The Tool Review 08.19.08: PRIDE Bushido 9 (Part 1)

Posted by Adam Tool on 08.19.2008

PRIDE puts on a monster of a show featuring two tournaments! This week covers the welterweight side of the show and we've got Dan Henderson, Phil Baroni, Akihiro Gono, Murilo Bustamante, MINOWAMAN, Ryo Chonan and Paulo Filho in action!

This show features two tournaments for the welterweight and lightweight divisions. Each tournament on the show consists of four opening round matches, two semi-final matches, and one alternate bout. That’s seven fights per tournaments and an amazing fourteen fights total on this card. Because there is so much to cover, I’ve decided to split this review into two parts. We’ll cover the welterweights this week and I’ll have the lightweights next week. It should be pointed out that this means I’ll be recapping the fights slightly out of order.

In case you didn’t know this, the weight divisions are set up a little differently in the world of PRIDE. This is a welterweight tournament, but the weight limit is 183 lbs.

PRIDE: BUSHIDO 9 (PART 1)

-September 25th, 2005

-From the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan

We are welcomed to the show by Mauro Ranallo and Bas “El Guapo” Rutten. Ranallo explains that the tournament winners will have to fight twice tonight, and at Shockwave they will crown the first lightweight and welterweight champions. They run down all the fights in the tournaments.

The show begins with the belts in the ring. Regular Japanese announcer guy speaks to the crowd, followed by crazy Japanese announcer lady who mauls the English language, rolling her R’s like it’s going out of style. They introduce all the fighters in the tournament and they make their way onto the big stage.

WELTERWEIGHTS: RESERVE MATCH - Paulo Filho (9-0) vs. Ryuta Sakurai (12-9-4)

Filho has spent time in DEEP as well as PRIDE and is coming off a win over Amar Suloev at Bushido 6. Sakurai has spent a majority of his time in DEEP, and his last fight in PRIDE was a decision loss to Murilo Bustamante at Bushido 6.

Round 1

Sakurai charges forward quickly, hitting a left-right combo followed by a knee to the head. Filho checks a high kick then drops down for the takedown. Sakurai sprawls out and they end up tied up against the ropes. Filho trips him to get down into half guard. Filho is trying to pass but Sakurai has his leg locked up tight. Filho drops some punches to the head and Sakurai sweeps to get back to the feet. Filho stays close and they tie up in the corner. Sakurai hits some knees to the body and Filho drops down for a single. He gets Sakurai down into half guard again. Filho throws the hammer fists and then starts to work for a kimura. Filho gives up the arm and gets the full mount. Filho rains down some punches and Sakurai gives up his back. Filho gets the hooks in quickly and flattens him out. He quickly transitions to an armbar attempt, but they’re pressed against the corner so he doesn’t have a lot of room to work with. Filho is still working and he gets the arm extended. He tweaks it even harder and the ref steps in to stop it.

Winner: Paulo Filho, submission (armbar), round 1, 3:49

Filho becomes an alternate, but he won’t be needed again tonight. Following his win here Filho would go on to score a decision victory over Murilo “Ninja” Rua at the next Bushido event before making his way to the WEC about a year ago. He defeated Joe Doerkson to become the WEC middleweight champion, and he will defend that belt for the second time against Chael Sonnen next month. Sakurai went back to DEEP where he lost to Ryo Chonan (twice), Murilo Bustamante (again), and most recently he scored a win over Kozo Urita at this past weekend’s DEEP 37.

WELTERWEIGHTS: OPENING ROUND - Daniel Acacio (10-1) vs. Akihiro Gono (22-10-7)

Gono has been all over the place in SHOOTO, DEEP and Pancrase. He’s currently on a three fight win streak. Acacio is a member of Chute Boxe with guys like Wanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua, so you know he doesn’t fuck around. He’s spent most of his time in Meca, and is currently 2-0 in PRIDE.

