MMA-URLS

Daniel Cormier's win over Josh Barnett at last night's Strikeforce : Barnett vs. Cormier was the end of an era. Barnett being slammed and punched and completely outmatched by the former Olympic wrestling hopeful was the last guttering flicker of the light that once illuminated the world-wide mixed martial arts landscape. I refer of course to the legendary Pride Fighting Championship's Heavyweight division. From 2000 when Mark Coleman won the first Pride Open Weight Grand Prix and became, for the 2nd time in his career, the MMA lineal heavyweight champion, until the beginning of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2011, Pride veterans reigned at the top of the division. That era is no more. Let's run through the leading lights of the Pride HW's and review where they are today: Fedor Emelianenko: The Last Emperor was uncontested at the world's best Heavyweight from March 2003 when he defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira until he was submitted by Fabricio Werdum in June, 2010. He went on to lose two more fights before being cut by Strikeforce and becoming largely irrelevant in the HW picture. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: Remained the world's #2 HW with only occasional slips to #3 until he lost to Frank Mir at UFC 92. He fought his way back to relevance only to allow a stunned Mir to come back and break his arm at UFC 140. He's 2-3 in his last 5 fights. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic: When Cro Cop came to the UFC in 2007 he was expected to immediately take over the HW division. Instead he got head kicked by Gabriel Gonzaga in his second UFC bout and went on to put together a 4-6 record in the UFC before leaving the promotion as a spent force in MMA. With Barnett's loss to Cormier, the fall of the old guard is complete. It's a new era that will likely be dominated by UFC Heavyweights for the foreseeable future. SBN coverage of Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier

Posted in: ufc, heavyweight, pride, barnett, cormier

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

In another classic from "The Best of Pride Fighting Championships" on Fuel TV, watch as Fedor Emelianenko dispatches the 340-pound Zuluzinho with quickness and ease.

Posted in: championship, pride, fuel tv, fedor, zuluzinho

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

Watch as Mark Kerr, two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner at UFC 14 and UFC 15, rebounds from the first loss of his career to beat Igor Borisov at Pride 10. It's the Best of Pride, courtesy of...

Posted in: ufc, pride, igor, igor borisov, pride courtesy

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One spot remains for our list of the greatest fights that never happened (check out Part 1 and Part 2 to see which other fights made the list) and the honor of being recognized as the biggest, most desired fight that regrettably never took place belongs to the matchup of Fedor Emelianenko versus....well, everyone. I will be the first admit that this is a cop-out. But as I was assembling the list it soon became apparent that nearly every other spot would be taken up by an aborted fight of the Last Emperor's. It did not seem fair - plus it was becoming more than a little redundant - to exclude so many other worthy candidates just to make room for each and every one of the many dream matches involving Fedor that failed to go down. Instead I decided to merge all of his bouts into one spot. The top spot. The disappointment from Fedor's missed fights begins in 2007. Up until that year Fedor had risen to be widely acknowledged as not only the number one heavyweight in the world but also the best mixed martial artists thanks to his many accomplishment in the Pride FC promotion: he defeated Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera, the perennial number two best heavyweight in the world, twice; he - eventually - met and beat Mirko Crop in one of the sports biggest fights (although we were left without a much desired rematch); he won the 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix. A few highly sought matches fell through the cracks, but for the most part he had left the fans satisfied. With the end of Pride that would change. After the purchase of Pride FC by Zuffa in early 2007 there suddenly grew an intense interest in a match between Fedor and Randy Couture to unify the UFC and Pride belts. Oddly enough though the first opportunity for such a match didn't involve either promotion. Depending on the source, Randy was offered anywhere from $1 million to $3 million by Bodog to face Fedor in St. Petersburg, but turned it down because he was under contract with the UFC. via www.mmaplayground.com Few tears were shed after the Bodog fight fell through, instead fans' focus was on the UFC, as they confidently waited for Fedor, like Dan Henderson, to come to the USA for a unification bout, a match that was already being labeled as the "Fight of the Century". It didn't work out that way. Instead he choose to sign a multi-million dollar contract with M-1 Global and the dream match between him and Couture was off almost as quick as it began. That is until Randy Couture announced his resignation from the UFC. Frustrated that he wouldn't be able to test himself against Fedor, feeling disrespected by the UFC for not offering him as much as a fighter outside the promotion, and, most likely, under the impression that a match between the two would be a huge money fight, Couture went to court in order to get out of his current contract. Fedor-Couture suddenly seemed much more likely. This likelihood grew even more when Fedor signed a deal with a new promotion created by Affliction, a clothing company that had a close relationship with Couture. Interest and anticipation for Fedor-Couture reached its peak at Affliction: Banned where after defeating Tim Sylvia (a dream match for many back in 2003 or 2004) Fedor was joined by Randy Couture in the ring. Their fight now seemed inevitable. Ironically, the Affliction event might have also killed any possibility of Fedor-Couture. After having sold only 100,000 payperviews, an extended and expensive court battle for the right to take part in a contest that might not sell as well as originally forecast, no longer seemed the wisest decision. Throw in a falling out between Couture and the owner of Affliction, Tom Beard, and an offer by Zuffa for his return fight to be against the massively drawing Brock Lesnar, and Captain America was soon back in the UFC's fold... where he would lose the belt, and killing interest in a Emelianenko-Couture contest.. via urdirt.com With the death of Fedor-Couture, Emelianenko and his fans turned their attention to the roster of opponents Affliction had assembled for him. After a first round KO victory over the consensus number two heavyweight in the world, Andrei Arlovski, Fedor was booked against another number 2 ranked opponent in Josh Barnett. This was a fight Fedor fans had wanted to see for some time. The number four Pride Heavyweight after the "Big 3" of Fedor, Big Nog, and Cro Cop, Barnett was the only one that had yet to meet Fedor, although it wasn't because of a lack of trying. For Pride's New Years Eve show in 2006 both Barnett and Mirko Cro Cop had been offered a shot at Fedor and the title, but both turned it down citing nagging injuries. Of course, this didn't stop Josh from facing Big Nog on the same New Years Eve broadcast that Fedor defended his title against Mark Hunt on. In 2007 it was announced that Fedor would be meeting Barnett in Los Angeles at Pride 35, but that was scuttled when the promotion was sold to Zuffa. Two years later Los Angeles would get another stab at Fedor-Barnett when Affliction booked that match as part of their Trilogy show. You would think the 3rd time would be the charm, but it wasn't the case. Instead Barnett failed a drug test (his 4th to be exact) while trying to renew his fighters license. The fight, the card, and the whole promotion went under shortly afterwards. For fans who had been looking forward to seeing a Fedor-Barnett for the last few years, it was a disaster. The only relief was provided by the knowledge that there was a potentially bigger fight in the works. Perhaps the biggest ever. Fedor-Brock. At UFC 100, Brock Lesnar, the former WWE champion, current UFC champion, and the biggest star in the biz, had just finished brutalizing Frank Mir, as well as bad-mouthing Bud Light, in the middle of the Octagon. Fans were now looking for someone to teach this giant bully a lesson and they volunteered the newly "free agent" Fedor Emelianenko. Speculation and excitement filled the MMA forums: guarantees were given by various UFC insiders that a Fedor signing was eminent; plans were supposedly drawn up for the fight to be held at Dallas Cowboys Stadium; rumors were floated as to how lucrative the contract offered to Fedor was; bold predictions were made for how big this, the biggest fight in UFC history would actually be. In the end, for whatever reason, a deal couldn't be made and Fedor signed with Strikeforce. To say it was it was a letdown would be a grow understatement. via fedorfight.com There was a brief reprise in interest in Fedor-Brock when in 2010 M-1 and Strikeforce found themselves in dispute over their current agreement. Hope sprung anew that Fedor would use CBS's failure to properly promote M-1 on their last broadcast as an excuse to exit the contract and sign with the UFC, giving us the much desired dream fight. Alas, M-1, Strikeforce, Showtime, and CBS were able to work out their differences and Fedor-Brock was never made. A fight that many thought would have been the biggest in the history of the sport, or, at minimum, in the history of North America, was forever relegated to "what if" status. The anger and disappointment felt by many was partly assuaged by Fedor's showing on national television against Brett Rogers. With his exciting second round knockout, fans began looking down the road in anticipation at a possible matchup against the current Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem. A new Fedor dream fight was born. This was all according to the plan of the president of Strikeforce, Scott Coker. He would have Fedor twice fight on CBS, first against Brett Rogers and then against Fabricio Werdum, in order to build towards a super-fight with Alistair Overeem on payperview. Normally, planning so far ahead was risky, but this was Fedor Emelianenko, a man who had not lost in a decade. What could possible get in the way of this plan? A triangle. Werdum shocked the world by submitting Fedor 69 seconds into their contest. Not only was it the upset of a lifetime, it completely derailed plans for a Fedor-Overeem payperview contest. But it didn't kill the match. Instead, Strikeforce declared a Mulligan, and set up a World Heavyweight Grand Prix, where Fedor and Overeem would be seeded to meet in the second round. All they had to do was both win and the fight was back on. But Fedor didn't. And so, with a second straight loss, followed thereafter by a third, it seems highly unlikely that we'll ever see Fedor versus Couture or Barnett or Brock or Overeem. Instead, like Foreman versus Holmes and (most likely) Pacquiao versus Mayweather, we are left only with the question of "what could have been?" via cdn.thegloss.com

Posted in: ufc, fight, fan, pride, fedor

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Posted in: pride, fc, pride fc, elryanoo link, elryanoo

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PRIDE never die, clearly, as it continually comes back to life in a series of ZUFFA-produced highlight video packages on FUEL TV. That includes Takanori Gomi (33-8), former PRIDE Lightweight Champion, who at one time was considered the finest 155-pounder in all of mixed martial arts (MMA). From the official website: Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi got back to his winning ways against Chute Boxe fighter Jadyson Costa at Pride: Bushido 2. Gomi unleashed a barrage of fierce ground and pound that stopped Costa in his tracks and put Gomi back on track. "Best of PRIDE" also showcases the mad submission skills of another Japanese lightweight standout, Shinya Aoki (30-5), after the jump. Here's what they said about the DREAM deity: Japanese submission wizard Shinya Aoki tested his skills against American wrestler Clay French at Pride Bushido 13. French spent the majority of the bout valiantly defending against the dazzling jiu-jitsu of Aoki, but ultimately succumbed to an out-of-nowhere flying triangle choke that has to be seen to be believed. Anyone wish "The Tobikan Judan" would have (or still might) find his way inside the Octagon? Props: Bloody Elbow

Posted in: gomi, aoki, pride, takanori, shinya

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Fuel TV is releasing some nifty videos from their Best of Pride series. The video above is Shinya Aoki vs Clay French from Pride Bushido 13 on November 5, 2006. Here's Fuel TV's description of the action: Japanese submission wizard Shinya Aoki tested his skills against American wrestler Clay French at Pride Bushido 13. French spent the majority of the bout valiantly defending against the dazzling jiu-jitsu of Aoki, but ultimately succumbed to an out-of-nowhere flying triangle choke that has to be seen to be believed. After the jump is a video of Takanori Gomi in some vintage Fireball Kid action. The above is from Takanori Gomi vs. Jadson Costa at Pride Bushido 2 on February 15, 2004. Here's Fuel TV's description of the action: Takanori "The Fireball Kid" Gomi got back to his winning ways against Chute Boxe fighter Jadyson Costa at Pride: Bushido 2. Gomi unleashed a barrage of fierce ground and pound that stopped Costa in his tracks and put Gomi back on track.

Posted in: video, gomi, aoki, pride, takanori

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Watch as Japanese submission legend Shinya Aoki pulls off a stellar triangle finish against Clay French at Pride Bushido 13, courtesy of "The Best of Pride" on Fuel TV.

Posted in: submission, aoki, triangle, pride, triangle submission

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

There aren’t many fighters who can claim to have the experience or success of Mark Coleman. The 47-year old Hall of Famer not only won a pair of UFC tournaments in the organization’s early days but also laid claim to the company’s inaugural heavyweight title, a PRIDE Open Weight Grand Prix crown, and even a victory inside the Octagon a few years ago against Stephan Bonnar despite being in his mid-forties. “The Hammer” recently looked back on his career while speaking with Inside MMA where he touched on a number of topics including his glory days, a controversial moment occurring after one of his fights with Fedor Emelianenko, and whether or not there were any opponents still piquing his interest. “I’ll be honest with you. It’s easier to win the belt than to keep the belt,” said Coleman of his early run in the UFC where he won gold only to lose it in his first defense. “Nothing against Mo Smith but if I would’ve prepared properly I think I would’ve destroyed him. But I didn’t because I didn’t prepare properly, he did, and what a humbling, humbling experience.” Coleman took that humility with him to PRIDE where, entering the 2000 Open Weight Grand Prix with a 1-1 record in the promotion, the godfather of ground-and-pound surprised all by emerging as the tournament’s champion. “The critics are usually right but you can prove em wrong sometimes,” Coleman fondly reflected. Another bout under the PRIDE banner fans likely remember is Coleman’s encounter with Emelianenko at PRIDE 32 where, after losing, the decorated wrestler brought his terrified daughters into the ring to spend time with them. While Coleman didn’t say he regretted the decision, he did make it clear he received a lot of heat and appeared to be genuinely affected on an emotional level by the situation. “It was a tough night because I took a lot of criticism from a lot of fans and a lot of professionals claiming that I traumatized my daughters. And at the time, being a dad, it was the most important thing to me. I just remember very clearly…I don’t mind losing, I just don’t wanna hurt my kids,” a tearful Coleman expressed. Looking forward, Coleman stopped short of guaranteeing a return to the ring but acknowledged he could be swayed to do so if the right situation appeared. Likewise, the 16-10 competitor doesn’t appear to have any interest in taking on the next generation of Mixed Martial Artists but wouldn’t mind getting his hands on a legend or two. “It seems to always come down to one guy…Tito…what’s his last name? Oh yeah, Tito Ortiz. Dan Severn, he’s the one calling me out every day. He wants a revenge match versus me but I keep telling him, he’s 280 pounds and needs to lose some weight and then maybe I’ll think about it. Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz…other than that…I gotta get in shape,” admitted Coleman, perhaps indicative he is enjoying retirement a little too much to return after all. Meanwhile, though his fighting future is up in the air, Coleman’s main focus moving forward will be on his aforementioned daughters who are now both athletes in their own right. From world champion to proud father, Coleman’s journey has been an eventful one with no signs of slowing down in the immediate future. We should all be so lucky at his age. Watch the full interview below: PHOTO CREDIT – FEG/UFC

Posted in: ’t, pride, lot, coleman, mark coleman

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

As already discussed, today marks the 5th anniversary of the UFC purchasing Japan's PRIDE organization. At the time, the purchase was seen as one of the biggest business moves in the history of MMA. While it didn't quite pan out to be as big as we had hoped for, that sale did have a significant impact on the MMA landscape. Mainly, it effectively killed Pride off, and along with it, the entire Japanese MMA scene. Sure there was Dream and Sengoku afterwards, and many small Japanese organizations still exist, but at that Pride-sized grand level, Japanese MMA is a thing of the past. With the collapse of Pride and the Japanese scene also came a significant impact on many fighters. Some Pride greats, like Dan Henderson and Rampage Jackson, made a successful transition to the US, integrating themselves into the UFC ranks and making their mark. But for others, this collapse also marked the end of their own time at the top. Here, we take a look at 5 men who saw their careers irreversibly changed for the worse by the buy-out, plus 2 men who avoided that curse. First up, the top dogs who couldn't find that same success post-Pride. And we start off with a big one: 1. Fedor Emelianenko - Let's get this out of the way: Fedor has a winning record post-Pride. He's 7-3, with 2 of those wins coming against top 5 Heavyweights. Not bad, right? Maybe. But for the Fedor of the Pride era, "not bad" is not good enough. In Pride, he built up a powerful legacy as an unstoppable machine, and that legacy has been forever tarnished by events post-Pride. From the failed negotiations with the UFC, to the 3 straight loses, to the multiple wins over sub-par opposition, Fedor is just not the same mythological figure he once was in Pride, and he never will be again. Five Years Ago: UFC Purchases Pride Fighting Championships 2. Mirko Cro Cop - The final Pride GP champion, Cro Cop left before the end of the company, but the writing was already on the wall. He came to the UFC with a mountain of hype, but never delivered. When Gabriel Gonzaga head kicked him into unconsciousness inb his 2nd post-Pride fight, Cro Cop was never the same. For fans of the steely KO artist from Pride, Cro Cop's UFC career has been downright painful to watch at times. 3. Takanori Gomi - If you've only seen recent Gomi, it's hard to understand just how hyped he was at the end of Pride. From 2004-2007 he was THE best Lightweight in the world, beyond a doubt. He had an incredible 13-1 run in Pride (or 13-2 depending on how you view the Nick Diaz fight), dispatching everyone put before him. Then he took a year off to sort through contractual issues when Pride closed. From his first fight back, it was clear that he had lost some of that famous fire. He's 6-5 since, and has only found that old Gomi magic on rare instances. 4. Paulo Filho - Like Gomi, Filho was seen as the world's #1 when Pride closed, this time in the Middleweight division. With a 14-0 record and a Pride GP crown, he seemed unstoppable. When he came to the WEC post-Pride it was a huge coup, and at first, he looked poised to keep dominating. Then he had the bizarre showing against Chael Sonnen in 2008, and that was that. Immediately his reputation changed from best in the world, to unreliable headcase. He's had very public issues with substance abuse, which have seemed to get the better of him in recent years, which is a shame, as he could have been one of the sport's true greats. 5. Ricardo Arona - Arona is an odd one. Near the end of 2005 he defeated Wanderlei Silva in an absolutely massive win. He made the finals of the 2005 Pride GP, and though he ended his Pride career with an upset loss to Sokoudjou, he was clearly one of the world's best at 205. Then Pride closed and Arona just... vanished. He's had one fight only in the past 5 years - a dull 2009 win over Marvin Eastman. Why did this possible champion just walk away? We may never know. Mention has to be given to two men who, at one time, I was sure would be on this list. Both Shogun Rua and Mark Hunt seemed destined to join their companions as post-Pride wash-outs, yet both men have managed to pull together solid UFC careers. They are among the last vestiges of the Pride Never Die mentality, and it's been great watching their resurgences in recent years. Who's your pick for biggest post-Pride fall? Anyone major I overlooked? Poll Who had the biggest drop post-Pride? Fedor Emelianenko Mirko Cro Cop Takanori Gomi Paulo Filho Ricardo Arona Other   50 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, time, pride, cro, postpride

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March 27, 2007 was a year that changed everything in the MMA world. During a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, Lorenzo Fertitta announced that the UFC had purchased Pride Fighting Championships. With today serving as the five year anniversary of the announcement, we know that we never got some of the bigger ideas talked about in the purchase like the two promotions continuing to operate independently with a "Super Bowl" style event. With it appearing to be a more difficult task than they expected, the UFC quickly shifted their talk to the UFC "not being wanted" in Japan, resulting in the way we saw the situation play out. Here are some quotes from the press conference where the announcement was held (via ESPN): "This is really going to change the face of MMA," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "Literally creating a sport that could be as big around the world as soccer. I liken it somewhat to when the NFC and AFC came together to create the NFL." The deal allows the Fertitta brothers to broker the biggest MMA fights possible in the near future, increasing their influence in this sports entertainment business. "We will be able to literally put on the fights that everyone wants to see," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It will allow us to put on some of the biggest fights ever." There was a single DSE promoted PRIDE event held following the sale and Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion discussed that show (as well as what happened in the wake of the sale) over at Fight Opinion: What did happen was a rather pathetic ending for PRIDE. Their final show was in April of ‘07 at Saitama Super Arena and Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the front man for PRIDE, used the occasion and the show as his final goodbye. In addition to having graphics all over the arena with his face on them, he had the fighters on the card come out and talk about what a great man he was and how sad they were to see PRIDE die. It was a pathetic, but fitting spectacle for a man of such character. Soon after the sale took place, Zuffa hired Spectrum Gaming to run the background check on DSE for ‘due diligence.' Yes, they did ‘due diligence' after the transaction instead of before it. I wonder why. This resulted in a legal battle between the two parties over the asset sale agreement. The initial report was that $70M USD was paid but most insiders believe the final total was in the $10-13M USD range. While we may have never received the mega-crossover Super Bowl events that we all expected as MMA fans, Pride was on life support prior to the purchase anyway. The sport has grown so much over the past five years that wishing Pride was still around seems pointless. It was a fantastic and wild ride while it lasted, but it had to end sometime. And the beginning of that end was five years ago today.

Posted in: fight, year, pride, sale, fight opinion

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Even before Rampage Jackson went off the deep end and started telling everyone who would listen that the UFC sucks and he wants out, an old opponent from the PRIDE days already smelled the blood in the water.  A couple days after UFC 144, Shogun Rua told Tatame that he'd "absolutely" like to rematch Rampage. "The fight against Rampage will happen eventually. It's inevitable and UFC knows it. He won't retire before fighting me and neither am I." (laughs) Obviously, Shogun is again looking to recover from a tough loss by asking for a favorable rematch with a fading opponent.  Considering that Rampage got his ass kicked in under five minutes last time, and has been underwhelming for a couple years now, I have to think the odds would be on Rua even without the benefit of soccer-kicks.  Rampage tweeted that he's hoping for Shogun too, and after watching him pull a spoiled brat routine for a few weeks, I'm totally down with giving them their wish.  And so is Dana White: As reported on Fuel TV's UFC Tonight, UFC President Dana White has revealed that disgruntled former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will face another former champ, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The stellar pairing will be a rematch of their 2005 PRIDE bout, which Rua won by knockout. The bout is the last of Jackson's UFC contract, and he and the UFC are expected to part ways after the fight, which doesn't have a site or date yet. Rampage and Dana have publicly butted heads before and managed to kiss and make up in the end, but it's definitely not a good sign when your employer's official statement says you're disgruntled and expected to leave.  So unless he does to Shogun what he did to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92, this is probably his last fight with the UFC. Check out "Rampage vs Shogun I" above, which went down in the opening round of the PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix.  Rua was considered an underdog coming into the tournament, but challenged Rampage to seek revenge for a controversial split decision win over Shogun's brother "Ninja" two months before.  Shogun went on to decision Little Nog and knockout Alistair Overeem v1.0 and Ricardo Arona to win the GP, and establish himself as an elite light heavyweight.

Posted in: ufc, rampage, shogun, rua, pride

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Miro Mijatovic comments on how PRIDE was politically destroyed.

Posted in: pride, miro mijatovic, miro, mijatovic, execution

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Part two of Miro Mijatovic's interview on Spike TV about the PRIDE scandal.

Posted in: spike tv, pride, spike, miro, mijatovic

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

Former Pride Grand Prix champion Kazuo Misaki is ready to make his impact in the Strikeforce welterweight division and it starts with Paul Daley.

Posted in: pride, daley, paul, misaki, kazuo

Read the full article at MMA Weekly

Miro Mijatovic, former agent of Fedor & Mirko Cro Cop, says that there was a war brewing between different rival gang factions to control who owned PRIDE.

Posted in: pride, war, war brewing, miro mijatovic, gang factions

Read the full article at Fight Opinion

PRIDE was amazing. PRIDE was also infected with the Japanese mafia which ultimately led to its downfall. With the exception of Zach Arnold’s extensive coverage over at Fight Opinion, this story has largely been untouched, so it was quite the surprise to see Spike TV’s new MMA show MMA Uncensored Live dive right into it in their premiere episode. I don’t fully understand the entire story, but I do know there were many players, moving parts and details that the show didn’t cover. Nevertheless, they did manage to land an interview with Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop’s former manager Miro Mijatovic who played a key role in bringing the organization down after he claims he was basically forced to sign over his rights to Fedor at gun point. Spike released more of his interview below. Like I said, no one has covered the fall of PRIDE like Fight Opinion has. If you want to learn more, definitely check out Arnold’s work on it.

Posted in: mma, pride, fight opinion, fedor emelianenko, pride pride

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Going into UFC 144, it seemed you couldn't avoid PRIDE Fighting Championships' (PRIDE) name being brought up. And for good reason. Ultimate FIghting Championship (UFC) made its return to the "Land of the Rising Sun" by setting up shop in the Saitama Super Arena, a favorite haunt of the much loved and missed Japan-based promotion. While the Yokohama Arena or the Budokan in Tokyo seemed more appropriate a size for the 20,000 seat arrangement Dana White and company were planning, it was the enormous venue that hosted Final Conflict 2005, the 2004 grand prix and a bevy of New Year's Eve events selected and modified instead. The UFC 144 fight card was also packed with fighters whose names had nearly become synonymous with PRIDE like Quinton Jackson and Takanori Gomi. Others -- like Mark Hunt -- were better known for other accomplishments but still had deep ties with the Japanese promotion. Rather than come into the building last night (Feb. 25, 2012) and attempt some awkward PRIDE recreation, the UFC opted to put on its own show, while also managing to pay tribute to mixed martial arts' (MMA) past. The shrewd balancing act came full circle when "Rampage" walked out to the bombastic PRIDE theme and the Saitama audience roared in approval. But, at the end of the night, the long gone promotion on everyone's lips wasn't from Japan. It was an American company. Before the event, everyone was talking about PRIDE. After UFC 144, no one could stop talking about World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The main pay-per-view (PPV) card opened up with the last WEC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, taking on division stalwart Joe Lauzon. Pettis had won the title on the company's last card in the promotion's last fight. He did so after amazingly jumping of the fence and nailing Ben Henderson across the face with what is know famously known as the "Showtime Kick." He was set to challenge for the UFC 155-pound title after UFC 125 against either Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard. When those two went to a draw after nearly half an hour of fighting, an immediate rematch was set up and "Showtime" was left with the choice of either waiting for the dust to settle to cash in his title shot or stay busy and take another fight inside the Octagon. He opted for the latter and met Clay Guida in his UFC debut. "The Carpenter" spoiled the WEC champion's evening by nullifying Pettis' striking with unrelenting takedowns. The title shot that was once so secure for Pettis had evaporated. He stepped inside the Octagon for a second time at UFC 136 to take on Jeremy Stephens and while he picked up his first UFC win, it was far from inspired. A fight that all but promised to be a shootout ended up being a grinding, wrestling-heavy affair. On the other side of the performance spectrum that evening in Houston, Lauzon made short work of Melvin Guillard and walked away with his biggest victory since knocking out Jens Pulver. Pettis and "J-Lau" both seemed open to fighting each other and the bout was set for UFC 144. Less than 90 seconds into it, "Showtime's" shin cracked Lauzon across the jaw and ended The Ultimate Fighter 5 alumni's night early. The title shot Pettis lost last summer suddenly reappeared. While the last WEC lightweight champion was opening the event, the man he won the title from closing it out. Henderson may have come up short at WEC 53 but three impressive victories inside the Octagon gave Dana White more than enough cause to give "Smooth" a shot at Edgar. In an instant classic, Henderson wrangled the lightweight title away from "The Answer," something neither B.J. Penn nor Maynard could do. In doing so, he became the only man to hold the 155-pound titles from both UFC and WEC. After the excitement of Henderson's win began to give way to speculation of his future, one name continuously came up: Pettis. "Showtime" was the last -- and only in nearly five years -- man to defeat Henderson. While Edgar has more than enough reason to feel an immediate rematch should be in order and Jim Miller and Nate Diaz have a date in May with title shot implications, it looks like the UFC is leaning towards Henderson/Pettis II as their next 155-pound title showdown. The UFC put together one hell of a card for the Japanese fans at the Saitama Super Arena. But, it was PRIDE and WEC that really made it a night worth remembering.

