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Let's take a look at the fights: Ken Kaneko vs Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett In one of the fights established solely for ratings, KOTC and PRIDE Bushido veteran Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett will square off with Japanese television star Ken Kaneko. Bennett(13-10-2) has had a rocky 2005 to say the least and has lost his last three fights. He is well liked by the MMA community but primarily for his entertaining style rather than his fighting ability. Kaneko is a relative unknown. A popular celebrity in Japan, Kaneko has supposedly been training in MMA for the past three years. Training is one thing and fighting is another. Bennett's experience coupled with his devastating punching power should lead to a victory for the "Krazy" one. It will likely be quite an entertaining affair while it lasts though. My Pick: Bennett by brutal KO/TKO in the 1st Round Makoto Takimoto vs Sanae Kikuta In the first of five all-Japanese match-ups, Judo Gold Medallist Sanae Kikuta will face ADCC champion Sanae Kikuta in what should turn out to be a ground battle. Takimoto(2-1-0) is still a relative newcomer to MMA. All three of his fights have gone to decision, with both of his wins being somewhat debatable. Sanae Kikuta(24-6-3) is an accomplished MMA fighter and an even more accomplished fighter. A former ADCC champion, Kikuta is regarded as one of the best submission grapplers in Japan. I don't see Takimoto having much of a chance in this one. Although training with Yoshida has resulted in gradual improvement, he isn't going to improve nearly enough to contend with Kikuta. Kikuta is one of MMA's best "unknown" fighters. He came within inches of becoming the Light Heavyweight King of Pancrase, but failed in two attempts against the champion Yuki Kondo. Kikuta's ground game is exceptional and despite his opponent's Judo background, Kikuta should be able to secure a submission win. Takimoto's stand up has improved drastically since his first fight and if he can keep it on the feet he may have a chance, however marginal that chance might be. My Pick: Kikuta by Submission in the 1st Round James Thompson vs Giant Silva In what can be called a "freak show" fight, James "Colossus" Thompson will face Giant Silva. The combined height and weight in this fight is a gargantuan 13'7 and 649lbs. Thompson(10-2-0) has won his last four fights and is undefeated since his loss to Aleksander Emelianenko at PRIDE 28. Thompson's fighting style is very basic; he charges and swings his arms as hard as humanly possible.(Which is VERY hard, considering how large this man is) Paulo Cesar "Giant" Silva(1-4-0) is just that, a giant. Standing over seven feet tall, Silva is unquestionably slow and clumsy. His only win came from a surprise kimura victory over Henry "Sentoryu" Miller at Total Elimination 2004. This one should be short and sweet. Giant Silva has very little chance of pulling off a victory in this one. My Pick: James Thompson by KO/TKO early in the 1st Round Aleksander Emelianenko vs Pawel Nastula Top 10 Heavyweight contender Aleksander Emelianenko will step into the ring against Judo legend Pawel Nastula. Aleks(7-1-0) is the little brother of the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Fedor Emelianenko. Aleksander has done a supreme job of living up to the Emelianenko name, defeating some good fighters including Assuerio Silva, Ricardo Morais and James Thompson, with his only loss coming to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Aleksander is a legitimate contender in the PRIDE Heavyweight division. Pawel Nastula(0-1-0) is a legendary Judoka fighting out of Poland. Despite losing to Antonio Nogueira, Nastula pulled off a quite an impressive performance in his debut fight, actually controlling "Minotauro" for the first few minutes of that fight. This fight is really quite unfair to the man from Poland. Nastula is a decent up-and-comer with a potentially bright future. Unfortunately, PRIDE is making him go swim with the sharks yet again. As mentioned above, Nastula was impressive in his first fight and he has probably improved tenfold since that fight. With that said, he's facing a monster in Aleks Emelianenko. Nastula may be able to use his Judo skills to enact an early takedown on his larger foe, but in the end, Pawel's going to be laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling of the Saitama Super Arena. My Pick: Aleksander Emelianenko by KO/TKO in the 1st