Johnny Toetags
06-15-2005, 01:39 AM
PRIDE FIGHTING'S CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 PREVIEW
Hello again lads and lassies, and welcome to this armchair analysis of the upcoming 2nd round of Pride's seemingly annual Middleweigth Grand Prix tournament. CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view July 1st at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST and it should be, by all rights - a hell of a show.
While round 1 was rather lacklustre, motivation is bound to have set in and better match-making should provide the necessary combustible materials for some fireworks. Aside from a few, shall we say, questionable filler matches - the matches this go around should be more competitive and more than a few have potential upsets brewing. Let's have a quick look...
http://www.pridefc.com/pride2004/imgs/event/critical_countdown_2005.gif
MIDDLEWEIGHT GRANDPRIX 2ND ROUND
"Ice Cold" Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem
Wow... now THIS is a match up. The "new" Igor looks nigh-unstoppable while the Flying Dutchman has been very surprising of late. After his shocking decapitation loss at the hands (legs, actually) of Mirko Filipovic, Igor took some time to re-dedicate himself and cut down to 205lbs, a weight that seems more natural to him. Power in both hands, quick and accurate striking, decent enough chin and surprising ground control have allowed the returning veteran to blow through the admittedly thin opposition Pride has thrown at him thus far. Yuki Kondo was a test, to be sure, but Igor rose to the occasion and out-wrestled Kondo in a stiff ground battle to earn his spot in round 2.
Anyone who pays attention to my online rants (so, both of you.) knows how I feel about Overeem - let's just say I'm not a fan. But, regardless the man does deserve some props. Tall and lean body structure gives him a significant reach and size advantage against most opponents, especially the vertically challenged Ukrainian he'll be facing on July 1st. An excellent muay thai arsenal (punctuated by perhaps the best flying knees in the game) and very underrated submission skills (which actually won him his spot here with a guillotine win over Vitor Belfort, a fight no one expected to finish like it did.) make Overeem a threat to almost anyone in the tournament. If he can focus and use his size effectively (something he seems to do on and off.) he has much more of a shot here than most think. While standing still and trading with Vovchanchyn is suicidal, Overeem has fought smart as of late - so this one's defiantly in the air. You have to consider this fight Igor's first "big test" since the comeback, but you also gotta figure Alistair by now is used to being the underdog.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira
If this Grand Prix fizzles out as a forgettable event after all is said and done, it can at least be credited as the event that exposed two relatively unknown serious contenders to the casual mma audience. And thank god for that. These two Brazilians desperately deserved the acclaim, and with impressive wins (their two first round fights were the best of the previous round, Nogueira subbing the dangerous Team Quester Dan Henderson and Rua obliterating fallen hero Quinton Jackson) freshly under their belt they should provide ample amounts of excitement yet again.
Furthering the Chute Boxe vs. Brazilian Top Team rivalry, I think it's safe to say this fight marks the end of the "grooming" period for Shogun. No longer the "next Chute Boxe star" or the hot rookie - now's the time for Rua. He's passed progressively tougher and tougher tests, and if he's for real we'll soon find out as he takes on one of slickest jiu-jitsu players in the Pride ranks - the seemingly destined for championship gold twin brother of former HW champ Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Those expecting an easy time on the mat for Nogueira, though, could be in for a shock. Rua is no slouch on the ground. Even Wanderlei Silva credits Rua as one of the best ground fighters Chute Boxe has - and if you need another source on that call up Renato "Babalu" Sobral. It took everything Babalu had to put away the very green Rua. Still, Rua would be insane to get complacent if it hits the ground, and that my friends all depends on "lil' nog's" takedowns. If Rua comes out as frenzied as he did against Jackson, it'll be interesting to see what kind of reaction that illicit's from Nogueira.
Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba vs. Ricardo "The Tiger" Arona
Everyone loves Kazushi Sakuraba. I'm half convinced 90% of his wins are due to the fact that his opponents just don't want to hurt him they love him so much. Case in point Saku's last opponent who stood there and let Saku sock him a couple of shots to the dome to allow Saku to get the quick KO win. I mean, he just stood there. Maybe someone failed to warn the Korean Judo wiz that he was gonna get hit in the face. Regardless, Ricardo Arona is not a Korean Judo guy, nor does he like most people - not the least of which some over-the-hill, broken-down Japanese fighter who's made his name by beating Brazilian jiu-jitsu players. Arona's had a rough go in Pride. He comes in with so much hype, and well he IS an impressive sight to watch on the mat, he tends to rack up more boring decisions than Judge Judy. This could be his chance to get an impressive submission win against a "name" opponent. And therein lies the rub.
