PRIDE - Final Conflict

[AboveAverage484 0]

I'd probably move Liddell up to number one. Silva drops to two, Shogun goes to three, Arona only goes to four because Silva is the first legit MW contender he's beaten in like three years; he didn't look very impressive even in victory against Silva. Couture is safely at number five. I guess I'll have Rogerio at number six because even though he lost earlier in the tourney than Overeem, he still dominated him earlier this year. Overeem is at seven, Babalu at eight, and Rampage at nine. Ten is nobody in particular, but just for the hell of it, I'll put Ortiz there.

 

As for Final Conflict, Tank did better than anyone expected him to. I stand by my statement that Yoshida is the most boring fighter in Pride, his ground game is so methodical it could be a cure for insomnia.

 

Overeem looked impressive in the first couple minutes until he gassed. Hummers probably get better gas mileage than Alistair. I thought it was over when he had Shogun in the guillotine, but he pulled out and went on to dominate the rest of the fight.

 

Silva and Arona was the most dissapointing fight of the year. The standup was sparse and inaccurate, and Arona only got Silva down because of a couple stumbles. Arona's GNP was pretty poor, and for those bashing Silva for not trying anything against Arona, sit and think about it. He's a fucking BJJ black belt, you think he's gonna fall for a triangle or an armbar? I wanted Shogun to pound him, especially after Arona acted like such a bitch to Wanderlei after the fight. It's not like he pulled a Fedor/Goodridge beating or anything.

 

I take back all the bad things I've said about Shogun in the past. Still don't think he's better than Wandy, but if Silva would have come out against Arona the way Shogun did, we might have had an all Chute Boxe final. Shogun needs to quit the kung fu shit though, it might get him in trouble. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Rampage would beat Shogun if they fought again, but maybe I'm just trying to instigate RRR . If Shogun does lose, it will probably be against a Randy Couture like fighter, a smart fighter who doesn't let himself get in trouble very often.

 

Fedor vs. Cro Cop was great for the 1½ rounds, then it became pretty anti-climactic. Fedor is the best fighter in the world period, and I see NO ONE in the near future who could contend with him. Who the hell is he gonna fight when he comes back for NYE? Barnett maybe, but I'm pretty confident Fedor could outstrike him as well as stifle his takedowns. Kharitonov is probably the best bet, but Hunt would be an interesting match up as well.

 

Other thoughts: Igor needs to retire or suddenly become a ground wizard and Werdum isn't as great as everyone says.