In the first of the second round matches, Pride legend Kazushi Sakuraba will take on former ADCC Super Fight Champion Ricardo Arona. The other GP related fights are, Pride veteran Igor Vovchanchyn taking on Team Goldern Glory fighter Alistair Overeem, Chute Boxe middleweight prodigy Mauricio “Shogun” Rua taking on Brazilian Top Team’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Yoshida protégé Kazuhiro Nakamura taking on Pride Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. The first of the Superfights here is former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira doing battle with Polish Judo legend Pawel Nastula. Pride heavyweight star Sergei Kharitonov to face off with former UFC heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo. And, the number one contender for the Pride Heavyweight title, Mirko Cro Cop will attempt to leave his mark on the Red Devil’s Ibragim Magomedov. In addition to these heavyweight first, hugely popular Japanese fighter Kiyoshi Tamura will go to battle with 2000 Olympic Judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto.

Pride Middleweight GP Bout: Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ricardo Arona

Pride legend Kazushi Sakuraba takes on former ADCC Super Fight Champion Ricardo Arona. Kazushi Sakuraba trains out of the Takada Dojo with Nobuhiko Takada, Daijiro Matsui and Pawel Nastula. Ricardo Arona trains out of the Brazilian Top Team with Mario Sperry, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Murilo Bustamante. Sakuraba is coming off an impressive somewhat expected victory over highly touted Korean Judoka Yoon Dong Sik, and Arona is coming off a win over ADCC Super Fight Champion Dean Lister in what was a grappling war. This is an interesting fight for both fighters; on one hand, everyone is fully aware of Sakuraba’s success over BJJ fighters, and on the other, Arona of the level that he should be next in line for a shot at the Pride Middleweight Championship. Can the Pride legend Sakuraba pull off the upset or will Arona solidify himself as the true number one contender?

Kazushi Sakuraba has a 16-7-1 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 17-7-1. Sakuraba advanced to the second round by defeating Korean Judoka Yoon Dong Sik at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Sik came out swinging and looked like he meant business but that look was about the only offense from Sik. Sakuraba calmly waited for an opportunity to attack and got it, when he landed a straight left followed by a right uppercut that dropped Sik. Sik covered up and offered no intelligent defense as Sakuraba punished him with left hands until the referee stopped the fight. He said after the fight, that while he doesn’t generally like striking, it felt very good to win via TKO/KO. At Pride Critical Countdown 2004, he avenged his loss to Nino “Elvis” Schembri with a decision victory. The entire fight was the same story throughout the three rounds in which it was played out. While standing, Sakuraba was more aggressive and landed the better shots of the two fighters. At several times it seemed that Sakuraba was holding back because he was playing it safe after what happened in their first fight. On the ground it was all Sakuraba, Schembri was unable to mount any kind of offense from his guard. Some of the fight was played out with Schembri in the butt scoot position and Sakuraba landing some painful leg kicks to Schembri’s legs. In the end, Sakuraba had outworked ‘Elvis’ and damaged him the most. At Pride Shockwave 2003, he proved that he still belonged with the best middleweights in the world by going the distance with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. He held his own; and stood and traded with Nogueira throughout the entire fight. He was dropped with a punch but showed a good state of mind and went for a takedown. In the second round, Nogueira found success working from his guard and almost had Kazushi in a triangle choke, but he escaped and attempted an armbar that was defended well by Nogueira. In the final round, Nogueira was able to out strike Sakuraba f and was given the decision victory. Sakuraba is a decent striker but he is known for being a grappling wizard on the ground.

Ricardo Arona has a 5-1 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 10-2. He advanced to the second round by defeating ADCC Super Fight Champion Dean Lister at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Both fighters came out striking, with Arona landing some good hard low kicks. He dropped Lister with a nice combination with an uppercut doing the damage. On the ground, both fighters looked for submissions with neither coming close to locking one on. Arona landed the better shots on their feet, while Lister constantly looked for leg locks while they were on the ground. Arona was able to impose his will on Lister and managed to control the pace of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory. At Pride 28, he submitted Russian Top Team fighter Sergei Ignatev with a rear naked choke. Arona was in excellent shape for this fight and looked very focused to get the win. Arona was the more aggressive fighter to start the fight, and he landed some of his painful low kicks to Ignatev’s leg, leaving some nasty welts on it. Arona took Ignatev down to the ground and began to look for a better position before trying several submissions from the guard; most notably an armbar that Ignatev defended well. The end came when Arona was able to get Ignatev’s back and secure a rear naked choke. At Pride Critical Countdown 2004, Arona took on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson with the number one contender ship for the Pride Middleweight Championship on the line. Arona started out with those aggressive low kicks again, and they really bothered Jackson. It went to the ground and Arona was able to neutralize all of Jackson’s offense. From the guard, Arona attempted several submissions that had Jackson working, though Arona’s best offense came when he landed a hard up kick that stunned Jackson. There was some confusion here, and finally Arona was unable to follow it up. Arona had a triangle choke sunk in but made the mistake of not grabbing Jackson’s leg in order to prevent being slammed, so Jackson picked him up and slammed him on his head, knocking him out cold and giving DSE some highlight footage to be used for years to come. Arona is a strong fighter with excellent ground positioning and submission skills.