Posted in: ufc, title, petti, pride, wec

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The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten. PRIDE never die. It's been long enough that it almost seems like a meaningless meme spouted off on MMA sites when Wanderlei Silva or or one of the Nogueira twins step inside the Octagon. But for the fans who were there, for the fans who either stayed up until the crack of dawn or militantly stayed off the internet until the event aired stateside, it was and still remains a battle cry. The Saitama Super Arena opened its doors to many PRIDE Fighting Championships events for over six years. It did so the final time in April 2007 when PRIDE 34, aptly named Kamikaze, marked the last show under the company's old management. The promotion -- two weeks prior -- had been sold to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company. While a future for PRIDE was promised, everyone -- fighters and fans alike -- knew this was the end. And indeed it was. "Ghosts of Saitama" ends with a look back at PRIDE's final event. It wasn't just the end of a company. It was more than that. It was the end of an era. Despite Wanderlei Silva's presence on the promotional poster, a suspension handed down from the Nevada State Athletic Commission prevented "The Axe Murderer" from competing. He had been brutally knocked out at the company's previous event by Dan Henderson and risked further disciplinary action if he went against the ruling. In fact, the only fighters with significant history with PRIDE that appeared were Don Frye, Ricardo Arona and headliner Kazuyuki Fujita. There was no Silvas, no Sakurabas, no Emelianenkos. The event seemed more a shell of what PRIDE had been than anything. But it was a chance for fans to say goodbye. The show opened with Yoshihiro Nakao taking on Brazilian Edson Drago. The Japanese fighter took advantage of his opponent's inexperienced ground game and was able to score an impressive neck crank submission in the closing minute of the opening round. The next fight was exactly the type of freakshow PRIDE was known -- and either loved or hated -- for. Side attraction boxer Eric Esch -- better known as "Butterbean" -- took over Brazilian counterpart "Zuluzhino." The giant Brazilian was brought into the company two years prior as a possible foil for Fedor Emelianenko but the hype clearly exceeded reality. "Butterbean" -- in one of the most inexplicably hilarious moments in MMA history -- escaped a submission attempt from the Brazilian only to force a tap out seconds later by slapping on an americana armlock. It was dumb. It was ridiculous. It was fun. It was PRIDE. Two of Japan's sons competed in the next couple of fights. Makoto Takimoto took on Croatian kickerboxer -- mini "Cro Cop" he was called -- Zelg Galesic while Akiro Shoji met Dutch bad boy Gilbert Yvel. Takimoto survived some PRIDE-style soccer kicks and stomps before managing to secure a submission five minutes into his bout but Shoji fell short in his bout. The Japanese stalwart impressed -- as he always did -- with his fighting spirit but took huge damage as a result of Yvel's ground and pound. If not for Don Frye and his bout with James Thompson, this event would have barely resembled a PRIDE event. Frye didn't care about titles, he didn't care about moving up the ladder. When he competed in PRIDE, he did so as a showman and bless his heart for it. He played the character of a big, dumb, tough American who seemed to feed off the elated gasps from the Japanese crowd. His pre-fight face off against the Briton saw each man grinding their forehead into the other, an act which actually busted Frye open before the fight even started. "The Predator" rocked the infamously glass-jawed Thompson seconds into the fight and thought the fight was going to be stopped but it continued. Back and forth punches brought back memories of Frye's war with the beautiful Yoshihiro Takayama. The American ended up on his back and ate a huge soccer kick which proved to be the beginning of the end. Brutalized in the corner, the referee was finally forced to stop the fight. It was dumb. It was ridiculous. It was fun. It was PRIDE. A surprise appearance from Kazushi Sakuraba came next. "Saku" had left PRIDE from the Hero's promotion the prior year but made a return to the company that helped him -- and he helped -- prosper. He showed up bearing the guise of famous Japanese pro wrestler Tiger Mask. Despite the mask, everyone could tell "The Gracie Hunter" was in tears. He once again -- as he had in the past -- said he wanted to famous longtime rival Kiyoshi Tamura inside a PRIDE ring. After refusing the bout for years, Tamura joined Sakuraba in the ring and agreed, hugging his countryman inside the Saitama Super Arena. They would finally face off a year and half later. Before he became known as the submission wizard he is today, Shinya Aoki was just a scrappy Japanese fighter who loves to grapple. He made quick work of his opponent at PRIDE 34, securing an armbar in a little over 90 seconds. The most impressive performance of the night came next as Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou stepped inside a PRIDE ring for the second time against a top 10 Brazilian light heavyweight and for the second time walked away with an unbelievable knockout. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was his victim six weeks prior and Brazilian Top Team product Arona would fall to him that night in Saitama. A vicious uppercut ended Arona's night early and helped "The African Assassin's" hype train reach insane levels. The last fight of the night -- the last fight in PRIDE's history -- was "Ol' Ironhead" taking on Jeff Monson in a bout promoted as a PRIDE vs. UFC match-up. It promised to be the first of many co-promotional bouts but none would end up taking place. The American would score the submission victory and put a quiet, muted end to the most celebrated MMA companies in the sport's history. For the first time, the event was aired live in the United States on pay-per-view (PPV) as opposed to the tape delayed, edited servings that had been the norm. If it was to be the last time we got to enjoy PRIDE, it was only fair we got to see it as it happened. And once it was over, the view went from inside the Saitama Super Arena to a generic cable or satellite screen promoting a replay of the event or another PPV on the schedule backed by some generic muzak. An important chapter in MMA's history had just ended but it seemed the world at large didn't care. PRIDE never die.

Posted in: fight, event, pride, saitama, company

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I have Bellator head honcho Bjorn Rebney's Dad; The Winnebago Man on in the background, so I don't want to dive to deeply into quantum physics, but for the sake of this article I will briefly. There is an alternate universe where Pride still exists, this much we know is true. Quantum physics tells us that the multiverse is real and Genki Sudo is dancing impressively in every universe conceivable, all while the MMA fan base is enjoying some amazing fights with Pride rules. The guys over at THQ have decided to digitally recreate one of these many possible parallel universes in UFC 3. To be specific it's Pride era Rampage Jackson Vs. Ryan Bader in Pride. The fact that it's a past Rampage fighting current day Bader throws the alternate universe thing out the window....Unless a time traveler in this alternate dimension picked up Quinton in, let's say 2005 and then moved him forward in time to 2011 where Pride still exists and Ryan Bader is under contract with them. Of course this is all predicated on time travel being invented/perfected pre 2005. We can't go back in time, only forward. So thanks for the completely unrealistic but still fun to watch breakdown of how a young Rampage and current Ryan Bader fight would go down in Pride, THQ. We appreciate it. [Source]

Posted in: time, pride, universe, bader, quantum physics

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Mike Fagan talks about an event that took place five years ago... an event that became a PRIDE classic.

Posted in: event, pride, mike, fagan, mike fagan

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It says something about PRIDE's impact on the sport that there are still UFC vs. PRIDE debates after all this time. With the UFC set to return to Japan for the first time since UFC 29, UFC president Dana White has shared some of his thoughts on what it's going to be like at the event. He also touches on the idea that the UFC killed PRIDE. Via 5th Round: "[Fans might boo me after they] see my face on the screen? Oh, I see. You're saying I'm not very popular over here," White said in response to a local reporter who suggested the UFC's brash boss might not get the favorable reception he's grown accustomed to. "Listen, I can take some boos. I can handle it. I'm pretty thick skinned. "We didn't kill Pride. I've said this many times, Pride is the only other organization that I've ever respected. Pride was an organization here in Japan that did huge sell-out shows. There were tons of Pride fans in the United States. There are a lot of big stars, not just out of Japan, but worldwide that came from Pride. It's the only other organization that I have ever respected or given credit to." Of course, that last bit ignores stuff like when Dana said "Have you heard me say a bad word about Strikeforce? I wish them all the luck in the world. I have nothing bad to say about guys who are running the right promotion." before Strikeforce's debut on CBS. But, Dana is a promoter and promoters change narratives based on what is best for promotion at that time (and that's not a bad thing, before someone gets all upset). That being said, Dana is saying the right things about leaving PRIDE in the past. There have been constant questions about running a "PRIDE style show" somewhere in the future and Dana was very clear that they'll bring more UFC events to Japan, but there are no more PRIDE events. We'll get our first glimpse Saturday of just how well the modern UFC will do with the Japanese fans. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

Posted in: ufc, time, dana, pride, japan

Read the full article at Bloody Elbow

Rundown of news and notes from Dana White’s chat with the press at yesterday’s UFC 144 pre-fight conference. Also, be sure to check out Ariel Helwani’s video interview with Dana above. — There was a lot of concern over how the UFC would do at the gate this weekend when UFC 144 was first announced. They certainly had a lot going against them coming into what has been perceived as enemy territory for nearly the last decade. The early morning Japan start time was concerning as well. Well, it seems all that worrying was all for naught because according to Dana White, the event is practically a sell-out. “This is the first show back in 12 years. You heard ‘Rampage’ and [a reporter] saying the UFC isn’t as big as PRIDE was here, and for us to come in and do an event and sell out the way we have, we’re very happy with the results. I know what we’re going to do on Sunday and what kind of show we’re going to put on for the Japanese fans. I think they’re going to be very excited and this is going to help spread the word in Japan.” As for hard numbers, Dana White says their somewhere in the 20,000 tickets sold range. It’s a strong enough of a start that UFC Asia’s Mark Fischer is cautiously optimistic that they’ll do well enough to at least come back annually. “I think it’s a little bit wait-and-see but certainly we do feel based on the strength of what we’ve seen so far leading into the event – the buzz, the ticket sales so far – that I think it’s a market we’d love to come back to with a big event at least annually,” Fischer said. “Whether or not we complement that with maybe one or two smaller events – perhaps ‘Fight Nights’ – and we think there’s quite good potential for an ‘Ultimate Fighter,’ maybe in a slightly different format here. “That’s a little bit wait-and-see, but I do think that in some shape or form, we will be coming back on probably a semi-annual basis – a big event and, ideally, a second event, whether that be a ‘Fight Night’ event or ‘Ultimate Fighter’ format.” It’s far too early to say it now, but it would be something if the UFC managed to revive the Japanese MMA scene considering everything that’s happened there in the past 10 years. — The inevitable PRIDE questions came up at the press conference yesterday. Dana immediately addressed the perception in Japan that Zuffa killed PRIDE. “Oh, you’re saying I’m not very popular over here,” White responded, a smile on his face. “I don’t know. Listen, I can take some boos. We didn’t kill PRIDE. I’ve said this many times. PRIDE is the only other organization that I’ve ever respected. PRIDE was an organization here in Japan that did huge sellout shows. They had tons of fans in the U.S., and a lot of the big stars not just in Japan but worldwide came form Japan. It’s the only other organization I’ve given respect or credit to. If I get some boos, I can handle it. I’m pretty thick-skinned.” Just because Zuffa owns the PRIDE brand and they’re finding in success in Japan though doesn’t mean they’re thinking about running another PRIDE show. PRIDE is dead and that’s probably for the best. — Dana opened up a little bit about the Nate Marquardt-Strikeforce signing. He certainly hasn’t forgotten what went down last year, but he’s at least now willing to give Marquardt a chance to “get his sh*t together.” “Right when he was first exiled, or kicked out of the UFC, whatever you want to call it, cut from the UFC, MC Hammer is in his team. He called me up and asked me if we could meet in [Los Angeles], so I met him there, we had dinner. He was lobbying to get Marquardt back in and I said, ‘Ya know, I love you man, but he’s gotta get out there and fight in other shows.’ He opted to not fight in any other shows. He wanted to sit out and he wanted to be back in the UFC. So we talked, we’re putting him back in Strikeforce and we’ll see what happens. I like Nate Marquardt, he’s a really good guy. But professionally, he needs to get his shit together. He needs to come into Strikeforce and he needs to make weight, he needs to pass all the tests and do all the other shit, so we’ll see how it goes.” A shot in Strikeforce is better than nothing. If things go smoothly and Nate wins, perhaps will see him back in the UFC before too long. — Below Dana White talks to reporters about international versions of TUF following TUF Brazil, plus his comments from the press conference. Videos via MMA Weekly.

Posted in: ufc, event, dana, pride, japan

Read the full article at MMA Convert

With the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) making its highly anticipated return to Japan this weekend (Feb. 25, 2012) with UFC 144, its first time since UFC 29 way back in 2000, many fans were hoping the return would give somewhat of a glimmer of hope for a PRIDE FC revival, or at the very least a tribute event. "Sorry, but no," says UFC President Dana White. As is customary with the promotion, when the UFC holds an event in Canada or Brazil, they try their hardest to please the hometown crowd by stacking the event with Canadian or Brazilian fighters, respectively. Japan is no different. UFC 144 will include Japanese fighters Takanori Gomi, Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Hatsu Hioki, Norifumi Yamamoto, Riki Fukuda, Takeya Mizugaki and Issei Tamura. The event will also feature Quinton Jackson and Mark Hunt, two fighters who made a name for themselves while fighting under the PRIDE banner in the "Land of the Rising Sun." Though many of PRIDE's former stars are now under contract with the UFC, White tells the media in attendance at the UFC 144 pre-fight press conference in Japan that there will not be an all ex-PRIDE fighters card at a future UFC in Japan to honor them. "I don't think so. The PRIDE thing didn't work out, we gave it a shot, it didn't work out. Again like I said, The PRIDE organization, the gentleman who asked me earlier that I was the guy who killed PRIDE, it's completely untrue. PRIDE is the only other organization that I have ever respected. But, no, the UFC will be the events that we bring here, and the great history of PRIDE, there's no more PRIDE events." PRIDE events in Japan, which featured spectacular show openings and entertaining entrances along with displays of showmanship from competitors, brought the fans out in droves, oftentimes filling arenas to record capacity, as was the case with PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, which brought out 67,450 fans to the Tokyo Dome. Better yet, the Shockwave/Dynamite event in 2002, a PRIDE and K-1 co-production, filled Tokyo National Stadium with over 91,000 eager fight fans, 36,000 more than UFC's largest attendance to date of 55,000 strong at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for UFC 129. White recently revealed the promotions return to Japan has been a success and the wheels are already in motion for a return. However, do not expect a card filled with fighters like Dan Henderson, Mauricio Rua, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Anderson Silva, and Wanderlei Silva, amongst others, but rather a mixture of today's top UFC stars and a little PRIDE flavor for nostalgia. Anyone disappointed that the Ghosts of Saitama likely won't have chance to be resurrected one final time, and will forever be wandering the arena of Saitama Super Arena with only memories to hold on to? Or is White right to focus strictly on the UFC brand Far East? Can all of the die-hard fans finally let go with this revelation? Opinions, please.

Posted in: ufc, fighter, event, pride, japan

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The spotlight match up on the UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson preliminary broadcast on the FX channel pits lightweights Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka. The undercard features four bouts in all and will air at 8:30 p.m. ET on FX to preface the main card pay-per-view. Takanori Gomi (32-8) is one of many UFC 144 cast members endeavoring to reconstruct his once-resplendent reputation. Since it's still not fully realized or greeted with sour-faced skepticism, let's reiterate a fact: Takanori Gomi was once the undisputed number-one lightweight on the planet. Yes, he was indeed submitted by B.J. Penn immediately after "The Prodigy" drew with Caol Uno and departed from the UFC, but there are two imperative facts to consider: Penn abandoned the lightweight division for four years while traipsing around overseas in higher weight classes and the UFC completely liquidated their 155-pound class from UFC 49 in 2004 until UFC 59 in 2006. These two events triggered a monumental transformation for the global lightweight division, the most prevalent being that all of the 155-pound talent migrated to Japan to compete in Pride FC. Before the doors of the division swung shut in the UFC, the major lightweight players were: Jens Pulver, who was crushed by Gomi and Hayato Sakurai in Pride, Yves Edwards, who lost a tight split decision to Joachim Hansen in Pride's lightweight Grand Prix, Josh Thomson, who submitted one opponent in Pride before signing with Strikeforce (where he lost to Clay Guida for the vacant lightweight title in his debut) and Hermes Franca, who faded out when he dropped three in a row after his UFC tour. While all of this was transpiring, Gomi was ascending to legendary status by beheading a throng of lightweights with his skull-splitting boxing power. Since the former UFC fighters had all lost in Pride and were effectively out of the picture, the frontrunners for the lightweight throne were Tatsuya Kawajiri and "Mach" Sakurai ... both of whom Gomi trounced in the first round, becoming the Pride champion and undisputed alpha-lightweight in the process. That's the good part -- the rest gets ugly. Gomi had starched thirteen of his fourteen opponents in Pride and avenged his only loss before facing Nick Diaz, who latched a stellar gogoplata to end a dramatic brawl. Things went entirely downhill for Gomi from that point on. Halfway through his next six, he would incur back-to-back losses and then find victory in only one of his four Octagon stints. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson Initially paired with Aussie George Sotiropoulos, venomous submissionist Eiji Mitsuoka (18-7) has filled the void. No stranger to the Japanese circuit, Mitsuoka's decade long journey has meandered through Pride FC, Dream, Shooto, DEEP, MARS, Greatest Common Multiple (GCM) aka "Cage Force", World Victory Road's Sengoku promotion and King of the Cage. His noteworthy wins include UFC-caliber lightweights Gleison Tibau, Gerald Strebendt (both by TKO stoppage), Samy Schiavo and Brian Cobb (both by submission) along with reputable worldwide talent in Joachim Hansen (split decision), Rodrigo Damm and Clay French (both via submission). Anyone who thinks Gomi is getting a gimme-win here is sorely mistaken. Mitsuoka is a fierce wrestler with elite submission grappling and big punching power. He's definitely a UFC-level lightweight and also has the perfect style to exploit Gomi's known weaknesses on the mat. To be clear on his Achilles Heel -- Gomi is quite a capable wrestler but has always struggled against avid submission fighters. In his heyday, Gomi fit the "wrestle-boxer" mold to a tee: his wrestling complemented his striking perfectly to either stay upright and chuck bombs or score takedowns and shower frightening ground-and-pound from the top. Gomi was a pitcher in baseball throughout his youth and those mechanics can be seen clearly in his scorching left hand. He possesses some of the most fearsome knockout power the sport has seen and hurls his overhand left just like a fastball. Gomi's cement-filled hands give him the potential to end the fight at any time. In the gif above against Tyson Griffin, he proves that he's still a beast in the pocket and a highly inadvisable fighter to trade with. Notice how Griffin's low kick connects solidly and wobbles the lead leg, but Gomi doesn't let it stop the momentum of the massive counter-punch he's wheeling in response. The sequence to the left shows Gomi's take on neutralizing takedowns. While this exemplifies why he was such a devastating and exciting lightweight, his mediocre technique with the more traditional methods of takedown defense is the root-cause of his troubles. Though he has decent power on the feet, Mitsuoka is not a huge threat standing. However, he's an absolute animal with position, passing and submissions on the mat, and also has the wrestling background to implement it. Mitsuoka wrestled in high school and during college in Japan and began his MMA career as basically a one-dimensional takedown artist. Logging years in the gym and in the ring has drastically cultivated his submission grappling prowess, and he now stands as a cunning powerhouse on the mat. The armbar to the right is applied on Sergey Golyaev, the Russian who upset Gomi in Sengoku. On the left, against Bruno Carvalho in his last outing, Mitsuoka nailed a double-leg and doesn't even bother to defend the guillotine choke, but rather just fast-forwards to pinning the right-side knee in order to pass. Mitsuoka is a slick guard-passer with a knack for writhing his way into full mount, where he doubles up his attacks with heavy punches and submission attempts with a boat-anchor base to maintain control. Of his eighteen career wins, eleven are by submission with three TKOs and four decisions. I was (and still am) a sappy Pride fanboy and an unabashed Takanori Gomi mark. I've picked him to win every fight and this won't be an exception. However, there's no question that Mitsuoka typifies a poisonous match up -- perhaps even more so than some of Gomi's past opponents because his wrestling is just as perilous as his submission acumen. The dynamics here are the same as every other Gomi fight: he'll look to avoid takedowns and light off the cannons on the feet. An equally discouraging trend in Gomi's UFC turns is that he's been rather hesitant to pull the trigger. Since his obvious advantage lies in the stand up, complacency absolutely drains the life from his chances. Because he's such a tremendous slugger, Gomi reservations can be attributed to the fear of being countered with a takedown when his feet are planted, and that concern will only be heightened against Mitsuoka. An upset by submission or decision is not out of the question by any means. My Prediction: Takanori Gomi by KO. Gomi vs. Griffin gif via ZombieProphet of IronForgesIron.com All others via MMA-Core.com Poll Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Gomi Mitsuoka   22 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, submission, gomi, pride, mitsuoka

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With its unique brand of glitz and grandeur, Japan injected life into mixed martial arts when it was needed most, during its darkest days in North America. If the UFC's return into Japan now, several years after it became the world's preeminent promotion, isn't a return of the favor, it at least comes pre-packaged with a respectful bow and a nod to history. For example, it comes as no coincidence that for UFC 144, the promotion chose as a venue the Saitama Super Arena, the de facto home of PRIDE which held 24 of the promotion's events during its 10-year history. It's just the scale that will change. While that venue can be configured to seat nearly 50,000 fans, on fight night, it will instead house around 20,000. As for the tone, well, that is the mystery of UFC 144. While a UFC event traditionally hosts a raucous group of fans, part of the allure of the show is to see whether the event will be populated by the typically quiet and respectful Japanese observer or a new age fan.UFC's reception is part of the story. Like during Thursday's press conference, when a Japanese reporter asked White about his own personal expectation."I'm sorry," he said, "but still, some of the Japanese MMA fans believe that Zuffa destroyed PRIDE, and if they see your face on the screen…" "Oh, you're saying I'm not very popular over here," White responded, a smile on his face. "I don’t know. Listen, I can take some boos. We didn't kill PRIDE. I’ve said this many times. PRIDE is the only other organization that I've ever respected. PRIDE was an organization here in Japan that did huge sellout shows. They had tons of fans in the U.S., and a lot of the big stars not just in Japan but worldwide came form Japan. It’s the only other organization I’ve given respect or credit to. If I get some boos, I can handle it. I’m pretty thick-skinned."Keep in mind that when the interpreter originally translated the reporter's question, he changed it to ask White about the reaction the referees might receive. It was only after the reporter stood up and asked his question again, this time in English, that White could understand that he was saying.That tone of respect is one that permeated the press conference, but so did a singular topic. Over and over, White along with the six fighters -- Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson, Quinton Jackson, Ryan Bader, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jake Shields -- on the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo dais were asked about MMA in Japan, Japan, Japanese MMA and every permutation thereof. They said all the right things and gave all the right answers, even if they have no idea what to really expect on Sunday morning, when the event will begin at 9:30 am local time."Anywhere else in the world we go it’s loud and it’s crazy," White said. "You know how it is when we go live on pay-per-view, the whole place is going insane. It’s going to be interesting here to see if that's what it’s like here, if it’s the same reaction they had at the PRIDE events or more like the other places we go. I’m curious to see."On fight night, the UFC will present its standard production, complete with multiple replay screens and music blaring at a pounding decibel level. How that "UFC experience" that White talks about will go over for the first time is anyone's guess, but the organization has to believe the fans who purchased tickets know what they're getting themselves into.For now, about 2,000 tickets remain from turning the event into a sellout, according to White, and the arena is expected to be full by the time the main card begins.That's a positive development for a promotion that has waited over a decade to return to what many consider to be one of the most instrumental countries to the development of martial arts.From White's perspective, the return is already a success. Not only is the event likely to sell out, but due to a sudden deal, a broadcast of the event will be available on TV Tokyo, a free channel, albeit in the wee hours of Sunday night. It also airs live on cable channel WOWOW."This is the first show back in 12 years," White said, "You heard 'Rampage' and [a reporter] saying the UFC isn't as big as PRIDE was here, and for us to come in and do an event and sell out the way we have, we’re very happy with the results. I know what we're going to do on Sunday and what kind of show we're going to put on for the Japanese fans. I think they’re going to be very excited and this is going to help spread the word in Japan."White said the UFC does plan to come back to Japan in the future, and that this is not a one-off show for the sake of going into a market that has been a target ever since Zuffa ownership bought the UFC. Instead, this is a show that matters not only for the long-term growth of the UFC, but for MMA in Japan. Despite not being in the main event, Jackson has essentially been the face of the show, having fought in Japan 18 times during his PRIDE days. In discussing his return to the Land of the Rising Sun after five years away, he's been downright wistful."Japanese fans just really know how to treat a fighter," he said. "That’s why I love them. That’s why whenever I fought here, I always tried my best to put on an exciting show no matter what. I took risks, and was slamming people so much. It took a lot of energy to slam people and do the stuff I did. I lost a lot of fights just trying to excite them because I really love them. That’s the type of energy they give to me and that’s exactly why I wanted to come here and fight. That’s exactly how I’m going to fight, like I did when I was 25, and put on a great show for these Japanese fans because they’re the best in the world."PRIDE may be long gone, but there is hope that at least for one day, the glory days can return to Saitama Super Arena, and the clock can be turned back to a time when Japanese MMA was king and the love affair between fighters and fans was at its best.

