Pride Fighting

It's official, Tim Sylvia will be fighting the worlds #1 heavyweight (Fedor). This isn't happening in the UFC and I'm not 100% sure how we're going to be able to see it (PPV vs HDNets fights). I'll keep you posted.

In a recent conference broadcast of ufc.com, Dana White stated that the UFC would be offering a fight to Randy Couture, that fight would be against top heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira (Big Nog).

Of course, Randy Couture resigned from his contract with the UFC a couple of weeks ago, stating that he would no longer be fighting for the UFC, announcing for the UFC or otherwise. Randy stated at that time and in his own press conference later that it was a combination of money, respect and that the UFC was unable to secure a fight with Emelianenko Fedor.



Randy believes that the only fight worth fighting is against Fedor, widely considered to be the best heavyweight, if not best pound for pound, fighter in the world. At 44 years old, Randy only has a few fights left in him and he wants to fight the best.

In my opinion, Nogeuira is one of the best in the world after heavyweight. In fact if I had to rank the top four heavyweights in the world, they would be Fedor, Couture, Nogeuira and Barnett, not necessarily in that order. If Randy Couture wants to retire from the sport, all the power to him, but if he wants to quit the UFC just because they were unable to land Fedor, then complain because he heard that the UFC was going to pay Fedor a boat load of money to secure the fight...well, I don't know.

I'm a big fan of Randy Couture and whatever he needs to do, I respect that. However, as a fight fan I'd rather see Couture vs Nogeuira than a court battle between Dana White and Randy Couture.

As you may or may not have heard by now, M-1 Global, a new MMA promotion which was formerly M-1 out of russia has signed Fedor Emelianenko to a 6 fight 2 year deal. The UFC has been trying to sign Fedor since they purchased Pride earlier this year, but couldn't come to terms.

There is an interesting clause in Fedor's contract which states (approximately) that M-1 will pay any UFC heavyweight champion who wants to fight Fedor in M-1 a million dollars more than the UFC will pay. I'd love to read how that section really reads.

M-1 and Fedor specifically mentioned Randy Couture although Couture still has two fights left on his UFC contract. Dana White has already said that he won't let Randy out of his contract, but Randy has already resigned from the UFC.

Randy Couture is holding a press conference on Thursday to discuss his exit from the UFC and hopefully his future plans.

If M-1 can sign Fedor, Josh Barnett and Randy Couture, they'll have the beginning of a decent heavyweight division with arguably three of the top 5 heavyweights in the world. Of course this weekend the UFC announced that they signed Brock Lesnar to a deal, Lesnar, giving some time and the proper training has the physical tools to be a dominant force in the UFC heavyweight picture.

It's worth noting the following. The UFC will not be destroyed by this. In fact, 80% of UFC fans probably don't even know who Fedor or Josh Barnett are. For example, this past weekend I had three guys over to watch UFC 77. All three guys actively train standup and BJJ at a local club. When they asked me what I thought about Randy retiring, I told them that he didn't retire, he wants to fight Fedor...none of them knew who Fedor was.

Worldwide, Fedor is a star of MMA, but for most of the TUF generation of MMA fan he doesn't even exist. A fight with Randy may or may not change that. I don't think anyone is going to spend $50 on a PPV for one fight...M-1 needs to fill out their stable of fighters and have a spectacular first card.

Quick question, any opinions on the new look for the site? I'm personally sitting on the fence between the old and new looks. Vote in the comment section.

I guess this signals the end for the Pride Fighting Championships. Pride world wide closed their offices on October 4th, 2007; just 7 days from their 10th anniversary. We were all very excited when the UFC owners purchases the Pride organization, with the promise of cross promotional superfights. Here is a quote from MMAWeekly.com

Pride Fighting Championships started on Oct. 11, 1997, with the legendary fight of Nobuhiko Takada versus Rickson Gracie. With their 10th anniversary just around the corner, the venerable Japanese mixed martial arts promotion has come to an end. On Oct. 4, the Pride FC World Wide (Pride WW) office closed without fanfare and all employees were dismissed.