Can the Pride legend pull off the upset that so many believe he can’t? Putting all possible bias aside, I do honestly believe that Sakuraba can win. My logic for this includes Sakuraba being able to expose Arona’s poor stand-up, and taking full advantage of it. Arona has good low kicks but when he trades punches, he has horrible technique; tilting his head back and fully exposing his chin, allowing Sakuraba to possibly land some good shots while they are standing. He can use the stand-up to set up a takedown and to control the pace of the fight. If Sakuraba is unable to do this, you can expect Arona to take him down and do just enough to get the win. Although Arona has been more aggressive in recent fights, he still has a tendency to revert to his old boring style. I’m going to go with the upset as I believe that Sakuraba will take advantage of Arona’s poor striking to earn a decision victory.

Prediction: Kazushi Sakuraba by decision.

Pride Middleweight GP Bout: Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem

The slimmed down version of the Pride veteran, Igor Vovchanchyn takes on Team Goldern Glory fighter Alistair Overeem in the next bout. Igor Vovchanchyn trains out of Team Vovchanchyn with Igor Kovalev and Gennadiy Matsigora, while Alistair Overeem trains out of Team Golden Glory with Stefan Leko, Valentijn Overeem and Martijn de Jong. Vovchanchyn earned a unanimous decision over King Of Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion Yuki Kondo in his last fight, and Overeem looked very impressive in his victory over UFC representative Vitor Belfort. Both fighters are primarily strikers, so expect this fight to be an exciting slugfest that is sure to produce an exciting knockout. Vovchanchyn has now had several fights at middleweight, and is no doubt fully accustomed to his new weight division. Overeem should come into the fight at an all time high after finishing former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort. This fight has knockout written all over it, so expect one to happen in what should be an exciting fight.

Igor Vovchanchyn has a 19-6 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 45-7-1. He advanced to the second round by pounding out a decision over Yuki Kondo at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Vovchanchyn was content to ground and pound Kondo for much of the first round. Kondo was able to reverse the bigger Vovchanchyn on several occasions but always ended up on the bottom again. In the beginning of the second round, Vovchanchyn and Kondo slugged it out, but Vovchanchyn took it to the ground soon afterwards and pounded on Kondo for the remainder of the round. The final was much of the same with Vovchanchyn pounding on Kondo until the end of the fight. Kondo showed lots of heart by surviving but Vovchanchyn won the unanimous decision easily. At Pride 29, he had an impressive showing against the former King Of Pancrase Heavyweight Champion Yoshiki Takahashi. The fight started out with both fighters exchanging in an unusual feeling out process that had them waving their hands out in front of each other. Vovchanchyn then threw a high kick that Takahashi blocked, then he waved Vovchanchyn in. Big mistake, seconds later Vovchanchyn threw a flurry that missed but set up a nice right hook that caught Takahashi right on the button and knocked him out, with Vovchanchyn landing two more shots for good measure. Vovchanchyn made his return to Pride after an eight month layoff to recover  from injuries at Pride Bushido 5 against Japanese fighter Shamoji Fujii. Vovchanchyn began the fight tentatively and was picking his shots. Midway through the round, it started to become clear that Fujii was totally outclassed by Vovchanchyn. Vovchanchyn started some wicked strikes on Fujii, dropping him with punches and finishing him off with a couple of soccer kicks. Vovchanchyn is an excellent striker and has shown an improved ground game.

Alistair Overeem has a 5-2 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 20-5. Overeem advanced to the second round by submitting Vitor Belfort at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Overeem was the more aggressive striker to begin the fight and they hit the ground with Belfort going for an armbar from the bottom. Overeem escaped back to his feet and took Belfort back to the ground. Neither fighter mounted much offense on the ground, so they were restarted on their feet. Overeem landed a knee that hurt Belfort and then an uppercut that dropped him. Alister then locked on a guillotine choke that forced Belfort to tap. At Pride 29, he lost a decision to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Overeem started out the fight well, using his long reach to give Nogueira problems while they were on their feet. Overeem’s best strike of the fight came when he landed a clubbing right hand that didn’t land fully on the iron chinned Nogueira. While on the ground, Overeem was able to defend all of Nogueira’s submission attempts, though in the second round he began to tire and Nogueira took over from there. Nogueira almost finished Overeem towards the end of the round with some good ground and pound but the time ran out on the round. In the final round, Overeem was all out of gas and Nogueira completely dominated the round. Overeem did show tremendous heart by surviving Nogueira’s entire onslaught though. His last win came at Pride 28, where he completely dominated RINGS veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara. Throughout the entire bout, Overeem was able to out strike Kanehara and control the pace of the fight. Overeem did seem a tad sluggish through most of the fight, but was still able to outwork Kanehara. The end came when the doctor stopped the fight in the second round due to some bad cuts on Kanehara’s face that were caused by all the punishment he had taken. Overeem is a great striker and has a good ground game.