Posted in: ufc, event, fan, pride, japan

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PRIDE Fighting Championships has been gone half as long as it existed. From 1997-2007, the pageantry of prizefighting coupled with its brutality - soccer kicks, head stomps and one-night tournaments - dominated Japan's mixed-martial-arts landscape, serving as the Eastern counterpart to the UFC's Western cagefighting product. When UFC 144 takes place in the country this weekend, fight historians will search the octagon, set in Japan for the first time since April 2000, for the ghost of PRIDE.

Posted in: ufc, pride, japan, brutality soccer, cagefighting product

Read the full article at MMA Junkie

The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten. Yesterday we took a look back at 2011's New Year's Eve (NYE) event at the Saitama Super Arena, a show that very well could be the last in the near-decade long tradition. Indeed, the future looks grim from where we sit. It wasn't the case eight years prior when groups headed by Antonio Inoki, K-1 parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG) and Pride Fighting Championships (Pride), each decided to go to all-out television war on Dec. 31, 2003. Bom-Ba-Ye. Dynamite!!. Shockwave. Three huge events that had millions of combat sports fans glued to their television sets at home and more than 100,000 people packed into three different stadiums. Saitama Super Arena, of course, was one of them. The building played host to Pride's Shockwave event, also holding the honors for the next three years. It was supposed to be the dawn of a new age in mixed martial arts (MMA) and combat sports in general. And while it seemed to fulfill that very promise for the next couple of years, it also inevitably led to the downfall of the sport in Japan. Let's dive right in: Shockwave was a star-studded event naturally headlined by Japanese all-star Kazushi Sakuraba taking on the younger of the Brazilian twins, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rematch also took place as Octagon originals Don Frye and Gary Goodridge locked horns for a second time. This time "Big Daddy" came out on top with a thunderous head kick that put "The Predator" immediately to sleep. Americans Quinton Jackson and Heath Herring each took on and defeated overmatched competition. In "Rampage's" case, it was Ikuhisa Minowa, a fighter he likely outweighed by 20 points. For "The Texas Crazy Horse," it was Giant Silva, a fighter who likely outweighed him by 100 but whose MMA skills were rudimentary at best. Akira Shoji would end up getting viciously knocked out by Murilo Rua only two months after Mauricio Rua achieved the same result. It seemed the Rua family had Shoji's number. Fellow Japanese fighters Yuki Kondo and Kiyoshi Tamura fared better aganist their competition, however. Kondo bested Brazilian legend Mario Sperry while longtime Sakuraba rival Tamura was able to submit Ray Sefo's baby brother Rony. A fight between Hayato Sakurai and fellow countryman Daiju Takase went the judges who scored "Mach" as the victor. The Gracie family earned back some respect for Brazil before the night was done. Daniel Gracie submitted his opponent with relative ease and while the result of Royce Gracie's bout with Hidehiko Yoshida is a draw, it was only the special rule set that defined it as such. After allowing the judoka to take his back the previous year and elicit a stoppage through a possibly dubious choke, the UFC Hall of Famer was not going to rest on his laurels. During their first bout, Yoshida employed the ezekiel choke using his gi. Staying in position for a few moments, the Japanese fighter then alerted the referee that Gracie had passed out. The bout was called and Yoshida popped up to his feet. The problem was so did Gracie. It seemed like the entire country of Brazil poured into the ring then to protest the stoppage so 16 months later, two fighters found themselves back where they started. Only this time, Gracie had a score to settle and a point to prove. The fight is officially a draw but in reality, it was a one-sided beatdown. The UFC legend dominated his opponent from bell to bell and despite not coming out with a win, he still earned back some of the respect he had lost the year before. It became the fight the event has become best known for. The bout was booked because Pride officials were eager to get both fighters back into the ring to settle the score after the scandalous ending to their first match-up over a year prior at a Pride/K-1 co-promoted event. Their hope was to make money while also hoping to quell any controversy. But controversy remained. Two names surprisingly absent from the Shockwave card were those of popular kickboxer turned MMA fighter Mirko Filipovic and Pride's heavyweight champion at the time Fedor Emelianenko. "Cro Cop" mysteriously took the night off while "The Last Emperor" actually appeared at Inoki's Bom-Ba-Ye event. The details surrounding those situations would eventually lead to Pride's downfall. Allegations of crooked promoters and even dirtier managers with the Yakuza having its fingers in everything. Two years after this event, the murky details began to surface and Pride wouldn't survive the fallout. It helps cast a shadow over this event since the competitiveness of Pride officials to put on the biggest and best show possible is also what led to the company's demise. The main event was Pride ace Sakuraba taking on the relatively fresh face of "Lil Nog." While older brother -- by 23 seconds -- was already an established name on the Pride circuit, Rogerio Nogueira had only stepped inside the promotion's ring three times. The two had a great fight. Really, it will probably go down as when two of the greatest fighters to never hold a major title met inside the ring. The pomp and the spectacle would reach even greater heights in the ensuing years -- Shockwave 2005 boasts nearly 50,000 fans in attendance -- but it all began in 2003 at the Saitama Super Arena. In a way, it's also where it began to end. More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series: Ghosts of Saitama: After nearly a decade, the traditional New Year's Eve MMA event in Japan likely comes to an end in 2011 Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena Ghosts of Saitama: Pride FC wastes no time making its debut at Saitama Super Arena in Japan

Posted in: fighter, event, year, pride, saitama

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If you can envision inhabiting the soul of a carton of eggs in the middle of a highway with two Pontiac Aztecs coming directly at you, then the impact would pale in comparison to the gravity-bending slam Rampage Jackson put on Ricardo Arona at Pride Critical Countdown 2004. It was as if Ricardo pissed off the entire scientific field of physics, and the universe needed some violent payback. If you've never seen Rampage vs. Arona in Pride FC, then I'm not sure if you can truly call yourself an MMA fan. Don't be that guy at the party that shakes his head and ignorantly agrees when your weekend MMA conversation ventures to the land of Japanese MMA. Know your Pride FC history. Ask yourself: What would Sakuraba do? Take it easy, silly. Sakuraba would watch this full Pride Critical Countdown 2004 fight between Rampage Jackson and Ricardo Arona, compliments of UFC.com. Why are you still reading this? The must epic slam in MMA history is right below this paragraph -- and you're still worried about words? The English language has no meaning when Rampage is about to power slam your head onto a hard canvas. {loadposition rampagearona}

Posted in: mma, rampage, pride, pride fc, arona

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PRIDE never die! It just turns to rubber and sits in your display case alongside all the other badass Round 5 MMA collectibles you own. On the eve of UFC 144, go ahead and grab their limited edition Takanori Gomi figurine complete with championship belt. How limited? Try 750 units, kid, so don't procrastinate on this one. Get all the deets right here.

Posted in: pride, rubber, championship belt, display case, deets right

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This is funny and all, but I want a video with Lenne Hardt announcing the fighters. Dammit, I miss PRIDE.

Posted in: fighter, pride, promo, lenne hardt, ferrell promo

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That would be very cool just to jump right into the old culture of what (Pride) used to have over there. – Ryan Bader

Posted in: ryan, pride, ryan bader, bader, jump right

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With the UFC’s return to Japan for the first time in over a decade, the world’s biggest MMA organization is bringing a card full of exciting matchups to the country that helped develop mixed martial arts to the sport it is today. The UFC has released an extended preview video for the event, which features former Pride stars Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Mark Hunt, along with local Japanese stars Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Takanori Gomi. The event is headlined by a title fight for the UFC lightweight championship between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Benson Henderson. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson makes his return to Japan for the first time since his final fight in Pride at Pride 31 in February 2006, nearly six years ago to the day. The former UFC light heavyweight champion takes on The Ultimate Fighter season 8 winner Ryan Bader. Another former Pride star making his return to Japan is heavyweight Mark Hunt, who last fought in Japan in at Dream 9 in May 2009. Hunt takes on fellow striker Cheick Kongo. Japan will also be hosting multiple Japanese natives, including middleweight contender Yushin Okami, Yoshihiro Akyima, who makes his welterweight debut, and former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi. This will be the first UFC event in the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Previous UFC events took place in Tokyo and Yokohama, respectively. UFC 144 takes place this Saturday, with the normal start time for the entire card, including the 10 PM EST start for the pay-per-view. The event will feature an extended four hour pay-per-view, with a seven fight main card instead of the usual five. Facebook starts the coverage at 7:30 PM EST with the first preliminary card fight, with FX taking over at 8 PM, hosting four more fights until the pay-per-view coverage begins at 10. MAIN CARD (PPV) Frankie Edgar (c) vs. Ben Henderson UFC Lightweight Championship Quitnon “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ryan Bader Cheick Kongo vs. Mark Hunt Jake Shields vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis Yushin Okami vs. Tim Boetsch Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski PRELIMINARY CARD (FX) Riki Fukuda vs. Steve Cantwell Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Vaughn Lee Takeya Mizugaki vs. Chris Cariaso Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook) Tiequan Zhang vs. Issei Tamura For complete coverage of UFC 144, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

Posted in: ufc, vs, card, pride, japan

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The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten. The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, officially opened its doors on Sept. 1, 2000. Three months later, Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) held its first event in the building. It was the beginning of a near seven-year long relationship, one that would bring fans fights like Wanderlei Silva's second shellacking of Quinton Jackson and the wild brawl between Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama. And it all started at Pride 12 known in the states as "Cold Fury." More than 25,000 fans packed into the Saitama Super Arena to watch the event, which was more than six months removed from the finals of the 2000 grand prix. Pride's popularity surged in the period right after Mark Coleman became the world's best heavyweight and events like "Cold Fury" helped continue the momentum the promotion was enjoying. With ace Kazushi Sakuraba in its corner, there seemed nothing Pride could do to prevent its from being the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion in the world. His "Gracie Hunter" moniker came full circle at this event, while a Brazilian and an American went toe-to-toe to help decide who the Japanese legend would face next. Two future and two former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titleholders fought at the event, helping along the theory that Pride is where champions came to fight. Let's take a closer look at the historic event: UFC 13 tournament winner Guy Mezger was having more trouble across the Pacific than he had inside the Octagon. After losing a split decision to Japanese stalwart Akira Shoji, he entered the 2000 grand prix and faced off against Sakuraba in the opening round. The bout went all 15 minutes and to a judges' decision. In a fight many felt the Lion's Den had done enough to win, the scorecard read a "draw." One angry Ken Shamrock later and Mezger had forfeited the bout. A decision win four months later surely helped his confidence, but the devastating knockout loss he suffered to "The Axe Murderer" a few months after didn't help matters. Nearly a year into his Pride career and Mezger was sitting on a 1-3 record. Mezger helped tilt the numbers more in his favor with a brutal knockout over Alexander Otsuka in less than two minutes. Future UFC welterweight and heavyweight champions Carlos Newton and Ricco Rodriguez made appearances, each picking up a unanimous decision wins over their opponents, while former middleweight contender Ricardo Almeida made his MMA debut in a winning effort over Shoji. Heath Herring continued his impressive run after a come-from-behind upset win over Tom Erikson a few months before by defeating Enson Inoue. Pride 2000 grand prix quarterfinal opponents Kazuyuki Fujita and Mark Kerr each stepped inside the ring, but like that evening in Tokyo seven months prior, Fujita come out a winner, while "The Smashing Machine" came up short. "Ol' Ironhead" bested Gilbert Yvel over 10 minutes, while Kerr fell to Igor Vovchanchyn in 15 minutes. Kerr would, of course, be deeply affected by personal and substance abuse issues in the ensuing years, finding success only twice more in his career before retiring in 2009. The two big fights on the event would end up being Wanderlei Silva taking on Dan Henderson and the headliner of Kazushi Sakuraba and Ryan Gracie. At the time, both Silva and "Hendo" were relative newcomers to the sport and had hardly achieved the legendary status each enjoys today. But, both were still exciting scrappers and the match up didn't disappoint. Unable to get the Brazilian onto his back, Henderson was forced to stand and bang with "The Axe Murderer." For all his wrestling accolades, "Hendo" did well for himself on his feet and it'd be no surprise if this performance -- combined with his brutal knockout of Renzo Gracie three months later -- is what gave the Team Quest fighter the confidence he needed in his stand up to become the knockout machine we all know and love today. The main event saw Sakuraba solidify his "Gracie Hunter" nickname when he defeated his fourth member of the vaunted "first family of MMA." He nearly snapped Royler's arm at Pride 8, dominated Royce for 1.5 hours at the grand prix and then made good on his previous threat when he dislocated Renzo's elbow at Pride 10. His performance against Ryan was more Royce than Royler and Renzo as the Japanese legend was unable to submit the Brazilian, but still had no trouble defeating him. "Saku" didn't even seem to take the younger Gracie seriously and seemed more interested in entertaining the audience with bits than anything else. Pride 12 wouldn't have the same air as future events, but it was a more than fitting beginning to what would become the promotion's legacy at the Saitama Super Arena. More from the "Ghosts of Saitama" series: Ghosts of Saitama: In 2004, the world's greatest heavyweights descended upon Saitama Super Arena

Posted in: event, month, pride, saitama, arena

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submitted by Shoopin [link] [comment]

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More news on the kickboxing front, specifically Golden Glory's attempt to wrestle the K-1 brand away from the sketchy Japanese dopes who ran it into the ground. Here's a summary of what's happened up until now. The latest salvo is Golden Glory's Bas Boon sending out an email where he lays out the jerking around he received trying to buy K-1 over Christmas and the legal action he's finally going to take to send the company into ultra-shameful Japanese bankruptcy. The whole thing is worth a read, but for those of you with ADD, here's some tasty morsels Fighters Only added to the letter for clarification: (Editor’s note - in Boon’s text there is reference to a company called Barbizon. This is - officially - a real-estate investment company from Japan. In late 2011, there was a sudden announcement that Barbizon had taken control of the K-1 trademarks due to unpaid debts on FEG’s part. Sources told Fighters Only at the time that Barbizon was actually a front company for organised crime entities - ie. a Yakuza faction - which FEG had been borrowing money from as its credit rating was too poor to access loans from legitimate lenders....(At this point Boon includes a note from a recent Fight Opinion interview with a Japanese MMA figure who suggests that the ‘Mr Kim’ on Tanigawa’s side may be Kim Dok-Soo, a Korean-Japanese member of the Yakuza mafia. More specifically, the Yakuza faction which was involved with Pride FC) So long story short, K-1 is neck deep in Yakuza involvement and Yakuza debt. Bas Boon plans to sue K-1 for stringing them along on a purchase, which is pretty ballsy considering those aforementioned Yakuza ties. But according to Boon, this isn't his first rodeo: People should realize that Pride lost the Fuji TV deal when Gendai Magazine (weekly magazine in Japan) started publishing details on the court case (Nikkan Sports newspaper as well) I had (and won) with Miro Mijatovic against Kawamata Bombaye in 2003 and they also did not pay the fighters and left. As we won the case all the juicy details with Yakuza and threats came to service which cost Pride their TV deal with Fuji....Tanigawa is in hiding after he already got beaten up twice and his car and property received damages by angry Japanese lenders who all want their money back. I am sure they will try to throw some mud or accusations towards me and others like Pride attempted… After bankruptcy is filed and the truth comes out we will see how this plays out, it is a very interesting time! You know what would be more interesting? Big kickboxing events featuring the top names in the sport. K-1 is reduced to holding high school kickboxing tournaments (easier to stiff teenagers on money, I imagine). Fortunately Golden Glory is putting their money where their mouth is, paying off bad K-1 debt to sign fighters and organizing a big event in Moscow on March 23rd with Semmy Schilt, Sergei Kharitonov, Jerome Le Banner, and Errol Zimmerman.

Posted in: money, pride, boon, yakuza, yakuza faction

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The lights are dimming, Yuji Shimada assumes his ringside seat, and somewhere amidst the third row, Bas Rutten is flirting with Japanese women adorned in schoolgirl outfits. The confusing/compelling opening ceremony rolls on the big screen while an arena of 90,000 MMA fans sit in funeral-like silence. It could only mean the long time revival of Pride FC, featuring the stars that made it shine for a decade of MMA’s most innovative era. Unfortunately, last week, Dana reminded us that Pride is a cold, lifeless corpse and Rampage returning to Japan for UFC 144 is the closest thing to a resurrection of Pride FC we’ll live to see (aside from ONE FC). Regardless of the pageantry the UFC is likely to omit from the former Japanese promotion, all the old school MMA fans will be hollering their finest Lenne Hardt impressions, screaming the names of the combatants entering the Octagon as they return to the land that grew the sport to cult-like proportions. Rampage is excited to revisit the land of the rising sun, he’s also excited to be fighting Ryan Bader, but he’s not so excited about Joe Rogan continuously calling him a one dimensional fighter and telling him what he ‘should’ be doing inside the Octagon. In this interview with Fighter’s Only, Rampage showcases some choice words for the UFC’s most beloved commentator and acknowledges that Joe Rogan’s ground game is probably better than his.

Posted in: ufc, rampage, pride, pride fc, joe rogan

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The roar of the crowd ... the sound of bare feet shuffling against canvas ... the unexplainable electricity inside the building. They are all mere echos today as crowds in the tens of thousands have dwindled down to a fraction of that amount. The Saitama Super Arena, host of this Saturday's (Feb. 25) UFC 144 event, has been home to some of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) events in the history of the sport. "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look at some of those moments, forever preserved and never forgotten. In 2000, Japanese promotion Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) took the format the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) got their start with -- the tournament -- and turned it on its head. Rather than having the entire thing over the course of one night, the opening round was held four months before the quarter-, semi- and final rounds. It was a massive success and helped establish Pride as the preeminent MMA promotion in the world. They replicated the success on a smaller scale -- both in terms of weight and scope -- in 2003 when an eight-man 205-pound tournament was held. The following year introduced the grand prix in the format it would be remembered by. 16 fighters, three events, one champion. While Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia were -- as Dana White put it recently -- "knocking each other out every weekend," Pride housed names like Mirko Filipovic, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Fedor Emelianenko. The first installment of "Ghosts of Saitama" will take a look back at the 2004 grand prix, the only tournament held exclusively at the Saitama Super Arena. From Total Elimination to Final Conflict, the arena saw each heavyweight triumph and failure. Let's go! The 2004 grand prix kicked off with Total Elimination in April of that year. There were K-1 kickboxers, giants, sumo wrestlers, Russian cyborgs, American wrestlers and Texas crazy horses. Current heavyweight champ Emelianenko faced off against the 2000 grand prix winner Mark Coleman and submitted him easily in the first round. Former champion Nogueira also made his first round opponent tap while a debuting Sergei Kharitonov lit up Murilo Rua in impressive fashion. The most stunning part of the event, however, was undeniably Kevin Randleman's knockout over "Cro Cop." Filipovic flinched his hips ever so slightly, teasing his dreaded head kick and "The Monster" countered with a massive hook that put the Croatian down for the count. Mauro Ranallo screamed himself hoarse by screaming, "Kevin Randleman has knocked out Mirko Cro Cop!" over and over. In a tournament Filipovic was expected to possibly win, his first round exit was shocking. Randleman looked primed to continue his Cinderella run at Critical Countdown when he faced off against Emelianenko. A German suplex Mitsuharu Misawa would have been proud of dropped the Russian nearly on his head but a minute later, he had wrangled one of the American's arms and twisted it back. It was an amazing display of poise and technique from "The Last Emperor." Aside from the grand prix, Critical Countdown is well known for two non-tournament bouts. Mark Hunt, a K-1 World Grand Prix champion made his MMA debut in a losing effort to Hidehiko Yoshida. Hunt would go on to a roller coaster career, getting wins over names like Wanderlei Silva and "Cro Cop" before losing six straight. He makes his return to Saitama at UFC 144, taking on Cheick Kongo. The other fight was a title eliminator between Quinton Jackson and Ricardo Arona, each looking to unseat "The Axe Murderer." The Brazilian controlled the opening minutes of the bout, even landing a vicious upkick that appeared to stun "Rampage" before Jackson countered a triangle choke attempt by lifting Arona up and them slamming him down onto the mat. The final four emerged at Final Conflict: Emelianenko, Nogueira, Kharitonov and Naoya Ogawa. The Japanese judoka was booked against the Russian in the semi-finals but fell short to the champion. "Big Nog" and Kharitonov went to a decision and while the Pride newcomer continued to impress, the Brazilian won the nod. Emelianenko and Nogueira. After their epic clash at Pride 25, a rematch between the two titans was set. Before "The Last Emperor" stepped inside the ring for the second time, however, he had to sit backstage and watch "Cro Cop" brutally knock out his baby brother, Aleksander. It was one of two devastating knockouts that evening as Silva took on former King of Pancrase Yuki Kondo and nearly stomped the Japanese fighter's head through the canvas. Four months after it began, the 2004 grand prix was set to end with two men inside the ring. Both Emelianenko and Nogueira waded through 14 other heavyweights so they could settle their score from over a year before. Unfortunately, an accidental headbutt opened a gash on the Russian's forehead. It was deep enough to warrant a medical stoppage and the bout ended in an underwhelming No Contest. It wouldn't be until the annual New Year's Eve card four months later when the two returned to Saitama that the grand prix was finally decided. And in the end, it was Emelianenko standing alone. Tomorrow: Pride Fighting Championships makes its Saitama Super Arena debut

Posted in: nogueira, pride, saitama, prix, emelianenko

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submitted by swampskater [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: ufc, pride, hardt, lenne hardt, pride lady

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It was 1992 and I was sin 3rd grade art class which took place in my school's dimmed cafeteria between lunch hours. I want to say it was November, but it could've been earlier, maybe even later in the year. Regardless, the conversation of what me and my tiny friends wanted for Christmas came up. In retrospect, discussing with other kids what you wanted for Christmas or your birthday was the kid equivalent of small talk about the weather or whatever the local sports team is doing in town. Then Ryan Letszeizer, a spitting image for the kid in A Christmas Story, nonchalantly walked up to our table and matter-of-factly stated 'Santa's not real fellas'. Then pushed up his glasses and walked away. That moment really sucked. UFC Undisputed may make us feel otherwise, but Pride is dead. Dead as Whitney Houston, and all of our hopes and dreams of something 'special' happening at next week's UFC 144 event at the Saitama Super Arena have officially been Ryan Letszeizer'd by Dana White. Here's the proof from MMAJunkie: "Do I think this is going to be a PRIDE event and 100,000 people are going to show up, and it's going to be like that?" UFC President Dana White asked. "No, I don't think that. But I think that there is a fanbase there for the UFC. "People keep asking me, 'Oh, will you play the PRIDE music? Will you do?' No, this isn't PRIDE. It's the UFC. The UFC is coming to Japan, and what the people in Japan are going to see is what they see on television, if they're UFC fans." "We're going to slowly try to build that market back up, and we'll see what happens. There's no pro wrestlers, and you're not going to see some 400-pound dude fighting a 100-pound dude. None of that stuff's going to happen. The UFC is going to go in there, and we have fans there already. Those fans are going to show up." "The one thing I know is that whether we put on a FUEL TV fight on Omaha, Neb., in front of 7,000 people or we do a 56,000-seat arena in Toronto, we put on one of the best live shows there is in sports. We're going to go in and hit that market like we do every other market, and people are going to leave that arena that night, and they're going to have seen a great show." All I wanted was Lenne Hardt and Bruce Buffer (I'm not greedy, both!), maybe a white cage, a ramp, fireworks and Sakuraba in the crowd smiling at me with half an ear falling off. Oh well, 144 is still going to be awesome, just not Pride Santa soccer kicking awesome. [Source]

Posted in: ufc, pride, people, kid, kid equivalent

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submitted by kingofmodesty [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: pride, fc, kingofmodesty, kickhead, stomp

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In 2001, a 23-year-old junior college wrestler from Memphis, Tennessee by the name of Quinton Jackson travelled overseas to serve as an easy foil for Japanese folk hero Kazushi Sakuraba. Few could have predicted the chain of events that would follow. Six years and 17 fights later, Quinton had become "Rampage," a Japanese folk hero in his own right, adored by a nation for his powerhouse style and violent victories over the best Pride Fighting Championships had to offer. Now, over a decade since he first voyaged to the Land of the Rising Sun, Jackson returns with a new task in mind. Sure he would like to emerge triumphant over Ryan Bader at UFC 144's co-main event, but next weekend is also about something larger. Jackson hopes to reignite the once-vibrant flame of Japanese mixed martial arts that was doused by the death of Pride. "I think if anybody has a chance, it's the UFC," Rampage conceded during Tuesday's UFC 144 conference call. "The UFC is the biggest show on the planet right now. I remember back in the days when Pride was the biggest show, but the UFC has surpassed them. I think if anybody has a chance, it's the UFC, and if I have anything to do with it, I'm going to go there and fight my heart out. Put on a big show and try to put on the most exciting fight the Japanese fans have ever seen, to maybe want them to have the UFC come back." That desire for excitement is the exact trait which endeared Rampage to Japanese audiences back in the old days. Between the iron chains, the howling, and ruthless performances personified by his slam of Ricardo Arona, Jackson cultivated an image by appealing to the eastern culture of showmanship. "I was young, I didn't care. I just wanted to fight and put on the types of fights for the crowd," Jackson explained. "They love that type of stuff because pro wrestling is real popular there, and I kind of brought that type of factor to MMA." It was inevitable the legend of Rampage would sprout quickly in a land where entertainment is at a premium. In retrospect, Pride's slew of squash matches and circus fights may not have been very sporting, but they produced an undeniable backlog of moments. And if you ask Rampage, those moments have mostly gone missing since he headed back west. "Honestly, if I gave my thoughts on the match-making in the UFC, Joe Silva probably wouldn't even talk to me anymore, so I'm going to keep quiet on that," Jackson admitted, somewhat surprisingly. "Just to be honest, I think Pride had their match-makers make exciting fights. "I don't think people understand, in America everybody is worried about who's going to win, and this and that. Who's winning and who's winning. Like, it ain't all about that. It's entertainment at the end of the day. The fans, they want to see entertaining fights, and fans got that. I don't think America has that yet." If Jackson's remarks sound bitter, they surely aren't meant to be. Rather than digs at the UFC brass, his words hang in the air as wistful reminiscences of an era that exists only in memories of those that lived it. "I really miss the fans, I'm not going to lie. I really miss fighting there," Jackson revealed. "It's something personal for me. "My kids are from Japan. My kids grandparents are from there, and they never really watched me fight back in the day ... My two younger kids can come and watch me fight, and the in-laws can be in the crowd and watch me fight. I've never had that before, so it's just something I want to do." To say Jackson is looking forward to Japan more than he is to Bader may not be that bold of an assumption. But just because the usual trash-talk has subdued into a starker form of reflection, it would still be unwise to think Rampage has gone soft. "I've got nothing against Ryan Bader at all," the fighter coolly concluded. "I'm still going to try to knock his head off, but there ain't going to be no hard feelings about it."