Round 1

Acacio presses forward quickly. He throws a few jabs then misses a right hook. Acacio tags him with a left but Gono answers back with a straight left of his own. Acacio lands an inside leg kick and Gono hits him with the left. Acacio is mixing up his shots, and Gono throws a nice combination. They exchange and Gono gets the better of it, hitting a good right hook as they break apart. Gono lands a nice combination to the body, but Acacio is still pressing forward. Gono lands a few punches and they tie up. They quickly separate and Acacio fakes the superman punch before trying to get the clinch. Gono pulls away and Acacio continues to stalk him. Gono lands an inside leg kick followed by a front kick. Acacio presses him into the corner and lands a right uppercut. Gono looks wobbly and Acacio is right on top of him. He lands another punch and Gono goes down with Acacio trying to jump on him. Gono immediately starts using his legs to keep Acacio at bay, but Acacio is able to get down into Gono’s guard. They move too close to the ropes so the referee orders them to restart in the center. Acacio lands some weak punches but Gono is holding the arms and body to keep him close. Acacio stands up and Gono grazes him with an upkick. Gono gets back to his feet as well but Acacio charges right after him. Gono backs up but Acacio still hits him a few times. Gono presses forward with a right hand but Acacio grabs his head and gets the Thai clinch. Acacio gets a knee inside but Gono pulls away. Acacio tags him with a left, then charges forward swinging both arms. He’s looking for the clinch but Gono pulls out of it. Acacio grabs him looking for a takedown but Gono gets out of it. Gono lands another nice combination. Acacio continues to press forward and each man is landing some shots. Acacio comes in throwing punches in bunches but again he can’t get the clinch. Acacio misses a high kick and Gono quickly tags him with two leg kicks to the same spot. Acacio throws more punches in bunches but Gono takes it and gets out of the corner. Acacio grabs the clinch and just misses hitting a high knee as Gono pulls out. Gono throws a beautiful left to the body followed by a straight right to the head. Gono throws a leg kick but Acacio grabs it and ties up, looking for the takedown. They separate and Gono lands a few more nice punches followed by a leg kick. Acacio lands a combination followed by a leg kick and Gono answers with another shot to the body. Gono throws a few more leg kicks to the same spot as before and Acacio seems to be favoring that leg. Gono throws another nice combination to the body and head. Acacio ties up and Gono delivers a mean punch to the liver as the round ends. Great fight so far. They were back and forth with Acacio landing some nice shots, but Gono finished strong.

Round 2

Gono lands a body punch early, and Acacio presses forward with a flurry of punches. He goes for the clinch but again he can’t keep him there. Acacio moves forward again, throwing punches and trying to tie up. Gono gets away and they exchange on the feet with both men landing some nice leg kicks. Acacio presses forward with a front kick and he tries to tie up. Acacio decides to pull guard and Gono throws a few shots from the top. Acacio tries for a triangle but Gono quickly pulls out. Gono stands up, then does a quick spin into a kick. Still on his feet, Gono jumps in looking for a big stomp, but Acacio moves to avoid that. Gono gets back down into Acacio’s guard and starts throwing some punches. Gono again stands and tries to jump in with the stomp but he can’t land it. Back onto the ground and Gono throws a few punches before Acacio pushes him off with the legs. Acacio quickly stands and eats a high kick on his way up. They exchange and Acacio gets the clinch for a moment. Gono pulls away and throws the leg kick but Acacio shoots in for the takedown. Gono avoids that and gets Acacio down himself. He throws a few shots from Acacio’s guard before getting the full mount right as the round ends. This was an amazing fight to kick off the tournament with. The first round was back and forth, while the second was pretty much all Gono and 411mania awards the fight to him.

Winner: Akihiro Gono, Unanimous Decision, round 2, 5:00

Gono moves on to the semi-finals where he’ll meet the winner of our next fight. Acacio would never be in a PRIDE ring again, and has spent most of his time since this fight in Fury FC.

WELTERWEIGHTS: OPENING ROUND - Dan Henderson (16-3) vs. Ryo Chonan (10-5)

Henderson had won the UFC 17 middleweight tournament and after that he went to Japan and become a fixture in PRIDE. He is coming off a submission loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira earlier this year. Chonan is a veteran of DEEP who is currently 4-2 in PRIDE. He is perhaps best known for submitting Anderson Silva with a flying scissor heel hook.

We get a video package showing footage of Chonan’s fight with Phil Baroni where Baroni knocked Chonan’s head off. Chonan says that he understands why the referee stopped it but if this kind of thing happens again he’ll be very upset. He says that if he gets hit like that again, don’t stop the fight. Almost as if he knows what’s going to happen…

Round 1

Chonan lands an outside leg kick, then just misses with a left hand. Chonan throws a few punches before Henderson NAILS him with a big overhand right. Chonan goes down and Henderson lands a few more rights before the referee stops it.