Overeem has a distinct reach advantage over Vovchanchyn, which he should use to keep his distance. Vovchanchyn still has more power in his shots than most, and has become a much quicker fighter since he moved down to middleweight, though he might have a problem finding his range early because of Overeem’s reach advantage. Overeem needs to pick his shots and stay out of reach of Vovchanchyn’s big punches in order to survive. Both fighters have shown improved ground games in their recent fights, but it is going to come down to who lands the first big shot on their feet as it should swing the fight in their favor. Vovchanchyn has overcome reach advantages before, however Overeem has faltered when he has faced good strikers. Vovchanchyn should be able to land the big one, in what should be an exciting slugfest.

Prediction: Igor Vovchanchyn by KO in the first round.     

Pride Middleweight GP Bout: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Chute Boxe middleweight prodigy Mauricio “Shogun” Rua takes on Brazilian Top Team’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira trains out of Brazilian Top Team with Mario Sperry, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Ricardo Arona and Mauricio Shogun” Rua trains out of the Chute Boxe Academy with Wanderlei Silva, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Luiz Azeredo. Nogueira submitted top middleweight Dan Henderson in impressive fashion in April, and perhaps even more impressively, Shogun destroyed former number one contender for the Pride Middleweight Championship Quinton “Rampage” Jackson with strikes. Shogun has won all his fights in Pride by strikes in the first round while. Nogueira has won all his fights in Pride by either submission or decision. Both fighters enter the ring with an undefeated record in Pride, but obviously only one will leave with that record intact. They both love to push the pace, so expect this to be a high-paced fight.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira has a 7-0 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 11-1. Nogueira advanced to the second round by submitting Dan Henderson at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Nogueira just outclassed Henderson in every category of the fight. On their feet, Nogueira landed the better shots and was more accurate with his strikes. He was able to push the pace of the fight and it clearly affected Henderson, who gassed very quickly. After a failed takedown, Henderson fell to his back with Nogueira getting side control. From there, Nogueira attempted a kimura but quickly swung over and got an armbar that forced Henderson to tap. At Pride 29, Nogueira gave an impressive and somewhat dominating performance against Alistair Overeem as described above. Nogueira defeated Kazuhiro Nakamura for a second time at Pride Bushido 4 in a close fight where much of the first round was fought on the feet with Nogueira landing some good knees to Nakamura’s body. In the second round, Nakamura was able to take Nogueira down and control him for much of the round, though when they returned to their feet Nogueira took full advantage by landing some good shots that bloodied Nakamura, and landed some more knees to Nakamura’s body. In the end, the judges felt that Nogueira had done more damage and awarded him the split decision victory. Nogueira is an excellent ground fighter and he has shown improved striking in his recent fights.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has a 5-0 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 9-1. Shogun advanced to the second round by stopping Quinton “Rampage” Jackson with strikes at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Shogun absolutely destroyed Jackson on their feet. He landed numerous knees to both Jackson’s head and body. One of these knees, almost broke one of Jackson’s ribs (Rampage thought it was broken, though a check later proved otherwise) and it was just a beating afterwards. Jackson showed heart by trading with Shogun but he was already done. Shogun attempted a flying high kick and followed it with punches, ending the fight with a flurry of them and a couple of soccer kicks. At Pride 29, Shogun defeated RINGS veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara by TKO in what looked more like a public beating then a competitive fight. Shogun began the fight by landing a painful low kick that left a disgusting mark on Kanehara’s leg. They went to the ground with Shogun getting Kanehara’s back, not much happened and both fighters found their way back to their feet. From there it was all downhill for Kanehara, Shogun landed a solid right hand that dropped Kanehara and then began his relentless assault on the fallen Japanese fighter. Shogun landed jumping stomps, punches and soccer kicks with the last soccer kick forcing the referee to halt the beating. At Pride Bushido 5, he handed Yasuhito Amerada a brutal beating that lasted longer then it should of. From the beginning, it was evident that Namekawa was outclassed and would be in for a rough night. Shogun was able to beat on him for six minutes with punches, kicks and foot stomps. Shogun attempted several submissions but Namekawa defended them well. The end came when Shogun landed a big punch while Namekawa was on his back. He turned away after the punch to avoid further punishment and the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight. Shogun is a decent grappler but he excels at his relentless stand-up.