I for one will miss Pride. There was a stretch of time when I ordered every PPV from both the UFC and Pride. I feel like I watched so many great moments courtesy of Pride, here are some memorable ones.

Wanderlei Silva snaps Sakuraba's collar bone and wins.
Kevin Randleman KO's Mirko Cro Cop
Wanderlei Silva shows just how hard Rampage's head is...but anyone can be KO'd
Mark Coleman snaps Shogun's arm.
Bob Sapp slams big Nog on his head, but Nog comes back and wins.
Kevin Randleman slams Fedor on his head, but Fedor comes back and wins.
Don Frye and Ken Shamrock have a legends match and it was pretty close.
Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama punch each other repeatedly in the face while holding the back of each others heads.

There are too many more for me to even count. How about Coleman's heavyweight tournament win over Igor Vovchanchyn and those knees to the head.

I'll miss Pride, but I can take some solice in the fact that Wanderlei, Shogun, Rampage, Big Nog, Mirko and others will still be fighting for us. We will still see the top fighters face each other...with the exception of Gomi and Fedor.

Apparently the UFC is offering Fedor more money than any other organization, but their contract terms are too strict for the Russian fighter.

Fedor is considered to be the best heavyweight MMA fighter in the world and UFC president Dana White has indicated a number of times that it is just a matter of time before he signs with the UFC. It looks though, in a recent interview between Sherdog and Vadim Finkelstein that the UFC's terms are just too strict. One sticking point in particular is Fedor's ability (or non ability) to fight in the World Sambo Championships representing Russia.

While it would be nice to have Fedor in the UFC, it appears that Dana's "all or nothing" negotiating tactics are not quite the way to attract this particular fighter. Of course one can also see the UFC's side of things. If Fedor gets injured fighting for another organization then the UFC's promotional dollars have been spent on nothing.

Just so that some of you can comment wildly I'm going to say this once...I think Fedor is over-rated as a fighter. People on the net talk about him like he is invincible, but he isn't. He has weaknesses, but is very durable. Look at his fights against his very top level opponents (Cro Cop and Big Nog). He hasn't been able to finish those fights, sure he won the decisions, but a truly dominant champ should have submitted Cro Cop, or KO'd Nog. Fedor hasn't fought Arlovski, Couture or Sylvia yet.

Check this out:

Arona (decision)
Sobral (decision)
Cro Cop (decision)
Big Nog (decision)
Semmy Shilt (decision)

Sure, he submitted a much smaller Lindland and an overmatched Coleman and Randleman. Still, it is Fedor's durablility, not his fighting ability which I am impressed with. Fedor recovers very well (being dropped on his head by Randleman and similarly by Coleman comes to mind). I can't help but think that a better fighter would not have been slammed by those guys at all.

Still, I believe that Fedor is #1, just above the others not way above though. He will lose, if he still chooses to fight the best.

On a recent Full Contact Fighter radio broadcast, Sokoudjou has stated that if he fights next in the UFC he wants to fight Tito Ortiz. If he fights next in Pride then he wants Shogun. Considering that it has been announced that Shogun will be fighting in the UFC (at UFC 76), it looks like if Sokoudjou is to get his wish he will need to come to the UFC!

Sokoudjou fights at light heavyweight and holds wins over Ricardo Arona and Big Nog's little brother (little Nog).

From UFC Ultimate Fighter:

I was surfing the net today, reading anything and everything MMA related (as I tend to do) and I came across this quote from Chuck Liddell to the Baltimore Sun

Which fighters from PRIDE are you most excited to see fight in the UFC?

All of them. Any of the good ones. There's "Shogun" [Mauricio Rua], there's [Dan] Henderson. You've got Fedor [Emelianenko] coming over. [Antonio Rodrigo] Nogueira is coming over in the heavyweight [division].

Does he not say "You've got Fedor Emelianenko coming over...wahoo! Maybe Chuck is privy to some inside info. I've heard the rumours and heard that Dana is talking to Fedor, but this doesn't say might, or working on...he says he's coming.

