<3
Without a doubt, Pride 33 showcased some outstanding fights and should be an overall positive impact for Pride in the US. However, I would say that some of Pride's proclaimed superiority was further exposed as unwarranted.Originally Posted by Kaneda
I personally prefer Pride's rules and judging, which both make for the most exciting fights, in my opinion. But in my limited experience lurking on MMA forums, Pride fighters are always put on a pedestal above other organizations' fighters without those fighters ever meeting. Unless otherwise proven, Pride fans assumed top Pride fighters were way above the skill levels of top UFC fighters. MMA Weekly has top ten lists, and one of the most notable shows of bias is the lightweight--with Gomi #1 and Sean Sherk, UFC's #1 lightweight, rated #10.
I think Pride 33 showed evidence that these top rated Pride fighters are not so untouchable. Gomi was beaten by Nick Diaz who was always good in the UFC, but not really a contender for the top of his division. Misaki was beaten (albeit boringly) by another UFC refugee that was always good in his division, but not the best. Rogerio Nogueira, an excellent fighter many Pride fans would have had you believe better than any of the UFC's 205 division, got KOd by a relatively unknown fighter. And Pride's 205 champion was upset by an opponent that moved up a weight division (and still weighed well under the 205 limit).
Not to take anything away from the Pride fighters I mentioned. They're all exciting fighters and great competitors, and on any given night the results could've been different. But I think it was good that so many upsets happened in one night. Really underscored the reality that these are fights, anything can happen, and everyone's human afterall. I think it (hopefully) brings the perception of these fighters back to Earth. No doubt, Pride has some of the best fighters in the world. But it should be obvious, now more so than ever, that assuming a top level Pride fighter is inherently superior to a top level UFC fighter is a mistake.
I do really like seeing fighters from the different orgs changing sides, though. I think it's good to put both organizations into perspective and shut up either side's rabid fanboys. Also gives us a chance to see some outstanding matches like the Gomi v Diaz fight. Now I want to see more 205 cross overs--both orgs have strong 205 divisions and some potentially awesome match ups.
EDIT: Just watched this interview with Nick Diaz, a day or so after the fight. In it he says Gomi was throwing "some little Hadouken fuckin' punch in there"--awesome. He also has no idea what busted his eye open like that. Pretty weird. They must've butted heads when they clinched up near the end. My only guess.
Last edited by MarkRyan; 27 Feb 2007 at 03:41 AM.
Ambassador of Kickyourassitor
Holy shit! Randy Couture over Sylvia by complete domination. Captain America is once again champion. What a fight! Couture's first punch put Sylvia on his ass 5 seconds into the bout. That fight was awesome.
It was a good night all around. It was nice to see a ref or two not stand the fighters up and let them work on the ground. Good stuff.
Last edited by Scourge; 04 Mar 2007 at 01:56 AM.
So much ****ing semen.
i KNEW that pussy was going to make an excuse when he got beat.
"i still took the fight even though i have an injury"
not smart to say on live tv. first it says you're a real class act, and won;t he get fined for not reporting an injury beforehand? asshole.
"It's all in the reflexes"
He got dominated from beginning to end. Randy looked like he did during Liddell 1 and against Tito. The fact that he could man handle a guy that much bigger than him was fucking amazing.
Ambassador of Kickyourassitor
Yeah! He should leave that shit to his PR people to leak to the press the day after the fight so people like MarkRyan can use it as proof two months down the road that Randy Couture wouldn't have won otherwise.
Last edited by Scourge; 04 Mar 2007 at 02:40 AM.
<3
Do some homework.
Ambassador of Kickyourassitor
Whatever. It's a lame bullshit move to claim prior injury after losing, regardless of its truthfulness. Own up to your loss and don't be a pussy and take away from your oponent's win. If it really is a factor, make it well known before the fight that you aren't 100%.
<3
The injury was sustained during the fight but was unrelated to anything Matt Hughes did. And Penn did own up to the loss, congratulating Matt. He just answered fans' questions of why he came into the third round looking like he was on the receiving end of his own two-round beating that was actually delivered to Hughes.
Sausage-in-training
I was rooting for Sylvia just because if he had won he'd have to defend the title against Mirko (assuming CroCop wins his next fight). Couture is way more talented than Syliva though, he deserved the win.
<3
I agree. I wanted to see Couture win but at the same time I'd rather see Tim fight Mirko. Now that it'll be Couture vs. Mirko, what do you think?
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