Round Yuki Kondo vs Kazuhiro Nakamura In what should be a very competitive fight, Japanese stars Yuki Kondo and Kazuhiro Nakamura will attempt to ascend the PRIDE Middleweight ladder with a victory. Kondo(44-16-5) is a Pancrase legend and the current Light Heavyweight King of Pancrase. A savvy veteran, Kondo has had an illustrious Mixed Martial Arts career, including multiple KOP(King of Pancrase) titles. Kazuhiro Nakamura(7-4-0) is regarded by many as Japan's best 205lbs fighter. Nakamura has defeated some big names throughout his career and in his last fight defeated the heavily favored Igor Vovchanchyn by Unanimous Decision. With a victory here, Nakamura may secure a spot in the Light Heavyweight top 10. I think this is a great fight. Both guys are tremendous fighters and it should be a battle right to the end. Kondo, as always, is at a disadvantage because he's fighting somebody who is naturally a good 30 pounds heavier than he is. On top of that, Nakamura has great throws and takedowns. Nevertheless, Kondo is an exceptional striker and should have the advantage on the feet. Nakamura is akin to a bit of stalling once it hits the ground and may attempt to use this tactic to win a decision. Kondo is the wrong person to play this game against. Yuki's very slippery on the ground and I've yet to see somebody mount him without being reversed sometime later on. As long as Nakamura can stay out of Kondo's range on the feet, he should be able to use his weight and his submission skills to win a decision. Kondo's heart is as big as Asia and he'll no doubt put up a great fight, but I think Nakamura comes out the winner in this one. My Pick: Kazuhiro Nakamura by Decision Hidehiko Yoshida vs Naoya Ogawa This fight has all of Japan buzzing. Two Judo legends will square off in a fight that may end up shattering PRIDE television records. Ogawa(7-1-0) is a pro wrestler and is literally Japan's Hulk Hogan. He has had a short MMA career, with his biggest win coming against former PRIDE gatekeeper, Gary Goodridge. In his last fight Ogawa was forced to fight Fedor Emelianenko, and as predicted, ended up getting flattened in less than a minute. Hidehiko Yoshida(5-3-1) has had an impressive career with two of his losses coming to the current PRIDE Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva. His other loss came to Greco-Roman Gold Medallist Rulon Gardner who outweighed Yoshida by 80 pounds. Both of his fights with Silva were entertaining wars and as a result Yoshida has garnered some much-deserved respect for his ability and his toughness. In his last fight, Yoshida defeated old-school UFC badboy Tank Abbott via Ezekiel Choke in the 1st round. This fight presents a few questions to MMA fans. Who is the better Judoka? One would think that it would be Yoshida due to the fact that he won a Gold Medal while Ogawa only won Silver. However, Ogawa has won four World Championships to Yoshida's one. Will Yoshida wear the Gi? Who knows, but I certainly would not if it were me. Wearing a Gi may play right into the hands of Ogawa and give him handholds, which will make it easier for him to throw Yoshida to the ground. An interesting little tidbit is that these men have met before in the Judo world, with Yoshida getting the win via points. I think this one might stay on the feet. The Judo skills of both men are on a relatively equal level and may end up negating each other. On the feet, Yoshida is the better striker. He went toe-to-toe with Silva on both occasions and didn't take a step backwards. Ogawa did show in his fight with Leko that he packs a punch and he may surprise us all yet again in this aspect. I predict that Yoshida will pick Ogawa apart on the feet in the 1st round, and in the 2nd it will go the ground with Yoshida securing a submission victory. My Pick: Yoshida by Submission in the 2nd Round Fedor Emelienenko vs Zuluzinho In one of the more bizarre fights we've seen from PRIDE, the Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko will fight Zuluzinho, a 6'5, 400lbs monster from Brazil. Fedor(22-1-0) is the most dominant fighter in the world today, having systematically annihilated the brunt of the PRIDE Heavyweight division. In his last fight, Fedor defeated Mirko Filipovic in a three round war. As always, Fedor looked very impressive, confusing Cro Cop by constantly pressing the action on the feet and forcing the Croatian striker to backpedal. Fedor's opponent, Zuluzinho(2-0-0) is making his second appearance in PRIDE and his third "official" appearance in