Excellent...tapping fingers in a Mr Burns like style.

I found this highlight video this morning. Some of the techniques used are illegal (now) in the UFC and Pride, but it's worth a watch.

Please note before reading my list that these are my favourite fighters, not the fighters which are the best. That's a different list, perhaps entitled "Top 10 Best Figthers".

So, I wrote the title to this little entry and now I'm stuck, how do you pick a favourite. I've been watching MMA and particularly the UFC and PrideFC for so long that I feel like I'm picking one of my children as a favourite over another child. It's not fair, but I've made the commitment and now I'm going to follow through with it.


#10 BJ Penn is one of my 10 most favourite fighters. BJ Penn is made of rubber, probably the best natural fighter in MMA. BJ's appearance on the Ultimate Fighter TV series just solidifies this position. The guy is truly funny!

#9 Wanderlei Silva. Silva is an animal in the ring, pure and simple all out agression. A Wanderlei Silva fight is one of the most exciting things to watch. Even his recent losses to Cro Cop and Henderson were amazing fights.

#8 Royce Gracie. When I watch the old UFC fights with Royce Gracie I can't help but be amazed. Certainly Royce had the training advantage over his opponents, but watch carefully. Royce is tough, he took punches and kept coming. Watch his not so old fight against Sakuraba or his fight against Matt Hughes. Royce didn't win those fights, but his toughness came through.

#7 Kevin "The Monster" Randleman. Whenever the "Monster" steps into the ring (or cage), you get the feeling that something super-human is going to happen. Kevin Randleman is a freak of nature, strong and quick. Watching him drop Fedor on his head is still one of my favourite highlights.

#6 Mirko Cro Cop. Mirko suffered a loss recently to Gabriel Gonzaga, but it isn't Mirko's first loss. He came back before and he will again. He's an exciting fighter and doesn't talk trash, for that he's #6

#5 Fedor. Although this is a favourite list and not best fighter list, Fedor deserves to be on here out of simple respect. He's the best of the best.

#4 Matt Serra comes in at #4. Ok everybody, accuse me of jumping on the Matt Serra bandwagon, but Matt has paid his dues in this sport. The first fights I ever saw Matt in were an eye opener to me. I'd never seen anybody transition positions as smoothly and easily as Serra.

#3 Randy Couture makes my favourite MMA fighter list at number three. Randy is a class act, always has respect for an opponent and despite being an underdog in almost every fight he's ever had he's the UFC heavyweight champion at 43 years old.

#2 My second favourite MMA fighter is Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He never gives up in a fight, he is tough as nails and seems to always have respect for his opponents. Big Nog is one of the true talents in MMA. In a fight against Nog, if your name isn't Fedor, you'd better be prepared to lose!

#1 My favourite fighter has to be Chuck Liddell. I'm not saying that because Mr Liddell has an upcoming fight with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. In fact, I'm picking Rampage to win that fight. I picked Chuck because he has consistently said what he was going to do, then do it. No fanfare, no badmouthing, just great exciting fights, usually ending in TKO's.

Who says Mirko doesn't have a sense of humour? With Bas Ruttens help, Mirko punks Mauro Ranallo. Maura Ranello and Bas Rutten were part of the commentary team for Pride FC. This video is probably a couple of years old as it talks about Mirko's recent fight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Don Frye is tough as nails and Takayama is also a tough guy. Watch them go toe to toe in this classic Pride footage.

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has one of the best records in Mixed Martial Arts, with the record is what I believe to be the most complete resume of any fighter in the UFC heavyweight division. Soon, "Minotauro" will make his UFC debut and this is one fan who can't wait!

Nogueira like Chuck Liddell has gained revenge on every opponent to ever defeat him, with one exception. For Chuck, the exception is Quinton "Rampage" Jackson who he faces on May 26, 2007. For "Big Nog", he will likely need to wait longer to face his nemesis, Fedor.