If Arona comes in expecting the W, Saku will pressure him and potentially shift the cards in his favor or even potentially land a fight alerting off-the-top-rope-spinning-cartwheel-inverted-mongolian-foot-stomp.
You just never know what Kazushi's gonna do, hell I bet he doesn't even know.
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Once upon a time, there were two brave warriors from different lands that both had climbed to the top of their fighting crafts. One was a brutal no-holds-barred caged animal who kicked, kneed and punched his way to the top over the often mangled and broken bodies of his opponents. The other was a sage, patient warrior who outmaneuvered his foes and slammed them to the ground which such skill that the earth trembled. Both were recognized as greats and achieved the summit of their sports. Eventually, the wise old man decided to prove his craft was superior and entered the younger animal's sport - intent on validating his claims. They met in a fierce war that, ironically, saw both men use methods the other was considered best at in order to win the fight. Not expected to conquer the animal at his own game, the old man nonetheless surprised many. A rematch would again see the younger brute get the decision. The old man was pained at his apparent failure. But the old man was no fool.
He knew that his art was superior, and while perhaps he was too old to prove his point, he took it upon himself to groom and train a new generation of warriors to avenge his shortcomings and, perhaps, succeed where he could not. One student in particular fought with the heart of a true warrior and won many great victories, even in defeat was he impressive. Now, after passing perhaps his final test... the student has now achieved his goal. He will face the animal, the monster that has shamed and defeated his master. He will have his revenge and prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt - that Judo is the best martial art in the world. He will have his redemption on the evil Muay Thai Monster - Wanderlei Silva.
A nice fairy tale, sure. Story time's over though - and Nakamura had better wake up to this fact post-haste, rather than post-humously.
Hello again lads and lassies, and welcome to this armchair analysis of the upcoming 2nd round of Pride's seemingly annual Middleweigth Grand Prix tournament. CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view July 1st at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST and it should be, by all rights - a hell of a show.
While round 1 was rather lacklustre, motivation is bound to have set in and better match-making should provide the necessary combustible materials for some fireworks. Aside from a few, shall we say, questionable filler matches - the matches this go around should be more competitive and more than a few have potential upsets brewing. Let's have a quick look...
http://www.pridefc.com/pride2004/imgs/event/critical_countdown_2005.gif
MIDDLEWEIGHT GRANDPRIX 2ND ROUND
"Ice Cold" Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem
Wow... now THIS is a match up. The "new" Igor looks nigh-unstoppable while the Flying Dutchman has been very surprising of late. After his shocking decapitation loss at the hands (legs, actually) of Mirko Filipovic, Igor took some time to re-dedicate himself and cut down to 205lbs, a weight that seems more natural to him. Power in both hands, quick and accurate striking, decent enough chin and surprising ground control have allowed the returning veteran to blow through the admittedly thin opposition Pride has thrown at him thus far. Yuki Kondo was a test, to be sure, but Igor rose to the occasion and out-wrestled Kondo in a stiff ground battle to earn his spot in round 2.
Anyone who pays attention to my online rants (so, both of you.) knows how I feel about Overeem - let's just say I'm not a fan. But, regardless the man does deserve some props. Tall and lean body structure gives him a significant reach and size advantage against most opponents, especially the vertically challenged Ukrainian he'll be facing on July 1st. An excellent muay thai arsenal (punctuated by perhaps the best flying knees in the game) and very underrated submission skills (which actually won him his spot here with a guillotine win over Vitor Belfort, a fight no one expected to finish like it did.) make Overeem a threat to almost anyone in the tournament. If he can focus and use his size effectively (something he seems to do on and off.) he has much more of a shot here than most think. While standing still and trading with Vovchanchyn is suicidal, Overeem has fought smart as of late - so this one's defiantly in the air. You have to consider this fight Igor's first "big test" since the comeback, but you also gotta figure Alistair by now is used to being the underdog.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira
If this Grand Prix fizzles out as a forgettable event after all is said and done, it can at least be credited as the event that exposed two relatively unknown serious contenders to the casual mma audience. And thank god for that. These two Brazilians desperately deserved the acclaim, and with impressive wins (their two first round fights were the best of the previous round, Nogueira subbing the dangerous Team Quester Dan Henderson and Rua obliterating fallen hero Quinton Jackson) freshly under their belt they should provide ample amounts of excitement yet again.
