The MMA QUADRUPLE shot~!

[AboveAverage484 0]

Damnit, was it, like, Bizzaro Land in Osaka? Saku KOs someone, Randleman fails (not as unusual as it should be), Igor cant KO Kondo, Henderson repeating history, Arona fights clean, Jackson gets murderized, as RRR put it...

 

Man. Just a weird goddamn show.

*********SPOILERS**************

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what if he can't KO Kondo? He's the best fighter Igor has ever defeated (when compared to Igor's own weight). Everyone thought Kondo was going to get murdered, but he's fucking Yuki Kondo, not some can, even though Igor did make him look way less dangerous than he really is.

 

Slapnuts, wouldn't you really be kicking yourself if this had been an amazing card? What I'm saying is when there is this much talent on the card, you just have to order it to be safe. What was wrong with Arona/Lister and Igor/Kondo? Nak/Randleman was the only coma inducing fight in the first three matches, the other two were good, solid MMA matches.

 

Give me my avatar RRR, I accept defeat. Now watch people jump off the Rampage bandwagon like he was the Titanic and Shogun was the iceberg. Now when Rampage defeats another top 10 fighter, they'll be back in full force. You can't blame his performances against the Rua brothers on his lifestyle change either, because he looked pretty darn good against Silva in October before being KO'd.

[Styles 0]

Oh, I don't regret the purchase. I've ordered WWE PPVs that were FAR FAR worse (New Year's Revolution). It wasn't just my uncle falling asleep, I really was thinking of tapping out myself. Like I said, it picked up in the second half but the first hour or so was just brutal. Oh, and RRR they didn't show any entrances.

[Styles 0]

Some Observer reader responses:

 

The first half of the show was pretty uninteresting, even for aficionados.

The only suspense was in hoping none of the friend’s I’d talked into buying

the PPV (telling them that Pride would easily outclass the recent UFC shows

that had brought them to the sport) would call to berate me.

 

Overall, it seemed so many fighters were either fatigued or just being so cautious that it resulted in a mediocre showing overall. Hopefully the next round will be better.

 

This was the first Pride PPV that I have seen and as a huge pro wrestling fan I was a bit disappointed. I purchased the show because it was hyped as the deepest tournament in MMA history and was hoping for some exciting fights. Overall, I would give the show a thumbs in the middle. The first half of the show was kind of boring. I was expecting a lot more striking and cool submission work but there was too much stalling and too many stand ups.

 

The fights overall

lacked intensity except for Nogueira-Henderson and

Silva-Yoshida, and the commentators perhaps emphasized

that lack of aggression a little too much.

 

Thumbs...damn...I really hate to do this...but thumbs down.

Silva/Yoshida was the best and Sakuraba's squash was the worst...although the guys I was with would argue that the worst match was Arona/Lister because of it's ground-stalemate nature.

Here's the thing. I ordered the PPV and had a bunch of people over. I talked up Randleman and Rampage and Belfort as complete animals who could win crazily or lose in a fury. Now, my credibility is shot.

[Guest Brian]

I ended up putting on Pierre/Miller, Trigg/Hughes, Cote/Doerksen, and Bonnar/Griffith on at the end of the show just to please the crowd.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I have to admit the Sherdog creatures have been highly entertaining in their defense of the Pride show.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I have to admit the Sherdog creatures have been highly entertaining in their defense of the Pride show.

Look it wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Go back and watch Pride 9 if you want crappiness personified.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

%&^&^$~~!!!

 

*owns PRIDE 9 on DVD*

 

(worst impulse purchase ever)

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I have to admit the Sherdog creatures have been highly entertaining in their defense of the Pride show.

Look it wasn't the best, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Go back and watch Pride 9 if you want crappiness personified.

Oh I'm sure there's far worse. Lord knows any time I've paid for a WWF PPV or ticket I've always felt ripped off. I just find them labelling anyone who didn't declare the show as an instant classic and better than anything the UFC has ever done as not understanding MMA to be funny.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I'm just disappointed that Dan gave up his arm like that.

 

Hopefully Hendo goes back to the drawing board and figures his shit out, he shouldn't have been armbarred so easily like that.

 

Four guys I looked forward to going far are out in the first round, Randleman, Rampage Vitor and Hendo. That fucking sucks, this second round is so devoid of anything interesting. Bah, I see that it might be because three of those four are American, while the other might as well be since he has been in the UFC for like eight years or whatever.

[AboveAverage484 0]

%&^&^$~~!!!

 

*owns PRIDE 9 on DVD*

 

(worst impulse purchase ever)

I bought it too, but only to complete the collection. The only match on there that is decent is watching Igor pound Matsui, lol.