Posted in: ufc, fight, rampage, jackson, pride

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The latest installment of the critically acclaimed official UFC® videogame franchise, UFC Undisputed 3, is available now at North American retailers for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.  UFC Undisputed 3 will take players inside the Octagon with focus on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and significantly increased accessibility, including the debut of PRIDE® Mode, two new weight classes and an impressive playable roster of more than 150 UFC fighters.  The PRIDE Mode will enable players to fight for the first time in the legendary Japanese MMA organization and include official commentators Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros, authentic environments and notorious PRIDE rules, including the ability to execute soccer kicks, head stomps and knees to the head of grounded opponents.  In addition, players will now enter the Octagon with a choice between traditional and simplified gameplay control options, enabling them, regardless of skill level, to experience the intensity of UFC and nuances of MMA combat while executing simple standing strikes or more complex ground and transition mechanics. They will also enter into battle with an unparalleled choice of more than 150 playable UFC fighters, including talent from the newly added featherweight and bantamweight divisions.  Rounding out the virtual UFC experience with a revamped online experience, an extensive downloadable content program and a variety of new and returning gameplay modes, UFC Undisputed 3 lets players have their fights – their way – to deliver the most intense, competitive and engaging experience to date for the franchise. For more information on UFC Undisputed 3, please visit www.ufcundisputed.com, facebook.com/UFCUndisputed and twitter.com/UFC_Undisputed. 

Posted in: ufc, pride, player, experience, mode

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Veteran Canadian bantamweight Ivan (Pride of El Salvador) Menjivar learned his craft the hard way -- by getting in the cage.

Posted in: way, pride, el, menjivar, salvador

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One of the most highly anticipated new features in THQ’s upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 is the addition of Pride FC mode, which includes commentary from Bas “El Guapo” Rutten and Stephen Quadros.

Posted in: pride, rutten, pride mode, mode, thq ’s

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One of the most highly anticipated new features in THQ’s upcoming UFC Undisputed 3 is the addition of Pride FC mode, which includes commentary from Bas “El Guapo” Rutten and Stephen Quadros.

Posted in: pride, rutten, pride mode, thq ’s, quadro

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Bob Sapp remembers what it was like to fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in Pride, and hopes to draw on that when he faces Rolles Gracie this weekend at One FC.

Posted in: pride, bob, rolles gracie, bob sapp, sapp

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Following the release of THQ’s wildly successful UFC Undisputed 2010, they immediately announced they would be taking a full year off to return with a better overall gameplay experience. The game’s mechanics were starting to round into form, but there was a bit too much that would have had to be re-done for a successful re-release in a year’s time. The game was weighed too heavily in strikers’ favor, there were major flaws with submissions, the controls were still too bulky/complicated for novice gamers, and there were lag problems online. Lots of little things compounded into big things, and the game, while great, still wasn’t as polished as it could have been. After nearly two years away, UFC Undisputed 3 is now ready to hit shelves on Valentine’s Day 2012, but on a holiday dedicated to love, does it deserve any affection from gamers? This game is, in one word: HUGE. Some of the modes are familiar carryovers, and many are similar in nature to old WWE Smackdown vs. Raw games (such as title defense mode.) Exhibition style fights are back, as are the ability to create your own cards, fighters and tournaments. A retooled career mode is back, and you can choose whether you want to create your own fighter, or guide an existing fighter through UFC ranks. The game boasts a roster of around 150 fighters in seven weight classes with new venues, referees and championship opportunities. Perhaps the most exciting inclusion, however, is gameplay dedicated to PRIDE Fighting Championships. For nearly a decade, PRIDE was the dominant mixed martial arts brand in Japan, and at one point was arguably the biggest brand in the world, until the untimely death of one of its co-founders and supposed ties to the Yakuza resulted in the loss of their broadcasting rights, and ultimately, sale of the promotion’s rights to the UFC’s parent company. I’ll discuss PRIDE further down, but will start with UFC mode. Calling the action in UFC mode are Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan, along with Bruce Buffer‘s fight announcements. Get started with the tutorials and career mode. It’s much more fight oriented now, and your skills don’t deteriorate, so you don’t have to worry about having to sacrifice drills only to sacrifice skills. You also don’t necessarily have to have rest periods between fights, so if you wish to go out and make your fighter the next Travis Fulton, then by all means try. Build your fighter up with mini-game style drills, take him through the WFA, and ultimately, into UFC and PRIDE. Once you’re done, and have the hang of it, try the enhanced Fight Challenge mode. It will test your skill, and ability to perform objectives on command, both offensively and defensively. If you aren’t a well rounded fighter, this mode will force you to become one in a hurry. The new controls are a welcome change too. Those used to the old controls will have still the luxury, however, there are now “Amateur” controls which allow you to perform transitions with the flick of a stick rather than half circles. This is huge. Undisputed veterans can enjoy the comfort of their wheelhouse, and new gamers can pick it up and go for a spin much easier than before. Then there’s PRIDE mode. PRIDE’s contribution to Mixed Martial Arts (especially during the North American Dark Ages) were so influential to so many fans that this mode alone will move copies of this game to many gamers previously on the fence. Calling the action are noted gamer Stephen Quadros, who manned PRIDE FC’s English play by play booth for seven years, and “El Guapo” Bas Rutten, who mixes his signature cocktail of wit and wisdom, along with the recognizable introductions of Lenne Hardt. Full PRIDE rules apply, meaning knees and kicks to the head of a downed opponent are allowed, and knees from a four point stance are allowed as well. There’s a large accompanying roster of PRIDE veterans as well, including “PRIDE versions” of many current UFC fighters. This could have easily been a commercial release on its own, so kudos to THQ for sacraficing a few extra bucks in the name of creating a bigger gaming experience. Strangely, the biggest falter in the entire game might be the list of fighters. It’s strange to say this with 150 fighters already; however, there are glaring omissions in the roster. Many current favorites that probably should be in the game are not included (such as Rory MacDonald, Jake Ellenberger, and Chan Sung Jung) and some of UFC’s brightest stars like Brian Stann and Phil Davis are only currently available through pre-order. It appears that THQ has already committed themselves to steady DLC, however, with two packs already announced and apparently more to come. The aforementioned Jung and MacDonald are two of the fighters that will appear on these packs. So how does this game score overall? Please click here to check the final ratings at XBoxAddict.com. However, from the breakdown you can clearly see it’s a title worth looking into. This game hits all the targets and demographics well. If you’re a gamer looking to fill the void left behind when you stopped playing UFC Undisputed 2010, and thought there was a bit left to be desired after playing EA Sports MMA, this should do quite nicely. Tweet

Posted in: ufc, fighter, pride, game, mode

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Nearly five years after he last commentated a Pride FC event, Bas Rutten’s voice will once again grace the promotion’s action with his former broadcast partner, Stephen Quadros.

Posted in: pride, ba, bas rutten, rutten, pride commentator

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Do you miss the old days (and old arguments) about Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) vs. PRIDE Fighting Championship (PRIDE FC)? So does UFC President Dana White. But you know the old saying, if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em. And that's exactly what ZUFFA, the parent company of UFC, did back in early 2007 for around $70 million. A virtual bargain for what was once considered the premier combat sports league. Even to White. "Japan is an important market for us, it was a place that was huge at one time. Some of the greatest fights that ever happened in MMA have happened in Japan. And I've always said, that huge rivalry between us and PRIDE, it was some of the funnest moments of my life. It was actually fun. If you look back throughout history, there's only one show that I have ever said was a competitor to the UFC and it was PRIDE. It was the only show that I would ever put on the same level and put on a pedestal, that was the same as the UFC." The UFC will head back to "The Land of the Rising Sun" with its UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" fight card on Feb. 26, 2012, from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, in an attempt to resurrect the Japanese fight scene under a new regime. Cage and all. Hear White talk to Telegraph.co.uk about his quest to one day get 100,000 fans back into a stadium to watch to guys duke it out for a title, after the jump. Can UFC 144, along with PRIDE stars of yesteryear like Quinton Jackson, open the door to a prosperous MMA market in Japan?

Posted in: ufc, pride, japan, funnest moments, history theres

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The lifestyle of a mixed martial artist is hectic, but UFC featherweight Mark Hominick juggles fighting and fatherhood with pride.

Posted in: ufc, hominick, pride, fatherhood, juggle

Read the full article at sportsnet.ca

The release of "UFC Undisputed 3" is just three weeks away. Get an inside look at the new Pride mode in this latest game trailer.

Posted in: ufc, pride, ‘ ufc, pride mode, mode

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

150 fighters + seven weight classes = epic roster. Players in the UFC Undisputed 3 video game will be able to travel back in time and fight in the now-defunct PRIDE organization. Yes, that means soccer kicks, knees to a downed opponent and even commentary from Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros. PRIDE never die! In addition, UFC Undisputed 3 will offer two new weight classes as well as an expanded roster for this year's release, which will be available for the Sony PlayStation 3 and MIcrosoft's Xbox 360 on Feb. 14, 2012. Here's a bit more from THQ: Players will also experience the excitement of a live UFC event through significant visual improvements, including the introduction of much-anticipated fighter entrances, new camera positions, improved facial animations and a gritty, high contrast appearance. They will enter into battle with an unparalleled choice of more than 150 playable UFC fighters, including talent from the newly added featherweight and bantamweight divisions. Rounding out the virtual UFC experience with a significantly revamped online experience, as well as a variety of new and returning gameplay modes, UFC Undisputed 3 lets players have their fights - their way - to deliver the most intense, competitive and engaging experience to date for the franchise. Let's hear it Maniacs -- are you excited about UFC Undisputed 3? Is it worth buying for the PRIDE rules alone? What changes are you most looking forward to from the previous two entries? And how many of you are now lobbying for your girlfriend to hook you up with this on Valentine's Day? For more on the upcoming release click here and here.

Posted in: ufc, pride, player, roster, experience

Read the full article at MMA Mania

They're back (again). The "Best of PRIDE" series makes its long-awaited return to cable television TONIGHT (Jan. 3, 2012) at 7 p.m. ET on FUEL TV with another installment of the popular highlights show featuring some of the greatest moments from the now-defunct promotion. Zuffa - the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship - purchased the Japanese mixed martial arts promotion (and its biggest rival) back in 2007. With no television deal and most of its top fighters signing UFC contracts, the entity known as PRIDE became no more. Beginning tonight with episode one of season two, fans will once again have an opportunity to relive the glory days and perhaps get another look at some of the hoopla surrounding the much-ballyhooed stars of yesteryear. From the official release: Peer into the PRIDE vault as FUEL TV brings viewers some of the greatest mixed martial artists in history, featuring classic wars from Japan's MMA glory days. In 12, one-hour shows, watch as many of today's biggest UFC stars like Anderson "The Spider" Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira first rose to prominence in the PRIDE ring. Viewers get to relive all of the classic battles in the "Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships." Hosted by Kenda Perez, the "Best of PRIDE" series features classic match-ups from the legendary Japanese promotion showcasing many stars of yesterday and today across 12 episodes for season one airing on Thursday nights (following tonight's premiere). Enjoy the show, Maniacs.

Posted in: star, pride, fuel tv, arts promotion, kenda perez

Read the full article at MMA Mania

Peer into the PRIDE® vault as FUEL TV brings viewers some of the greatest mixed martial artists in history, featuring classic wars from Japan's MMA glory days. In 12 one-hour shows, watch as many of today's biggest UFC stars like Anderson "The Spider" Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and Antônio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira first rose to prominence in the PRIDE ring. Viewers get to relive all of the classic battles in the “Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships®.” Join host Kenda Perez for the show's sophomore season featuring a new set and an expanded library of fights. The first episode premieres Tuesday, January 3 at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT as part of a four-hour block of UFC/PRIDE programming. The network debut lineup features brutal knockouts, masters of submissions and an epic heavyweight championship bout:Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko Cro CopRampage Jackson vs. Ricardo AronaDan Henderson vs. Renzo GracieWanderlei Silva vs. Ikuhisa MinowaMinotauro Nogueira vs. Gary GoodridgeThe second episode will air in the regular time slot of Thursdays at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT with Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva, Kevin Randleman vs. Mirko Cro Cop and three more unforgettable bouts.Follow host Kenda Perez on Twitter.

Posted in: vs, pm, pride, fourhour block, ufcpride programming

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Hey! You! Bored today? Waiting for UFC 141 to start tonight? Spike's got us covered. They're showing the prelims tonight, this we know - BUT, they've decided to give us a day of classic Pride fights (and some UFC Unleashed toward the end of the day). If nothing else, remember - Pride had BAS RUTTEN on commentary. Plant yourself in front of the TV if, for no other reason, than to hear the dulcet tones of El Guapo. submitted by JavexV [link] [comment]

Posted in: day, pride, bas rutten, el guapo, javexv link

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They're back (again). The "Best of PRIDE" series makes its long-awaited return to cable television in just over a week (Jan. 3, 2012) at 7 p.m. ET on FUEL TV with another installment of the popular highlights show featuring some of the greatest moments from the now-defunct promotion. Zuffa - the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship - purchased the Japanese mixed martial arts promotion (and its biggest rival) back in 2007. With no television deal and most of its top fighters signing UFC contracts, the entity known as PRIDE became no more. Now fans will once again have an opportunity to relive the glory days and perhaps get another look at some of the hoopla surrounding the much-ballyhooed stars of yesteryear. From the official release: Peer into the PRIDE vault as FUEL TV brings viewers some of the greatest mixed martial artists in history, featuring classic wars from Japan's MMA glory days. In 12, one-hour shows, watch as many of today's biggest UFC stars like Anderson "The Spider" Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Antônio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira first rose to prominence in the PRIDE ring. Viewers get to relive all of the classic battles in the "Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships." Hosted by Kenda Perez, the "Best of PRIDE" series features classic match-ups from the legendary Japanese promotion showcasing many stars of yesterday and today across 12 episodes for season one airing on Thursday nights (following the Jan. 3 premiere). Enjoy the show, Maniacs.

Posted in: star, pride, fuel tv, fuel, ufc contracts

Read the full article at MMA Mania

The UFC bought out PRIDE in hopes of promoting fights in the company and keeping it alive and well. Instead, they decided to absorb the most attractive fighters and brought them to the UFC. However, PRIDE didn’t totally die, as Zuffa began airing Best of PRIDE shows on Spike TV, and now, with the UFC headed to FOX Networks, the show will continue its run on FUEL TV. The first Best of PRIDE on FUEL TV takes place January 3 at 7L00 p.m. EST with eleven episodes running in the following weeks on Thursday nights with Kenda Perez returning as host. Among those fights and fighters to be highlighted, the first episode will include Fedor Emelianenko against Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, as well as with Mark Coleman meeting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Others to be shown include Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The UFC purchased PRIDE in 2007, but said they were falsely told information in regards to the financial stability of the promotion before buying it. PHOTO CREDIT – PRIDE

Posted in: ufc, tv, pride, fuel tv, fedor emelianenko

Read the full article at Five Ounces of Pain

Christmas is a time to spend with your friends and family. Inevitably, you'll remember you can't stand that for long periods of time and watching a classic fight is the perfect way to take a break. In early 2003, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira was at the very top of the Heavyweight Division. He had won the Pride Heavyweight Championship from Heath Herring and defeated every challenger for the next two years, including Bob Sapp, Semmy Schilt, and avenging the lone loss in his career to Dan Henderson. To say Big Nog was dominant at this point is a gross understatement. He touted an 8-0 record with the Pride organization with only one Herring being able to survive the full 20 minute fight. Six of his other competitors fell victim to Nogueira's lethal submission assault and the seventh was knocked out. And then came "The Last Emperor" Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor entered Pride after an impressive run in RINGS. He was 10-1, with his only loss coming via an illegal elbow that opened a cut forcing a doctor's stoppage. Emelianenko rose quickly in Pride, winning via decision against Semmy Schilt and a doctor's stoppage over Heath Herring for the right to fight for Nogueira's title. Despite his impressive record, Fedor was still a serious underdog going into the championship match at Pride 25. This would be the fight that began Emelianenko's legacy as the greatest heavyweight the sport of MMA has yet seen. Follow the jump for a look at the historical matchup Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - 1 (via MrDavidDux) Early in the first round, Fedor hit Minotauro with a strong right hand, forcing the champion to pull guard. Typically, that would be the worst position for any of Big Nog's opponents, because of his incredible aptitude for sweeps and submissions. However, over the next 20 minutes, Fedor would fearlessly attack from the guard with ruthless ground and pound. By the end of the fight, it was clear that The Last Emperor had pulled off a huge upset without ever finding himself in any real danger. The two Heavyweight greats both went on to have incredible careers. Fedor went undefeated until 2010 in the most legendary streak in the sport. Nogueira was still wildly successful in both Pride and UFC, tho he was never able to avenge his loss to Fedor, even though he was given two more opportunities.

Posted in: fight, nogueira, pride, fedor, emelianenko

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Nearly one year to the day after Spike TV debuted 'Best of PRIDE,' the series will make a similar introduction on FUEL TV. FUEL TV officials recently announced 'Best of PRIDE' will make its first appearance on the channel on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. MMAjunkie.com has learned that current plans include for the debut episode to include Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Quinton "Rampage" Jackosn vs. Ricardo Arona, Dan Henderson vs. Renzo Gracie, Wanderlei Silva vs. Ikuhisa Minowa and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mark Coleman.

Posted in: vs, tv, pride, fuel tv, fuel

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Current UFC fighter and former Pride two-division champion Dan Henderson says that, at its peak, Pride probably had the deepest talent pool in the world.

Posted in: dan henderson, pride, ufc fighter, talent pool, hdnet –

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Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson admits that his new style of fighting that he adapted in his UFC days has actually got him in more trouble lately. So will the Pride Rampage show up at UFC 144 in Japan?

Posted in: ufc, show, rampage, pride, ufc days

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submitted by BrutalJones [link] [1 comment]

Posted in: pride, brutaljone

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In less than three months we will all be soccer kicking each other in Saitama Super Arena and it will be glorious. Knowing that scenario is in our collective future is enough to be thankful for on this fine Thanksgiving. As you can see we aren't taking something like a national holiday as a reason to have a day off, we want to give thanks to each and every one of you who clicks that little red monster and reads our silly words. For that, MiddleEasy presents to you an exclusive interview with two of the main guys behind UFC Undisputed 3-Nevin Dravinski and Nick Robertson. Go ahead, make a plate, grab some family and crowd around the warm glow of your monitor/tablet and enjoy the interview together. Happy Thanksgiving! You've taken almost an extra year on the development of UFC 3...Can you tell us what birthed the idea to take the extra time and ultimately in what areas did the game benefit most from the extra time....IE is the game taking that extra time to be more playtested and polished or was it used on the front end to brainstorm a user experience unlike one seen in MMA games before? Neven Dravinski—There were many things that prompted a longer development schedule for UFC Undisputed 3. I think first and foremost you touched on it; we wanted to make UFC Undisputed 3 the best possible Undisputed game to date in the franchise, the best possible MMA game as a whole and be among the leading games in the marketplace today. We did our development differently this year. We started focus testing from the beginning of development with hardcore Undisputed community players at the top of our leaderboards. In addition, we brought in leading professional fighting gamers and avid sports gamers. This process was really invaluable for us to not only polish our systems but help design new offerings, such as the Amateur Controls and new submission system. In addition, working with our community really helped us proactively find exploits and balance the game. In addition, more practical matters extended the schedule as well. There is a significant amount of new content in UFC Undisputed 3, including but not limited to the addition of PRIDE Mode, which alone is akin to building a game within a game. Beyond this, creating and implementing more than 150 fighters, including newly added bantamweight and featherweight divisions, is a lengthy process. Overall, it became absolutely necessary to have extra time to make sure features like these were implemented properly, and ultimately, I think the game is better for it.   What's the framerate goal? Neven Dravinski — A hallmark of the UFC Undisputed series, we have always maintained a frame rate of 60 FPS on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. We did a lot of tuning this year to make sure the animations flow more smoothly and quickly into one another, which ultimately improves the overall gameplay experience. Even minor tweaks like the tuning the jab, a strike used extensively, improves the overall flow and smoothness of UFC Undisputed 3. Just seeing the differences in the game from last year to now is pretty amazing.   Tell us how THQ and or Zuffa came to the realization that PRIDE had to be in this game? Neven Dravinski — PRIDE is something our team has wanted to include in the franchise since its debut. However, our initial focus was really to make sure our core systems were ready before tackling something like this year’s PRIDE Mode. The things I’m most excited about in PRIDE Mode are the expanded rule set and the ability to bring UFC fighters into PRIDE rules and PRIDE fighters into UFC rules. It’s awesome, and it really speaks to our close relationship with Zuffa. I’m happy the team received the green light to include PRIDE this year.   How did you guys capture Saitama super arena so well? Did the dev team just sit around together and watch hours of Pride? (Sounds like the best job ever?) Neven Dravinski — Our team definitely enjoyed watching a lot of PRIDE videos! There’s so much to take into account: the hot white lighting, the crowds, the entrances, etc. I think it helped that our developer Yuke’s Osaka has a long history with PRIDE and the team is comprised of huge fans, but I also think it’s just par for the course with our team as a whole. We have people who have been MMA fans for a long time, and they are certain to make sure the little details will always stand out. The Saitama Super Arena is a great example of this effort.   What is the casual user going to notice and like about UFC 3 the most? What is the hardcore user going to appreciate? Neven Dravinski — One of our internal challenges was to get more people into the franchise. We know we have a deep technical fighting game that’s fun to play, but unfortunately, we can’t sit on everyone’s couches to explain the finer details of the systems. To that end, we implemented several educational systems that teach people how to play the game without forcing them to sit through an exhaustive tutorial. We have a tutorial hint system that pops up in-game, teaching casual users what to do (controller inputs) if they find themselves in a new situation. Between rounds, we have an interval advice system that shows players positive and negative feedback based on what they are doing in their current fight, complete with controller hints for improving play. Finally, the biggest thing for casual users is our new Amateur Control scheme. This control layout replaces the quarter-circle and greater-than-quarter-circle inputs on the right stick with a simple up and down flick on the right stick. Casual users can now get in the game and be competitive with more ease, as the barrier for entry on the ground and in clinch transitions is reduced with the Amateur Controls. However, many players will graduate to the Pro Controls, leaving them much more open to being reversed and offering less control of their transitions. Finally, our new submission system has a graphic display on screen to indicate how close players are to winning or losing a submission. This new system will significantly help in online play or against difficult opponent AI. Speaking of advanced users, we’ve added a lot to the depth to the game: We are introducing a quick-strike interrupt system, where you can use quick strikes (attack button) to interrupt the trajectory of strong strikes (holding toward the opponent + attack). Thus, a jab can now be used to interrupt an opponent’s attacks and then set up your own attacks. In addition this year, players cannot counter grapple quick strikes. We had the ability to sway on the feet last year, and we’ve now extended this capability to the ground. Swaying on the ground is a great way to avoid additional strikes, and it also increases your transition window, thus extending your chances for survival. This year we’ve also removed the passive transition defense that was introduced last year, where the computer would automatically block transitions for you in certain situations. Players now have to be much more active in defending against an opponent. We have leg kick TKOs this year, as well as the ability to check leg kicks. One of the cooler things I like that we’ve been able to put in is the concept of feints in the game. Holding block high + low at the same time as an attack will throw a feint attack, meaning there will be an initiation but a cancelled attack. This becomes especially effective when going for that leg kick TKO: you can fake the low attack, get your opponent to pull his hands down to check and then go up high for the KO. As a result, you can get a pretty good idea that even though we’ve made the game easier to get into, there’s still a lot of depth for the hardest of the hardcore users.   Leg kicks: please elaborate....how often will these leg kick KO's be a factor? Is there a chance for a 'flash' leg kick KO? That would be awesome if there was. Neven Dravinski —Leg kick TKOs will be a factor, but we were very careful to not make this an exploit that took fun out of the game. Leg kicks are a real strategy to employ now; the player can hack his opponent’s leg, hampering his movement and eventually getting the TKO. On top of that, the opponent has the ability to check your leg kicks as well. Much like the fight where Ultimate Fighter Corey Hill hurt his leg when throwing a low kick, you can get TKO’d yourself if your opponent is skillful enough at checking. There will not be any flash leg kick TKOs, but you don’t have to get your opponent’s leg to 100% damage to get a TKO.   When I played UFC 3 in Vegas I marveled at how incredible the head stomps and kicks were...super intuitive. Technically how difficult was Pride rules to achieve? Neven Dravinski — The moves in PRIDE Mode were certainly challenging, as we needed to make sure they felt natural and maintained the same flow as our previously established UFC dynamics. For example, a head stomp when an opponent is on the ground brings up questions not dealt with in previous games, such as what does the attacker do after the stomp or what positions does he have at his disposal. I think we did a good job of utilizing our previous dynamics for areas such as sub-positions; these really allow PRIDE gameplay to come across naturally. Want to kick a guy in the face when he’s down? Remember to aim high (LB + Kick). Overall though, I couldn’t be happier with how the mode turned out, and I’m eager to see the great YouTube videos that will be coming out after launch!   What are the odds of Gary LaPlante being a downloadable character in UFC 3 or the next game? Nick Robertson - Gary’s odds of making it into UFC Undisputed 3 are slim to none. However, after seeing his Shogun vs. Henderson reaction video, we might need to think about getting him into a future iteration.   It's one year after launch date...it's 2013....the Mayans were wrong-we are alive. How many total playable characters are in UFC 3? Nick Robertson - UFC Undisputed 3 will have more than 150 fighters. We can’t comment yet on DLC specifics, but we can say our plan this year is far more robust and includes some great fighters we were unable to include in the initial roster.   Will all of the preorder DLC be purchasable? I bought 1 copy of PS3 undisputed and 1 Xbox last time but I can't buy 4. Nick Robertson - All pre-order DLC items for UFC Undisputed 3 will be available for purchase at a later date.   What weight class do you think people are going to gravitate to the most? Nick Robertson - I think the lightweight division in PRIDE mode will be very popular. Based on how PRIDE weight classes are structured and our desire to let players compete with UFC fighters in PRIDE, the division will consist of the PRIDE lightweights and all of UFC’s lightweight, bantamweight and featherweight fighters. This makes for some very interesting matchups that one wouldn’t normally see in the UFC. For example, I personally like seeing how many UFC lightweights I can leg kick TKO with a guy like Jose Aldo.   Tell us more about this 'stat equalization'? Nick Robertson - Stat equalization in UFC Undisputed 3 enables players to stage a bout where both fighters have an 85 rating for ever statistic. For example, if your favorite fighter is Bob Sapp, you won’t have to worry about fighting someone like Junior dos Santos, who has a higher rating. The only difference between fighters at that point is move set. This makes the fight all about player skill.   Can you tell us specifically who can move up and down in weight classes? Fighters in multiple UFC weight classes Anderson Silva – Middleweight and Light Heavyweight BJ Penn – Lightweight and Welterweight Dan Henderson – Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Diego Sanchez – Welterweight and Lightweight GSP – Welterweight and Middleweight Jake Shields – Welterweight and Middleweight Joe Stevenson – Lightweight and Featherweight Kenny Florian – Featherweight and Lightweight Martin Kampmann – Welterweight and Middleweight Mike Swick – Welterweight and Middleweight Rich Franklin – Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Vitor Belfort – Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Wanderlei Silva – Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Urijah Faber – Bantamweight and Featherweight Akihiro Gono – Welterweight and Middleweight Pride Anderson Silva – Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Pride Dan Henderson – Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Jens Pulver – Lightweight and Featherweight Kevin Randleman – Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Murilo Bustamante – Middleweight and Welterweight Paulo Filho –Welterweight and Middleweight Pride Vitor Belfort – Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Pride Wanderlei Silva – Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Fighters that can fight in multiple Pride weight classes Georges St-Pierre – Welterweight and Middleweight Wanderlei Silva – Middleweight and Welterweight Anderson Silva – Middleweight and Welterweight BJ Penn – Lightweight and Welterweight Jake Shields – Welterweight and Middleweight Pride Anderson Silva – Middleweight and Welterweight Murilo Bustamante – Middleweight and Welterweight Paulo Filho – Welterweight and Middleweight Akihiro Gono – Welterweight and Middleweight Kevin Randleman – Heavyweight and Middleweight Pride Wanderlei Silva – Middleweight and Welterweight Pride Dan Henderson – Middleweight and Welterweight Nick Diaz – Lightweight and Welterweight