Both fighters are easily top ten middleweights in the world and they should give an excellent fight that could easily be the fight of the night. They both have the same amount of ring experience with the only difference being the quality of opponents. Nogueira has faced tougher competition in Pride, having fought Henderson, Overeem, Nakamura and Sakuraba. While Shogun has only faced Jackson and Gono in what would be considered top competition. Nogueira should be able to use that in his favor and is more experienced when dealing with pressure. Both fighters have excellent cardio, so neither fighter should have a problem if the fight goes into the later rounds. Shogun is better on his feet but Nogueira is good enough that he shouldn’t get caught. On the ground, Nogueira is easily better then Shogun and should be able to catch the young fighter with a submission.

Prediction: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by submission in the first round.

Pride Middleweight GP Bout: Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Wanderlei Silva

Yoshida protégé Kazuhiro Nakamura takes on Pride Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva. Kazuhiro Nakamura trains out of the Yoshida Dojo with Hidehiko Yoshida, Ryo Chonan and Makoto Takimoto, while Wanderlei Silva trains out of the Chute Boxe Academy with Murilo “Ninja” Rua, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Daniel Acacio. Nakamura outworked a bigger and stronger Kevin Randleman en route to a decision victory in the first round of this Grand Prix, and Silva squeaked out a split decision over Nakamura’s sensei, Hidehiko Yoshida. Nakamura requested Silva as his opponent in the second round in order to avenge his sensei’s two losses to Silva. Silva is coming into the fight as a heavy favorite to win, though Nakamura has been training in Brazil with Marco Ruas in order to prepare for the most important fight he has had in his career. Can Nakamura avenge his sensei or will Silva add Nakamura to his list of fallen opponents?

Kazuhiro Nakamura has a 6-3 record in Pride, and it is the only place he has fought MMA. Nakamura advanced to the second round by defeating former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Both fighters were content to strike for a bit but Randleman soon took the fight to the ground. Randleman mounted no offense while on top of Nakamura and it was soon stood back up. Nakamura was able to execute a textbook Judo throw but was reversed on the ground by the stronger Randleman, who again lacked badly when it came to offense. In the second round, Nakamura was able to trap Randleman’s arms and rain down blows that seemed to have Randleman out, but he somehow survived it, as well as an attempted kimura form the top that he was able to power out of it. In the final round, Randleman again took the fight to the ground but, once again he did not attempt to mount any offense. Nakamura earned a unanimous decision as he was the one that constantly tried to finish the fight. Nakamura dominated former K-1 standout Stefan “Blitz” Leko at Pride 29. Nakamura opened the fight by landing a jab and then rushing Leko into the corner where he forced a clinch. While in the corner, Nakamura used a trip takedown to get Leko onto the ground where he then took over, raining down strikes onto Leko’s head. The only defense that Leko offered was covering up, and the referee stepped in to stop the fight. Nakamura had a disappointing loss at Pride 28 against fellow tournament Dan Henderson. Nakamura landed very awkwardly on his shoulder when he tried to take down Dan, but got reversed. Henderson got into north-south position and began to rain in knees onto Nakamura’s head. Nakamura had suffered a separated shoulder. He was in obvious pain, so the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Nakamura has an excellent mix of Judo throws and submissions with a decent striking game.

Wanderlei Silva has a 19-1-1 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 28-4-1. Silva advanced to the second round by defeating Nakamura’s sensei Hidehiko Yoshida at Pride Total Elimination 2005. Silva took Yoshida down to the ground early in the fight but Yoshida was able to use his gi to neutralize Silva’s offense. Back on their feet, they exchange for a bit until Yoshida trips Silva and ends up on top. Yoshida landed some good ground and pound and was able to pass Silva’s guard into side control but was unable to make any significant submission attempts. In the second round, Yoshida attempted a takedown that Silva defended well and Yoshida fell to his back. Silva dove into Yoshida’s guard and was content to ground and pound for most of the round but he attempted a foot stomp that narrowly missed its mark towards the end of the round. In the final round, they stood and traded shots with Silva landing the better of them. He landed some hard low kicks that destroyed Yoshida’s lead leg. Yoshida got a guillotine choke but it was not tight enough and Silva escaped before the end of the fight. At Pride Shockwave 2004, he took on K-1 World GP 2001 Champion Mark Hunt on only three days notice after his original opponent Kazushi Sakuraba had to pull out due to injury. Silva was outweighed by at least 50lbs, though held his own during much of the fight, he was able to take Hunt down at will and work for submissions while on top, though when he stood toe to toe with Hunt, he was dropped several times. He did manage to show tremendous heart by surviving Hunt’s onslaught of strikes. In the final round, Silva was able to secure a takedown and work some ground and pound for much of the round. Silva lost a split decision to Hunt in a fight that many believe Silva won, handing Silva his only loss in a Pride ring. Silva defended his Pride Middleweight Championship at Pride 28 against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jackson was able to take Silva down midway through the first round but Silva defended well and tried several submissions from the bottom. In the second round, Silva was able to take Jackson down and strike from the top, while Jackson waited for an opportunity to be stood up. They eventually made their way back to their feet and it was all Silva from there, Silva unleashed an onslaught of punches and knees that dazed Jackson and finally finished it with one vicious knee that knocked Jackson out for good. Silva is an excellent striker and has a decent ground game.