[Guest Deft]

All I have left to root for is Saku . All my favs got knocked off except him. This show was just fucking bizarre and as said before decidedly boring.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

How bad was Mauro?

[Guest Brian]

From MMAWeekly:

 

UFC 52 Sets All-Time Record for UFC Live Gate, April 9th Event Not as Successful at Box Office

 

by Ivan Trembow

 

The UFC shattered its own all-time records for total attendance and live gate with UFC 52 on April 16th. According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission and the MGM Grand, the paid attendance for UFC 52 was 12,643, while the number of free "comp" tickets given out to advertisers, TV industry executives, celebrities, and friends of UFC employees was 1,631. The combined result was a sellout crowd of 14,274 in attendance, drawing a total live gate of $2,575,450. An increased demand for tickets drove up ticket prices, causing several thousand tickets to be sold at the box office for $300 or $400.

 

The live gate of $2,575,450 is a new record for the UFC. The previous record was set by UFC 40 with its live gate of $1,540,340. The top ten live gates in UFC history prior to this event ranged from $650,000 to the aforementioned $1.5 million for UFC 40.

 

The total attendance of 14,274 is also a new record for the UFC. The previous record was set by UFC 40 with its total attendance of 13,275. In terms of paid attendance, UFC 52 had no chance of breaking the record set by UFC 40 because of the high number of free "comp" tickets given out to executives, celebrities, and friends of UFC employees at UFC 52. UFC 40 had a paid attendance of 13,055 and a total attendance of 13,275, which means that only 220 comp tickets were given out for that event, at a time when there wasn't as much interest from celebrities and TV executives to attend UFC events.

 

Due to the huge live gate; UFC 52 will turn a profit for Zuffa. This is just the third or fourth event to turn a net profit for Zuffa ever since it bought the UFC in 2001 and ran events starting with UFC 30. Information on UFC 52's pay-per-view buy-rate is still not available, but the expectation going into the event was for it to draw 100,000 buys in the worst-case scenario and 200,000 buys in the best-case scenario.

 

While UFC 52 was a big success for Zuffa at the live gate, the company's April 9th event at the Cox Pavilion was not. The UFC booked the April 9th event in a small venue that would only hold 2,950 fans, and assumed that it would automatically sell out because of the low number of seats available. Zuffa was so sure that the event would be a quick sell-out that it told its employees at one point that it would not be making the usual "comp" tickets available for them to give out to people. Tickets for the April 9th event were priced at $350, $250, and $150.

 

With huge live ticket demand for a UFC 52 event that would take place just one week later, along with the fact that the cheapest tickets for the April 9th event were a whopping $150, ticket sales were very slow. Zuffa had to "paper the building" like crazy, which means handing out large amounts of free "comp" tickets in order to fill the building and make it look good on TV. They also had a much stronger than usual demand from TV executives and representatives from other companies who wanted to attend to the first UFC event that would be televised live on free television, including representatives from ESPN. When all was said and done, the building was full with 2,950 fans, but the paid attendance was only 779 and there were 2,171 comp tickets given out. The live gate for the April 9th event was just $180,950.

[Guest Brian]

"Vitor Speaks About Pride GP Fight"

 

http://www.subfighter.com/article-1460--0-0.html%22

 

When Vitor Belfort Faught Alistair Overeem, In the opening round of this years Pride GP this past Saturday, It was in many fans eyes a make or break fight for the Brazilian. But the bout was far from Belfort's biggest Challange. The popular 28-year-old Brazilian has been fighting under the type of personal duress even Mike Tyson could not imagine. Belfort's 29-year-old sister, Priscilla, was kidnapped in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Jan. 8 of last year. After being dropped off at work by her mother, Priscilla was last seen by a custodian at her workplace as she left for lunch.

 

Belfort sat in a hotel room after the fight, Trying to figure out what is next for him, I was able to sit down with him after the fight and find out what his future plans are, how the search for his sister has been and how becoming a father has affected his life.

 

RVJ - Thanks for taking the time to speak with us

 

Vitor - "Anytime."

 

RVJ - How does it feel being a dad.

 

Vitor - "Man, its the best thing that has happend to me, I love my son so much, he's my life, I just love it."

 

RVJ - How is your son and wife doing

 

Vitor - "There both doing real good, I miss them both so much, I cant wait to get back home."

 

RVJ - I dont want to get into this, but you know the fans want to know, you have stated many times that its hard for you to train with your sister on your mind, How did your training go for this event, did you do anything different then all your other fights.