Winner: Dan Henderson, KO (strikes), round 1, :22

Following his loss here Chonan would continue to bounce back and forth between PRIDE and DEEP, and he made his UFC debut with a decision loss to Karo Parisyan at UFC 78.

So that sets up our first semi-final match as Gono will face Henderson. Of course, Gono had a back and forth 15 minute war while Henderson’s entrance took longer than the fight itself. I’m not an expert but I believe conditioning may play a factor.

WELTERWEIGHTS: OPENING ROUND - Phil “NY Badass” Baroni (8-5) vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa (29-21-8)

Baroni isn’t too far removed from his UFC run, where he finished up losing four in a row (including two to Evan Tanner). Minowa is one of Japan’s most popular fighters, having competed in Pancrase, DEEP and PRIDE.

This is a rematch from Bushido 7 where Baroni knocked out Minowa. We see clips of the last fight.

In the pre-fight interviews Baroni shows Minowa a great deal of respect, and calmly lays out his careful strategy for winning the fight.

Nah, I’m kidding. He calls Minowa “a fucking chump” and says he’s “gonna smash him.” Minowa says he learned from the last fight, and Baroni responds by asking, “What could he have learned? Don’t forget your shinebox?” Tremendous.

Round 1

Baroni throws a big right hook but Minowa immediately drops down for the takedown. He drags Baroni down and begins to work from the guard. Minowa throws some good punches to the head and body. Minowa starts to stand up, holding Baroni’s leg to try for a leg lock. Baroni defends that and Minowa gets back onto the ground, now in Baroni’s half guard. Minowa postures up and uses his free leg to deliver some big knees to the head. Minowa starts to work on the left arm of Baroni, going for a kimura. Baroni powers out but Minowa goes back to it with his body in side control. Minowa has the arm locked up but Baroni is using his power to keep his arm straight. Baroni powers out but Minowa goes right back to it. He nearly gets the arm bent behind the body but Baroni is staying out of trouble. Baroni gets his arm out and looks to sweep, but he only succeeds in getting Minowa into half-guard. Minowa keeps going for that kimura, and the referee steps in. They were getting close to the ropes so the ref restarts them back in the same position towards center. Minowa continues working for the submission and Ranallo says the ref just told him to work towards the finish. Minowa works a little harder at it and Baroni has to work harder to defend, but Minowa gets the full mount. He lets go of the arm and throws a few punches, then Baroni tries to sweep. Minowa gets stuck in half-guard and briefly looks to be going back to the arm, but instead he throws some punches to the head. Baroni tries to get the legs up to push him off, but Minowa presses right back down onto him. Baroni tries to power up but Minowa grabs the head trying quickly for a guillotine. Baroni pulls his head out and gets back onto his back. Minowa presses him towards the ropes and throws a few knees to the head. Baroni tries to slide out the back but Minowa grabs his legs to keep him down. They’re too close to the ropes so the ref will restart them back on the ground in the center. Baroni sweeps and is finally able to reverse into a dominant position. He throws a few punches then stands up to deliver a kick to the head. Minowa grabs the leg and tries for a heel hook but Baroni spins out. Baroni sits on top of him and throws some punches to the head, followed by kicks to the body. Baroni throws the legs to the side and drops down with more punches. He stands back up and lands a few kicks but Minowa pops up. They both get back on their feet as the round ends. Minowa didn’t keep it all that exciting but spending half the round trying for a submission, but so far he’s executed a near perfect gameplan. Baroni finished the round strong but he can’t be on his back at all in the second if he expects to win.

Round 2

Baroni stalks forward and Minowa immediately shoots in. He tries to get him down but Baroni grabs the ropes to defend. The ref knocks his hand away and Baroni goes down. Minowa lands in the full guard and they immediately press towards the ropes so the ref has to restart them in the center. Minowa isn’t throwing much, so Phil tries to slide out of it. Minowa looks to use it to pass but he ends in half guard. He starts working for a kimura on the right arm, but Baroni quickly sweeps out from under him. Minowa still has the arm though and he tries to transition into an armbar, but Baroni defends that and gets into Minowa’s guard. Baroni tries to posture up but Minowa starts to get back to his feet. Baroni goes up along with him but Minowa grabs the leg and tries to get him down. They get up against the ropes and Baroni actually falls through them. There is a mini-army of referees there to catch him though, and they restart on their feet in the center. Minowa immediately shoots in and gets the takedown into Baroni’s half guard. The ref brings them to center and they restart on the ground. Minowa throws a few punches and goes for the arm again. He gives up the arm to get the mount but Baroni tries to sweep him. Minowa instantly transitions to an armbar. Baroni gets out and presses down on top. He lands a few punches then gets back up. Minowa grabs the body to take him back down but Baroni works for a guillotine choke. Minowa drops down and Baroni starts unloading some knees to the head. Baroni gets into side control and lands some hammer fists. He stands up to deliver some a knee and some kicks to the head as the round ends. Once again Baroni finishes strong but Minowa was in control for too long. 411mania awards the fight to “The Punk.”

