The Tool Review 08.26.08: PRIDE: Bushido 9 (Part 2)
Posted by Adam Tool on 08.26.2008
A night of amazing action continues with the lightweight tournament This week it’s the opening round and semi-final match-ups featuring Takanori Gomi, Mach Sakurai, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Jens Pulver, Yves Edwards and Luiz Azeredo! If that wasn’t enough, we’ve also got a reserve bout with DOKONJONOSUKE~! taking on Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett!
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 tournament 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 covered the welterweights last week and now it’s time for the lightweights. It should be pointed out that this means I’ll be recapping the fights slightly out of order.
I should also mention a few things for those that are unfamiliar with PRIDE rules: elbows are not allowed, but kicks and knees to the head of a downed opponent are legal. Also it should be noted that all fights consist of two rounds, with the first being ten minutes and the second being five.
PRIDE: BUSHIDO 9 (PART 2)
-September 25th, 2005
-From the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Japan
LIGHTWEIGHTS: RESERVE MATCH - Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett (15-8-2) vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima (16-4-2)
Mishima is a veteran of SHOOTO and DEEP, and he made his PRIDE debut at Bushido 1 in a loss to Ralph Gracie. Bennett has been all over the place, mainly fighting out of King Of The Cage. He made his PRIDE debut with a loss to Gomi at Bushido 5.
The pre-fight interview package begins with Bennett wearing a ski mask. He also reveals that his arms are so strong because he spends so much time jacking off. Okay then.
More antics from Bennett as he mugs for the camera during the ref’s final instructions, and Mishima can’t help but do a bit of mugging himself by throwing up the peace signs before heading back to his corner.
Round 1
Both fighters spend the opening seconds playing to the crowd. They smile and touch gloves. Mishima circles a bit before whiffing on a high kick. He charges forward with a good little kick to the body followed by a single leg takedown. Bennett tries to hold his neck for a guillotine, but Mishima pulls out pretty easily. Mishima passes to side control and seems to be looking for a kimura. Bennett rolls and gives up his back, and Mishima takes it. Before he can fully get his hooks in Bennett roles back over and now Mishima has him in full mount. Mishima pounds the head, but Bennett holds his body to control the posture. Mishima powers out and starts dropping punches in bunches. Bennett rolls a bit but he can’t buck Mishima off. Mishima drops more punches and then delivers a kick from a crouching position. He leaves his leg above Bennett’s left arm and so Krazy Horse uses that leg to power up and get the fight back to the feet. They circle, and then Bennett starts stalking Mishima. Bennett backs Mishima into the corner and tags him with a big right uppercut, followed by a second that hits him better. Mishima drops but instantly recovers and grabs Bennett’s legs for the takedown. Again they go down with Bennett trying for a guillotine choke, and Mishima quickly floats over to side control where he can get his head out easy. Mishima looks up at something (his corner most likely) and Bennett is able to buck and scramble to get the fight back to the feet. Mishima holds on to Bennett’s neck so Bennett picks him up and SLAMS MISHIMA RIGHT ON HIS HEAD. Ow. Mishima’s okay though so he keeps a hold of the neck while they stand back up, then he drops down for a guillotine. Bennett pulls out so Mishima powers up and gets a reversal, but Bennett tries to stay on top so Mishima grabs a hold of his leg. Mishima locks up his legs and rolls over. It looks like he’s got the heel hook, and Bennett taps. Good little fight between these two, but Dokonjonosuke was clearly the better man and it really was a matter of time before he won.
Mishima becomes an alternate, but this will be his only fight of the evening. It would also be his final fight in PRIDE as he went to the UFC the following year. Mishima went 0-2 in the octagon, losing to Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian. He was last seen earlier this year in DEEP.
Bennett made a few more appearances in PRIDE before returning to King Of The Cage. He also competed in the first televised match at EliteXC’s first show, where he knocked out KJ Noons.
Pulver achieved notoriety as the first UFC lightweight champion. He successfully defended the belt against BJ Penn and then left the company over a contract dispute. He is already 1-1 in PRIDE. Sakurai had spent a majority of his career in SHOOTO before making his lone octagon appearance in a loss to Matt Hughes at UFC 36. He is 3-2 in PRIDE.
In the pre-fight interviews Pulver says that he came to PRIDE to fight the best guys, but he never figured they’d put them all in a tournament and then do two of them in one night. He says he’d rather lose and get submitted then have a boring fight. Sakurai says he used to get nervous before his fights but at this point in his career he just stays focused on finishing the fight so he can go home and eat.