professional MMA. I have official in quotations because according to Zuluzinho, he's had about 40 previous fights in Brazil, all of which he was victorious via KO. Zuluzinho is the son of the famous Brazilian Vale Tudo fighter Zulu, who lost in the 80's to BJJ legend Rickson Gracie. This fight should be great to watch. Not because it will be a competitive fight, but because we'll get to see Fedor annihilate a much larger opponent. Can we honestly say that watching Fedor pound the crap out of Gary Goodridge was not entertaining? I see Fedor taking Zulu out on the feet, much in the same fashion as the Goodridge fight. Given the opportunity, Fedor may use his Judo background to take the fight to the mat or he may just end it on the feet. If by some miracle Zulu wins this fight, it will be easily the biggest upset to ever take place in Mixed Martial Arts. My Pick: Fedor Emelianenko by KO/TKO in the 1st Round Kazushi Sakuraba vs Ikuhisa Minowa In what is a true dream match for Japanese MMA fans, two of the most unique and entertaining fighters in the world will do battle in the PRIDE ring. Kazushi Sakuraba(18-9-1) is an MMA legend and one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. At PRIDE 30, Sakuraba bounced back from a tough defeat Critical Countdown with a KO win over rival legend Ken Shamrock. Although there was some controversy surrounding the outcome of the fight, Ken was clearly outclassed by a superior fighter. In his last four fights, Sakuraba is 3-1. Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa(30-22-8) is one of the craziest fighters in PRIDE. With a never-say-die attitude and a full-speed-ahead fighting style, Minowa has captured the hearts of the Japanese fans. Minowa's last appearance was at the Bushido Grand Prix where he lost in the semi-finals to his former mentor, Murilo Bustamante. Earlier in the night, Minowa defeated Phil Baroni in what was a rather lackluster fight. It's been awhile since Sakuraba has fought somebody who's at or around the same size as he is, and his performance should not disappoint. I don't think Minowa has much of a shot at winning this one. When it comes to wrestling ability, it's no contest, as Sakuraba has the clear advantage. In striking it's no contest yet again. With Sakuraba's extensive Chute Boxe training, Minowa stand little chance on the feet. The only place where Minowa may have a shot is on the ground, and I doubt even that. Minowa has great leglocks, but Saku is arguably the slickest grappler in MMA history. I don't think Minowa can strike with Sak, I don't think he can wrestle with Sak, and I don't think he can submit Sak. Therefore, I think Minowa will lose. My Pick: Kazushi Sakuraba by KO/TKO in the 1st Round Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs Mark Hunt Two former K-1 superstars will meet at Shockwave in what will presumably be a stand up clinic from both men. Cro Cop(17-3-2) is continuing on his upward climb to a possible rematch with PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Fedor Emelianenko. In his last fight, Cro Cop defeated fellow top 10 Heavyweight Josh Barnett by unanimous decision. In his recent outings, Cro Cop has shown increased proficiency in his ground skills, and some will say that his stand up game has been negatively affected as a result. Mark Hunt(2-1-0), is like Mirko, a former K-1 star. In his last fight against Wanderlei Silva, Hunt showed off his lethal hands en route to a split decision victory. This fight is a no-win situation for Cro Cop. If he wins, than it's no big deal since Hunt isn't even a ranked fighter. If he loses, Cro Cop's chances for a rematch get flushed straight down the drain, or at least until the 2006 Heavyweight Grand Prix. Hunt may be the first opponent that Cro Cop doesn't want to strike with. Hunt has brutal knockout power in his hands and one clean shot is all it will take to put Mirko to sleep. Furthermore, it's virtually impossible to KO Hunt as he possesses a granite chin. The safe route for Cro Cop may be to take this fight to the ground as soon as possible. But can he take Hunt down? And if so, can he submit him? Hunt is short and stocky while Mirko is tall and lanky. Cro Cop's body is not the ideal wrestler's frame. Cro Cop will also have his work cut out for him should he get Hunt to the ground. If a BJJ black belt in Wanderlei Silva can't submit Hunt, how is Cro Cop going to do it? This fight is almost too close to call. If Cro Cop wins it will most likely be by decision, while if Hunt wins it will most likely