Best Moments of PRIDE (Not the Parade)
Whether you surf, play football, bowl, and sprint or watch MMA, there will be moments in the life of your interest that will resonate with you, that will stick to your brain like peanut butter to the roof of Rex’s mouth. They may not be the biggest moments, but for you they mean something special. When thinking of PRIDE, there are a half dozen moments, events or fights that have stayed with me like Hillary to Bill. They are, in no particular order:
-Fedor’s defeat of Big Nog, winning him the PRIDE heavyweight championship: Big Nog had seemed impervious, so tough it was as if he was made entirely of shark cartilage. Then came along a Russian Sambo champion with lightening fast combos and a wicked straight right who made a point of staying in Nog’s guard, widely considered the most dangerous (and stupid) thing to do. But Fedor had a point to make: that he could take any fighter to their strength and win. Footnote-I’ve always believed if Fedor had fought Big Nog with no time limit, Nog would have won.
-Wanderlei Silva. This Brazilian had numerous fights that stick in the cranium, mostly because of their sheer violence. His decimation of Sakuraba, who was a force at the time, and his KO of Rampage via seventeen knees to the skull cap that left the American bloodied and hanging from the ropes, were testaments to why Wandelrei Silva was a belt-holder for so many years. WS was my first intro to the devastating effect of quality Muay Thai when combined with elite grappling.
-Pride was an event of personalities, more so even than the UFC has been, and that’s saying something. Perhaps that’s because back in PRIDE, not everyone had shaved heads like army grunts. But no personality was larger than Rampage. His KO of Randleman and his subsequent call-out of Wanderlei (who came into the ring to shove Rampage), along with his trademark chain and wolf howl were all larger than life.
-For sheer visual impact no fight affected me more than Marc Coleman breaking Shogun’s arm with a toss, a mere .49 seconds into round 1. Seeing the great Brazilian fly through the air and brace for the fall, only to have his elbow give way, was as nauseating as watching Joe Theisman get sacked and busted in two. The Hammer's (seeming) steroid-induced rage afterwards, where corner men and ringside officials had to keep him off his downed opponent, was a memorable if inglorious day for the sport.
-Wanderlei’s KO loss in a brutal war with Dan Henderson was the first time since his rise at PRIDE that the great light heavyweight lost in brutal fashion to a fighter in his own weight range. It wasn’t WS’s only loss at the time. He’d lost to Ricardo Arona (in a decision), and he’d been KO’d by Cro Cop (a larger heavyweight). But Henderson was the first man to take it to the Tasmanian Devil, Tasmanian Devil-style. The victory made a legend out of Hendo.
> Check out the MMA shirts & apparel including Intimidation Clothing and more online through ProFighting-fans.com!
Honorable Mention
-Fry v. Takayama hockey-style fight. Canadians especially loved this slugfest, reminiscent of a good Canadiens/Bruins game. I'd like to see a rematch...on ice.
-Gracie’s corner throws in the towel v. Sakuraba. Sakuraba, known as The Gracie Killer, did something no one else has done –cause the family to cede.
-Shogun KO’s Akihiro Gono with a soccer kick. ‘Nuff said.
-Goodridge KO’s Frye with a lightening quick head kick .39 seconds into round 1. Frye was never the same after that. Who would be?
-Any time 6’ 11” Dutch kick boxer and mixed martial artist Semy Schilt stepped through the ropes, win or lose.
By Renko Styranka
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer