Pride Open Weight Results

[size]

Roman Zentsov defeats Gilbert Yvel at 4:55 of round 1 by KO

Fabricio Werdum defeats Alistair Overeem at 3:43 of round 2 by armlock

Mark Hunt defeats Tsuyoshi Kosaka (TK) at 4:15 of round 2 by KO

Josh Barnett defeats Alexander Emelianenko at 1:57 of round 2 by armlock

Kazuyuki Fujita defeats James Thompson at 8:25 of round 2 by KO

Mirko Cro Cop defeats Ikuhisa Minowa at 1:10 of round 1 by KO

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Zulu at 2:17 in round 1 by armbar

Hidehiko Yoshida defeats Yousuke Nishijima at 2:33 in round 1 by triangle

 

[Alexander]

Great night of fights. The second round is gonna be unbelievable.

 

[Grassroots082]

Suprised:

Fabricio Werdum defeats Alistair Overeem at 3:43 of round 2 by armlock

Josh Barnett defeats Alexander Emelianenko at 1:57 of round 2 by armlock

Fujita could be a damn threat, that dude is big, strong and fast. He also gave Fedor all he wanted before Fedor clutched it out. Cro Cop beat him, thanks to a stoppage but he is a big fast ****er. Can't wait for 2nd round!

 

[Rodja]

Who else is supposed to fight in the tournament? I assume Fedor will be in it, but will Wanderlei be in it?

 

[Alexander]

The seven winners from last night and Fedor. No easy fights in the second round. So many good match-ups could occur. My main hope is that Fedor gets Barnett in the second round.

 

[MarcusG]

I was surprised Coleman wasn't in the tournament. He did win his qualifying match by beating Shogun.

 

[size]

All the fights were good.

Fujita's punch that KOed Thompson was devastating. Thompson simply went straight down.
Aleks vs. Barnett was an excellent fight. Aleks was rather dominant landing many more clean strikes than Barnett in round 1. However, he looked rather fatigued towards the end and in the second. Supposedly, Aleks dislocated his right hand during round1.
Hunt vs TK was a great fight. TK was battered but continued to push forward, an excellent effort on his part. Hunt did some decent sprawling and never looked in danger when on his feet even when getting hit. On the ground, he still needs work.
Yoshida's triangle was pretty nice especially when you see the position he started in and and how he moved to the trianlge.

 

[size]

Fedor is out, Silva is in.

Dream Stage Entertainment has announced on its Japanese web site that Fedor Emelianenko has been forced to withdraw from the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, and his replacement will be none other than "The Axe Murderer," Wanderlei Silva.
Dream Stage had hoped that Fedor would be ready to fight in time for the second round of the Grand Prix when it takes place on July 1st, but the surgery to repair Fedor's severely damaged hand has a very long recovery process. Fedor's doctor stated that the metal plate in Fedor's hand would not be ready to be surgically removed until June at the earliest, which would make it impossible for Fedor to fight on July 1st.

 

[jas123]

I just just saw that. Another site hints at Nog vs. Silva in the 2nd round (there's a thread on Sherdog.com about it). This would be an interesting matchup as it seems impossible to KO Nog and Silva's never been subbed.

This gives the Grand Prix a more Open Weight feel.

 

[Alexander]

That's good news. It makes the tournament unpredictable, which is exciting. With Fedor in it, its like the Bulls in the 90's, you still want to watch, but you know what will happen.

 

[Rodja]

It would be nice to see Silva and Yoshida again. That was one of the better fights between a grapller and a striker (I know Wanderlei has a black belt in BJJ, but he is definitely a striker first).

 

[Alexander]

There's so many good match-up possibilities. I'd like to see Silva/Barnett. Barnett may be too much for Wand to handle, but it'd be a battle for sure. I'm pissed Fedor's out, I want to see him destroy Barnett.

 

[Rodja]

There's so many good match-up possibilities. I'd like to see Silva/Barnett. Barnett may be too much for Wand to handle, but it'd be a battle for sure. I'm pissed Fedor's out, I want to see him destroy Barnett.

I would imagine that Fedor/Barnett would be inevitable since Fedor has beaten everyone else in the division.

 

[Alexander]

Yeah, I'm sure it will happen, I was just hoping it would be in the next round, but since Fedor is now officialy out it won't happen now. If Barnett loses in the next round I wouldn't be surprised to see Barnett/Fedor at Final Conflict. Probably more likely to go down on NYE.

 

[Rodja]

Yeah, I'm sure it will happen, I was just hoping it would be in the next round, but since Fedor is now officialy out it won't happen now. If Barnett loses in the next round I wouldn't be surprised to see Barnett/Fedor at Final Conflict. Probably more likely to go down on NYE.

Unless CroCop wins the OWGP...you would have to figure that this rematch would be a slightly bigger draw.

 

[Alexander]

Yeah, I guess that would be a slightly bigger draw, but personally I'd rather see Fedor/Barnett. I believe it will be the first time Fedor will fight with some anger(controlled of course).

 

[Rodja]

Yeah, I guess that would be a slightly bigger draw, but personally I'd rather see Fedor/Barnett. I believe it will be the first time Fedor will fight with some anger(controlled of course).

Does Fedor even have emotions?? I have never seen a more stone-face fighter...come to think of it, most Eastern Bloc fighters are the same way.

 

[Alexander]

yeah, I truely believe it has to do with the climate. People from cold climates are generally cold tempered. Look at brazilians, they are usually hot tempered. However, I do think Fedor wants to hurt Barnett, and usually he seems to just want to win.

 

[Rodja]

yeah, I truely believe it has to do with the climate. People from cold climates are generally cold tempered. Look at brazilians, they are usually hot tempered. However, I do think Fedor wants to hurt Barnett, and usually he seems to just want to win.

He seems to be more motivated if they beat his brother.

 

[size]

I think Pride wants Mark Hunt to win the OWGP, so that it can be a Mark Hunt vs Fedor fight later this year for the title.

 

[Rodja]

I think Pride wants Mark Hunt to win the OWGP, so that it can be a Mark Hunt vs Fedor fight later this year for the title.

That would be interesting to watch simply because of Hunt's chin.

 

[Alexander]

I don't think it would be a close fight at all. Fedor will take him down and pound him, and then sub him.

 

[jas123]

Hunt has not looking like he's in good shape in his last 2 fights. I don't see him winning the OWGP.

 

[size]

I don't think it would be a close fight at all. Fedor will take him down and pound him, and then sub him.

I think it would be a good fight. While I do think the end would be Fedor victorious via submission, I would love to see the stand up.

 

[MarcusG]

The card for the first round wasn't interesting because of all the mismatches but the 2nd round on should be very good.

Since Fedor is not in the tournament, Mirko/Nog/Barnett will have a good chance at taking the belt.