legacy of Chuck Liddell was DESTROYED.

 

Now, the Iceman is on a quest for redemption and Alistair Overeem is seemingly one step in a 3 step program to get back on top the MMA world. But this is no easy task, Overeem is no ordinary fighter and these steps are on a steep mountain to climb. If you look at Overeems record it’s the complete opposite of Chucks. One can make the claim that Overeem has had it easy in terms of opponents and this is his first true test, and I agree. This one match could make or break both fighters, if Alistair wins it will put him in with the top fighters in the world and if Chuck loses he could very well be done for unless he does get that match with Tito Ortiz sometime in the future. Needless to say, I don’t think Chuck coming out with anything less than First Place will satisfy and redeem him, in his eyes or anyone elses.

 

Alistair Overeem is a kickboxer who knows submissions and trains with Team Golden Glory - a club renowned for their kickboxing abilities. He trains with Gilbert Yvel and Heath Herring, and Bas Ruttens trainer Cor Hemmer. Chuck Liddell is a top-notch kickboxer, but he may have met his match in Overeem. With that said, Liddell will decide whether or not this fight will stay standing or be on the mat. Though he got taken down with ease by Couture, Liddell still has a wicked sprawl and I don’t see Overeem being able to take him down. While the terms of the fight will be decided by Chuck, the pace of the fight will be decided by Alistair. Overeem is 3 inches taller than Liddell and has the reach advantage. Chuck HATES to lose so he will probably come out in this fight looking for the kill, which means Overeem will let Chuck aggress the fight while he keeps him at bay with some kicks and jabs. This means Chuck might be chasing Overeem for half the fight. But The Demolition Man is no boring fighter, Overeem likes to stand and he likes to KO which means he just won’t stay back and let Chuck do all the work. I can see Chuck getting frustrated and try for a takedown and that’s where we might see a flying knee. Psychologically this is a tough fight for Liddell as Couture took him out of his game plan early and was never able to recover. Of course, Couture is regarded as one of the smartest fighters in the sport so I don’t Overeem straying from the kickboxing course. However, if Overeem does, then Chuck will be in trouble.

 

I would have liked to see these two face other fighters, but I can see where Pride is coming from in matching these two guys up. This will be a predominantly stand-up fight which means one of two things: boring or exciting, there’s no two ways about it. I think it will be exciting, simply because both men will be looking for something to prove and will be going for the knockout. I don’t see this going to the 3rd round and may be a lot like Liddell vs. Mezger.... which incidentally was Chucks last fight in Pride. The reason I don’t bring in the UFC element into this is simply because Chuck isn’t fighting for the UFC, Chuck is fighting for Chuck. This will definitely be a change of pace from the other 3 matches in the tournament.

Edited July 23, 2003 by RavishingRickRudo

[Guest Lei Tong]

RRR, I definitely wouldn't put Murilo Bustamante as a key win for Chuck.

 

Chuck came in looking flat and out of shape, and oft-times let the naturally smaller Busta be the agressor. In the end, neither of the fighters looked too good in the fight.

 

Instead, I'd put either his win against Vitor Belfort (for name value as well as a decent performance) or Renato Sobral (for sheer performance).

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Oh, I only put that in because it was his #1 contenders fight. *shrugs* I really try to block that show from my memory...so...many...decisions... I'll make the change, though.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

*edit* I'll put this under the MOTD instead.

 

I changed the key fight to his fight against Mezger, mainly because it was a stand-up fight in Pride.

[Guest Dangerous A]

Lidell's KO of Mezger was a thing of beauty. About as brutal a knockout as you're going to get in MMA.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

THE LEG! LOOK AT HIS LEG! OH MY FUCKING JESUS GOD !!!

 

-RRR after seeing the Mezger KO for the first time.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

(On the english PrideFC site they have their own heavyweight match run downs. Here you go...)

 

Heavyweight Single Matches

 

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic VS Igor Vovchanchyn

 

Mirko Filipovic, a windstorm of striking power, is bringing his game to PRIDE to face off against one of the toughest of the PRIDE veterans and a king among strikers, Igor Vovchanchyn. Vovchanchyn was once thought to be the strongest fighter in the world but had health problems due to tough fights in recent years. However, he won a comeback match in Russia in July and is on the move to regain his past strength. Both fighters have the power to send their opponent to the mat with a single hit. Will it be Mirko's high kick or Vovchanchyn's Russian hook? There's a big chance that this match will be decided in their first contact. If they really slug it out, they may not even hear the bell ring. However, Vovchanchyn has beaten strikers by using submissions and is always looking for away to take advantage of the opponent's weakness. Mirko doesn't lack anything in cleverness, either. Behind the obvious striking battle that will take place, there's also going to be a hidden mental game that could decide the match.