 

Vitor - "I was unable to do much besides train and think of my sister, she is my life, I tryed my hardest to put everything into my preparation for this fight, but its hard when you get random phone calls that your sister has been found, or that someone knows where she is, I have to deal with these things everyday, how am I suppose to come into a fight 100% with all this going on."

 

RVJ - What do you miss most about your sister

 

As he describes her, he begins to choke up again

 

Vitor - "She was so, so, so lovely, so friendly, such a good sister, She's a good woman. She's great, just like an angel. I realizes that as each day passes, it is less likely she will be found. But I try not to think of what may have happened, and just remember the joy she brought to my life and others".

 

RVJ - What has your family said, what is there take on this, do they want you to keep fighting. I know its been a while since she was last seen,But you are so grief stricken, you let your emotions open, you are a deeply religious man, when is it time to go. Your sister has an obvious affect on yourself, maybe it is time to worry about everyone else, and move on from fighting.

 

Vitor - "I draw upon Gods faith to help him get through each day. I'm the one who supports my whole family and we're not a rich family, they rely on me. If I didn't come here to fight, I wouldn't get paid. I probably wouldn't get this chance again. Everyone told me, Vitor, you have to go and take care of your business. Let the police and the professionals here do their work. I understand that, but it's not easy."

 

RVJ - How ready were you for the fight.

 

Vitor - "Maybe 50%, I considered pulling out of the bout, but me not fighting means no money for my family. It was emotional for me as I got ready to fight Saturday, Thats how it has been for every fight since she has been takin from me. For me to be 150% ready for my fights, I have to forget about my sister, or I need to know where she is, dead or alive I just need to know because I dont know how much more of this I can take. I Cant erase the thought of Priscilla from his mind."

 

RVJ - So we can count on Vitor Belfort Fighting again.

 

Vitor - "Oh ya, Im not for sure when. I have a lot of things that are going on in my life right now, and dont plan on seeing me fight untill I get everything back in place. I believe in God, I pray to him to give me the strength to do this and I know He will. Sometimes you are tested, and this is one of those times for me.The devil wants to destroy my life. He wants me to be depressed and give up on my career, This is what he wants. I'm not a happy man. I want nothing more than to hug my sister and be able to tell her I love her. But I'm not going to let the devil win, When I come back to fight I will be 150% ready,I dont like letting all my fans down, like I know I did here at the GP, But I will be back. It might be in a couple months or maybe a year from now, I dont know, but when I do return its going to be a Vitor that is ready."

 

RVJ - Once again Vitor, Thank you for your time and good luck with everything.

 

Vitor - "Anytime Chris, thanks"

[cameron chaos 0]

Considering how he ruined Eastman, it is sad that his sister's apparent abduction has emotionally crippled him like this.

 

I enjoyed Shogun dishing out the beatdown, Lister and Arona's technical clash, Yoshida trying harder to best Silva, Mini Nog picking apart Henderson, Igor showing off his more rounded fight style while pounding the shit out of Kondo, the Dutch MT fighter choking out the BJJ black belt and Sak KOing Sik. Only fight I found boring at times was Randleman and Nakamura however that really should have ended when Nakamura got the Americana. Credit to Randleman for not tapping though.

 

I do think a lot of Sherdoggers probably have a point. MMA is not pro wrestling and is not going to be as exciting so pro wrestling fans are obviously going to enjoy the events less since people are actually trying to fight strategically to win and qualify for the next round rather than tope suicida around the ring.

 

I'm just disappointed that Dan gave up his arm like that.

 

You try rolling with the Noguiera brothers, it's not like they aren't used to armbarring people. Dan didn't give up his arm, Rogerio broke his grip.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I understand that and the grip as well, but it was clear that a mental break due to lack of cardio, which he pointed out himself, caused him not to be careful. I understand completely about the Nog brothers' grip strength and how technical they are, but Dan Henderson is no slouch and it was clear he certainly didn't make things harder for lil Nog.

 

No credit to be taken away, you can't deny that Dan fought a bad fight. It's funny, on like ten days notice he did better against the bigger Noguiera. Oh well, Rogerio I would say is the third best fighter left in this tournament, I don't see him getting past Silva or, should they have to face, Arona. Igor might pose a bad matchup for him to now that I think about it.

[cameron chaos 0]

I can't see Rogerio getting KO'd by Silva and I don't see him losing by sub either. I think it could come down a technical vs aggressive striking match. Igor I think could throw him off his game a lot if he keeps his sub defense sharp.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Igor also has better takedown defense than Rogerio has takedown skills, at least if his brother is any indication. Combine that with the power and quickness that Igor has and that's tough for Rogerio.