Winner: Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa, Unanimous Decision, round 2, 5:00

Baroni had a few more fights for PRIDE before bouncing around to Strikeforce, ICON Sport and EliteXC. He recently dropped down to welterweight (170 lbs.) and is 2-0 in that division.

Minowa will now be faced up against the winner of our next fight.

WELTERWEIGHTS: OPENING ROUND - Murilo Bustamante (10-4-1) vs. Masanori Suda (22-9-3)

Bustamante is a member of Brazilian Top Team who is perhaps most noted for submitting Matt Lindland in the UFC. While he lost his first three fights in PRIDE (against Rampage, Henderson, and Nakamura), he recently dropped down to welterweight and scored a victory over Ryuta Sakurai at Bushido 6. Suda is a veteran of SHOOTO where he was light heavyweight champion.

Round 1

Suda lands a nice leg kick followed by a right hook. Bustamante grabs him and trips him down but Suda quickly pops up. They tie up against the ropes then quickly separate. Suda presses forward swinging but Bustamante backs up. He fakes a punch then shoots in for the takedown. Suda works back up but Bustamante stays tied up and gets him back down. Bustamante goes for the mount but Suda escapes and gets back to the feet. Bustamante shoots in but can’t get Suda down that time. He does land a few punches to the head before Suda connects with the spinning back fist! Bustamante goes down and Suda pounces on top of him. Suda lands a few punches then starts to posture up, but Bustamante catches him in an armbar. He can’t quite get the arm straightened out but he continues at it and finally gets the tap.

Winner: Murilo Bustamante, Submission (armbar), round 1, 3:20

This would be the first time Suda was submitted in over 10 years. It would also end up being his last fight as he retired in 2006. Bustamante moves on to face Minowa later on.

WELTERWEIGHTS: SEMI-FINALS - Dan Henderson (17-3) vs. Akihiro Gono (23-10-7)

Round 1

Henderson misses with a leg kick Gono presses forward. Henderson can’t quite connect with the big right and Gono throws a few kicks to the body. Henderson grabs the kick and takes him down, but once they get down the referee steps in and stops them. The replay shows an accidental head butt from Henderson. Gono’s ready to go and they restart back on the ground with Henderson in Gono’s guard. Henderson throws some shoulder shrugs and again Gono indicates he was hit with a head butt. The ref gives Dan a yellow card (which is a 10% deduction from a fighter’s purse, for those that don’t know) and they restart on the feet. Gono bounces around while Henderson slowly stalks him. Gono lands an outside leg kick but Henderson answers with his own. Henderson presses forward with some punches but Gono is showing nice head movement and avoiding any major damage. As I’m typing that Henderson throws a big right uppercut that just misses. Henderson presses forward again with body shots and combinations to the head. Gono backs up and they circle back to the center. Gono presses forward looking for a body kick and Henderson DRILLS him with a straight left. Gono is down and Henderson jumps on top of him. He throws some big punches and a few knees but Gono is squirming around to avoid any big damage. Henderson slows down and gets locked into half guard. He throws some big elbows to the body but he can’t advance his position. Henderson tries to float over but Gono kicks him away and Henderson gets into full guard. He grabs the head of Gono working for a guillotine, while at the same time throwing more elbows to the body. Gono pops his head out and before long Henderson stands up so they can restart on the feet. Henderson presses forward but Gono avoids the big shots and they tie up in the corner. Henderson throws some shoulders followed by a knee to the body. The referee decides to split them up and start them back in the center. Both men try a leg kick at the same time, and then Gono lands a nice kick to the body. Henderson presses forward swinging and once again they get tied up in the corner. Henderson throws a knee to the body and again the referee comes in to split them up. Gono lands another nice body kick. Henderson ties up and tries to trip him down but Gono stays standing. Henderson presses forward again, tagging Gono with the right before they tie up in the corner again. The ref breaks them up once again. Henderson misses a few shots before Gono hits him with a leg kick. Gono fakes the superman punch and Henderson lands a nice little combination. Henderson presses him into the corner again but this time he really starts unloading with lefts and rights. He lands the big right and Gono folds over. Henderson lands a few more punches before the referee stops it. Awesome fight.