This should be an interesting fight as Nakamura is better adapted to MMA then Yoshida is and he is a better striker as well. Silva has way more experience than Nakamura in MMA and is obviously the much better striker. DSE is pushing this as a revenge match, where Nakamura will try to avenge Yoshida by defeating Silva. Most people believe that Nakamura has no chance of beating Silva and that he will be absolutely destroyed, but I think otherwise. I do believe that Silva will win the fight, as he is just a better fighter then Nakamura at this point in their careers. Nakamura will however give Silva a hell of fight as I think he is better adapted to MMA than Yoshida is, and should be able to get Silva on the ground with a Judo throw, but Silva should still be able to outwork Nakamura en route to a decision victory.

Prediction: Wanderlei Silva by decision. 

Heavyweight Bout: Sergei Kharitonov vs. Pedro Rizzo

Pride heavyweight star Sergei Kharitonov does battle with former UFC heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo. Sergei Kharitonov trains out of the Russian Top Team with Volk Han, Bazigit “Volk” Atajev and Mikhail Illokhine, and Pedro Rizzo trains out of Ruas Vale Tudo with Marco Ruas, Antoine Jaoude and Eric Tavares. Kharitonov is coming off a very impressive victory over the previously undefeated Choi Mu Bae at Pride 29. Rizzo is coming off a one and a half year layoff with his last fight being a victory over Ricco Rodriguez way back at UFC 45. Kharitonov is on the brink of becoming a top five heavyweight in the world with some believing he already is but others doubting the toughness of his competition. Rizzo has had some time to regroup after having several disappointing performances in his last couple of fights, and he should adapt well to Pride rules. This has the makings of being an exciting stand-up war and it is one of the more anticipated fights on the card.

Sergei Kharitonov has a 5-1 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 10-1. Kharitonov is coming off an impressive victory over Choi Mu Bae at Pride 29. Kharitonov picked his shots to begin with, while Mu Bae was swinging wildly and trying to clinch. Mu Bae shot in for a takedown but was unable to complete it as Kharitonov defended well and pushed Mu Bae off. Kharitonov started to pick up the pace of the fight and began to land more frequent, harder shots. Mu Bae kept trying to land his wild shots but Kharitonov carefully picked him apart on their feet. Kharitonov finally finished the fight with a flurry of punches and a couple of knees before the referee stopped it. At Pride Final Conflict 2004, Kharitonov gave Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira all he could handle in a fifteen-minute war. Both fighters were content to trade strikes for the first couple of minutes until Nogueira got a takedown. He landed in side mount then quickly transitioned into full mount. Kharitonov reversed him and ended up in Nogueira’s, guard where Nogueira attempts a triangle choke, replied to by Kharitonov with a slam to escape. Kharitonov jumped back into Nogueira’s guard looking to strike but Nogueira did a good job of defending most of his shots. They were restarted on their feet and Nogueira shot in for a takedown but they ended up clinched and eventually on the ground. Nogueira was able to get full mount but the round ended before he could do any damage. In the second round, both fighters were working the strikes and both landed hard shots, leaving Kharitonov bleeding from the nose. In the last minute, they went to ground and just keep reversing each other until the end of the fight. Nogueira won a unanimous decision and moved on to the final of the Pride Heavyweight GP 2004. At Pride Critical Countdown 2004, Kharitonov defeated former King Of Pancrase Semmy Schilt with strikes. Both fighters started trading shots with Schilt landing stiff jabs before Kharitonov shot in for a takedown. They went to the ground with Schilt looking for a triangle choke, but Kharitonov escaped to side mount then transitioned to mount. Schilt reversed Kharitonov and ended up in Kharitonov’s guard. They made their way back to their feet and Schilt attempted a flying knee but they end up clinched in the corner. They are restarted in the center and Khairtonov landed a straight right, and ate a couple of hard shots before getting a takedown. The end came as Kharitonov pounded on Schilt, who was bloodied up very badly, causing the referee to stop the fight. Kharitonov is an excellent ground fighter and a great striker that loves to use body shots.