If you think that Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira's name with nickname is too long and confusing, double your confusion by adding in that he has a twin brother who is also a Mixed Martial Arts fighter. His twin brother goes by Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira...now that's confusing. In fact, the first time I saw his "little" brother competing I thought I was watching Rodrigo.

Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira's record according to Sherdog.com is 29-4-1, that's a lot of experience, most of it against top notch heavyweight fighters. He's beaten the likes of Mirko Cro Cop, Dan Henderson, Heath Herring, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodrigeuz, Fabricio Werdum, Bob Sapp, Semmy Schilt, Gary Goodridge, Valentijn Overeem, Mark Coleman, Sergei Kharitonov and Jeremy Horn. Only Fedor has had a dominant win over "Big Nog" and even then, he didn't finish Nog. Looking over his losses, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has only ever lost by decision, no KO's, TKO's, ref stoppages or being submitted for this former Pride champion.

I think that Antonio Rodrigo's amazing submission skills, combined with good stand up and extreme toughness will be hard to beat in the UFC cage. In fact, I only see a couple of fighters with a real chance of beating "Big Nog", one of them is Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop had a good first round when he fought against Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira, but was caught in an arm bar in the second round.

Let's play the guessing game for who Nogueira's first UFC opponent should be:

Tim Sylvia might be a good choice, former champion vs former champion. Both of these fighters have defeated Ricco Rodriguez and both are looking toward reclaiming championship glory.

Mirko Cro Cop would also be an excellent match up, playing on their previous match and the fact that Mirko just got KO'd by Gabriel Gonzaga.

Andrei Arlovski to decide a title shot would be another excellent match up, but I doubt that this will materialize as Arlovski has already been promised a title shot and a match with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira might de-rail that train.

Most would agree that Nogueira is good enough and has an extensive enough background to deserve a title shot right away, but there is already a line up two deep to face Randy Couture. First will be Gabriel Gonzaga and after that, the winner will face Andrei Arlovski...at least according to Dana White, UFC president. that's how it will play out.

An excellent match up would see either Brandon Vera or Frank Mir against Nogueira, although Mir is not the fighter he used to be (before the accident). In his prime, Mir would have given Big Nog all that he could handle. I hope Mir works his way back up to that level of performance.

There you have it, another great addition to the UFC heavyweight division. Welcome to the UFC "Big Nog", I hope you do well and get a title shot soon.

There is a new PPV starting April 28th entitled "Pride Fighting: Decade"

It might be worth watching for all the UFC fans who haven't had much exposure to Pride Fighting in the past. Or even PrideFC fans who want to re-live some of the classic Pride match-ups.

From PrideFC.com

Don't miss out on this retrospective on the 10-year history of PRIDE Fighting Championships,
featuring interviews from such PRIDE fighters and icons as: Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Nobuhiko Takada,
Renzo Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Mark Coleman, Quinton Jackson, Mark Kerr, Kevin Randleman, Frank Trigg, Don Frye, Matt Hume, Gilbert Yvel, plus many other legends in MMA!

This from PrideFC.com

To all the PRIDE FC Fans --- We would like to make an official announcement that our upcoming event "PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix 2007 1st ROUND" scheduled to be held on Sunday, May 20th was postponed to a date that will be announced in the near future.

We are currently in a situation where Dream Stage Entertainment Inc. is in the process of transitioning to our new company PRIDE FC Worldwide.
Lorenzo Ferttita has stated the following.
"We are still in the state of transition with only a month away from May 20th. This is our very first PRIDE show under the new organization, and to make it a memorable event for all the fans, it does not give us sufficient time to prepare our promotion and production."

In our goal to make our first show a success, we have decided to postpone our upcoming event. We would like to send everyone our sincerest apology for all of the inconvenience that this may have caused. Regarding the new date for "PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix 2007 1st ROUND," we will make an official announcement at a later time.

We thank you very much for your understanding.

Dream Stage Entertainment Inc.

Here is the schedule for Pride's next lightweight tournament

May 20 EVENT TOTAL ELIMINATION 2007 (postponed)

July 16 EVENT CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2007

September 30 EVENT FINAL CONFLICT 2007