Posted in: ufc, welterweight, pride, middleweight, game

Read the full article at Middle Easy

Once upon an time, there was a fighter named Rampage who liked to howl. While his career began in America, his fearsome reputation was built in Japan, in a mixed martial arts promotion called Pride FC. During his time in Japan he fought seventeen times, winning on twelve of those occasions. While he became known for his enormously powerful punches, Rampage's Pride career will forever be remembered for two things; his feud with arch nemesis and anti-hero Wanderlei Silva and this slam KO of Ricardo Arona. While never quite reaching the merchandised heights of Bob Sapp, Rampage was hugely popular in Japan. Who can forget the UFC vs Pride fight between Rampage and Chuck Liddell? Then there's the time he handed Igor Vovchanchyn a note before they fought, which was reported to have been written by Rampage's mom, stating 'please don't hurt my son.' It was moments like these that made Rampage such a huge fan favourite in Japan, as well as America. When his new employers, the UFC announced they would be promoting a show in Japan in February 2012, Rampage was one of many ex-Pride fighters that many expected to fight on the card. Alas this was not to be, much to the disappointment of the fans and Rampage himself who took to the micro blogging website twitter to share his frustration: A rematch with Shogun Rua in Japan would have made a lot of Pride fans salivate; a rematch with Minowaman in Japan would have made a lot of Pride fan's heads explode.

Posted in: time, rampage, fan, pride, japan

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One of the big stories in the UFC's decision to go to Japan in 2012 has been the sense of need for them to not treat it like "just another card" and instead put on stars and fights that appeal to the region's fans. With the UFC having some of the biggest stars from the days of PRIDE on the roster, it seems like an easy enough thing to do. But we not know of at least one former PRIDE superstar who won't be fighting on the card: @Rampage4realQuinton Jackson It don't look like I'm fighting n Japan which I'm not happy about at all,I think its a big mistake by the UFC... F**k itNov 22 via Twitter for BlackBerry®FavoriteRetweetReply (editing done by me) Rampage was one of the men who was very interested in returning to his old turf and performing in front of the Japanese fans. Unfortunately it looks like that isn't going to happen. A look at the UFC 144 card makes it appear that the plan is to load the card up with Japanese fighters, but no particularly big names from the PRIDE days outside of Mark Hunt.

Posted in: ufc, rampage, card, pride, japan

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Filed under: UFCThe path to UFC 139 began in 2007 with the acquisition of Pride, continued in 2010 with the absorption of World Extreme Cagefighting, and was finished in 2011 with the purchase of Strikeforce. The six fighters in the top three fights from Saturday night's card all came to the UFC from those business moves. Pride never died, the WEC never died, and Strikeforce never died. At least they all still seemed alive at UFC 139. The main event was a classic, with former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson beating former Pride Middleweight Grand Prix champion Shogun Rua. This was exactly the type of bout that fight fans hoped we'd see inside the Octagon when the UFC purchased Pride: A brutal, bloody battle between two Pride stars that had all the best elements of the Pride glory days. More Coverage: UFC 139 Results | UFC 139 Post-Fight Press Conference But it was more than just that. It was Wanderlei Silva, perhaps the greatest of all the Pride stars to sign with the UFC after the Pride purchase, having perhaps his greatest victory inside the Octagon. And doing it against former Strikeforce middleweight champion Cung Le, who came to the UFC after it purchased Strikeforce. And there was also another tremendous fight that's probably going to be largely overlooked this morning, thanks to all that came after it: Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber beating former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles. Faber and Bowles both came to the UFC from the WEC, and they gave the kind of great show that the WEC was famous for. In theory I like the idea of competition among MMA promotions, and I watch MMA regardless of the promotion: I was watching two TVs on Saturday night, one with the UFC and one with Bellator, which put on a tremendous fight of its own between Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez. So I don't necessarily want the UFC to swallow up every MMA promotion on earth. But I must say that I can't think of many times I've ever enjoyed the top three fights on a card more than I enjoyed the top three fights at UFC 139, and we got to see all of them because the UFC has absorbed Pride, Strikeforce and the WEC. Saturday night was a night when it was hard not to enjoy the UFC's dominance of the MMA landscape. UFC 139 Notes -- Miguel Torres won an easy unanimous decision over Nick Pace, 30-27 on all three judges' cards, but he didn't do anything spectacular, which is what he's going to need to do if he wants to fight for the bantamweight belt. There's a lot to be said for fighting smarter and fighting safer, which is what Torres has tried to do recently, but when it comes to earning a shot at the title, the fact is there are style points. Torres may need to regain some of his old reckless form if he wants the UFC to give him a chance to fight for the title. -- You can make a good case that it's really not fair to the rest of the bantamweight division to give Faber another shot at champion Dominick Cruz, but realistically I think that's the only option available to the UFC right now. From a business perspective, Cruz-Faber 3 is really the only bantamweight title fight that the UFC can sell, and the UFC is, ultimately, a business. UFC 139 Quotes -- "I felt really disrespected at the weigh-in. You're supposed to be professional. Don't come in two pounds overweight and then tell me you can't lose any more weight." -- Danny Castillo after beating Shamar Bailey, who had come in at 158 pounds for their lightweight fight. Castillo is absolutely right: Professional fighters need to make weight, period. -- "He's a super gnarly dude. I knew I had a fight on my hands." -- Seth Baczynski after submitting Matt Brown with a guillotine choke in the second round. %VIRTUAL-Gallery-139928% Good Call Chris Weidman is to be commended for immediately alerting the referee that he had choked out Tom Lawlor. The fighters and the referee are all in a difficult position when a fighter passes out from a choke and the ref doesn't realize it, but Weidman did the best thing he could, telling the ref that Lawlor was out. The ref then stepped in and separated the two of them, and Lawlor was back on his feet moments later. Bad Call The judge who gave Rafael dos Anjos a 29-28 decision over Gleison Tibau should be forced to publicly explain it -- that's a tough score to understand. The other two judges scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for Tibau. Stock Up Michael McDonald looks like a future UFC bantamweight champion. McDonald needed just 56 seconds to knock out Alex Soto -- a man who entered the fight undefeated -- and is now 14-1 in his MMA career, at only 20 years old. I'd love to see McDonald get a Top 10 opponent in his next fight. Stock Down Jason Brilz is reeling right now, with back-to-back ugly knockout losses, first to Vladimir Matyushenko in April and now to Ryan Bader on Saturday. When Brilz lost a hard-fought split decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in May of 2010, a lot of people thought he deserved to win and would have some big fights ahead of him. Unfortunately, Brilz now looks like he's on the verge of getting cut from the UFC. Fight I Want to See Next Dan Henderson vs. Rashad Evans. Henderson vs. Evans would be a great fight, and a great way to determine who's the next contender for the light heavyweight belt. Evans has already been promised a title shot, of course, but the way the timing has worked out, I don't think it's realistic for Evans to wait around for the Jon Jones-Lyoto Machida winner. If Henderson and Evans are both healthy and ready to fight in early 2012, that's the fight to make. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, champion, pride, wec

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In an epic encounter between two former Pride Fighting Championships cornerstones, Dan Henderson emerged victorious.

Posted in: henderson, shogun, pride, epic, epic encounter

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In the main event of UFC 139, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua, better known to fans as Shogun Rua (20-5; 4-3 UFC) faces former Pride and Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champion Dan Henderson (28-8; 5-2 UFC). This Light Heavyweight fight will determine the next #1 contender to face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida. The USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings currently have Shogun ranked as the #2 Light Heavyweight in the world, with Henderson just a few spots lower at #6. The PPV card airs on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT. This is a fight with a lot of rich history behind it, dating back to both men's days in Pride. When Pride folded, Shogun was considered by many to be the top 205 pound fighter in the world, and certainly the top in Pride. But Henderson was Pride's champion in that division, having won the belt from Shogun's Chute Boxe teammate Wanderlei Silva. After the end of Pride, both men came to the UFC. They each had a bit of a rocky start, but Shogun eventually won the UFC belt, while Henderson left the organization and claimed his gold in Strikeforce. They should have met a long time ago, and it will be great to see them finally matched up now. How do these two stack up? Shogun: 29 years old | 6'1" | 76" reachHenderson: 41 years old | 5'11" | 71" reach What have these two done recently? Shogun: W - Forrest Griffin (KO) | L - Jon Jones (TKO) | W - Lyoto Machida (KO) Henderson: W - Fedor Emelianenko (KO) | W - Rafael Cavalcante (KO) | W - Renato Sobral (KO)  How did these two get here? Shogun Rua has had a very rough road since the end of Pride. As I said above, he was the young phenom when the organization folded. Feared for his brutal assaults, Shogun was a beast. Then, in his UFC debut, he was choked out by Forrest Griffin, and his star immediately dulled. It wasn't until a pair of fights against Lyoto Machida that resulted in Shogun winning the UFC Light Heavyweight title that he finally began to really look good in the UFC. But since then, he's lost to Jon Jones, and defeated Griffin in a rematch that spoke volumes about Forrest, but didn't tell us much about Shogun. He may have what it takes to regain UFC gold, but his body (and his knees in particular) has taken a lot of damage, and if he's going to make one more run, now is the time. UFC 139 Results | Dan Henderson Interview | Weigh-In Results Hendo, Dan Henderson, is a long time veteran whose UFC debut came all the way back at UFC 17. He's an original Team Quest fighter who combines his wrestling with a bomb of a right hand. Hendo spent most of his career in Pride where he was the champion in two separate divisions when the company closed. He returned to the UFC a double champion, losing to UFC champions Anderson Silva and Rampage Jackson. He was on a 3-0 UFC streak when he left the company after UFC 100, moving to Strikeforce. There, he won the Light Heavyweight belt, as well as became the first man to knock out Fedor Emelianenko. He's 41 years old, but still fighting as well as he's ever fought, and is a real threat to the UFC Light Heavyweight division. Why should you care? If you're a Pride fan, this is the long awaited fight that should have been. If not, it's still two former champions fighting for a shot back at the top. They match up well stylistically too, and this one should be good. More UFC 139 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. UFC 139: The PRIDE History of Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua - Fraser Coffeen UFC 139: Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139: Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139: Martin Kampmann vs. Rick Story Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139 Weigh-In Results: Two Fighters Miss Weight - Tim Burke UFC 139 Shogun vs Henderson: Staff Picks and Predictions UFC 139: Nick Pace in a 'Dream Fight' Against Miguel Torres - Brent Brookhouse UFC 139: Stephan Bonnar vs. Kyle Kingsbury Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson Countdown Video - Tim Burke UFC 139 Roundtable: Did the Marketing Push For UFC on Fox Kill UFC 139's Buy Rate? UFC 139 Interview: Chris Weidman Talks Wrestling, UFC Jitters, and His Fade - Matthew Roth UFC 139 Video - Dana White Talks UFC on Fox, Fox 2, and Dan Henderson - Matthew Roth UFC 139 Judo Chop: Cung Le and the Sanshou Spinning Back Kick - Fraser Coffeen UFC 139: Bader vs. Brilz, McDonald vs. Soto Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video and Coverage - Tim Burke Bad Boy Presents Bloody Elbow Radio - Episode 101: Derek Brunson, UFC 139 Preview - Matt Bishop UFC 139: Embracing the Beautiful Violence of Mixed Martial Arts - Brent Brookhouse UFC 139: Shogun vs Henderson Conference Call Quick Quotes - Matthew Roth UFC 139: Brian Bowles Discusses Fight With Urijah Faber - Tim Burke UFC 139: Miguel Torres vs. Nick Pace Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139: Facebook Undercard Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 139: The Magnificent Ruin of Wanderlei Silva - Leland Roling UFC 139 Media Call News and Updates - Matthew Roth UFC 139: Dana White Video Blog, Part One - Tim Burke UFC 139: Shogun vs. Henderson Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 139: Martin Kampmann Discusses Recent Losses, Fight With Rick Story - Tim Burke UFC 139 Video: Shogun vs. Henderson In-Depth Preview - Anton Tabuena UFC 139 Fight Card: Shogun vs. Henderson - Tim Burke

Posted in: ufc, vs, henderson, shogun, pride

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A little more than eight years ago a relatively unknown 21-year old Brazilian coming off a submission loss to Renato Sobral named Mauricio Rua debuted on the PRIDE stage against one of the organization’s originals – Akira Shoji – and knocked the veteran competitor out less than five minutes later. Little did they realize it at the time, but with the performance the world had witnessed the birth of a legend going on to a storied career featuring one-sided stoppages against some of the sport’s best including Lyoto Machida, Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, and Quinton Jackson. In a matter of hours Rua will face Dan Henderson in the main event at UFC 139, an opponent he knows well from their time in Japan though the two never actually crossed paths professionally, and as might be expected the pairing has provided a dose of nostalgia for the 29-year old who celebrates his birthday in less than a week. “I always admired Dan Henderson as a great fighter, and he fought my brother Murilo “Ninja” back in 2001 in PRIDE,” Rua explained in an interview with the UFC’s website. “When I started to make a name for myself in PRIDE, people always talked about this fight taking place, and we both entered the Grand Prix tournament in 2005, where we could have met in the second round, but I ended up facing Antonio Rogerio Nogueira instead, since he defeated Dan. Later on, when he got the belt from my former teammate Wanderlei Silva, I was next in line to challenge him for the belt, but PRIDE collapsed, so that never happened. I’m glad we are finally having the chance to fight, as it’s a privilege to fight legends.” Henderson Believes He can Knock Rua Out Rua went on to compare the iconic Japanese promotion to his current home, saying, “I think the production of the show, the large arenas, the raw rules and the way fighters would always engage in a fight, giving their all, got people in love with the show There was certainly a great feeling about fighting in PRIDE back then, and seeing those epic matches. However, UFC has got to a level which is amazing, where we never would expect to be so soon, so there’s a great feeling in fighting in the UFC nowadays, and certainly much more pressure.” Then again, that’s not to say “Shogun” doesn’t miss certain aspects of his time under the PRIDE banner, also adding he hoped to fight in the Far East again sometime soon with the UFC’s recent expansion into the Land of the Rising Sun. “The stomps,” Rua replied with a smile when asked about the aspect of PRIDE he truly longed for. “I also miss fighting in Japan and the Japanese people; it was great fighting there, as it is great fighting in the US or Brazil. Hopefully I can fight in Japan for the UFC soon.” Fans can catch Rua vs. Henderson on PPV when the broadcast starts at 9:00 PM EST. Other match-ups on the card include free preliminary pairings on Facebook/Spike TV like Ryan Bader vs. Jason Brilz, Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor, and Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres. PHOTO CREDIT – PRIDE Tweet

Posted in: ufc, henderson, dan henderson, rua, pride

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At UFC 139, Dan Henderson faces Mauricio Rua in the main event. It's a fight being built partly around the idea of the invading Strikeforce champion, with Henderson, the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight champ, coming back to the UFC against Shogun Rua, the last UFC Light Heavyweight champion. It's a good story, right? Maybe, but it also ignores a key word. A word that holds special meaning to any long time MMA fan. And a word that gives a new level of depth to this fight. Pride. No, not each fighter's pride, I'm talking about the beloved PRIDE organization, the former home to both Henderson and Shogun. Because this fight is truly a Pride dream match. And sadly, it may be the last one. To take a look at the true history behind this fight, we have to roll back to 2005, and the 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. Starting in 2000, Pride put a heavy emphasis on the Grand Prix format. It was a great idea - get 16 (or so) of the world's best, and have them square off over a few months to determine the true greatest. The format produced some of the all time great Pride, and indeed MMA, fights - fights like Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie and Wanderlei Silva vs. Rampage Jackson. The greatest of these Grand Prix events was held in the Middleweight division (today's equivalent of Light Heavyweight). And heading into the 2005 GP, there was one man to beat: Wanderlei Silva. At that time, Silva was the long reigning Pride Middleweight champion. He had held the belt for 4 years, and had not lost at Middleweight in over 20 fights (though he had suffered one loss to the much bigger Mark Hunt in a controversial decision). He was also the defending Grand Prix champion, having won the 2003 tournament with his nasty KO of Rampage. But in the opening round of the GP, a new contender emerged. Shogun Rua was just 23 years old at the time, and 8-1 in his young career. But as part of the opening round, he made a huge impact, destroying Rampage in less than 5 minutes. Suddenly this aggressive whirlwind of a fighter was another tournament favorite. The only problem? Shogun and Wanderlei were teammates at Brazil's Chute Boxe. They were on opposite sides of the draw, but would they be willing to fight each other in the finals? This was a huge question heading into the final 4, as a Wanderlei vs. Shogun final seemed inevitable. As it turned out, the question never was answered. In the semi-finals, Silva was defeated in a moderate upset by Ricardo Arona, while Shogun stopped Alistair Overeem to make his own way to the finals. There, it took Shogun only 3 minutes to stop Arona, avenging his teammate's loss and establishing his own role as the new top dog in Pride. The story continues in the complete entry. Despite the GP win, Shogun had to settle for being the uncrowned Pride champion, as Silva's belt was not on the line in the tournament, and he remained champion. That all changed on February 24, 2007 in Las Vegas. There, at Pride 33, Dan Henderson knocked Silva out cold to take away the title that had been in The Axe Murderer's grasp for so many years. With the Middleweight title off the waist of his Chute Boxe teammate, Shogun could finally pursue the belt. A Henderson vs. Shogun dream match to determine the true top Middleweight in Pride seemed destined to happen. But it was not to be. Not long after, the now Zuffa-owned Pride organization folded. Dan Henderson walked away the last ever Pride Middleweight champion, while Shogun never got his chance at the belt. But here we are. Nearly 5 years later, we are finally getting the fight that should have been. 2005 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix champion Shogun Rua vs. the last ever Pride Middleweight champion Dan Henderson.  What makes this Pride war great is the fact that it is still a relevant fight today. The winner here is planned to move on and face the winner of Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida for the UFC Light Heavyweight title. This is not just a historical oddity or a treat for the hardcore fans - it's also an important bout between two top 10 fighters with a lot on the line. Sadly, it may also be the last of its kind. Henderson and Shogun are on the extremely short list of Pride fighters who remain truly relevant at the top of their divisions today. And they are perhaps the only fighters that can provide a fresh match-up with this kind of deep history reaching back into the Pride era. So at UFC 139, enjoy the fight for its impact on MMA today, and enjoy the Strikeforce vs. UFC angle. But don't forget about what brought these two men to this point, and don't forget to savor the moment. Pride never die.

Posted in: fight, champion, shogun, pride, middleweight

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When Mauricio Rua made his Pride Fighting Championships (Pride FC) debut in 2003, he was a fresh-faced prospect from Wanderlei Silva's camp. Barely past the drinking age, but already with five fights to his name, "Shogun" sparkled in his first fight across the Pacific, knocking out Akira Shoji in less than four minutes. Then, just two years later, the Brazilian made an impact on the 205-pound division that will never be forgotten. Punching, kicking and stomping his way through a minefield of 16 world class light heavyweights, "Shogun" emerged at the end of the promotion's grand prix tournament, the last man standing. By the time Rua stepped inside the Pride FC ring, Dan Henderson was six years and 16 fights into his career. Already amassing an impressive collection of accolades -- winning a UFC tournament stateside and Rings' King of Kings tournament in Japan -- "Hendo" had spent the better part of three years in Pride FC.  But somehow, despite spending more than half a decade in the same promotion -- four years in Pride FC, a couple more in the UFC -- the two never got the opportunity to tangle. Tonight (Nov. 19, 2011) remedies that minor tragedy as the two future Hall of Famers lock horns in the UFC 139 main event. Before they do, let's take a look back at their histories, which never quite intertwined as much as fans would have hoped, in the extended entry: At first glance, the two men might not seem all that alike. One is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt with Muay Thai chops few could match, and the other is the American wrestling prototype with the added weapon of a sledgehammer for a right hand. But, the similarities are there, rest assured. Both have spent most of their career fighting only the best of the best. "Shogun" has squared off with Lyoto Machida, Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson. "Hendo" has gone toe-to-toe against legends like Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and "The Axe Murderer." At the time of Rua's Pride FC debut, the two even shared a similar opponent in Renato Sobral -- who the Brazilian lost to, but Henderson managed to beat. Despite both men's proficiencies in their respective grappling arts, they've each gained a reputation as knockout artists, being able to rob their opponents of their consciousness in fashions that are as quick as they are brutal. "Dangerous" Dan earned a spot on the shortlist for "Best Knockout Ever" when he took out Briton Michael Bisping, while all but three of Rua's victories have ended in a post-fight concussion test for his opponent. With all this in mind, it's shocking that they haven't ended up as opponents at some point in the past eight years. Tonight's main event has all the makings of an instant classic and makes the hearts of fans who crave devastating knockouts skip a beat. With all that potential, why didn't Pride or the UFC make this fight happen earlier? I suppose you can place most of the blame on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. "Little Nog" was booked against Henderson in the opening round of the 203-pound grand prix back in 2005 and eliminated the American with a perfectly executed armbar. Across the bracket, Rua battered "Rampage" en route to a dominant first round technical knockout (TKO). The two Brazilians would face off in the quarterfinals, while the loss not only bounced "Hendo" from the tournament, but also from the weight class. Starting with his next fight, Henderson began making the cut down to 183-pounds. And it wasn't until Pride FC offered him a fight against Vitor Belfort at its inaugural show in the United States that Henderson returned to light heavyweight. He won that bout and it earned him a show at Wanderlei Silva and the belt many thought would have to be pried from "The Axe Murderer's" cold, dead hands. "Hendo" came as close to that without actually killing the poor Brazilian. Henderson would then spend his next few fights bouncing between weight classes with mixed results. Facing the risk of drifting between 185- and 205-pounds until the end of his career, "Hendo" decided to make a statement at UFC 100. Everyone knows how that shook out. Well, everyone except Bisping, who likely doesn't remember a thing from that night. Failure to upend Jake Shields as Strikeforce's middleweight champ caused yet another shift in weight for Henderson. This move has proved more fruitful than any other. Three fights, three knockouts and one championship. On the flip side, "Shogun" has spent his entire career at light heavyweight. The enormous success he achieved in 2005 was dulled somewhat by a fluke injury loss to Mark Coleman and then completely smudged out when he was choked out by Forrest Griffin in his highly anticipated Octagon debut. He would eventually claw his way back to the top of the 205-pound mountain when he barreled his first in Machida's jaw and captured the most prestigious title in the sport. A knee injury kept him sidelined for nearly a year after claiming the belt. And when "Shogun" returned to the cage, he would end up losing the belt to Jon Jones at UFC 128 before exacting a measure of revenge on Griffin when the company returned to Brazil this past August.  So what does the future hold for each man? "Hendo" seems to have hit his stride at light heavyweight while the shellacking Jones gave "Shogun" doesn't instill a desire in fans to see a rematch. It's also no secret that the Brazilian doesn't cut much to make weight, a practice that could be a death sentence in the sport. Both men step inside the cage tonight in a light heavyweight bout, but do both have futures at 185-pounds Henderson has a history at that weight and hasn't been shy about wanting a rematch with Anderson Silva. Middleweight is uncharted territory for Rua, but could be the change that gives his career a strong second wind if he's unsuccessful this evening. But that discussion can wait for Sunday. For now, let's just enjoy a fight we've wanted for years and are finally getting to see. Let's enjoy two living legends do what they do best. Finally fight.

Posted in: fight, henderson, year, rua, pride

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Two of the most historically successful light heavyweights in mixed martial arts (MMA) will finally meet tomorrow night (Nov. 19, 2011) as former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua takes on former two-division Pride FC and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson in the UFC 139 main event. "Shogun" Rua bounced back from losing his title by ferociously thumping former champion Forrest Griffin earlier this summer in his rousing return to Brazil. It was the third time he's avenged a loss during his UFC career. And if he wants a chance to avenge the loss to 205-pound division champion Jon Jones, he'll need an impressive showing against "Hendo." Easier said than done. Henderson is still bringing it at 41 years old. He destroyed Renato Sobral and Rafael Cavalcante to become the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion earlier this year. And he followed it up with perhaps the biggest performance of his career with a first round knockout of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. He's looking for one last run at a UFC title, but he's got a dangerous Brazilian currently standing in his way. Will Rua make Henderson regret signing (again) with the UFC with a big victory? Can Henderson keep Father Time at bay for a final sprint to UFC gold? What is the key to victory for both legendary light heavyweights? Let's find out: Mauricio Rua Record: 20-5 overall, 4-3 in the UFC Key Wins: Lyoto Machida (UFC 113), Alistair Overeem twice (Pride 33, Pride Final Conflict 2005), Quinton Jackson (Pride Total Elimination 2005) Key Losses: Jon Jones (UFC 128), Forrest Griffin (UFC 76) How he got here: Shogun was a prodigy while competing in Japan for the Pride FC organization. He absolutely smashed everyone in his path, including "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Alistair Overeem, among others, en route to winning the Pride 2005 middleweight grand prix. Seven of his eight victories were by way of knockout. He finished his Pride FC run with at 12-1 before making his Octagon debut against Griffin. Things didn't go exactly as planned, however, as Rua slowed drastically in the second round and never recovered, losing via rear naked choke right before the final bell in a huge upset. After getting back on track, Shogun would smash former champion Chuck Liddell, which would earn him a title shot against Lyoto Machida. He would lose a highly controversial decision after five rounds of action. However,  afterward he was granted an immediate rematch, which he used to knockout "The Dragon" to become the UFC light heavyweight champion. The champ would be forced to sit on the sidelines for 10 months while rehabbing a knee injury and was welcomed back to the cage by the rising phenom Jon Jones. Jones battered Rua for two and a half rounds, taking his title in dominating fashion. Afterward, "Shogun" signed on to fight Griffin in Brazil for UFC 134, where he would knockout the inaugural The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner and UFC champion in the first round. This would be the third of his five career losses that he's avenged. With the quick victory, he had a short turnaround to welcome Henderson back to the UFC this Saturday night. How he gets it done: Standing and trading punches only really makes this fight about as even as it can get. Rua hits incredibly hard, but so does Henderson. Also, with all the surgeries to his knees over the years, Shogun has lost some of that explosion that made him so violent. One major thing Rua has going for him is his kicks, and they could be the deciding factor in the bout if used properly. The Brazilian should attack Henderson's legs and body with repeated heavy kicks. With every blow he lands, it's one less ounce of power that will be sapped out of the "H-Bomb" that the former Olympian possesses. In addition, Henderson is not the quickest guy out there so he should be a pretty good target for the kick attacks. If he can get him to slow down even more, it'll also open up more avenues to get inside and do damage with his punches. Rua should try to avoid clinches and takedowns in this fight because he's much better off and more dangerous at the cage center. Dan Henderson:  Record: 28-8 overall, 5-2 in the UFC Key Wins: Fedor Emelianenko (Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson), Michael Bisping (UFC 100), Vitor Belfort (Pride 32) Key Losses: Anderson Silva (UFC 82), Quinton Jackson (UFC 75), Jake Shields (Strikeforce: Nashville) How he got here: Henderson started out as a Greco Roman wrestler, competing twice in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic games for the United States. He had immediate success after transitioning to MMA The first four events Henderson competed at were single night tournaments, and he won them all, winning nine fights overall in four nights. Afterward, he would sign with Pride FC, where he would have an up and down career, never really stringing together a huge run of victories. That is until the inaugural Pride FC welterweight (185-pound) Grand Prix. He would knockout consecutive opponents on one night to make it to the finals and then go on to win the tournament with a split decision victory against Murilo Bustamante. After defeating Vitor Belfort at 205 pounds, he was offered a title shot against Wanderlei Silva, an opportunity to avenge his initial Pride FC loss from six years prior. He would capitalize on the opportunity with an incredible third round knockout to become the Pride FC champion in two weight classes. Henderson would earn back-to-back title shots in his UFC return, losing to both Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson, but would put up strong performances in both. After three consecutive victories in the UFC, including the 2009 "Knockout of the Year" against Michael Bisping, he left the promotion and signed a very large deal with Strikeforce. Henderson would lose his first Strikeforce bout to middleweight champion Jake Shields, but he would follow it up with consecutive knockouts of Renato Sobral and "Feijao" Cavalcante to become the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. He capped off his Strikeforce career with an incredible knockout of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko earlier this summer in Chicago. After that incredible victory, he negotiated a deal with the UFC and stepped in to take on "Shogun" in his third tour with the promotion. How he gets it done: Henderson has a few solid methods to getting the job done. First, of course, is to land that killer right hand of his. If he can knockout Fedor with it from an uppercut on the ground, he can put Shogun to sleep, too. Obviously, Rua will be looking for the right hand, as every opponent Henderson has ever faced in the last three years has been cautious of it, but they still keep getting tagged. Henderson, despite his age, does a pretty good job of closing the distance. And, he's still got some explosion in him when he needs it. He could be looking to set up the right hand with a takedown attempt or perhaps just lunging in with a lead left jab. Another advantage for Henderson would be in the clinch. He did a pretty good job of controlling Emelianenko along the fence and he should be able do be even more powerful along the fence against Rua. If he can keep him pinned down, it'll open up some dirty boxing attacks and he's always capable of throwing a huge right hand on the break. If all else fails, he could even attempt some Greco takedowns along the fence if he's not winning the striking exchanges.  Fight "X-Factor:" The X-Factor for this fight is very simple. Both men have some of the best finishing instincts in MMA. Seriously, when was the last time you can remember either of these fighters letting an opponent off the hook when they had them hurt? If either man gets rocked, they are likely going to get swarmed and finished very quickly. It may sound cliche, but the outcome of this fight is likely going to come down to who lands a big strike first. Whoever lands that big blow and rocks their opponent is likely going to be able to score a knockout with follow-up strikes. Bottom line: This is a terrific match up between two MMA legends. Both Henderson and Rua hit incredibly hard and they can also take a punch or two. Henderson's been dropped in his last two fights, but his immediate response afterward has been terrific. He has great recovery -- either shooting for a takedown or grabbing a single leg -- and slipping to safety and he's proven that he might be even more dangerous when he's been hurt. Rua is also one of the most tenacious light heavyweights in the history of the sport, so this bout is almost guaranteed to be exciting. The winner of this bout would also likely be either one fight away from a title shot or he could be a title shot alternate in case of an injury. Keep your eyes peeled for this one. Who will come out on top at UFC 139? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Which legendary light heavyweight will earn a huge victory in the UFC 139 main event? Mauricio Rua Dan Henderson   0 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, henderson, champion, rua, pride

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There's a lot of history on tap for UFC 139. Dan Henderson, a champ in two different weight divisions in Pride. Shogun, a Grand Prix Champion, Wanderlei, the former Pride Champion, Urijah and so forth. What history will prove to be the most relevant? That's the question, and the answer guarantees brutality. Mauricio Rua vs. Alistair Overeem II at Pride 33, 2007 While Overeem was never considered a great fighter before moving to HW, he was still a considerable threat to anyone he fought. Especially before the end of round 1. Shogun would end up laying waste to Overeem with a brutal right hand from top control (well, on his feet). Why it's relevant As in their first match, Rua had a hell of a time in the clinch. This is where he's liable to have trouble against Henderson, who is also a monster in the clinch. Against Overeem (who hadn't yet polished his standup), Rua would take punishment. But like his other fights, he'll respond to the firefight. Which is why this match has all the makings of a slugfest. Unless... Dan Henderson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at Pride Total Elimination, 2005 Henderson has been on winning streaks before. Right now he's on a hell of a run, sending Fedor, Feijao, and Sobral to a pine oil heaven. However, in 2005 he was on a similar run until he was dominated by Lil Nog. While there were many rumors about Henderson's health to explain why he was embarrassed, it's still worth exploring.  Why it's relevant While Dan has looked amazing recently, it would be silly to overlook his sometimes lackluster performances. Against Nog, he got outstruck, and in the grappling department, he looked out of his element. It's been awhile since we've seen Henderson on his back, and when we do, he often looks inferior. Jake Shields scored mount at will against Dan. And as we've seen with Shogun, he's highly active, thus Shogun likely has the best chance to win on the ground. Henderson is a legend, but he's had some assists from the judges in the past, and it's difficult to ignore contested bouts with Yuki Kondo, the rematch with Bustamante, or the ineffectual Pride judging that contributed to his decision win over Murilo Rua. Still, Shogun and Hendo are members of the All Violence Team. Let's not forget that this fight promises just that. Cung Le vs. Scott Sheely (Sanshou) The video to this fight is here if you're interested. Just to save you the suspense, it's a complete exhibition as many of Cung's fights in Sanshou tended to be. Some nice strikes are landed every now and then, but for the most of the running time it's the viewer watching Sheely pensively picking himself off the canvas after being dumped on his butt, usually from various sweeps and throws.  Why it's relevant It's not really, but you get to see Le in his natural element: you get to see why people were so interested in watching him try his hand at MMA. Sheely doesn't just lose the fight: he's a marionette doll whose strings are being operated by Le. While his MMA career has been interesting, I'm not sure what the story is. He hasn't had very many relevant fights to begin with, other than the Shamrock match. Perhaps that's what makes his UFC debut so interesting. He's fighting Wanderlei Silva. Will Cung be able to practice his Sanshou on a veteran like Wand?  Wanderlei Silva vs. Michael Bisping at UFC 110 Silva's fight against Bisping was a relatively entertaining affair. Wanderlei was somewhat tentative, but showed poise and acumen by using his trademark aggression in bursts, as if he took lessons from Sugar Ray Leonard. Bisping, meanwhile, took his own lessons: constantly backing straight up, and circling the wrong way even after the same criticism was drilled into his head by the media. Bisping took a clear loss, although he still believes otherwise. Why it's relevant Wand isn't a rejuvenated fighter, but I don't think it's fair to judge him by his loss to Leben. Cung doesn't have Chris' power, and so with Le's only avenue to victory being a decision, we'll see the Wand that thinks. If there's one thing the Bisping fight reveals, it's that Silva has never been the meathead he's portrayed as. In his first match with Mirko Filipovic in 2002, he knew better than to slug it out completely and utilized takeodwns. Against Henderson, he learned enough wrestling to scramble his way out of being put on his back. And he doesn't get enough credit for his deliberation in the rematch with Arona. In short, for all of Wand's faults (his chin being one of them at this point), he's a smart fighter when he's not fighting off the adrenaline, and contrary to popular belief, he doesn't run on pure adrenaline. His problem is that he's just not that technical, and never has been. His boxing is too raw. Nonetheless, I expect the measured Wand to show up against Cung. Urijah Faber vs. Raphael Assuncao at WEC 46 Before Assuncao fell on relatively hard times underneath the Zuffa banner, he was a guy every hardcore fan would talk about that deserved the spotlight. He had wins over Joe Lauzon and Jorge Masvidal while they were blue chip prospects, and should have been undefeated going into his fight against Faber (he lost to Jeff Curran in a complete robbery at XFO 13). It was a great fight for both men at the time.  Why it's relevant Brain Bowles, like Assuncao, is stationary on the feet. So while Faber may not have the power that Bowles does, he should still hold the advantage. Urijah is still a liability on the feet because he keeps his hands low, but I think he's still capable enough of turning this into the wild scramble fest that confused even the established black belt in Assuncao. Bowles is a good fighter, but Faber is a better one when he's not attempting silly elbows (see Mike Brown), or dumb superman punches (see Tyson Griffin).

Posted in: fight, henderson, shogun, pride, he

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After a rough day, is there anything better than coming home to be around family and friends so you can relax, regroup, and start again? Not for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who got to come back from the March loss of his UFC light heavyweight title to Jon Jones with an August fight in Brazil that had 14,000 of his closest friends and family cheering him on.Now that’s the way to start a comeback.“It was amazing,” said Rua through manager / translator Eduardo Alonso. “I was under a lot of pressure because that show meant a lot not only to me but to MMA in Brazil in general. It was a rematch and I was coming off a loss, so pressure was high. And it was the first time live on mainstream TV in Brazil. But in the end, all went well and the feeling was incredible.” It went more than well for Rua, who avenged his 2007 defeat to Forrest Griffin with a knockout win that took less than two minutes and immediately catapulted him back into the growing line for a shot at the man he lost the belt to in Jones. More than that though, it was, as Rua, pointed out, a big day for MMA in Brazil, a country that now claims UFC champions in three of the UFC’s seven weight classes (Junior dos Santos, Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo). Rua wants to join his countrymen in that group again, and if the response he received at UFC 134 was any indication, he will have a nation behind him in his quest.“Man, it was amazing, and even though I thought it would be great I could never really expect that atmosphere,” he said of that night in Rio de Janeiro. “It was unreal, and only those who were there know what I'm talking about.”Yet even here in the United States, where he will headline UFC 139 against Dan Henderson Saturday night, Rua still has an enormous fanbase of diehard fight aficionados who began following him back in his days fighting for Japan’s PRIDE organization. In fact, his bout with “Hendo” is a dream fight that could have happened twice in the promotion years ago, but never came to fruition.“I always admired Dan Henderson as a great fighter, and he fought my brother Murilo "Ninja" back in 2001 in PRIDE,” recalled Rua. “When I started to make a name for myself in PRIDE, people always talked about this fight taking place, and we both entered the Grand Prix tournament in 2005, where we could have met in the second round, but I ended up facing Rogerio Nogueira instead, since he defeated Dan. Later on, when he got the (middleweight – 183 pound) belt from my former teammate Wanderlei Silva, I was next in line to challenge him for the belt, but PRIDE collapsed, so that never happened. I'm glad we are finally having the chance to fight, as it's a privilege to fight legends.”And while a lot has happened for both fighters since the last PRIDE event in 2007, Rua still holds the organization in high regard.“I think the production of the show, the large arenas, the raw rules and the way fighters would always engage in a fight, giving their all, got people in love with the show,” said Rua when asked why PRIDE garnered so many loyal fans. “There was certainly a great feeling about fighting in PRIDE back then, and seeing those epic matches. However, UFC has got to a level which is amazing, where we never would expect to be so soon, so there's a great feeling in fighting in the UFC nowadays, and certainly much more pressure.”So what does he miss the most about the PRIDE days?“The stomps,” he laughs. “I also miss fighting in Japan and the Japanese people; it was great fighting there, as it is great fighting in the US or Brazil. Hopefully I can fight in Japan for the UFC soon.”First there’s Henderson though, who may be the youngest 41-year old on the planet thanks to a three fight winning streak (all KOs) that includes a first round finish of Fedor Emelianenko earlier this year. Rua, who won’t hit his 30th birthday until November 25th, knows that he’s in for a fight in San Jose.“Obviously his wrestling skills and his powerful right hand are his main weapons, as everybody knows,” he said. “But I can't be concerned or pay attention only to that, as he is a great fighter and I have to be prepared for anything that may happen in the fight.”And to get ready, Rua decided to stay home in Brazil, training in Sao Paulo as opposed to going back to the States to work with his former Chute Boxe coach Rafael Cordeiro.“I made that decision because I know we have a lot of great training here in Brazil as well, as I trained here for several fights, such as against (Chuck) Liddell and even (Lyoto) Machida. My last fight was still kind of recent and I needed to stay closer to my family, while still focusing and dedicating myself to training camp, so that's why I went to Sao Paulo. This way I could keep focused only on training but still be close enough to home. There is great training in the USA, and also great training in Brazil and each fight is a different fight and a different case.”This week’s fight certainly is a different case, as it will be scheduled for five rounds. It shouldn’t be an issue for either fighter, considering both have been the championship distance before, but you still have to be ready for the possibility of fighting for 25 minutes.“You’ve got to adapt all your training for a 25 minute fight, and get your system used to doing the five rounds. I have fought five rounds before and so did Dan, so I think we will both be prepared.”Will a win get Rua another shot at Jones? That remains to be seen, as Rua’s old rival Lyoto Machida will have something to say about that on December 10th when he battles Jonny Bones for the 205-pound belt. Rua will be watching closely.“I think it's a great fight, and an intriguing fight,” said Rua of the UFC 140 main event. “Jones is the champion and deserves to be so, and he’s a very tough fighter to beat, but Machida is also very skilled and not an easy fighter to defeat. Their styles are different, yet they both can create problems for each other. I think this fight is very intriguing.”If he has to face one, does he prefer a little revenge against Jones, or a rubber match with “The Dragon?”“As a fighter, I want to fight the best and challenge myself, and I have no personal feelings regarding any of them,” he said. “It's our job. I’ve got to focus on Dan Henderson right now, which is all that matters at this moment.”But it would be nice to beat Henderson and get another crack at the title, right? “It would mean the world,” said Rua. “It (regaining the title) is my long term goal, but my focus now is to beat Dan Henderson, which is a tough task in itself. After that I'll think of what's next and talk to my manager and the UFC about it. Another title shot should be a natural consequence of good work, not something I should be concerned about.”

Posted in: ufc, fight, rua, pride, brazil

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As an older brother, one of your duties is to always look out for and defend your younger brother. It’s encrypted in the genetic code of big brothers all over the world. In the Rua family, apparently, the roles are reversed. Throughout his career, Mauricio Rua, who is 29 years of age, has made it a habit to avenge his older brother, Murilo Rua's, previous losses. In November of 2001, Dan Henderson faced off against the older of the Rua brothers, Murilo, at PRIDE 17 in Tokyo, Japan. In what was a great back and forth battle, Henderson squeaked out a split decision victory after three rounds of action. 10 years later, younger brother "Shogun" has a chance to avenge his older brother's loss as he gets his shot at fellow PRIDE legend Dan Henderson this Saturday night (Nov. 19) at UFC 139: "Shogun vs. Henderson" in San Jose, California. "Shogun" tells MMAFighting.com his older brother Murilo has been instrumental in game planning for his upcoming bout against "Hendo." "Certainly that was a great fight, I watched that fight between my brother and Henderson a number of times. It was a very competitive fight. My brother is one of the people who helped me a lot with my strategy for Dan. I hope to impose my game plan, knowing it's going to be a tough fight with a great fighter. That was a great fight and I have good memories of it." Dan Henderson also chimed in on his war with Murilo: "It was a tough fight, it was a war and I would expect the same from his brother." Dating all the way back to Nov. 2002, Murilo Rua lost a unanimous decision victory to fellow countrymen Ricardo Arona at PRIDE 23. Three years later at PRIDE Final Conflict 2005, "Shogun" avenged his brothers loss to Arona by knocking him out in the very first round, winning the 2005 PRIDE Grand Prix in the process. In Dec. 2002 at PRIDE 24, Murilo would lose once again, this time to Kevin Randleman via (technical) knockout in the third round. Four years later, "Shogun" had "The Monster" begging for mercy in the first round at PRIDE 32 with a sickening kneebar. In 2005, Murilo lost a very controversial split decision to Quinton Jackson at PRIDE 29. "Rampage" was seen telling Murilo that he felt he won the fight and offered to give him his trophy. The Brazilian had none of it and stormed out of the ring. Enter baby brother ... again. Two months later, at PRIDE Total Elimination 2005, "Shogun" dominated and outclassed "Rampage" from the opening bell. Demonstrating precise striking and great Muay Thai, Rua battered Jackson for five minutes until the referee was forced to step in to make the save. Once again, the younger brother was successful in avenging his older brother's loss in brutal fashion. Now, a full decade after Murilo's loss to Henderson, it's time to do it again. Or is it? Will "Shogun" make it four for four this weekend? Or will "Dangerous" Dan prove that he has the Rua brother's number?

Posted in: shogun, rua, pride, brother, murilo

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The UFC held the media call for UFC 139 this afternoon. Dan Henderson, Mauricio Rua, Cung Le, and Wanderlei Silva were on the call to promote their respective fights. While the conference call did miss out on any sort of pre-fight drama, it did have some good snippets from legends of the sport. Below are the best of the best from this weekend's combatants. Dan Henderson, two-division PRIDE champion, STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight champion "I'm going to finish up my career in the UFC and I am excited by it; and the fact the UFC has a huge FOX deal now makes it even more exciting. I am not going to worry about my next fight - as far as getting a title shot - I need to win this fight and then the rest will take care of itself. I need to win in the Octagon this weekend first before I talk about what's next. Shogun is a very dangerous opponent; this is a fight I wanted to happen years ago in PRIDE and he's a name that will look good on my record." "I feel I have got a lot of fights left in myself. I am 41 and feel great. I'm not putting a time limit on anything. I think I can put a game plan together to beat anyone out there. I am aggressive throughout the whole fight and always trying to finish a fight, although Shogun is very good and well-rounded so that will be a challenge to do." "I think it is fair to say I've accomplished a lot in the sport, but one thing I have not accomplished is winning the UFC title. I like to set goals and that's a big one: winning the UFC title." SBN coverage of UFC 139: Henderson vs. Rua Shogun Rua, former UFC light heavyweight champion, PRIDE GP Champion "I came very close to fighting Henderson in PRIDE, on two occasions. But these fights never happened. This is a great fight. It could have been a huge fight in PRIDE in 2006, and it is a huge fight in the UFC now." "I'm a hundred percent recovered from my injuries. It was very tough to stay sidelined for one year without competing, but this is my third fight in 2011 and I feel good. As a fighter, I like to stay active and stay busy and thank God I'm recovered from my injuries so I can keep this rhythm going and keep fighting. I felt 100 percent against Forrest Griffin and I'm very happy to fight again three months later. I like being active." "I have worked a lot on speed. I beat Forrest Griffin with speed and I think speed will be the difference in this fight at UFC 139. I will press forward against Henderson. It is my style, I have always fought this way, the fans love it and I am very successful with it. If I go forward, I can't see myself losing this fight." Wanderlei Silva, former PRIDE middleweight champion "I think my performance in this fight will (allow) me to fight again. I don't want to retire and I know that if I perform like I do in the gym, I will make everyone happy. What happened in my last fight (versus Chris Leben) can happen to anyone in MMA. You can't tell Cain Velasquez he should retire now because he got knocked out. Anyone can get knocked out early, one punch early finishes the fight." "I don't have (retirement) in my mind. I have trained too hard, and am too good, and in too great condition. I want to fight again, and again, and again and again." "This is a great match with me and Cung. I know it will be a great show for the fans. We both have attacking styles. We both fight. He is a really good fighter, I saw his tapes, I studied his game and it's so hard to find some guys fight like him. We brought in some guys from Taekwondo and from all the other martial arts to try to help me prepare for Le's style." Cung Le, former STRIKEFORCE middleweight champion "It's great to have the chance to fight on such a huge card. I am very focused on this fight. I'm not thinking about the future, just enjoying the moment of fighting in the UFC. After my last fight, I got put on hold for a while with fighting even though I wanted to fight right away. I got busy with movies, but then I had the chance to fight in the UFC. Everything happens for a reason. I could have hung up my gloves and done movies, but I am a fighter first and actor second." "Of course, the UFC is the top of the food chain; they are the ones who put MMA on the map. I'm very excited to fight for the UFC. It has worked out so well, I get to fight for the UFC and fight in San Jose. It is full circle: I had my first MMA fight here and now my first UFC fight. I have all my friends from high school and my friends from junior high all coming out and hitting me up for tickets. It's great and I believe everything happens for a reason." "I started following Wanderlei when I started following PRIDE so I know he's had one of the longest win streaks in MMA. It's an honor to fight someone like Wanderlei for my UFC debut."

Posted in: ufc, fight, henderson, pride, im

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I've made it no secret that I was a huge fan of Pride Fighting Championships (Pride) during their too-short lifetime. There was just so much to enjoy about the Japanese fight promotion. The giant arenas they packed to the brim, the larger than life presentation in which the shows were produced, the roster of fighters that, at its peak, rivaled what the UFC claims today. In its prime, Pride simply wasn't a mixed martial arts (MMA) company, it was the MMA company. A major reason a ton of mystique surrounded the promotion was none other than "The Axe Murderer," Wanderlei Silva. The fearsome Brazilian striker ruled the 203-pound division for years, never relenting, never yielding, and always looking to put his opponent to sleep in the most brutal way possible. He knocked out the likes of Kazushi Sakuraba, Yuki Kondo, and Ikuhisa Minowa. But no single knockout is more (in)famous than the one he delivered to Quinton Jackson in the their second bout. "Rampage" had fallen victim to Silva's brutality once before and couldn't stop himself from getting put to sleep once again in the rematch. Silva's career has been less than stellar of late but he hopes to turn it around this Saturday night (Nov. 19) at UFC 139 when he takes on fellow striker Cung Le. With only two wins in his last eight fights, another loss could spell the end of the Brazilian's storied career. If he performs anything like he did at Pride 28, that should be no concern. Here's why: The fight opens up with Jackson immediately walking Silva down. He clinches up with the Brazilian, putting the champion along the ropes. He attempts to wear Silva down but soon "The Axe Murderer" is able to reverse position on "Rampage." It isn't for long, however, as Jackson gets the Brazilian's back against the corner as he works towards a takedown. A low blow causes a short break in the action and the two are restarted in the center of the ring. They begin exchanging like mad men and Jackson looks better for it. He blocks well and delivers a nice counter straight that catches Silva flush. They wrap up again and the champion tries to secure a Thai clinch to deliver some of those knees "Rampage" is all too familiar with. Silva throws a big one but ends up missing wildly and they end up in the corner before another referee stoppage puts them back in the center. "The Axe Murderer" immediately begins attacking with his trademark looping hooks, putting together a string of powerful punches before immediately latching onto Jackson's head once again and putting his Muay Thai training to good use. He bullies "Rampage" into the corner, delivering short punches, one of which opens a cut under Jackson's eye. The American, sensing the danger, gets Silva in a headlock and drags the Brazilian to the mat. The fight is paused yet again to check on Jackson's cut before they're restarted in the same position they were in when interrupted. From his back, the champ offers a couple of different submission threats, nearly securing a triangle choke on one occasion and teasing a kimura on another. Jackson, for his part, batters his opponent with the type of ground and pound wrestlers have built their MMA reputation on. Less than three minutes remaining in the 10-minute opening round and Silva scores nicely with an upkick that forces "Rampage" to close the distance. Only willing to score short elbows from the guard, a lull in the action forces the referee to admonish both fighters with yellow cards, penalizing them a portion of their purse. Silva scores with a leg kick and then again with a nasty kick to the body. A second body kick is countered perfectly by Jackson who tags "The Axe Murderer" right on the chin, forcing the Brazilian to stagger to the mat. The American immediately pounces in the final minute, landing potentially fight-ending ground and pound to his greatest rival. A triangle attempt is shrugged off by the wrestler who answers back with a devastating punch. He continues the onslaught -- for much longer than the timer displayed it seems -- and for a brief moment, it appeared as if Pride would finally have a new 203-pound champion. The second stanza begins and again, the two trade punches like featherweights. A takedown attempt from Silva is reversed by Jackson but the champion soon ends up on top. Fortunately for his opponent, "The Axe Murderer" does little from the position aside. It isn't until two minutes in the round that he finally makes his move. He stands up and begins delivering deadly stomps as is the Chute Boxe Academy way. None connect but it offers "Rampage" the opportunity to get back to his feet. Both vertical, Silva begins to pepper his opponent's legs with kicks. An exchange leads to a beautiful right by Silva that causes Jackson's left eye to swell up. Seconds later, another exchange produces an even more devastating result.  "The Axe Murder's" right fist connects with Jackson's skull with a sickening thud. In the slo-motion replay, you can see the shockwaves coursing through the American's body. "Rampage" is staggered, hurt and unable to defend himself. In short, he's ripe for Silva's picking. The champion wraps his opponent up in another Thai clinch -- much like the one that led to the end of their first bout -- and began landing knee after knee with Jackson nearly powerless to stop him. One knee connects flush with skull and "Rampage" collapses face first like a giant redwood through the middle and bottom rope. The referee immediately stops the assault and lifts Jackson to turn him on his back. When he does, the camera catches a glimpse of the pool of blood that has collected underneath the fallen fighter's face. It is single-handedly the most beautifully violent display of destruction I have ever seen in the sport. Will we see a similar display on Saturday? As a longtime "Axe Murderer" fan, I can only hope so.

Posted in: rampage, jackson, silva, pride, axe

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is a proud Mexican fighter, not a Latin gang member. Velasquez will fight to retain his belt when he squares off against the heavy-handed Junior dos Santos at UFC on FOX from the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., which he won with a first round destruction of Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Oct. 2010. Fighting is nothing new to Velasquez, whose family has a rich tradition of fighting to survive. In honor of his father and his deep respect for his Mexican heritage, Velasquez had his chest tattooed with the phrase, "Brown Pride." Velasquez has received some heat, in the past, for his tattoo. Critics have called it racist, divisive and have even associated it with gang crime in Southern California. He wants people to know that his tattoo isn't about superiority. It's a tribute to where he's come from and what he's had to overcome:  "I got this tattoo for two reasons. One, for everything my parents did to come over to this country, all the hardships they had crossing the border. ‘Brown pride' when we were growing up meant ‘Mexican pride.' That's how we would say it. It's something to say if we're proud about where we came from. What my Dad did, my Mom did to get over to this country to me means a lot. I'm proud of where I came from. I'm proud of what Mexican people stand for. We're known as hard working people. We're known as fighters. We're known to have a lot of heart. We're known to never give up in the gym and have a lot of cardio. To always work hard. The work ethic that my Dad, all the Mexican people bring out in the fields and stuff, we bring to the gym and whatever else we do. Another reason why I got is because when I was growing up I didn't have anybody to look up to. There's nobody that was my size that was Mexican that looked like me that I could see in the media. I pretty much didn't have those dreams of ‘Hey, I can do that stuff. I can be in the media, I can play professional sports.' I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody to look up to so now that I'm in that position, I put ‘Brown Pride' on my chest to let people know ‘Hey, I'm Mexican. I'm proud to be Mexican. I'm doing good things.' For those people that just don't know the story behind it, that's all I can say. The only thing I can do is clear it up by doing interviews like this." After winning the belt from Lesnar, Velasquez was heralded by many as being the first ever Mexican heavyweight champion. It's a claim that isn't completely true, as Ricco Rodriguez is also of Mexican descent and was a UFC heavyweight champion as well (he is also part Puerto Rican). Regardless of the validity of the claim, there's never been a mixed martial artist who has been embraced by the Mexican (and Mexican-American) community as Velasquez has been. Fittingly, Velasquez will return to the place where it all got started when he defends his title for the first time later this evening against "Cigano" in Anaheim. Velasquez is certain to have an army of supporters behind him as he takes on dos Santos in Southern California, which has a large population of Mexican-Americans. Brown pride, united. To honor Velasquez, his heritage and his journey to the top, FOX Deportes has been running a series based on the champion, appropriately titled: "Cain Velasquez: Brown Pride." The third and final volume of the series ran on FOX Deportes yesterday (Nov. 11) at 7 p.m. ET. For fans who missed it, FOX Deportes will show all three episodes (consecutively) today at 3 p.m. ET.

Posted in: velasquez, pride, people, im, mexican

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PRIDE never die!

Posted in: ufc, pride, trailer, mode

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Here's THQ trying to explain to TUF noobs what's so special about PRIDE Fighting Championships and why they should be excited about a PRIDE mode in UFC Undisputed 3. Here's the roster: Heavyweight: Cro Cop, Don Frye, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira​, Bob Sapp, Mark Coleman​, Gary Goodridge​, Mark Hunt, Kevin Randleman, Dan Severn​, Gilbert YvelMiddleweight: Dan Henderson, Quinton Jackson​, Wanderlei Silva, Vitor Belfort, Royce Gracie, Mauricio Rua​, Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Murilo Rua​, Rameau Sokoudjou, Antonio Rogerio NogueiraWelterweight: Ryo Chonan, Akihiro Gono​, Phil Baroni, Denis Kang​, Carlos Newton​, Paulo Filho, Murilo BustamanteLightweight: Takanori Gomi, Marcus Aurelio, Jens Pulver I am going to play the fuck out of Don Frye all day, every day.

Posted in: rua, pride, pride mode, here, pride roster

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Check out UFC Undisputed 3's highly-anticipated PRIDE mode in this new trailer from THQ.

Posted in: ufc, pride, thq, highlyanticipated, mode

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UFC Undisputed 3, the latest entry into the popular mixed martial arts video game series from THQ, will hit store shelves in early 2012. The new edition features a bevy of interesting fresh features, including traveling back in time to fight in the now-defunct PRIDE organization, complete with stomps, Bas Rutten on commentary and even Lenne Hardt introductions. Above, the developer walks us through the "Pride mode" featuring Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko Filipovic, who battled at Pride: "Final Conflict" back in 2003. Fans of existing versions, what do you think of the new improvements?

Posted in: video, pride, edition features, store shelves, pride mode

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Halloween weekend in Vegas is not for the faint of heart. Generally you will find the strip filled with all manner of creatures year round, but on the eve of UFC 137 a different breed of drunken party goer stalked the neon lit streets: zombies, sexy nurses, sexy nurse zombies and every other combination of sexy zombie cop/construction worker/stenographer you could imagine existed. My journey from Mandalay Bay to the posh Cosmopolitan hotel's UFC 3 preview party a few blocks away felt like it was straight out of the porno version of The Walking Dead. Everywhere my lovely assistant and I turned we were met with the busty undead. We hustled hand in hand down the strip as we dodged the ghouls expertly and made our way into the hotel. Inside the Cosmopolitan was very, very swanky. It looked like it was designed by a huge fan of Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds, literally everything glittered. We wound our way through the roulette tables as things eventually started getting a lot less 'Halloweeny', and we checked in upstairs. A quick debriefing and a handshake nondisclosure agreement later and we were ushered into an elevator with a large man in dark suit and taken up to an undisclosed floor. As soon as we stepped off the elevator a huge ice block greeted us with the words 'PRIDE never dies'. That slogan was the motto of the night, it was plastered everywhere: the walls the table cloth, everywhere. It was like Bloodstaine Lane, Gary LaPlante and Liberace got a penthouse together. I cannot stress enough how unbelievable the place looked. Eventually we were greeted by Layzie and Chuck Liddell at another huge UFC + PRIDE ice sculpture that was flowing with an alcoholic beverage called 'headstomp' or something. I honestly can't remember, it could have been called knees to the dome from side control for all I know, bottom line this ice flow mystery drink was strong and delicious and that's all that really matters. After talking to Chuck for a bit and watching Urijah Faber graze the catering table for a while, Layzie, my assistant (wife) and I sat down at one of the many console stations and jumped right into PRIDE mode. First off Lenne Hardt is in the game and it's awesome. The PRIDE production values are ridiculously spot on. You will have confetti swirling around you as you celebrate victory (or wallow in defeat) in the Saitima Super Arena. PRIDE's home is represented along with a host of other real life locations (like Mandalay and the other usual suspects). Everything about UFC 3 screams 'more'. More licensed referees, more weight classes, more fighters, hell, more MMA organizations. You can tell that the extra time they took paid off in the presentation department, I felt like in was 2005 all over again. I must note that Layzie and I never left PRIDE mode and after a few scans of the room (although influenced by the soccer kick drink) I think literally every monitor had a PRIDE match going down. What can I say, the media loves it when one person kicks another person in the head. The gameplay is both exactly what you expect and noticeably 'better'. Refined might be the word. At first I picked up the controller after a year of EA MMA and was completely lost. I felt herky jerky and I was bummed/frustrated by the rock em sock em feel of the previous games still in this title's DNA. But, after a few matches I was feinting, swaying and timing my punches to Layzie's face with ease. Well, with somewhat ease. Layzie kept pulling guard over and over trying to submit me. When I first saw the submission system in Undisputed 3 I thought it was going to be like EA MMA-this isn't true. The submission system is actually a really fun and interesting battle of techniques. One player is just trying to hover over the other players cursor, you will see how Layzie submits me with ease when we first play in the video below, it's because I didn't know the controls and he wanted to humiliate me in front of my wife. That's fine. Submission battles later in the night went back and forth and lasted upwards of a minute sometimes. It's like faking a set up on the left then going right for the sub when you are grappling (see: many head and arm triangles in MMA). Overall, grappling and the submissions were very involved and fun. It should be mentioned that this year features 'amateur' controls that help make transitions easier for those who can't quite pull off the quarter circles and Hadouken motions. It's a simple UP and DOWN on the right analog. Striking is improved. It still feels a little 'rock em sockem', but the power behind your punches is much more realistic now. No longer will you take a strike to the face like Arnold in T2, shrugging off multiple overhands while staring your opponent in the eyes. Just like in a real fight you don't want to get hit. Dodging/parrying is smoother, movement in the PRIDE ring felt awesome and the speed of the whole game felt like it was taken down a couple notches from the previous years. It was still faster than EA MMA, but once I had the controls down, my once 30 second slaughters at the hands of Layzie and Nate Diaz turned into bloody classics that almost went to a decision a few times. Speaking of the blood, it's much more organic and a drastic improvement over the limited options available in 09 and 10. Eyes get puffy, noses get smashed, lips split and it's all presented in a much more realistic manner. By the time we were done with our tenth or so fight, I had finished multiple of the 'knees to the head in the north/south position' drinks and I had to leave before I started drunkenly getting in Joe Lauzon's face about Battlefield 3 Vs. Call of Duty. I said goodbye to my rival Layzie for the time being and took a final look around the room. THQ has created a game that every fight fan is going to want to buy just for the licenses alone. Fighting in the white ring in the middle of the Saitama Super Arena as Lenne Hardt screams is something we have only experienced on a blocky last gen platform, but now we can relive PRIDE in a pixel perfect recreation. The game is sweet even at this incomplete stage and PRIDE indeed never dies...Just like those sexy zombies that were waiting for me downstairs.

Posted in: ufc, pride, game, ea mma, layzie

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We've got the entire roster of fighters from the highly-anticipated PRIDE mode in Undisputed 3. Check out the gallery inside.

Posted in: fighter, pride, roster, weve, highlyanticipated

Read the full article at Heavy MMA

The rumors were true. There is a separate PRIDE roster in UFC Undisputed 3 and THQ has revealed which fighters made the list. Several PRIDE staples like Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Ricardo Arona and Kazushi Sakuraba (to name a few) are missing, but their absence is more than made up with the inclusion of one name — Don Frye. I might buy it just for him! Check it out the roster below. PRIDE Roster Akihiro Gono Anderson Silva Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Bob Sapp Carlos Newton Chuck Liddell Dan Henderson Dan Severn Denis Kang Don Frye Gary Goodridge Gilbert Yvel Heath Herring Jens Pulver Kazuhiro Nakamura Kevin Randleman Marcus Aurelio Mark Coleman Mark Hunt Mauricio Rua Mirko Filipovic Murilo Bustamante Murilo Rua Paulo Filho Phil Baroni Quinton Jackson Rameau Sokoudjou Royce Gracie Ryo Chonan Takanori Gomi Vitor Belfort Wanderlei Silva Image via THQ

Posted in: pride, kazushi sakuraba, roster, pride staples, name —

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Get ready to soccer kick your buddy's face in.   UFC Undisputed 3, the latest entry into the popular mixed martial arts video game series from THQ, will hit store shelves in Jan.2012. The new edition features a bevy of interesting fresh features, including traveling back in time to fight in the now-defunct PRIDE organization, complete with stomps, Bas Rutten on commentary and even Lenne Hardt introductions. Pride never die! Now it won't thanks to a healthy blend of nostalgia and cutting-edge technology, which will also allow us to relive those rematches and historic clashes that disappeared along with the former Japanese-based promotion. Chuck Liddell already got his revenge over Quinton Jackson (see video here), but don't expect "Cro Cop" to get any against Fedor Emelianenko because, well, the Russian legend is unsurprisingly excluded from the roster. Check out the complete Pride FC roster after the jump: Bob SappAntonio Rogerio NogueiraAntonio Rodrigo NogueiraDan SevernDon FryeGary GoodridgeGilbert YvelHeath HerringKevin RandlemanMark HuntMark ColemanMirko FilipovicKazuhiro NakamuraMauricio RuaQuinton JacksonRameau SokoudjouVitor BelfortWanderlei SilvaMurilo RuaJens PulverMarcus AurelioTakanori GomiAnderson SilvaChuck LiddellDan HendersonMurilo BustamanteAkihiro GonoCarlos NewtonDenis KangPaulo FilhoPhil BaroniRoyce GracieRyo Chonan Any surprises or notable snubs? Check out the remaining roster by clicking the links below: HeavyweightLight HeavyweightMiddleweightWelterweightLightweightFeatherweightBantamweight For more on the upcoming release of UFC Undisputed 3 click here.

Posted in: ufc, pride, roster, snubs check, stompsnbspbas rutten

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They own the rights to the Pride library so when will they do something with it, other than use it for vignettes?? They should do like an "Ultimate 100" but for Pride.. submitted by ThunderDomePatrol [link] [3 comments]

Posted in: right, pride, pride fc, use, pride library

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submitted by mitchard [link] [comment]

Posted in: ufc, pride, mitchard, roster, mitchard link

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Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery. Words any fans of Japan's Pride organization know well. Words meant to inspire fear. Words that describe one man. Mirko Cro Cop. Owner of the best head kick in MMA history, Mirko Cro Cop has retired from the sport. Heading into UFC 137: Penn vs. Diaz with a pair of knock out loses on his back, Mirko talked openly of this being his last fight. And after Roy Nelson pounded him out in the third round, he made it official. With Cro Cop's career finished, it's time to look back over the years and ask just where he belongs in the history of our sport. What is the legacy of Mirko Cro Cop? You have to start a look at the Croatian's career back in his pre-MMA days. Mirko first made a name for himself as a kickboxer for the esteemed K-1 organization. As a K-1 fighter, Cro Cop (known at first as "Mirko Tiger") had a solid career. He first made his way into the field of the Heavyweight Grand Prix (K-1's premiere yearly event) in 1996, losing in the quarter finals. He entered the GP again in 1999, making it to the finals. There, he was defeated by arguably the greatest K-1 fighter of all time, Ernesto Hoost - a man who would repeatedly stand between Mirko and K-1 glory, and who Mirko never managed to topple. In early 2002, Cro Cop scored the biggest win of his K-1 career, defeating reigning GP champion Mark Hunt to stake his claim as one of the best kickboxers in the world. He had one final fight in 2003, brutally knocking out Bob Sapp at a time when Sapp was perceived as nearly invincible, and then retired from kickboxing. Overall, Cro Cop put together a very respectable K-1 career. He's not one of the top handful of K-1 fighters of all time - but had his career ended when he left kickboxing, he would have been remembered as a strong competitor who came close to greatness. Of course, while his kickboxing career may have ended in 2003, his fighting career was just beginning. Cro Cop made his debut in Pride as a representative of K-1, fighting Pride figurehead Nobuhiko Takada in a Pride vs. K-1 fight. He would repeat this role against Wanderlei Silva not long after. At the time, Silva was considered one of the top pound for pound MMA fighters in the world. When Mirko battled him to a draw in a fantastic fight, the MMA community took note of this powerful kickboxer in their midst. More on Mirko Cro Cop's legacy in the full article. SBN coverage of UFC 137 Results: Penn vs. Diaz Over the next few years, Cro Cop quickly rose through the Pride ranks, and he did it in spectacular fashion. With those powerful kicks, Mirko began knocking out opponent after opponent. But what made Cro Cop unique was not just his striking skills, but the all around MMA game he developed. While stand-up always remained his style of choice, during his years in Pride Mirko developed one of the best sprawls in the game, which he used to keep the fight standing. He also added an overlooked ground game in order to both protect himself on the mat and get back to his feet. Adding these skills made him a more well-rounded fighter, but Cro Cop always knew to keep the fight standing. In this way, he is one of the all time greats at transitioning into MMA from another combat sport. Many fighters who make a similar transition fall into one of two traps. Either they fail to add a full MMA game, and so are easily taken out of their element (such as Pat Barry on the ground), or they let their new MMA skills get in the way of their original strengths (see Demian Maia's lack of jiu jitsu in recent fights). Cro Cop brilliantly avoided these pitfalls - he gave himself the tools to force opponents in MMA engage him in a kickboxing contest. And then he kicked their heads off. Despite this work, just as in K-1, Mirko never quite reached the top of the mountain in Pride. He clearly established himself as a top Heavyweight, but could not get past the top two in Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Both men faced Mirko in classic fights, and both were able to establish their superiority over the Croatian. In the dying days of Pride, Cro Cop did land his greatest achievement - a victory in the 2006 Pride Open Weight Grand Prix. But Mirko wasn't the one who eliminated Nogueira from that tournament, and Fedor did not participate due to injury. So while it was an impressive win (and make no mistake, his defeat of Josh Barnett in the finals and head kick KO of Wanderlei Silva in the semi-finals was impressive) it did not put him at the top. In the history of Pride, Mirko Cro Cop is the clear cut #3 Heavyweight. And then... the UFC. So much excitement surrounded Cro Cop's 2007 arrival, and it was not long before fans were salivating about a possible Cro Cop vs. Randy Couture title fight. But in Cro Cop's 2nd UFC fight, Gabriel Gonzaga shocked the world and Cro Cop'd Cro Cop, landing a nasty head kick that knocked Mirko out cold. In many ways, that was the end of the line for the Croatian. He continued on in the UFC (and, briefly, returned to Japan to fight for Dream) for a number of years before last night's retirement, but his performances looked increasingly sluggish. He had a spark of that old Cro Cop in last year's win over Pat Barry, but Mirko never did make a smooth transition to the UFC, never did show American fans what he was capable of, never did fully recover from that Gonzaga kick. So what is his final legacy? That Pride run should be enough to name him one of the top 10 Heavyweights in the sport's young history, even if UFC fans never saw it first hand. More than that, he remains the high water mark for how to make a transition from K-1 kickboxing into MMA. As fighters like Tyrone Spong, Cosmo Alexandre, and others look to make a similar move, Mirko Cro Cop stands as their guiding light - a model for how to do it right. He may have never reached the #1 spot, but the path of bodies littered at his feet speaks volumes. Congratulations to Mirko Cro Cop on a tremendous career.

Posted in: fight, pride, mirko, cop, cro

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Chuck Liddell may not have ever been able to get the better of Quinton Jackson during his fighting days, be it in Pride or the UFC, but he gets the chance to avenge his two defeats to "Rampage" thanks to the upcoming release of the UFC Undisputed 3 video game. Here, the two light heavyweight warriors do battle in "Pride mode" -- complete with Lenne Hardt introductions -- in one last fight for supremacy. Guess who wins?

Posted in: ufc, quinton jackson, pride, pride mode, rampage thanks

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After losing back-to-back fights,Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was being called upon to retire. But the former Pride open weight champion isn't ready to hang up his gloves.

Posted in: champion, pride, cro cop, cop, cro

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In 2005, Ricardo Arona became the first man to defeat Wanderlei Silva in Pride Fighting Championships’ middleweight division.

Posted in: wanderlei, pride, man, arona rivalry, arona

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Mark Coleman fought Fedor twice in Pride, both times he was victim to one of those impossible armbars Fedor throws down on people like meter maids throw down overly expensive tickets to double parked cars. When we asked Phil Baroni about the infamous Team Hammerhouse that we so often heard in Pride FC interviews, it was somewhat of a depressing response. There's no gym Hammerhouse. There's no gym in Ohio. There's no--you know Coleman's out here in Vegas training me. He's staying at the Palace Station. There's no team. I never went to train with Team Hammerhouse. It's just [expletive]. Coleman's just a good marketer. He's telling me he wants to open up a Hammerhouse gym in Ohio. He'd like to do that some day. It was just a bunch of guys fighting under a flag you know what I mean? They didn't train together. I never really trained with Coleman. He's way too big. He would corner me and we'd have conversations on the phone. It's not a gym. It was something in Japan that they marketed. They just made the team more than what it is. There is no Hammerhouse.Hammerhouse is a punching bag on Coleman's porch. I've seen pictures of it. It's just an old punching bag. I've never even been to Coleman's house. You could make a Lifetime mini-series out of that response. Some of you may have read on last week's Sunday Morning Rumor Mill that the Pride FC roster in UFC Undisputed 3 will set your brain in 'shock and awe' mode. Well, here's further proof of my previous statement. Check out Heath Herring and Mark Coleman in Pride Mode on UFC Undisputed 3. Props to Dan P. for the find.

Posted in: team, pride, coleman, heath herring, mark coleman

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Zach Arnold over at FightOpinion.com has got a solid piece up on what appears to be the impending demise of K-1, the once-great Japanese promotion responsible for organizing some of the greatest striking-only tournaments in the world.  The company behind the promotion, the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), is struggling, and maybe there are buyers out there waiting to swoop in or maybe there aren’t.  The bottom line is K-1 is in trouble.  “K-what?” you may ask?  Yeah, that’s the problem.  In the U.S., K-1 never really got that big.  But it was huge in Japan, and in other parts of the world where kickboxing is the equivalent of what Western boxing is here in terms of acceptance and popularity.  “Okay, but what does K-1 have to do with the sport of mixed martial arts?” you may ask?  Aside from the organization’s brief and sometimes comical forays into MMA (Royce Gracie versus sumo wrestler Akebono Taro, anyone?), K-1 has always been the stand-up fighting equivalent of the Abu Dhabi submission wrestling tournament, i.e., the place where the elite compete in an important facet of mixed martial arts.  When someone steps into the Octagon and Joe Rogan says they’re an Abu Dhabi champ, you just know they’re a badass on the ground; conversely, if Rogan says they’re a K-1 champ, the general rule is DO NOT MESS WITH THEM ON THE FEET.  Seriously, with fighters having to get through regional tournaments to even get a whiff of competing in the World Grand Prix, and the World Grand Prix featuring the absolute best of the best… well, let’s just say to excel you have to be really durable and really good.  Still unconvinced of the link between K-1 and MMA, and why you should care that K-1 might go the way of the dinosaur?  Then consider the following “links” between K-1 and the MMA world. -Mirko “Crocop” Filipovic – What, did you think Crocop purchased those devastating high-kicks at Walmart?  No!  While the Croatian kickboxer never actually won a grand prix per se, he at various times smoked those who were considered the best guys (like Jerome Le Banner, Mike Bernardo and Peter Aerts), and when he lost, it was usually because he was nursing an injury sustained from destroying someone just prior.  Such performances gained him entry into PRIDE and the MMA world, and with a pretty damn good knack for avoiding takedowns (or avoiding trouble on the ground), he soon became one of the most feared fighters on PRIDE’s roster and eventual champion. -Alistair Overeem – A true renaissance man when it comes to combat sports, Overeem has seen success both in the realm of MMA and K-1, winning titles in both.  And sure, maybe being bitten by a radioactive horse gave him superpowers, but you can’t take away from the fact that he has great technical skill – skill that’s enabled him to defeat the likes of Aerts and Tyrone Spong in K-1 and Todd Duffee and Kazuyuki Fujita in mixed martial arts. -Semmy Schilt – Schilt only fought in the UFC twice, dropping Pete Williams with kicks from all the way across the cage and falling to Josh Barnett after that, but he was hella experienced when it came to the Japanese organization Pancrase, and he was always good for an entertaining ass-kicking in PRIDE (sometimes given, sometimes received).  However, when it came to K-1, he was an absolute monster.  Seriously, at about eleven-feet tall, he could land strikes from other zip codes.  He’s won four K-1 grand prix tournaments, and Dutch mothers alternate between telling kids that he’s a hero that they should aspire to and a demon that will steal their souls if they’re bad. -Maurice Smith – If your first exposure to the UFC was on SpikeTV, you’re going to have no idea who this guy is, so let me give you a history lesson, son.  Once upon a time a human bulldozer named Mark Coleman ruled the Octagon, and the order of the day was that no kickboxer ever stood a chance against a wrestler, let alone a wrestler like Coleman.  Then came Smith, who was one of the best Americans to ever compete in K-1 (he never won a grand prix, but he did well enough).  Smith weathered Coleman’s storm on the ground, escaped back to the feet and picked him apart – establishing that, with the right training, a deadly striker could succeed at mixed martial arts. -Bob Sapp – By virtue of being a gigantic human being and ex-NFL player, Sapp saw some success in his early K-1 career.  Which was aggravating, because he was taking out K-1 superstars with relatively little training and skill.  He’s gone winless since 2005, which is right about when everyone figured out he’s good for one bumrush before his lungs explode.  But the dude who had a legendary fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in PRIDE deserves at least some recognition for his K-1 accomplishments.