be by knockout. I think Cro Cop will dominate the majority of the fight, throwing straight lefts right down the pipe and flipping up the occasional high kick at Hunt's cinder-block dome. Hunt will go down in some point in the fight and Cro Cop will pounce on top, refusing to allow Hunt the opportunity to get back to his feet. Mirko won't be able to finish the fight, but he'll do plenty enough to win a decision. My Pick: Cro Cop by Decision Dan Henderson vs Murilo Bustamante At Shockwave 2005, the first 183lbs title fight in the history of PRIDE FC will take place as Dan Henderson faces Murilo Bustamante for the right to be called the PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Champion. Dan Henderson(18-4-0) will be making his third appearance in his natural weight class. His last two in-ring appearances took place at Bushido: The Tournament where he defeated Ryo Chonan and Akihiro Gono, both wins coming by way of knockout. Henderson is arguably the #1 185lbs fighter in the world and a win here would cement that ranking. Murilo Bustamante(12-4-1) will be in Henderson's way and in the process will attempt to avenge his previous loss to the aformentioned fighter. Like Dan, Murilo's last appearance was at the Bushido Grand Prix where he gained victories over Masanori Suda and Ikuhisa Minowa. A win here would vault Bustamante right back to the top of the 185lbs division. In many ways this is a classic striker vs grappler fight. Henderson possesses great stand up and has a wicked right hand that can knock out anybody in his division. Bustamante is one of the leaders of the Brazilian Top Team and a reputable master on the ground. The kink thrown into this scenario though is that Busta is more than capable on the feet, and Hendo likewise is very capable on the ground. Still, the smart strategy for Dan would be to keep the fight standing and for Busta, the likely gameplan would be to take it the ground. I'm calling what many might call an "upset" here. From what I've seen on the various forums, most are expecting a Dan Henderson victory. I don't think so. I've always felt that Bustamante's stand up is drastically underrated and in my opinion, he is more than capable of banging it out with Henderson on the feet. Busta has shown his stand up proficiency on more than one occasion, including his fights with Chuck Liddell and Ryuta Sakurai. When it fought Liddell, Busta was able to stalemate "The Iceman" and one could argue that he won the stand up battle in that fight. Against Sakurai, Bustamante deftly picked him apart on the feet and eventually won the fight by unanimous decision. In this fight, Bustamante is going to trade for the first portion of the bout, allowing Dan to wear himself out. When the time is right(or when Hendo will no longer be able to defend the takedown), Busta will tie it to the ground and win it by submission. My Pick: Bustamante by Submission in the 2nd Round Takanori Gomi vs Hayato Sakurai In what may be the most anticipated fight on the show, the King of the Lightweights, Takanori "Fireball Kid" Gomi will face off against his former teacher, the legendary Hayato "Mach" Sakurai. This match is the finals of the Bushido Lightweight tournament and will crown the first ever PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix Champion. Gomi(23-2-0) is the most dominant Lightweight fighter in the world today. At the Bushido Grand Prix, Gomi defeated Luiz Azeredo for the second time and more significantly, submitted Tatsuya Kawajiri, the man many considered to be the #1 Lightweight fighter in the world at that time. Gomi's opponent is Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, an estabished MMA legend. After years of competing against larger fighters between 170-185lbs, Sakurai revived his career, going back to his original weight class at the September Bushido event. Mach went on to defeat Jens Pulver and Joachim Hansen, winning the former by TKO and the latter by unanimous decision. A win here would cement Mach's status as one of the all time greats this sport has ever seen. Both Gomi and Sakurai are very well rounded fighters. Sakurai has very capable stand up, especially his devastating kicks. He executes some great judo throws and is a submission wizard on the ground. Gomi has arguably the best stand up in his division, has brutal punching power, is a great wrestler, and has an iron chin. If both guys decide to stand up and trade at a distance, one would expect Gomi to have the significant advantage. However, Gomi utilizes