Shogun vs L'il Nog and the Pride MW Grand Prix '05

OMG yes he just ripped through those guys it was downright scary. Dont forget the horrifying win over Rampage. Im no Rampage fan but I actually shed tears for that man that night :yep

 

Rampage didnt want anymore. He turned his head and you could see he submitted just from his demeanour. I think the Wandy beating took alot out of him prior to the fight. Those were the kind of beatings that you're not ever supposed to recover from. Thats why i was so surprised to see him resurrect his career in the UFC. To me that just shows the sheer toughness of the guys in PRIDE. Iv seen some terrrific beatings in MMA but nothing beats the beatdowns iv seen in PRIDE.

 

Nah i dont see it with Edgar. No disprect to his talent as he clearly has BJ's number. But i dont see anything in his arsenal that makes me think he can go on to completely dominate the lightweight division or his opponents with peformances that will make me jump out of my seat. For my money i think he's boxing is just average. I wouldnt put it up there with KJ Noons.

 

Sakuraba's face was an utter mess. A gross mass of just swollen tissue. Watch what Vonchancyn did to Enson Inoue. That surely has to be one of the worst beatings ever in PRIDE.
Actually CC vs Wandy at the OWGP was also one of the worst beatdowns iv ever seen. That was CC at he's absolute best.

 

Totally agree. deal

 

Im still waiting for another cro-cop type mma fighter to make the switch successfully from k1 to mma. many have tried, many have failed.

the old cro-cop was really something special, he said in an interview that he wanted to rematch fedor, that time has passed.

 

I dont think we'll ever see that happen again. The fighters in the K1 are old. Manhoef looked nice but he's never going to be up there with CC. Bonjansky may have had a chance but he's never made the cross over to MMA and he's just old now.

Personally i just dont think we're going to see the quality of fighters that PRIDE once had or the exciting fights that PRIDE had from one show to the next.

 

I actually like that MMA is becoming a style of its own. That may not have been the original intent of the sport, but it shows how much it has progressed in such a short time.

I think Rich Franklin said that MMA fighters ideally are jacks of all trades but masters of none.

 

Franklin can apply that to himself.
Sherdog used to list alongside a fighters resume what their "style" was. The UFC also used to introduce fighters in the cage along with their "style". Franklin was one of the first fighters i saw called a "Freestyle" fighter. Up to this day i have no idea what that was suppose to mean.
Fighters in the old UFC and PRIDE were succesful because we knew what their background was. These days that doesnt apply because the sport has evolved. For my money though the quality is lost.
Case in point when Silva arrived in the UFC.
Most thought Franklin was a world beater. The UFC certainly did. Silva completely manhandled him in one of the worst beatdowns in the UFC iv ever seen. We know Silva's background is Muay Thai and he uses this extensively. He caught Franklin in a Thai clinche, Franklin didnt know what to do, and he's nose was subsequently moved to the other side of his face.
Franklin simply didnt have the experience nor the "style" to trouble Silva at all. It was akin to watching a Cat toying with a Mouse.

 

those chute boxe fighters and their silly thai clinch!

you know whos got a dangerous clinch shogun!

 

Off topic...Berserk ****ing OWNS.

 

I own that fight on dvd, it was a great fight, actually a very close fight, I think Shogun just shaded it when he floored lil Nog with that right hand near the end tho but it wouldnt have been a robbery had the decision gone the other way. Shogun was the man in those days & he looks back to that form that I remember so well, I noticed it in the Chuck fight how sharp he looked... which is why I picked him vs Machida both times (tho I only bet the first time :nut)

Ps. Shogun vs Overeem 1 & Sakuraba vs lil Nog were also good fights around that time frame.

:good