 

Fedor Emelianenko VS Gary Goodridge

 

Fedor, who rose to the top of PRIDE in only 3 fights, will go up against PRIDE's gatekeeper, Gary Goodridge. This, along with the Mirko/Vovchanchyn match, is head-to-head battle between the old PRIDE and the new PRIDE. It would be even if it were just a matter of punching power. No, Goodridge has probably got him beat there. Fedor revealed his weak standing guard in his fight with Fujita and that will probably make Goodridge the worst possible opponent for him. Goodridge also has top class career in fighting. A big upset is more than possible in this match. If Fedor is going to call himself the Champion, he's got to get past the gatekeeper. Fedor's honor as the Champion or Goodridge's will power? Technique and Power. This match will truly be about pride.

 

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira VS Ricco Rodriguez

 

Ricco has come back to PRIDE as a UFC assassin. However, the Ricco story doesn't end with his match-up against Nogueira. Rodriguez was also a member of Takada Dojo at one time and studied under Sakuraba. He learned from Takada Dojo and eventually went on to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Now he's back to do damage in PRIDE. Actually, Nogueira and Rodriguez have met before. Rodriguez submitted Nogueira by knee-bar in the 2nd round of the 2000 Abu Dhabi Combat tournament. Nogueira had hurt his knee in the KOK tournament held just weeks before and that was the one that Rodriguez went after. This has got to be a sore spot for Nogueira. Will he be able to avenge his loss 3 years ago and make his comeback to PRIDE after having lost the championship? Maybe he'll be able to finish it with the same knee bar that he was embarrassed by before. Rodriguez will be after Nogueira's head because that will set him up to challenge the UFC Champion. Both former champions will give their all in this match to try and regain what they have lost.

[Guest Jimmy Saint]

Greatest MMA card ever put together. Its hard to try and guess whats going to be the best fight of the night. Theres about 5 contenters for it.

 

I am counting down the days for this.

[Guest Brush with Greatness]

Does anyone know what type of contract CroCop is under with K-1? Would this affect Dream Stage giving him a title shot in anyway?

[Guest The Son of Sting]

Cro Cop left K-1 this past week and signed with Pride full time.

[Guest bort]

i think i will buy this pride just because i just saw pride 25 today and loved the main event,

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

I think Ricco vs. Nog will probably be the fight of the night. I haven't seen a boring Nog fight yet, and Ricco is a solid competitor.

 

Mirko/Igor and Fedor/Gary have the makings to give you a "holy shit!" moment.

 

Sak vs. Silva and Tamura vs. Yoshida, will be very active fights.

 

The only two matches on the card that could be labelled "boring" is Chuck vs. Alistair and Jackson vs. Arona, and those have a *good* chance of being very exciting as well.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Ricco vs. Nog

Sak vs. Silva

Tamura vs. Yoshida

 

These are like 3 main events. Put these on any card and you got yourself a legit draw (Tamura and Yoshida are _very_ popular in Japan). This card as *3* main event level matches. That's insane. I'm trying to relate this to another event, Pride, UFC, or even WWE, and I can't.

 

Arona vs. Rampage

Fedor vs. Gary

Cro Cop vs. Vovchanchyn

 

These are 3 Secondary Drawing matches which sets up 3 Main Event level matches for the next PPV. Put one of these matches with any of hte 3 matches above and all you need is a _solid_ undercard and you got yourself a PPV.

 

And then there's the novelty of Liddell, a UFC fighter 'invading' Pride (along with Ricco), that alone is draw.

 

And they are doing this in Saitama? This is Tokyo Dome material! Saitama seats 37,000, they could get at least 50 for this card.

[Guest Army Eye]

Ricco vs. Nog

Sak vs. Silva

Tamura vs. Yoshida

 

These are like 3 main events. Put these on any card and you got yourself a legit draw (Tamura and Yoshida are _very_ popular in Japan). This card as *3* main event level matches. That's insane. I'm trying to relate this to another event, Pride, UFC, or even WWE, and I can't.