Pedro Rizzo will be making his Pride debut and has an overall MMA record of 14-5. In Rizzo’s last fight, he defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez by decision at UFC 45. Rizzo won a disappointing fight, as both fighters were unwilling to engage for much of the fight. The first round was made up of Rodriguez shooting in for a takedown that Rizzo defended; Rodriguez then fell back as Rizzo powered in a hard leg kick, over and over. The second round was much of the same as Rodriguez was unable to get it to the ground, and Rizzo was content to score points instead of attempting to finish the fight. In the final round, Rodriguez tried to close the distance but Rizzo kept his distance with good low kicks and picked his shots. In the end, Rizzo won a unanimous decision in what was a disappointing boring performance for both fighters. Prior to this fight Rizzo defeated Tra Telligman for a second time by doctor stoppage at UFC 43. In what was an exciting fight, Rizzo landed some good shots to Telligman, and Telligman returned the favor. On the ground, both fighters were active, with Rizzo getting on top to land some effective ground and pound occasionally. Both fighters were battered and bruised as they entered the second round, in which Rizzo started to land the better shots on their feet and on the ground. Telligman was willing to trade but he ook too much punishment and the doctor was forced to stop the fight due to some nasty cuts to his face. Rizzo lost a unanimous decision to Vladimir Matyushenko at UFC 41. Rizzo was unable to land any effective strikes, as Matyushenko was able to take it to the ground and pound out a unanimous decision. Rizzo is an excellent striker and is known for being able to end the fight in an instant.

Kharitonov has a big test ahead of him here, as he will be taking on a serious heavyweight contender in Rizzo. Rizzo will finally be making his long rumored debut in Pride after having not fought in MMA for about eighteen months. Both fighters will stand-up and trade bombs, and this could end up being a very bloody match. Rizzo has the slight advantage on their feet but Kharitonov has the better body shots of the two fighters. Kharitonov is the better ground fighter and he should be able to use that to advantage and take it to the mat where he could win it easier than on his feet. I believe that Rizzo will have some serious ring rust when he enters the ring, and Kharitonov should take advantage of his inactivity by pushing the pace of the fight. I think Kharitonov will trade for a while with Rizzo, but after feeling Rizzo’s power he will take it to the ground and pound out a win similar that against Schilt.

Prediction: Sergei Kharitonov by TKO in the first round.

Heavyweight Bout: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Ibragim Magomedov

Number one contender to the Pride Heavyweight Championship, Mirko Cro Cop does battle with Red Devil’s Ibragim Magomedov. Mirko Cro Cop trains out of the Cro Cop Squad with Fabricio Werdum, Igor Pokrajac and Igor Kolakusic, and Ibragim Magomedov trains out of the Red Devil Combat Club with Fedor Emelianenko, Aleksander Emelianenko and Andrei Semenov. Cro Cop is coming off an impressive victory over Pride GP 2000 Champion Mark Coleman at Pride 29, and Magomedov too is coming off an impressive win over Brian Olsen at Euphoria MFC 4 after knocking him out cold. Cro Cop was to take his shot at the Pride Heavyweight Championship here, but Fedor was unable to defend due to injuries he sustained in his beat down of Tsuyoshi Kohsaka at Pride Bushido 6. Instead, Cro Cop will take on Magomedov who is a teammate of Fedor. Either way I expect this to be a quick fight that should produce a crowd-pleasing knockout.

Mirko Cro Cop has a 12-2-2 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 15-2-2. Cr Cop is coming off an impressive victory over Mark Coleman at Pride 29. In the only round, Coleman went for a takedown but Cro Cop defended it surprisingly well. Coleman threw a right hand and immediately shot in, for another failed takedown. The pattern repeats itself several times until a very relaxed Cro Cop finally found his range and lands a hard straight left. Coleman attempted one last takedown but Cro Cop sprawled and shrugged it off. Cro Cop trapped Coleman in one of the corners and landed a left hook, followed by an uppercut, and finally another left hook that dropped Coleman. He threw in a half-hearted soccer kick him to end the fight. On New Years Eve, Cro Cop submitted Kevin Randleman in quick fashion at Pride Shockwave 2004. Randleman predictably shot in for a takedown, which Cro Cop defended, and they clinched in the corner. Randleman attempted a double leg takedown but Cro Cop unexpectedly grabbed Randleman in a guillotine choke. Randleman struggled for a bit but was unable to get his head free and he was forced to tap out. At Pride 28, Cro Cop won a disappointing fight against King Of Pancrase Josh Barnett, where after the gong rang they clinched immediately and Cro Cop pushed Barnett off, shooting his left leg out in a high kick that Barnett just manages to duck under, and before scoring a takedown. They scramble a bit with Barnett in Cro Cop’s guard and somehow, Barnett dislocated his shoulder there and was forced to tap. Cro Cop won the fight but it didn’t mean much because of the way it went down. Cro Cop is an elite striker that has been improving his ground recently with BJJ World Champion Fabricio Werdum.

