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From TheSmartMarks.com News Preview for PRIDE: TOTAL ELIMINATION On January 8th 2003, Dreamstage Entertainment / PRIDE Fighting Championships officials held a press conference at a Shinjuku Hotel in Tokyo, to announce plans for a middleweight Grand Prix tournaments, with the first stage happening in August and the finals happening in October 2003 On June 25th, PRIDE made an announcement that the following fighters would join PRIDE GP, now dubbed �Total Elimination.� Alistair Overeem Hidehiko Yoshida Vanderlei Silva Quinton "Rampage" Jackson Ricardo Arona Chuck Liddell and Kiyoshi Tamura.  With that announcement, Mixed Martial Arts fans all over the world began salivating at the prospect of seeing such an amazing line up of fighters, all on the same show. Most amazing of all, PRIDE wasn�t done yet! On July 21st, Nobihiku Takada officially announced three heavyweight match ups for the same show� Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Emelianenko Fedor vs. �Big Daddy� Gary Goodridge and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez On August 4th, PRIDE finalized the card, announcing the line up for the show, which is scheduled to take place at Saitama Super Arena, in Tokyo Japan. PRIDE Total Elimination 2003 Fight Card #1 Fedor Emelianenko vs Gary Goodridge #2 Chuck Liddell vs Alistair Overeem #3 Quinton Jackson vs Ricardo Arona #4 Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Ricco Rodriguez #5 Mirko "Cro-Cop" Filipovic vs Igor Vovchanchyn #6 Hidehiko Yoshida vs Kiyoshi Tamura #7 Wanderlei Silva vs Kazushi Sakuraba With the finalization of the card, the familiar catch phrase �best MMA show EVER� began to get tossed around. Hyperbole? Maybe, but looking at that card, how could you NOT think that? Then, just a day after the fight card was finalized, a potential disaster struck. Roberto Duarte, one of the owners of Brazilian Top Team, confirmed that Ricardo Arona injured his ankle tendon during a training session, but had traveled anyway to Japan trying recover. After a medical check up, he realized his heel was broken. Surprised by the absence of Ricardo Arona, the PRIDE organization was in a hurry to find out a substitute to replace the Brazilian Top Team�s fighter. Who did they get? Only the man who never lost the UFC Middleweight Championship, that�s all. A mere two days later, The Brazilian Top Team and PRIDE sent word that none other than Murilo Bustamante has been confirmed as officially replacing Ricardo Arona this Sunday at the PRIDE Grand Prix Total �Elimination 2003!� The deal is that Bustamante will fight Quinton Jackson August 10th and if he wins, he�ll be back in November to join the other fighters in the "Final Conflict." The stage is SET my friends, for what stands to be the greatest MMA show of all time. If you have ever thought about checking out a Mixed Martial Arts event, ORDER THIS SHOW. With the way this card stacks up, you are virtually guaranteed to see an outstanding night of MMA action. And now, with no further hype, is the new member of �The Tap Out Count Down�, the Smart Marks Forums resident MMA genius, Mr. John Mackinnon. Here is John�s predictions and run down for the show, with my two cents added in.  Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge What a difference a punch makes. Fedor Emelianenko was being touted as �unstoppable� until he was almost knocked silly by New Japan Pro Wrestling Superstar Kaz Fujita at the last PRIDE show. Now, every heavyweight fighter is liking his lips at the prospect of knocking out the champ. Gary Goodridge is one of those fighters. It�s funny how Pride works, because Gary( despite being out of the top 10) is the perfect guy to put up against Fedor given what happened in the Fujita fight. Gary has an awesome sprawl (training with Mark Coleman and Tom Erikson will do that for you) and is a capable stand-up fighter with knockout power. If Fedor does indeed have a weakness it will be exploited in this fight. It almost looks like Pride wants to have their champ lose...but then again, Fedor is a very smart fighter and has probably been training night-and-day on his stand-up because he knows that he got cut in his last fight, and that one drop of blood set off a feeding frenzy in the heavyweight division. Fedor got wacky and underestimated Fujita, that won�t happen here. Pride has set this fight up to prove Fedor�s stand-up defense for the potential Cro Cop match in the future and I think Fedor will pass with flying colors. If it goes long, which I don�t think it will, Gary will be at a severe disadvantage, as age is a factor (37). I expect this match to steal the show, with action packed excitement from two of the hardest hitters in the fight game. Fedor is just too good, too strong, and too smart to be beaten by Gary Goodridge. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Fedor Emelianenko By: Submission, Choke. Time: 7:49 Round 1 Dave Dymond�s Prediction: I agree with everything John said, except I�m predicting a knock out. I think Fedor will knock Big Daddy silly. Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem Just 2 months ago �The Iceman� was on everyone�s mind. Chuck Liddell was on top of the world, and his division, and it seemed like only a matter of time before gold was placed around his waist. Enter Randy Couture. Now, after one match, Chuck Liddell is just another fighter. His defeat to The Natural at UFC 43 was a splash of cold water to the face of everyone who followed the sport. It was shocking, it was impossible, it was jaw dropping. Not that Chuck lost�but Chuck was DEFEATED. Chuck was DOMINATED. The Natural made him seem like an amateur and in one match, the myth and legacy of Chuck Liddell was DESTROYED. Now, the Iceman is on a quest for redemption, and Alistair Overeem is seemingly one step in a 3-step program to get back on top the MMA world. But this is no easy task, Overeem is no ordinary fighter and these steps are on a steep mountain to climb. One can make the claim that Overeem has had it easy in terms of opponents and this is his first true test, and I agree. This one match could make or break both fighters, if Alistair wins it will put him in with the top fighters in the world and if Chuck loses he could very well be done for unless he does get that match with Tito Ortiz sometime in the future. Needless to say, I don�t think Chuck coming out with anything less than First Place will satisfy and redeem him, in his eyes or anyone else�s. Overeem has the reach advantage and will be able to control the pace of the fight. Chuck will determine whether the fight stays standing or not. I could see Overeem landing a flying knee if Chuck tries to shoot-in and take it to the ground, but that�s unlikely. My gut says Overeem, but my head says Liddell. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Chuck Liddell By: TKO Time: 8:50 Round 1 Dave Dymond�s Prediction: Once again, (and get used to it) I agree with John. I don�t get the hype on Overeem. He doesn�t deserve it yet, and I�m betting The Iceman is PISSED about his last loss, and looking to take it out on the silly ass hairdo having head of Overeem. Murilo Bustamante vs. Quinton Jackson Here we have two of the top fighters in their divisions and two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Unfortunately for Bustamante, his division is a weight below Jackson�s and he gives up about 20 pounds to a guy who has a ton of momentum on his side. This will be a factor in this match because Jackson is STRONG and knows how to throw his weight around. The best thing for �Busta� to do is to take it to the 3rd round and test Jackson�s endurance, then go for a submission. Easier said than done, because Rampage is a FINISHER. Jackson won�t want this to go for 3 rounds, he won�t want to wait around until his opponent makes a move. I am betting he still trained to go the whole way with Arona and that will help him against Bustamante. The biggest factor in this match is time. And I don�t mean 20 minutes. I mean a week. Quinton trained for Ricardo, not Murilo. Murilo hasn�t been fighting in a year. There are tactical and training issues here for both men. They are going in nearly blind to each other (though Murilo helped train Ricardo for this fight, and that will help) and that will play a role in each man�s strategy. But that won�t effect the entertainment value of this fight for we the fans. Oh no. These two men are great fighters and great fighters rise to the occasion. Much like the Arona fight, I really don�t know who will win this and I don�t want to bet against Bustamante. But as I said before, Jackson has too much momentum on his side for me to doubt him or his abilities. I�m picking Jackson. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Quinton Jackson By: Decision Time: 20:00 Dave Dymond�s Prediction: Damn, I am having a HELL of a time picking this one. While formatting this column, I think I have changed my mind about five times. This is a close one. Bustamante has been inactive longer, but then again he was helping Arona train, specifically for Jackson. Jackson is younger and stronger, but then Bustamante is a better fighter. Okay�I�m going to go with Jackson, because of youth, strength, and lack of �ring rust� but I wouldn�t be at all surprised to be proven wrong. If he DOES beat Bustamante, it will be the biggest win of Jackson�s career. Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez Two former champions going at it. The psychological impact of not only having lost the championship, but being totally and utterly taken apart in a match you should have won, must be great on both men, which is why we haven�t seen them for 6 months. Will that impact effect their heads going into this fight? Personally, this is a dream bout. I�ve wanted to see these two go head-to-head for a while now because they are such a good match. They both are proficient submission fighters and are finishers. Ricco has become more �Ground and Pound� oriented lately, and has used his strength to get guys up against the cage and just deliver his strikes. The Pride ring, however, does not afford the same luxuries as the UFC cage, so Ricco better think twice about Ground and Pounding with Nog. Noguiera is still king of the heavyweights when it comes to mat work and can hook on that triangle in the blink-of-an-eye. Both men are smart fighters and will know each other�s strengths and weaknesses and try to play towards them. I think Ricco will try to keep it standing. (WHAT?) Yeah, that�s right. Ricco hasn�t been just curled up in a corner somewhere licking his wounds, he�s been improving. And what�s the area he�s improving in? STRIKING! That�s how he lost his last fight and you know he spent that last 6 months focused on stand-up to reclaim his UFC gold, and Nog probably won�t be expecting it. Ricco is a good wrestler, but it seems if Nog wants it on the ground he will end up getting his way, so whether or not it stays standing for long is up to him. A lot of people seem to be counting Ricco out here, which I think is a big mistake. Though I think Ricco will lose in the 2nd round to a triangle, this fight could very well go the full 20 minutes (where, of course, the decision will go to Nog), Ricco does have a shot at winning this. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Antonio Rodrigo �Minotauro� Nogueria By: Submission/Triangle Time: 3:57 2nd Round Dave Dymond�s Prediction: You can count me as one of the people who has been counting Ricco out. I think he�s overrated, and I think Nogueria (who is my favorite fighter, I admit) is going to outclass Rodriguez. As far as striking? Minotauro traded punches with Bob Freaking Sapp, whereas Ricco got knocked out in less than three minutes by Tim Freaking Sylvia. I don�t care what Ricco has been doing, unless he�s been going to Josh Barnett�s drug store, he�s going down! Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic is on a Quest. That Quest is to become the #1 fighter in both K-1 and Pride. Some people believe that he will fulfill that Quest by year�s end, and become king of the fighting world. He has broken bones with his kicks and punches, most notably Bob Sapp�s right orbital bone and Heath Herring's ribs. Without doubt, Mirko �Cro Cop� Filipovic is the most dangerous striker in Mixed Martial Arts today. Igor Vovchanchyn is a fallen hero. Once a man who dominated the Pride ring with an iron fist having fought in an incredible 14 straight Pride events, he now has lost 3 out of his 4 last matches in Pride with his last one at Pride 22 being a complete beating at the hands of the man called Rampage. It seems that all of those consecutive Pride events have taken a toll on the near 30 year old's body, and it finally gave up in the Jackson fight. After a short break, Ice Cold is back and looks better than ever. Igor, despite being more experienced, is at a severe disadvantage in this match. He will not be able to take Mirko down, and is at a disadvantage when it comes to reach. This means that, much like the Herring match, Filipovic will be deciding how the fight will be fought and at what pace it should go. With this said, Vovchanchyn will be a lot smarter in this fight than Herring was, and he probably won�t rush it. He will try to pick his spots and set up his shots. I see Cro Cop letting Igor advance the fight, feeling out what he has in terms of stand-up, and then trying finish it off quickly with a high kick, or a kick to Igor�s already battered ribs. The only chance I see of Vovchanchyn winning is if he lands a bomb when Cro Cop tries to finish it and knocks Mirko out. This match WILL end in a knock out, it�s just a matter of when Filipovic chooses to strike. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Mirko Filipovic By: KO Time: 5:06 1st Round Dave Dymond�s Prediction: Who do I WANT to win this match? Igor. Who do I think WILL win this match. Cro-Cop. Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura I�m actually really looking forward to seeing this fight. Tamura, having been a worked-shooter, or worked-shoot worker, or �professional wrestler,� is very active on the mat and can work some beautiful transitions on the ground. Yoshida will want to play that game (and is one of the best at that game) so I�m expecting some beautiful mat-work in the match and some very technical ground exchanges. Yoshida will have the strength advantage in this fight, so how fast or how slow this match will go depends on him. Given his opponent, and the pressure put on him to not only win but to become a superstar, I think he will be very active and take some chances. Tamura will only be able to defend against Yoshida�s power for so long and I see him giving out in the 2nd round. Stylistically, I see this sort of being like the Rogerio Nogueira (a good ground fighter) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (who trains with Yoshida) from Pride 25: Body Blow (which was a very good match), but with the Judo-guy winning this time. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Hidehiko Yoshida By: TapOut/Armbar Time: 3:01 2nd Round Dave Dymond�s Prediction: Once again, I couldn�t agree more with John. (Hey, there was a REASON I asked him to help me with these columns you know!) This is the �dark horse� match, but I think it has the potential to be great, and I am also picking Yoshida. Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba I really don�t know what to say about this. I don't want to really think about it. I care too much about this match to care...if that makes any sense at all...Sakuraba lost to Silva twice already, he got severely injured in both matches and many point to those matches as Sakuraba�s downfall both physically and mentally. What will this 3rd match do? What will it prove? I don�t get it. Sure, if Sakuraba wins the roof will blow on Saitama and the foundation will shake...but what are the odds of that? The question seems to be not if Kazushi will lose, but how soon, in what way, and whether he�ll be able to get out of the ring on his own two feet. Sakuraba is said to have gotten stronger, bulked up, and is ready for this fight. Silva has just gotten off double knee surgery and there�s rust issues to deal with. These may be big issues, but I�m not feeling it. I don�t want to see Sakuraba get beaten again. The guy is legend, a hero. I would have rather seen him against Jackson, or Tamura, or Yoshida. At least in that way, if he loses, he will have lost to someone he hasn�t lost to before, let alone twice. The Japanese are odd people, they love the underdog and they love the fighting spirit. The chips are down, everything is against you, but you keep fighting for that itsy-bitsy chance that you could win. Fighting the good fight is one thing, fighting a fight you already lost is another, and fighting a fight that could very well end your career, is what we have going on here. I will watch this match, but I�ll have my face covered with my hands peaking through my fingers to do so. Good luck Saku. JOHN�S PREDICTION: Winner: Wanderlei Silva By: TKO Time: 7:00 1st Round Dave Dymond�s Prediction: John said it better than I could. I so much WANT Saku to win this fight, but I so much think he WON�T. Then again, this is MMA. Miracles happen. I didn�t think Randy �The Natural� Couture had much of a chance against �The Iceman� and who�s the LHW Champion in UFC right now? You can count me in with John as having my hands over my face for this one. Well folks, that�s it. For those of you keeping track at home, YES John and I picked all the same winners. What can I say? John is a great MMA fan, a great MMA writer, and a great addition to the TSM MMA Column. John has turned �The Tap Out Wrap Up� into �The Tap Out Count Down� and now you can just call us (as John suggested) �The TSM Top Team.� In the name of all that is good and decent, I implore you all� ORDER THIS SHOW. In the mean time and in-between time, you could talk MMA in the �Miscellaneous Promotions Folder� at The Smart Marks Forum, or even better, visit the Mixed Martial Arts Folder at World Domination Inc., where you won�t have to look for MMA topics and content amongst messages about Rob Black and XPW. Get a hold of me HERE, or John Mackinnon HERE. See you next time, and until then, SUPPORT THE SPORT!    © Copyright 2002-2005 by TheSmartMarks.com |