a very "care-free" striking style, which may give Sakurai adequate opportunities to catch Gomi in a clinch. From the clinch Gomi does have some wicked knees, but there's a good chance Sakurai would be able to throw Gomi to the ground. If Gomi gets taken down, can he get back up? If there is one weakness in Gomi's game it's his ability to fight off his back. In his last fight against Luiz Azeredo, Gomi was content just to hold on and wait for a break. If Sakurai can get Gomi to the ground and can stay busy, the "Fireball Kid" is going to be in a world of trouble. On the flip side of the equation, Gomi's Ground 'n' Pound attack is nasty. The obvious difference though is that Sakurai works extremely well off his back. Whether he works well enough to submit Gomi or to stand back up remains to be seen. Another interesting aspect will be Sakurai's kicking ability. Gomi hasn't faced anybody that has kicks the calibur of Sakurai. As was the case against Pulver, some brutal leg and liver kicks might be exactly what Mach needs to do to set up a takedown. This fight is almost too close to call. Either guy could take the victory, but I think Gomi's chin will be the difference. Sakurai's going to do very well at the start of the fight, using his kicks to keep Gomi at bay. He'll go for the occasional takedown, but Gomi's superior wrestling ability will stuff him each time, turning this one into a stand up affair. Sakurai will land his fair share of blows, but Gomi won't even flinch and will continue to press forward. Evntually, sometime near the end of the 1st round, Gomi will land a huge shot that will floor his opponent. Gomi will pursue his relentless attack until the official steps in and stops the bout, crowning him the first ever Japanese PRIDE Champion. It's really a shame that either one of these fighters will lose this fight. Sakurai's recent resurgence has sparked a feeling of nostalgia among the MMA community and Gomi is the Lightweight King who always puts on an entertaining performance. Really, who doesn't want to see Gomi scale the ropes yet again? Although the fight itself is very hard to predict, one thing that's easy to predict is that this fight has the potential to be a classic. My Pick: Takanori Gomi by KO/TKO in the 1st Round Wanderlei Silva vs Ricardo Arona In what is probably the most significant fight of the show, the PRIDE Middleweight Championship will be on the line as Wanderlei Silva meets Ricardo Arona. This fight is a rematch from their previous encounter at Final Conflict 2005, where Arona garnered the decision victory. Wanderlei Silva(29-5-1) is the current PRIDE Middleweight Champion. His last fight was the previously mentioned loss against Arona in the first round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. Many have speculated that Silva hasn't quite been himself in his recent outings. Arona(12-3-0) is coming off a night of ultimate highs and bitter lows. At Final Conflict, Arona was able to defeat Silva but was stopped in the finals of the GP tournament by Silva's teammate, Mauricio Rua. I see this as a must-win fight for both men. In my mind, this fight depends on which mindset Wanderlei is in on fight night. Will he be the usual agressive maniac that aims to not only beat his opponent, but maim him as well? Or will he be the passive, unagressive fighter that we saw at Final Conflict. We know that Arona is going to be the same fighter he always is, but with Silva there are some viable question marks. The key for Silva is to be agressive but not wild. If he swings with reckless abandon, Arona will have no trouble bringing him to the ground. In that same token, if Silva remains passive Arona will have an even easier time accomplishing the takedown. And as we all know, if Arona gets the takedown it's unlikely that Silva is getting back up. Arona will do what he always he does; throw leg kicks, go for the takedown, and attempt to assume a dominant position on the ground. But what will Silva do? I really think the outcome of this fight depends entirely on Wanderlei. The smart pick would be Arona, but I'm going with my gut and choosing Wanderlei. I think we'll see the old, agressive Wanderlei back in action. Arona will take control of the early rounds, but unlike their previous encounter, this fight is three rounds and not just two. Arona will be out of gas by the third round and Silva will take advantage by putting him to sleep. My Pick: Wanderlei Silva by KO/TKO in the 3rd round
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