Ibragim Magomedov will be making his Pride debut and has an overall MMA record of 12-2. Magomedov is coming off an impressive win over Brian Olsen at Euphoria MFC 4. Magomedov got an early takedown then, began his relentless ground and pound assault on Olsen. Magomedov ended the fight when with a huge right hand that knocks Olsen out cold early in the first round. Before that, Magomedov won the M-1 MFC: Heavyweight GP by defeating three opponents in one night. He first beat Carlos Clayton by decision, then won over Milco Voorn by decision, and he finally took out the winners position by beating  Martin Malkhasyan by decision. Magomedov is a great striker and he has been improving his ground game over his past few fights.

Cro Cop needs to be very focused on this fight, and he shouldn’t take Magomedov lightly now that he is so close to getting a shot at the title. Magomedov is a good opponent for him as he has a good record and he should be able to test his chin in a big way. Magomedov isn’t a push over like many fans think he is; he is a solid striker and has shown a vastly improved ground game since he debuted about three years ago against Gilbert Yvel. Cro Cop should be able to control the pace of the fight though, as long as he does not to get too over confident, as that has led to his downfall twice. Magomedov can throw down, but at this stage, Cro Cop just wants it more. I’m going to pick Cro Cop in what should be a quick competitive fight.

Prediction: Mirko Cro Cop by KO in the first round.

Middleweight Bout: Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Makoto Takimoto

Highly popular Japanese fighter Kiyoshi Tamura does battle with 2000 Olympic Judo gold medalist Makoto Takimoto. Kiyoshi Tamura trains out of the U-File Camp with Ryuki Ueyama, Daisuke Nakamura and Kyosuke Sasaki. Makoto Takimoto trains out of the Yoshida Dojo with Hidehiko Yoshida, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Michihiro Omigawa. Tamura is coming off an awkward win over FILA wrestler Aliev Makhmud at Pride 29. Takimoto is coming off an uninspired performance against Sentoryu at Pride Shockwave 2004. Tamura is highly popular in Japan and is a well-known name but his most recent opponents have been less then competitive against him. Takimoto is a 2000 Olympic Judo gold medalist that made the jump into MMA late last year as he took part in Pride’s big NYE show. Both fighters are a similar size, so neither should have much of an advantage over the other coming into this fight. Expect this to be a ground battle as both fighters favor the mat.

Kiyoshi Tamura has a 3-3 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 12-8. He won an awkward match at Pride 29 against FILA wrestler Aliev Makhmud in the first round. Makhmud got an early takedown but the fighters made their way back to their feet very quickly. Tamura started to land leg kicks to both Makumud’s legs and body as Makhmud tried desperately to get another takedown. Makhmud then leapt in, was accidentally hit in the groin, and was given five minutes to recover. After he recovered, Tamura went back to work but Makhmud seemed like he wanted to stop fighting and after an uncomfortable couple of minutes, and the fight was finally stopped. Tamura took on K-1 fighter Rony Sefo at Pride Shockwave 2003. It ends quickly as Tamura was able to get a takedown and then pass Sefo’s guard, getting into full mount. From there, it was just a matter of minutes until Tamura saw an opening, slapped on an armbar, and forced Sefo to tap. In the Middleweight GP 2003 at Pride Total Elimination 2003, Tamura lost an exciting fight to Hidehiko Yoshida in the first round. Tamura managed to drop Yoshida with a left hand and tried to finish him, but Yoshida defended it and they make their way back to their feet. Tamura started landing some hard low kicks and Yoshida started looking for a takedown. Yoshida got Tamura to the ground, but they soon returned to their feet and Tamura continued on his assault, even landing a couple of good punches. Yoshida scored with another takedown, and this time he secured a gi choke that forced Tamura to tap out. Tamura is an excellent submission fighter and is known for his painful low kicks.

Makoto Takimoto has a 1-0 record in Pride and a matching overall MMA record. Takimoto made his Pride debut at Pride Shockwave 2004 against former sumo wrestler Sentoryu. It was a slow fight as both fighters just circled each other and only threw the occasional jab. Takimoto succeeded with a Judo throw but was unable to maintain position, and Sentoryu got into his guard. Sentoryu stood up and they resumed striking until the end of the round. In the second, they were both doing the same by just picking their shots, though Takimoto was able to bloody Sentoryu before the ex-sumo fighter was yellow carded for inactivity. In the final round, both fighters were doing the same as in the first two, but towards the end of the fight, Takimoto managed a beautiful Judo throw and won the unanimous decision. Takimoto is a great ground fighter and showed potential in his striking in his only MMA match.