Winner: Dan Henderson, KO (punch), round 1, 7:58

After the fight Mauro ask Bas who he thinks would be a better opponent for Henderson in the finals. While Bas is giving his answer, Henderson walks by the broadcast table. He gives Bas a fist pound with the left, then tags him in the head with the right! Bas, ever the professional, doesn’t even break his stride and continues on with his analysis. El Guapo rules, but you didn’t need to hear that from me.

Gono went on to win his next four fights in PRIDE, and his popularity would grow as he created the character of DJ Gozma and started doing elaborate (and hilarious) entrances. He made his UFC debut last year with a submission win over Tamdan McCrory at UFC 78.

WELTERWEIGHTS: SEMI-FINALS - Murilo Bustamante (11-4-1) vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa (30-21-8)

Round 1
We get started and “El Guapo” tells us that he has recovered from the devastating right hand Dan Henderson delivered to him just a moment ago. Minowa presses forward but Bustamante moves out of the way. Minowa lands a body shot and Bustamante ties up to drag him down. They go to the ground with Bustamante stuck in half guard. Bustamante throws some punches to the head followed by punches to the body. Bustamante starts to stand and he lands some good punches to the head. Minowa tries to get up and Bustamante tags him with a right to put him back down. Bustamante lands a kick to the head then drops down into half guard. Bustamante tries to pull his leg out while holding the right arm but Minowa keeps him locked up. Bustamante works for a kimura but Minowa powers out. Bustamante postures up and drops a few hammer fists. Bustamante can’t get out of half guard though, so he goes back to punching the head. The ref steps in and restarts them back on the feet. Bustamante drops down for a takedown but as they go down Minowa grabs the head working for a guillotine. Bustamante gives the ref a thumbs up, then pops his head out. They work over to the ropes and the ref restarts them back on the ground in the center. Bustamante is still in half guard and can’t get his leg out. He throws some punches to the head and finally gets the full mount. Minowa rolls and gives up his back but he’s able to keep moving to keep Bustamante off. They scramble and get back in the same position. Bustamante nearly gets the mount again and Minowa starts to roll. Bustamante grabs a hold of a head and arm choke, but he doesn’t have it tight enough. Minowa throws a bunch of knees to the thigh and Bustamante manages to get his leg free so he can tighten up the choke. Minowa bucks and gets out of it but Bustamante jumps back on top of him throwing some punches. Bustamante works for the mount again and Minowa gives up his back once again. He powers up and they start again on the feet. Minowa charges forward swinging but Bustamante ties up with him against the ropes. Bustamante throws a knee inside that lands a little off and the ref breaks them up. They exchange and Bustamante takes him down right into side control. Bustamante throws some knees to the head then stands and throws some punches. Bustamante lands a BIG kick to the head followed by more punches. Bustamante throws a few more nasty kicks to the head and the referee stops it. Yep, another great fight.

Winner: Murilo Bustamante, TKO (strikes), round 1, 9:51

Minowa would continue to fight for PRIDE and K-1, and was seen earlier this year in DREAM’s middleweight grand prix where he lost by decision in the opening round to Taiei Kin.

Henderson and Bustamante would meet later that year at Shockwave where Hendo won via split decision to become the first (and only) PRIDE welterweight champion. Once PRIDE was folded Henderson entered the UFC with the welterweight belt (along with the middleweight championship he had won from Wanderlei Silva). The title was unified with the UFC middleweight belt earlier this year at UFC 82 when Anderson Silva beat Henderson via rear naked choke in round two. Henderson will next meet Rousimar Palhares at UFC 88.

The 411: Make sure you come back next week for the second half of the show. It's the lightweight tournament and it’s a doozie. Obviously Takanori Gomi is there, taking on Tatsuya Kawajiri. Other opening round match-ups include Jens Pulver vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, Joachim Hansen vs. Yves Edwards, and Luiz Azeredo vs. Naoyuki Kotani. We’ll also be reviewing the semi-finals match-ups and if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got a reserve match featuring DOKONJONOSUKE~! taking on Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett.

Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]