 

 

 

And then there's the novelty of Liddell, a UFC fighter 'invading' Pride (along with Ricco), that alone is draw.

Great points about just how STACKED this PPV is, RRR.

 

Arona vs. Rampage

Fedor vs. Gary

Cro Cop vs. Vovchanchyn

 

These are 3 Secondary Drawing matches which sets up 3 Main Event level matches for the next PPV.  Put one of these matches with any of hte 3 matches above and all you need is a _solid_ undercard and you got yourself a PPV. 

 

Indeed, and Cro Cop vs. Igor is verrrry close to a legit main event too. You could argue it's bigger than Minotauro vs. Henderson which main evented a few Prides ago - especially with how huge K1 is there.

 

And they are doing this in Saitama?  This is Tokyo Dome material!  Saitama seats 37,000, they could get at least 50 for this card.

 

That doesn't add up to me. The only reason I could see for running Sakuraba vs. Silva in the first round, guaranteeing to knock out one of your biggest draw before the GP Finals event (most likely Sak), is if you're needing to fill some monstrous 50,000+ arena!

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Yeah, exactly. It's liking having the Rock vs. Austin in the first round - two birds with one stone this shouldn't be.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

Frank Shamrock Makes Grand Prix Predictions

 

PRIDE: What’s your prediction for Kazushi Sakuraba versus Wanderlei Silva? Who’s going to win and how?

 

Frank Shamrock: This match will have the same results as the other two. Wanderlei is going to stomp him. Sak is broken down and I think Wanderlei is going to take this one by a first round TKO or injury stoppage. Wanderlei is going to dictate the pace and, physically, I just don’t think it’s possible for Sakuraba to win this fight at this point in his career. I honestly think Sakuraba is a better fighter than Wanderlei, he’s more technical and very very talented. He’s a great athlete. I just don’t think his body will let him win this fight.

 

PRIDE: What’s your prediction for Hidehiko Yoshida versus Kiyoshi Tamura? Who’s going to win and how?

 

Frank Shamrock: Tamura is a sound fighter and very well rounded. I’m giving the edge to Tamura, but I also have a sneaking suspicion that Yoshida can pull off the victory. But I am picking Tamura. Now, IF Tamura wins, I think it will be by submission. I fought Tamura and he almost sunk in a bunch of submissions on me. He’s very good, better than people think. He’s also a very good guy.

 

PRIDE: What’s your prediction for Quinton Jackson versus Ricardo Arona? Who’s going to win and how?

 

Frank Shamrock: Quinton by KO in the 2nd round. Arona is tough, but I haven’t seen him fight all that much and I don’t know a whole lot about him. I like Quinton Jackson’s style. I see Quinton out-powering him and winning the match with damaging shots and aggressive fighting.

 

PRIDE: What’s your prediction for Alistair Overeem versus Chuck Liddell? Who’s going to win and how?

 

Frank Shamrock: I see Liddell winning by a decision or a late KO, but Chuck is going to have to work for the KO. I’ve also wrestled with Chuck, so I know his skills as a wrestler and he’s very good. Chuck’s a counter puncher too and whoever wins this match, it’s going to be by KO during a big exchange.

 

PRIDE: Which fight is the fight you are looking forward to the most?

 

Frank Shamrock: I really want to see Silva and Sakuraba go at it again, but I’m going to have to give this one to Quinton Jackson versus Ricardo Arona. I really don’t care who Quinton Jackson fights, I just want to see him fight. He puts on a great show.

 

PRIDE: Who is your pick to win the tournament?

 

Frank Shamrock: I take Quinton to win it all. He’s got youth, confidence, strength, and he’s always getting better. That’s rare. A lot of guys have their strengths and don’t improve. Quinton is always improving. In this style of fighting in MMA, he has all the advantages.

 

http://www.pridefc.com/interviews/fshamroc...1/fshamrock.htm

[Guest Angle-plex]

So do we finally get a Pride PPV live from Japan, or is this one going to be taped as well?

 

I haven't followed Pride since Pride 24, so I have no clue.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

It's on tape-delay, but it will be on the same day. So there will be spoilers that day, but I believe it's at 8 pm.