This fight seems to have been put together in order to draw more interest from the general Japanese fans, and to get them to the arena. Not to mention it will give them a bump with the TV ratings. Tamura has way more experience in MMA than Takimoto does and he should be able to use it to his advantage. Takimoto gets the benefit of fighting someone his own size instead of someone that is about sixty pounds heavier than him this time though. He has also now gotten past the nerves of his MMA debut, so expect him to give a better performance here than in his debut fight. Tamura should be able to win because of the experience factor and the fact that he is a better all-round MMA fighter at the moment than Takimoto, and I expect Tamura will catch Takimoto in a submission.

Prediction: Kiyoshi Tamura by submission in the first round.

Heavyweight Bout: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Pawel Nastula

Former Pride Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira does battle with Polish Judo legend Pawel Nastula. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira trains out of the Brazilian Top Team with Mario Sperry, Ricardo Arona and Luis Buscape. Pawel Nastula trains out of the Takada Dojo with Nobuhiko Takada, Kazushi Sakuraba and Daijiro Matsui. Nogueira is coming off a disappointing loss to Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelienanko at Pride Shockwave 2004. Pawel Nastula will be making his Pride debut after having competed in Judo for the past ten years. Nogueira is coming off a six-month layoff and is fully rested and ready to work his way back up to another title shot. Nastula is an excellent Judo fighter that is making the transition to MMA, and is hoping to have the same success in MMA that he had in Judo. Expect this one to be a ground battle with it most likely ending in a submission.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has a 12-2 record in Pride and an overall MMA record of 24-3-1. Nogueira is coming off a disappointing loss to Pride Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko at Pride Shockwave 2004. Both fighters traded to start the fight, and Fedor then got a takedown, but immediately stood back up on his feet before jumping back into Nogueira’s guard. The fight went back to the feet and Fedor tossed Nogueira on the ground again with force. The pattern repeats itself for much of the round until Nogueira scores with a double leg takedown and manages to mount Fedor just as the round ends. The second round is similar to the first, with Fedor able to take Nogueira down at will and both fighters trading hard shots on their feet. Nogueira tried a couple of submission attempts form the bottom but was unable to get Fedor in any real danger. In the last round, Fedor was able to do the same as the first two rounds but he could unleash his ground and pound on Nogueira just like in their first fight. In the end, Fedor was able to outwork Nogueira in every category of the fight and won a unanimous decision, defending the Pride Heavyweight Championship and winning the Pride Heavyweight GP 2004. At Pride Final Conflict 2004, Nogueira met, again,  Fedor in the final of the Pride Heavyweight GP 2004 which ended in a no contest. Both fighters clinched from the start and they both struggled for position. Nogueira was going for submissions while Fedor looked to use his effective ground and pound. Nogueira wasn’t able to get Fedor in any real trouble with his submission attempts while Fedor couldn’t land shots as hard as in their first fight. Near the mid-point of the fight, the fighters clash heads and a huge deep cut is opened on Fedor’s. A bad cut forced a stoppage of the fight、 and resulted in a no contest since it was caused by a clash of heads. Earlier in the night, Nogueira faced Sergei Kharitonov in the semi-final match in the Pride Heavyweight GP 2004 described earlier. Nogueira is an excellent submission fighter and, he has improved his striking rapidly since training with the Cuban National Boxing Team.

Pawel Nastula will be making his Pride and MMA debut. Nastula won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in the 95KG division in Judo. He also is a 1995 and 1997 Judo World Champion in the 95KG division as well as winning numerous Judo competitions around the world over past ten years. Nastula began training at Takada Dojo in February, in preparation for his debut match on this card. Nastula should be an excellent ground fighter as he certainly has all the credentials to back it up. The only question mark from Nastula is how good his striking is, and if he can take a decent punch unlike another Judo fighter, Yoon Dong Sik.

Nastula requested special rules for this fight. He requested that Nogueira wear a full gi and that the fight length be Pride Bushido rules or that it be three five minute rounds. Nogueira has denied both requests by Nastula and it seems that the fight is going to be fought under regular Pride rules. Either Nastula is not confident in his skills as a fighter or he is trying to play mind tricks with Nogueira. Nogueira has the advantage in every category in this fight and he should have no trouble in defeating the debuting fighter. Nastula can hopefully give a competitive performance so that he has something to improve on, but he is way over his head in this fight. I believe Nogueira should be able to control the stand-up, and should also be able to control the fight on the ground, catching the MMA rookie with a submission.

Prediction: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by submission in the first round.

For more information, visit www.pridefc.com, http://anweb.skyperfectv.co.jp/pride/ and http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/