 

I think the fight everyone wants to see though is Igor vs. Silva.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Igor also has better takedown defense than Rogerio has takedown skills, at least if his brother is any indication. Combine that with the power and quickness that Igor has and that's tough for Rogerio.

 

I think the fight everyone wants to see though is Igor vs. Silva.

If Pride can't get a Silva/Sakuraba final, I think a Silva/Vovchanchyn final would be the best bet since Igor's probably the third biggest name left in the tourney behind the first two mentioned.

[Styles 0]

I'd imagine the 2 big matchups they have left would be Sakuraba vs. Silva (even though we've seen it before and probably don't want to see it again, the Japanese just love it) and Silva vs. Vovchanchyn. So, Pride wants to have those 2 matches go down. There's 2 ways they can go about this. The first option is throw one of those matches out there as the main draw for the quarter finals, most likely Silva/Sakuraba. They can then give Vovchanchyn the easiest opponent (likely Nakamura) to set up Silva/Vovchanchyn for the finals. That's the way I would go. Or they could be risky and hope to get all 3 guys into the semis, by spreading them out for the quarters (something like Silva vs. Overheem, Sakuraba vs. Arona and Vovchanchyn vs. Nakamura with Noguiera vs. Shogun where either one could make a good 4th guy and just hope the favorite all go over in the first 3 matches, which would set up Silva/Sakuraba for the semis and Vovchanchyn vs. a Brazilian and then hopefully against Silva in the finals). The second method is much more risky and as we've seen time and time again you can never be sure in MMA so if I were Pride I'd go with option one:

 

Silva vs. Sakuraba

Vovchanchyn vs. Nakamura

Overheem vs. Noguiera

Shogun vs. Arona

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

When you say favourite, you mean crowd favourite or favourite to win? Because I don't think anyone would favour Saku over Arona.

[Styles 0]

When you say favourite, you mean crowd favourite or favourite to win? Because I don't think anyone would favour Saku over Arona.

Honestly, besides Nakamura (and they wouldn't pair up the 2 Japanese) I don't think he can beat anyone else. I think Saku can take Arona...

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I think Sakuraba would match up well with Overreem personally. I don't think Alistair could effectively use his range when Saku's taking him down at will and GnPing him.

 

I think Arona is too big and too strong for him. Better submissions and probably wrestling due to the size. I think it's a bad matchup.

[Guest Brian]

When you say favourite, you mean crowd favourite or favourite to win? Because I don't think anyone would favour Saku over Arona.

Honestly, besides Nakamura (and they wouldn't pair up the 2 Japanese) I don't think he can beat anyone else. I think Saku can take Arona...

I think they'll match up the Japanese with each other, and the Brazilians with each other. Ensure they get a native to draw, and make sure they can get as many Brazilians out as possible.

[AboveAverage484 0]

I was pretty accurate in my first round matchups (pointless/useless shill), so here are my second rounders:

 

Silva/Sakuraba: It's been done to death, but provides a draw for the quarter finals, while giving at least one of the two biggest names a trip to the semis.

 

Shogun/Arona: BTT vs. Chute Boxe plus Arona having history with Shogun's brother makes this a logical matchup. Plus it guarantees another Brazilian out of the tourney.

 

Vovchanchyn/Lil' Nog: Lil' Nog has already fought the other two a combined three times, twice in the past year, so this match makes sense.

 

Nakamura/Overeem: They give Nakamura the match where he has the most chance of success by giving him Overeem, although he's no walk in the park, ask Belfort.

 

I think if they end up with no Japanese fighter in the final, it won't be as big a deal as people make it seem. They could conceivably throw Sakuraba/Tamura on there as a the big drawing match, because these two guys have some bad blood between each other. Couple that with the possibility of Fedor/Cro Cop also being on the card, the highly rumored Yoshida/Dong Sik reserve matchup, and other superfights with big names like Nogueira, Rampage, etc. and you have a pretty killer card right there.

[AboveAverage484 0]

Each fighter possesses a strength going into the second round:

 

Silva=Best ground and pound, egdes out Igor

 

Sakuraba=Best wrestling/ground work, not counting submissions, which belongs to...

 

Lil' Nog=Best subs

 

Igor=Best punches

 

Arona=Best ground control, though he's been criticized for being inactive

 

Shogun=Best knees/kicks

 

Nakamura=Unpredictability/intangibles

 

Overeem=Reach, probably the "weakest" strength, but he might be the "weakest" fighter going into the second round, but try and tell that to Vitor and Chuck (yeh, I know he beat Alistair, bear with me).