Furthering the Chute Boxe vs. Brazilian Top Team rivalry, I think it's safe to say this fight marks the end of the "grooming" period for Shogun. No longer the "next Chute Boxe star" or the hot rookie - now's the time for Rua. He's passed progressively tougher and tougher tests, and if he's for real we'll soon find out as he takes on one of slickest jiu-jitsu players in the Pride ranks - the seemingly destined for championship gold twin brother of former HW champ Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Those expecting an easy time on the mat for Nogueira, though, could be in for a shock. Rua is no slouch on the ground. Even Wanderlei Silva credits Rua as one of the best ground fighters Chute Boxe has - and if you need another source on that call up Renato "Babalu" Sobral. It took everything Babalu had to put away the very green Rua. Still, Rua would be insane to get complacent if it hits the ground, and that my friends all depends on "lil' nog's" takedowns. If Rua comes out as frenzied as he did against Jackson, it'll be interesting to see what kind of reaction that illicit's from Nogueira.
Kazushi "The Gracie Hunter" Sakuraba vs. Ricardo "The Tiger" Arona
Everyone loves Kazushi Sakuraba. I'm half convinced 90% of his wins are due to the fact that his opponents just don't want to hurt him they love him so much. Case in point Saku's last opponent who stood there and let Saku sock him a couple of shots to the dome to allow Saku to get the quick KO win. I mean, he just stood there. Maybe someone failed to warn the Korean Judo wiz that he was gonna get hit in the face. Regardless, Ricardo Arona is not a Korean Judo guy, nor does he like most people - not the least of which some over-the-hill, broken-down Japanese fighter who's made his name by beating Brazilian jiu-jitsu players. Arona's had a rough go in Pride. He comes in with so much hype, and well he IS an impressive sight to watch on the mat, he tends to rack up more boring decisions than Judge Judy. This could be his chance to get an impressive submission win against a "name" opponent. And therein lies the rub.
If Arona comes in expecting the W, Saku will pressure him and potentially shift the cards in his favor or even potentially land a fight alerting off-the-top-rope-spinning-cartwheel-inverted-mongolian-foot-stomp.
You just never know what Kazushi's gonna do, hell I bet he doesn't even know.
Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Once upon a time, there were two brave warriors from different lands that both had climbed to the top of their fighting crafts. One was a brutal no-holds-barred caged animal who kicked, kneed and punched his way to the top over the often mangled and broken bodies of his opponents. The other was a sage, patient warrior who outmaneuvered his foes and slammed them to the ground which such skill that the earth trembled. Both were recognized as greats and achieved the summit of their sports. Eventually, the wise old man decided to prove his craft was superior and entered the younger animal's sport - intent on validating his claims. They met in a fierce war that, ironically, saw both men use methods the other was considered best at in order to win the fight. Not expected to conquer the animal at his own game, the old man nonetheless surprised many. A rematch would again see the younger brute get the decision. The old man was pained at his apparent failure. But the old man was no fool.
He knew that his art was superior, and while perhaps he was too old to prove his point, he took it upon himself to groom and train a new generation of warriors to avenge his shortcomings and, perhaps, succeed where he could not. One student in particular fought with the heart of a true warrior and won many great victories, even in defeat was he impressive. Now, after passing perhaps his final test... the student has now achieved his goal. He will face the animal, the monster that has shamed and defeated his master. He will have his revenge and prove, beyond the shadow of a doubt - that Judo is the best martial art in the world. He will have his redemption on the evil Muay Thai Monster - Wanderlei Silva.
A nice fairy tale, sure. Story time's over though - and Nakamura had better wake up to this fact post-haste, rather than post-humously.