[Guest Angle-plex]

Awesome. Silva/Sak III alone is enough for me to order, but the rest of the card just looks amazing. I would have picked Silva to win, but Frank's pic of Jackson has got me wondering.

 

Anyways, I heard Cro-Cop signed exclusively to Pride now, so that's good news.

 

EDIT: Oh, and the best possible way this can end, IMO, is with Jackson beating Silva in the finals.

 

Pride > WWE

[Guest Lei Tong]

Just re-reading through your posts, RRR, and a quick note:

 

Although Henderson is an Olympic calibre wrestler, he gets taken down in MMA quite a bit, so it's nothing too special on Arona's part. I'd say Arona being able to take Fedor down was more impressive.

[Guest RavishingRickRudo]

YOUR SUPERFIGHT and SUPERFIGHTERS of the day ARE:

 

Mirko Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

 

Name: Mirko Filipovic

Nickname: Cro Cop

Record: 5 - 0 - 1

Height/Weight: 6’2 / 213 lbs.

Birth Date: 9/10/1974

From: Croatia

Style: Kickboxing

Association: Cro Cop Squad Gym

• Last Fight: vs. Heath Herring (Win *TKO/Strikes* - Pride 26: Bad to the Bone)

Key Win: Kazuyuki Fujita (Win *TKO/Cut* - K1: Andy Hug Memorial)

VS.

 

Name: Igor Vovchanchyn

Nickname: Ice Cold

Record: 36 - 6 - 1

Height/Weight: 5’8 / 235 lbs.

Birth Date: 8/6/1973

From: Ukraine

Style: Kickboxing/ Combat Sambo

Association: Team Vovchanchyn

• Last Fight: Bob Schrijber (Win *Submission/Rear Choke* - It’s Showtime: Amsterdam Arena)

Key Fight: vs. Quinton Jackson (Loss *Submission/Injury* - Pride 22: Beasts from the East 2)

Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic is on a Quest. That Quest is to become the #1 fighter in K-1 and Pride. In essence, Mirko Cro Cop is on a Quest for perfection. Some people believe that he will fulfill that Quest by years end and become king of the fighting world. He already destroyed Heath Herring at the last Pride, toying with this highly ranked and regarded fighter throughout the match. He has broken bones with his kicks and punches, most notably Bob Sapp’s right orbital bone and Herrings ribs. Without doubt, Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic is the most dangerous striker in Mixed Martial Arts today.

 

Igor Vovchanchyn is a fallen hero. Once a man who dominated the Pride ring with an iron fist (or at least, a fist genetically made for punching) having fought in 14 straight Pride events (Pride 4 - 15 including GP Opening Rounds and Finals) he now has lost 3 out of his 4 last matches in Pride (Sperry, Herring, Jackson), with his last one at Pride 22 being a complete beating at the hands of the man called Rampage. It seems that all of those consecutive Pride events have taken a toll on the near 30 year olds body and it finally gave up in the Jackson fight. After a short break, Ice Cold is back and looks better than ever.

 

So what we have here are two fighters, one on his way up the mountain, the other looking to regain his foothold. If Mirko wins, it’s another step on his Quest for perfection. If Igor wins, it will be proof that he’s back and is ready to dominate again. However, if Igor loses, that’s about it for him in Pride. The fallen hero will stay down, become a footnote, and will never make it back to prominence again. If Mirko loses, quite simply, the Quest is finished and he has failed. There is a lot to be gained and it seems, a lot more to be lost for both fighters. This is a high stakes match with the fate of careers in the balance. One fighter shall rise, and the other shall fall.

 

Igor, despite being more experienced, is at a severe disadvantage in this match. He will not be able to take Mirko down, and is at a disadvantage when it comes to reach. This means that, much like the Herring match, Filipovic will be deciding how the fight will be fought and at what pace it should go. With this said, Vovchanchyn will be a lot smarter in this fight than Herring was, and he probably won’t rush it. He will try to pick his spots and set up his shots. I see Cro Cop letting Igor advance the fight, feeling out what he has in terms of stand-up, and then trying finish it off quickly with a high kick, or a kick to Igors already battered ribs. The only chance I see of Vovchanchyn winning is if he lands a bomb when Cro Cop tries to finish it and knocks Mirko out. This match WILL end in a knock out, it’s just a matter of when Filipovic chooses to strike.

Edited July 28, 2003 by RavishingRickRudo