Posted in: world, mma, pride, prix, ’re

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submitted by red1392 [link] [2 comments]

Posted in: rampage, wanderlei, pride, moment, day rampage

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One of the most ferocious strikers in mixed martial arts history, Mirko Cro Cop has hit a rough patch in his last two bouts against Frank Mir and Brendan Schaub, but with a UFC 137 matchup against Roy Nelson on October 29th in Las Vegas, the former PRIDE star has an opportunity to start anew in the Octagon and once again show the form that has produced the following memorable moments.KO 1 Igor Vovchanchyn – PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 – August 10, 2003“Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery.” Maybe the greatest, and certainly the most intimidating, quote in mixed martial arts history, and it definitely applies to the fighting style of Cro Cop, who used his signature left head kick to blast out the vastly underrated Vovchanchyn out in the first round. It was Cro Cop’s sixth MMA win against no losses and two draws, and coupled with his knockout of Heath Herring two months earlier, it put him right on track for a shot at the PRIDE heavyweight title.KO 1 Dos Caras Jr. – PRIDE Bushido 1 – October 5, 2003Before Cro Cop would get that shot at the interim heavyweight belt though, there was a little business to be taken care of, as he helped kick off PRIDE’s Bushido series against pro wrestler Dos Caras Jr. Now mind you, this will never match some of Cro Cop’s big wins over legit competition, but as far as being a guilty pleasure, it doesn’t get any guiltier than this. Looking almost disdainful at the mask-wearing Caras (yes, he wore his pro wrestling mask during the bout), Cro Cop walked down his opponent until he saw an opening, and a single left kick to the head dropped Caras as if he were shot. It took just 46 seconds.Lsub2 “Minotauro” Nogueira – PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 – November 9, 2003Unbeaten in nine mixed martial arts bouts, the K-1 kickboxing standout finally got his first shot at the belt against Brazilian superstar “Minotauro” Nogueira, and for the first round of their interim title fight, Cro Cop was firing on all cylinders as he inflicted a frightful beating on Nogueira, punctuating the round with a kick to the head that dropped his foe to the canvas. Expected to finish the job in the second stanza, Cro Cop instead got taken to the mat immediately by Nogueira and submitted via armbar. It was a crushing defeat, but the first round did show what Cro Cop could do to a future Hall of Famer. KO 1 Aleksander Emelianenko – PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 – August 15, 2004Following the loss to Nogueira, Cro Cop won four of his next five bouts, with the only loss coming via an upset knockout by former UFC heavyweight boss Kevin Randleman (a defeat later avenged). Hoping to put himself in line for another title shot against then-champion Fedor Emelianenko, Cro Cop made his case for a championship fight by fighting the champ’s brother, Aleksander. Only problem was that Emelianenko was perhaps the most physically imposing opponent Cro Cop had met in the PRIDE ring, making him a difficult style matchup. And it was evident in the early going that the Croatian wasn’t going to walk recklessly at Emelianeko, but when he got his shot, he pounced, ripping off straight left hands that would make Manny Pacquiao blush before finishing the bout with – you guessed it – a kick to the head.KO 1 Wanderlei Silva – PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute – September 10, 2006After beating Aleksander Emelianenko and sending Josh Barnett, Randleman, Mark Coleman, and Ibragim Magomedov down to defeat, Cro Cop got his shot at the PRIDE belt in August of 2005, but lost a decision to Fedor Emelianenko. Two fights later, he would lose again, this time to Mark Hunt, and some questioned whether he had run his course among the best in the world. But reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated, as he proved in this 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix semifinal matchup against “The Axe Murderer”, who wasn’t only outmatched size wise, but in the striking game. Cro Cop delivered one of his most frighteningly effective performances before lowering the boom 5:22 into the bout. Wsub1 (strikes) Josh Barnett - PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute – September 10, 2006There would be no rest for Cro Cop after his win over Silva. In fact, he would fight fellow contender Josh Barnett for the Open Weight Grand Prix crown the same night in Saitama, Japan. But there would be no denying Cro Cop, and after he finished the former UFC heavyweight champ via strikes at the 7:32 mark of the first round, we saw the emotion come rushing to the usually stone-faced Croatian, who had just scored the biggest win of his career.Wsub3 Pat Barry – UFC 115 – June 12, 2010Despite three previous wins in the UFC Octagon, there was nothing that brought to mind the fearsome striker that terrorized Japanese rings for much of the previous decade. That changed in June of 2010, when Cro Cop survived two knockdowns from equally dangerous striker Pat Barry to roar back, drop Barry with his own strikes and then finish him off with a rear naked choke in the third round. Add in that Cro Cop was more accessible than ever before and after the fight, showing off his sharp sense of humor, and it was as if he finally realized that he’s at his best when he’s enjoying everything in and around the fight. If he’s in that positive state of mind again this month, Roy Nelson may be in trouble in Las Vegas.

Posted in: pride, shot, cro cop, cop, cro

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Might as well put it in MMA for a laugh. Hulk Hogan appeared on WFAN's Boomer and Carton radio show this morning to promote a TNA Wrestling pay-per-view. During the interview, hosts Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton asked Hogan whether he would have been drawn to mixed martial arts if he were starting out today. (7:30 in) "I had a little run with those guys, because when I first started going to Japan in 1977-78, I spent 22 to 24 weeks a year in Japan. I was broken in by a Japanese wrestler who taught amateur wrestling and the hooks and some of the submission holds. I was sent over to Shin Nippon pro wrestling in Japan and at the end of the day there was a company called Pride in Japan. That company was part of New Japan Pro Wrestling so when you walk into the locker room every night, there would be a piece of paper with names in Japanese and I would have to get one of the referees to tell me who I was wrestling. There was a lot of Pride guys - I think the UFC just bought Pride - back in the day you never knew when you were getting in the ring whether they were a real wrestler or a shooter every night you had no idea what you were in for so there were a lot of MMA guys who were both pro wrestling and with Pride that were on the card. I had a lot of surprises back in the early days." submitted by brettawesome [link] [comment]

Posted in: day, pride, lot, japan, hogan

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UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was revealed as the cover athlete for THQ's UFC Undisputed 3 at the second day of the UFC Fan Expo in Houston, Texas. Silva won the honor in a fan vote, beating out fellow champions Frankie Edgar, Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, and Cain Velasquez. "This is, for me, a big dream," Silva said. "I'm so happy." Silva is the most dominant fighter in the history of the UFC. He is undefeated in fourteen fights, and he holds UFC records for most consecutive victories, most wins in title belts, and most consecutive title defenses. He avenged his most recent loss -- a first-round disqualification against Yushin Okami in January of 2006 -- at UFC 134, knocking Okami out just past the two-minute mark of round two. UFC Undisputed 3 is expected to be released on January 3, 2012. The third installment of THQ's series features "Pride Mode" allowing users to fight under Pride rules and in the Pride ring, an updated submission system, and fighter entrances. 

Posted in: ufc, silva, yushin okami, pride, series features

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submitted by tbolts48 [link] [comment]

Posted in: overeem, vs, alistair, pride, vitor

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[div class="notice" class2="icon"]The following is from an article on FighterXFashion.com, part of the MiddleEasy Network.[/div] After giving you a preview of the upcoming Quinton “Rampage” Jackson” PRIDE figure, here’s a better look at the limited edition Round 5 collectible, including a detailed shot of the special packaging, his walkout chain, U.S. flag fight shorts and all. Limited to just 1000 figures in total, this is surely one to put on your radar if you’re a fan of Rampage’s earlier PRIDE Fighting Championship days when he was busy powerbombing opponents through the ring floor. Exclusive to the Treadmill Factory, each of these limited edition Rampage collectibles comes specially packaged, indicating each figure’s individual number from the thousand pieces that were produced. Take a closer look at the Rampage PRIDE figure below before attempting to hunt this one down for your own personal Round 5 collection. See the limited figure...

Posted in: figure, rampage, round, pride, rampage ’s

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  She is one of the most polarizing figures in mixed martial arts - Lenne Hardt thrills audiences with her energetic, one-of-a-kind ring introductions that have garnered her a huge cult-following. Hardt made the huge leap from New York to Japan in the late 80's and since she was fluent in both English and Japanese did a lot of work in radio and television. "Acting and voice overs in New York City transplanted to Japan to use my language skills when offered a job here in radio and it snowballed from there." Lenne said. Outside of her announcing she has also worked as a voice actress for popular video games titles as Tekken, Rumble Roses, Silent Hill and Virtua Fighter. Additionally, Lenne has her own Jazz Cabaret band that she has been in for eleven years now. "We are a funky, funny, sexy, naughty, dramatic, enthusiastic, jazzy, R&B-style five- piece show band consisting of drums, piano, stand-up bass and a wicked trumpet player," She said. "And oh yeah! That screaming jazz lady" Her career took a different turn in January of 2000 when her agent put her in touch with the officials at Pride Fighting Championships to announce an event. "I got a call from my agent two days before saying they needed a bilingual announcer who wouldn't be shy in front of 40,000 people at the Tokyo Dome. I knew I fit that bill!" What was considered to be a one off event turned out to be a full-time gig as she worked for them all the way up to their final event in April 2007. She joined the organization at the ideal time because the Open-weight tournament would be the starting point for the boom PRIDE would have for the early part of this century. Fight fanatics over the years have affectionately dubbed her "The Crazy PRIDE Screaming Lady" although she isn't the biggest fan of the title. "It's a bit of a misnomer," She said. "I'd like to think that listeners realize what I do involves a hell of a lot more technique and inspiration and style and thought than mere screaming!" "What about matching the music and personality of the fighter in my tone and rhythm? Or the mood of the crowd in pitch and volume? And how can you miss rolling the R's?" Lenne continued. Just as Bruce Buffer is a huge part of the UFC production today Lenne was equally as important, if not more so to the PRIDE product. When PRIDE was sold to the UFC in 2007 Lenne was left without an avenue to announce mixed martial arts events until DREAM, the unofficial second-coming of PRIDE opened its doors in 2008. Although Japanese mixed martial arts doesn't have the same level of popularity it once did she remains optimistic that it will turn around. "The worldwide poor economy and some bad business deals had already taken a toll when the earthquake and tsunami did a number on Japan" She said. "So all forms of business and entertainment are in a valley now. But that means the only way is up And JMMA fans are fierce and loyal!" Lenne last got the chance to captivate an audience this past weekend when DREAM hosted their DREAM 17 event from the Saitama Super Arena featuring the quarter-finals of the bantamweight world grand prix. If you've never heard Lenne Hardt do her thing as an announcer, you are missing out.

Posted in: event, pride, lenne, hardt, lenne hardt

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"When we bought Pride, he came as part of the Pride deal. It was back and forth and basically I was just like...we'll just pay you off. We know you're in the Pride deal. And Mark Hunt said 'No, I want to come. I want to fight.' Let me tell you what, man, he did it. The guy's got a ton of heart and I have a lot of respect for him. I'm glad that he opted to come here and fight and I'm proud that he fought in the UFC. I asked him to come here tonight. If he won't say it, I will." -- When the UFC bought Pride way back in 2007, a condition of the purchase was that Mark Hunt come over to the world's largest fight promotion. UFC President Dana White, perhaps seeing a fighter he wasn't sure what to do with who had a dismal record, offered to simply buy out his contract. Go home and get paid. Who could pass up that deal? "The Super Samoan," that's who. The former K-1 champ told White that he would earn that money by competing inside the Octagon. And while he lost his debut in short order to Sean McCorkle, he followed that up with a "Knockout of the Night" winning one-hitter quitter of Chris Tuchscherer and last night's (Sept. 24) gritty decision victory over Ben Rothwell at UFC 135 in Denver. His record is still just 7-7 and no, he's not going to challenge for any major title. But, if nothing else, he's earned the respect of his boss for the way he handled himself. Can't ask for much more, right?

Posted in: ufc, mark hunt, deal, pride, pride deal

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Filed under: UFCDENVER -- Mark Hunt is one of the few fighters in the UFC who didn't actually have to fight in order to get paid. Because of the peculiarities involved in Zuffa's purchase of Japan's Pride Fighting Championships organization back in 2007, he could have stayed home and still collected a check, according to UFC president Dana White. "When we bought Pride, he came as part of the Pride deal," White said at Saturday night's UFC 135 post-fight press conference. "It was back and forth and basically I was just like...we'll just pay you off. We know you're in the Pride deal. And Mark Hunt said 'No, I want to come. I want to fight.'" At UFC 135 Hunt won his second straight UFC bout, defeating Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision after a grueling three-round battle that saw Hunt batter Rothwell with strikes while also acquitting himself well in the ground game. It's a long way from where most people thought he'd be after his rocky start in the UFC, not that Hunt is eager to discuss how he ended up here. "It's been a long journey just to get here," said the New Zealander. "I'm still...plugging away at it. It's been hard." It was especially hard after he injured his arm in a submission loss to Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut. That dropped the kickboxer's MMA record to 5-7, and his future prospects looked grim. But Hunt bounced back in February with a stunning walk-off knockout of Chris Tuscherer at UFC 127 in Australia, then followed it up with this clear-cut win over a very game Rothwell, who took every power shot Hunt could think of over the course of their 15-minute scrap. "It was a really hard fight," said Hunt. "Ben Rothwell, he's really tough. I threw a lot of heavy shots at him, real hard shots, but he was still there." But according to White, what's really impressive is how Hunt has managed to carve out a place for himself in the UFC rather than simply taking the easy money when it was offered to him. Even after White had offered to "pay [Hunt] to stay home," he said, the heavyweight insisted on having his day in the cage. "Let me tell you what, man, he did it," White said. "The guy's got a ton of heart and I have a lot of respect for him." Hunt, who's never been known as one of the sport's most verbose fighters, said he didn't "feel like talking about" his decision to turn down the UFC's offer to pay him off, even appearing slightly embarrassed when White brought it up. But White said he specifically requested that Hunt come to the post-fight press conference because he wanted to highlight the situation and let everyone know how impressed he is with the former K-1 kickboxer. "I'm glad that he opted to come here and fight and I'm proud that he fought in the UFC," said White. "I asked him to come here tonight. If he won't say it, I will."  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: ufc, fight, mark hunt, hunt, pride

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In an interesting battle at UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage, Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz (13-7; 8-5 UFC) will take on former Pride champion "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi (32-7, 1 NC; 1-1 UFC). This is a Lightweight bout, and is the second fight on the PPV portion of the card. The USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings currently has Gomi at #19 at Lightweight, and Diaz unranked.  If you're a fan of the stories behind MMA fights, then this one has quite the history. For years, Gomi was viewed as the consensus #1 Lightweight in the world as he dominated the Japanese scene in Pride. In 2007, at one of the final Pride shows, he faced Nick Diaz, who at the time was something of a UFC washout. Gomi was the favorite, but Diaz pulled off the win using a rarely seen gogoplata submission. It was a huge victory, but was short-lived. Post-fight, Diaz tested positive for marijuana, and the bout was ruled a No Contest. Many fans still view it as a Diaz victory, but the official No Contest ruling stands. Here, Nate will look to vindicate his brother's win, while Gomi looks to gain redemption. Add hot-tempered brother Nick in Nate's corner, and you've got an interesting situation. How do these two stack up? Diaz: 26 years old | 6'0" | 76" reachGomi:  32 years old | 5'8" | 70" reach What have these two done recently? Diaz: L - Rory MacDonald (UD) | L - Dong Hyun Kim (UD) | W - Marcus Davis (Sub)Gomi: L - Clay Guida (Sub) | W - Tyson Griffin (KO) | L - Kenny Florian (Sub) How did these two get here? Diaz started his UFC career as a Lightweight after winning the 5th season of The Ultimate Fighter. After a 1-3 run in 2009/2010, Diaz decided to move up to Welterweight. There, he made a quick splash with two impressive wins, only to then drop back to back fights against Dong Hyun Kim and Rory MacDonald. He's now back at 155 for the first time since January 2010. Like big brother Nick, Nate Diaz uses a combination of Cesar Gracie black belt jiu jitsu and the Diaz trademark style of punches, though he has yet to find the consistent success of Nick. There's no denying that Gomi is an all time great at 155. But you also can't deny that his UFC run has come far past his prime. Really, that Nick Diaz fight and the subsequent closing of Pride was the end of the road for the dominant Gomi. Since then, he's 5-4, with wins over mostly lesser fighters in Japan. He did breath some life into his career with a shock KO of Tyson Griffin at UFC on Versus 2, but even his pedigree may not be enough to save his UFC career if he loses here and drops to 1-3. Why should you care? If you have any question, re-read that 2nd paragraph above. This one has the potential to be all fireworks, and even though Gomi is down, he showed against Griffin that he's still one punch away from victory. And for all my fellow Pride fans, the chances to see these guys dwindle away every card. Enjoy it while we can.

Posted in: ufc, diaz, gomi, pride, nate

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Posted in: ufc, pride, pride ones, poster, collection

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  FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com. UFC 135: "Jones vs. Rampage" is live this Saturday night (Sept. 24) from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The main event pits reigning light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against one of the division's most colorful personalities in Quinton Jackson. Jackson earned his second crack at the light heavyweight crown by beating Matt Hamill at UFC 130 and becoming just the second fighter ever to beat Lyoto Machida at UFC 126. Many fans have harped on "Rampage" for his lackadaisical approach to training and evolving but he simply outclassed one of the division's best wrestlers in "The Hammer" and like I previously stated, he beat "The Dragon" which is in fact an accomplishment in and of itself. He's also stayed active the past eight months which is a sign of good things to come. Right? No question that Jones is a fighter unmatched by anyone in the UFC (at the moment) but when people have doubted 'Page in the past, he has come up to shine. Is UFC 135 going to be one of those nights where Jackson shuts up the doubters and haters? Let's go back to PRIDE 17 on November 3, 2001, where Jackson earned his first official knockout. The Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, was rocking as PRIDE invaded with a double main event. The 'Texas Crazy Horse' Heath Herring was getting a chance at the PRIDE heavyweight title but would have to rip it from the black belt grip of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The main event event was the genesis of the famous PRIDE middleweight title as the 'Axe Murderer' Wanderlei Silva was taking on Japanese sensation Kazushi Sakuraba. The second tilt of the evening featured our main focus, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson against Yuki Ishikawa. You may be asking 'who is Ishikawa,' well, many hardcore fans will pull up his stats but for the sake of this piece, he was a mere sacrificial lamb for the slaughter. Jackson already held wins over Mike Pyle and Alexander Otsuka and in his 13 fights prior was a very impressive 11-2. He held TKO and submission wins (yes Jackson submitted fools) but did not have an "official" knockout win thus far. It would all change . For one minute and 57 seconds, Jackson may have been the most violent he has ever been. He slammed Yuki like Casey Heynes did to that bully in Australia. He landed two knees, one illegal due to it hitting the back of Ishikawa's head, but each landing flush. He tried multiple times to 'powerbomb' Yuki like he would later do to Ricardo Arona.It was just a good ole ass whoopin' as WWE announcer Jim Ross would say. Jackson, after submission attempts failed and powerbombs failed, would get Yuki up against the ropes. Jackson ate a punch like it was nothing and then nailed a knee which caused Ishikawa to make the fatal mistake of dropping his hands. Then Rampage landed a flurry and a short left hook dimmed the lights for the Japanese fighter. Rampage would go on to improve to 12-2 and move up the PRIDE middleweight rankings. Decked out in Apollo Creed USA flag shorts, he was making people look like Rocky in Rocky one -- but Rocky getting knocked out in the end. For  a video of the Jackson-Ishikawa bout click here The evolution from wrestler who hits hard to Boxer with great takedown defense is clear. He uses triangluation very well in combination with roll and cover. He used triangulation to avoid the looping bombs of Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 which resulted in him avenging to losses to Silva and earn one of the most brutal knockouts. The art of triangulation is using your forearms to slip punches while working yourself into the pocket. Rampage took little-to-no damage in that barrage regardless of how violent Wanderlei was throwing. 'Cover-rolling' was used at UFC 71 where Rampage knocked out then-UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. 'Cover-rolling' allows you to attack at angles while exploding through. Dip down, drop levels and explode upwards over your back foot creating amazing velocity and force. If Rampage can find some form of harmony with these techniques he may cause fits for Jones as he has not faced a pure boxer the likes of Rampage. I know the reach difference is heavily in Bones' favor but Jackson is very dangerous in these situations. If Bones decides to stand and bang with Rampage he may not respect the power of Rampage or his chin. If Rampage slips the jabs from Jones and works 'roll in cover' he can get in close enough to knockout Bones. I look at the bout with Liddell at UFC 71 for example: in the early moments you saw Chuck swat a lazy jab to create distance and gauge his opponent to commit to something. Why? Because Chuck Liddell is a pure counter-puncher. Jones is a lot more aggressive and that comes from confidence that he can establish his game and he has in most cases. I just feel he has hit a bad point of 'confidence meets cocky' whereas prior to his win over Shogun he just seemed confident. He now appears to believe he can eat whatever Jackson throws and thus he will miss a punch and Rampage will send him to the mat. I still think the era of Bones goes on after UFC 135 in championship gold but I don't doubt that Rampage may get his title back. Agree? Disagree? Sound off, Maniacs.

Posted in: ufc, rampage, jone, jackson, pride

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The spring of 2007 was riddled with plenty of mystery and intrigue among hardcore mixed martial arts' fans. Pride's second to last event, Pride 33, had went off spectacularly at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 24th, and Dan Henderson became the first fighter in the history of the sport to hold two crowns simultaneously across two weight classes after one-punching Wanderlei Silva in the main event of the evening. On the surface, everything seemed to be going smoothly. In the previous year however, we found out that the foundation had crumbled. After accusations that the promotion was a front headed by the yakuza in June of 2006, Fuji Network terminated Pride's television contract in Japan, effectively putting the promotion on ice. While Pride forged ahead as scheduled, it was only a month after Pride 33 took place that Zuffa swept in and bought out the struggling promotion. As expected, anxious excitement and rampant speculation filled the mixed martial arts forums over the summer. The chance for fans to see fantasy UFC vs. Pride match-ups fueled debates about which promotion's roster was superior. The arguing became so tiring and daunting over the last half decade that I'm almost positive the war created droves of curmudgeons who are now wreaking havoc on society in other capacities. Casualties of war, I suppose.  We've seen many of Pride's best succeed and fail inside the Octagon since those debates began. Some have failed miserably while others simply came up short. Both Dan Henderson and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua fit into that category. Henderson lost both title unification bouts in his first two bouts under the UFC banner, and Rua was choked out by Forrest Griffin in his debut in a shocking upset. Both men are now considered major players at the apex of the division. Time seems to have changed any faulty perceptions about the two men. Dan Henderson, at 41 years of age, has rattled off three straight wins, including a TKO victory over the legendary Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua bounced back from his debut loss, beat both Chuck Liddell and Mark Coleman, then stunned fans by defeating Lyoto Machida at UFC 113 to win the UFC light heavyweight crown. Those feats have defied a path of logic we thought was being paved right in front of us. Dan Henderson is far from his athletic prime, yet he's been crushing his opposition with a stale, one-dimensional style that relies completely on a cocked right hand. Rua's knees will be on display at the Mayo Clinic as medical marvels years down the road, right next to the knees of Pavel Bure. How is it that both of these men have found success despite overcoming the odds against them? Who cares. This is a fight that's happening at a time in which both men are still relevant at the top of their division. This isn't Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva years after their primes had passed. The intrigue hasn't completely faded away just yet. Sure, Dan Henderson ten years younger would be ideal. but it's difficult to ignore the fact that this perceived old man has wrecked everyone put in front of him as of late. The same can be said for Rua. He's only faltered when pitted against a youthful phenom in Jon Jones, who many believe will reign atop the division for years to come. He solved the puzzle of Lyoto Machida... twice, and he avenged his loss to Forrest Griffin in emphatic fashion in his most recent performance at UFC 134 in August. All of this while dealing with crippled knees that will probably shorten his career. If we really think about it, it's miraculous that we can even mutter these two names in the same sentence with any sense that they will actually fight one another. It was possible in Pride as Henderson fought at 205 lbs. before stepping down to 185 lbs. to fight in the Pride welterweight grand prix. Rua and Henderson passed each other on different levels of a two-tiered bridge, separated by twenty pounds. But they never met one another inside the Pride ring. That fantasy showdown has been saved for November 19th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, and it will undoubtedly bring nostalgic feelings back to the fans who worshiped Pride.

Posted in: henderson, dan henderson, dan, rua, pride

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