Round 1
Sakurai hits him with several leg kicks and they briefly exchange punches. Sakurai goes for another leg kick and Pulver hits him with a combination. Sakurai tags him with a few more leg kicks followed by a kick to the body and then a left right combo. That stuns Pulver a bit and he backs up but Sakurai presses forward. Pulver defends against the Thai clinch and they separate. Sakurai continues to punish Pulver’s right leg, before switching up and landing a nice kick to the head. Pulver absorbs that but Sakurai goes right back to the leg kicks. Pulver keeps his head moving and wades in for punches, but Sakurai is being elusive. Pulver presses forward and Sakurai quickly grabs the head and delivers a flying knee. Pulver backs off from it and they circle. Pulver wades in and tags him with a nice combination. Sakurai delivers a big body kick followed by a straight right. Pulver answers back with a left hook that just misses. Sakurai throws a kick to the body, followed by another to the leg. Pulver’s right leg looks like he’s got the worst sunburn on one part of his body. Pulver wades in but Sakurai gets the better of the exchange. Sakurai fakes the leg kick then lands another to the body. Pulver presses forward and eats an uppercut, but then he tags Sakurai with a right hook. Sakurai looks a little dazed and Pulver begins to unload in the corner. He lands a few more shots but Sakurai stays on the feet. They circles back to the center and Sakurai tries for a Thai clinch, but Pulver throws a knee to break away. Pulver lands the left jab and Sakurai ties up. He delivers a knee to the head as they break away. Pulver hits the right jab and Sakurai answers back with the left. Pulver lands a nice shot to the body and continues to be the aggressor. Sakurai tags him with a right and Pulver smiles it off. Sakurai delivers a few punches and followed by big kicks to the body. He tries to get the clinch but Pulver nails him with the left. Sakurai grabs a hold of him and takes him down into Pulver’s guard. Sakurai postures up and tries to deliver a kick but Pulver quickly gets up. Back on the feet Sakurai gets inside with an uppercut, but Pulver delivers a nice left hook. Sakurai answers back with a knee as they separate. Sakurai lands a right hook and then starts to really unload. They end up in the corner and Pulver grabs a hold of Sakurai to avoid any more damage. Sakurai pulls away and lands more punches before they circle back to the center. Pulver presses forward with a few punches and Sakurai answers back. Sakurai goes back to the leg kick followed by a nice uppercut to the body. He grabs Pulver’s head and hits a big knee to the head and Pulver goes down. Sakurai throws some kicks and stomps, followed by hammer punches before the referee steps in to stop it. A tremendous start to the lightweight tournament. Sakurai was in control most of the time but Pulver certainly made a fight of it.
Winner: Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, TKO (strikes), round 1, 8:56
Pulver eventually made his way back to the UFC, where he became a coach on the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite BJ Penn. Pulver lost to Penn on the show’s finale, and followed that up with a drop to featherweight and a move to the WEC. He’ll be facing Leonard Garcia next month.
Sakurai moves on to the semi-finals where he’ll face the winner of the next fight.
LIGHTWEIGHTS: OPENING ROUND - Joachim Hansen (12-2-1) vs. Yves Edwards (30-8-1)
Hansen is a veteran of SHOOTO who made his PRIDE debut at the last Bushido where he knocked out Masakazu Imanari. Edwards has been everywhere, but is most famous for being a big part of the early UFC lightweight division. He was just gaining traction when the weight class was cut, and he made his PRIDE debut with a win over Dokonjonosuke at Bushido 7.
Round 1
Hansen throws the leg kick and Edwards answers. Edwards throws another leg kick and Hansen charges in and ties up. Edwards goes for the clinch and Hansen takes him down into guard. Edwards holds the arms to avoid any damage. Hansen lifts his legs up and tries to pass but Edwards keeps him in the butterfly guard. Hansen gets to half guard but he’s not delivering any damage so far. Edwards throws some body punches from the bottom and Hansen finally gets the pass to side control. Hansen looks for the mount but Edwards gets his knees up to block. Edwards powers up and they go back to the feet with Hansen still holding onto him. Hansen trips him back down into half guard. Hansen finally delivers a punch to the head before the ref steps in to stop and restart them away from the ropes. In the center Hansen again tries to pass but Edwards pushes him off and tries to get back up. Hansen pushes him back down and delivers a big left, but Edwards tags him with an up kick. Hansen tries to come in with a kick of his own that misses and he ends up back in Edwards’ guard. Edwards grabs his leg to try and get the rubber guard but Hansen’s moves forward and delivers some punches. They scramble a bit but Edwards can’t get up. Hansen isn’t delivering any damage and is really just controlling Edwards on the ground. Hansen floats over to pass to side control. Hansen works for a side choke and Edwards rolls over to his back. Edwards controls the wrists to block the rear naked choke, and Hansen gets a body triangle locked up. Edwards reverses while Hansen still has his legs locked, and now Edwards is on top. Edwards delivers some punches from the closed guard of Hansen. Hansen throws his legs up and tries for a triangle but he doesn’t get it locked in and Edwards postures up. Hansen throws a few up kicks and Edwards gets up and backs away. They restart on the feet with a quick touch of the gloves and Edwards presses forward quickly. He throws punches in bunches and then grabs the clinch and delivers some big knees to the head. Hansen breaks free and quickly grabs a clinch himself to deliver a few knees. Edwards shoves Hansen down and jumps into his guard. Edwards delivers a few punches before posturing up. Hansen pushes him off with the legs and Edwards tries to get a few stomps, but he elects to back up so they can restart on the feet. Once again as soon as Hansen is back up Edwards presses forward swinging with lefts and rights. Hansen answers back with a few shots and then just misses on a high kick. They circle and Hansen DRILLS him with a body kick. They heard that in all the way up in the cheap seats. Hansen jumps in with a flying knee followed by another knee to the body. Hansen drops down for a single but Edwards shows a good sprawl and gets against the ropes. Hansen pulls him away and slams him down. Edwards immediately starts pulling the rubber guard. Hansen tries to spin out and nearly gets his arm caught, but he stands up and they go back to the feet. Edwards tries for the clinch but Hansen works to get him down. Edwards sprawls out and they tie up in the corner. The ref breaks them up and they start again in the center. Edwards lands a nice leg kick and throws a few punches, but one of them catches Hansen in the eye. Hansen takes a few seconds to re-coup and they restart. Edwards lands a nice combination with an uppercut followed by a body kick. Hansen ties up and tries for the takedown but instead he lands on his back and Edwards on top right before the round ends. Hansen was controlling him on the ground more, but Edwards definitely delivered more damage. Bas points out that Edwards seemed to be the fresher man when they both went back to their corners.
Round 2
Hansen just misses with a leg kick and Edwards answers with a leg kick of his own. Edwards goes for the clinch and misses with a knee but Hansen pushes away. Edwards throws a few more kicks and Edwards starts to unload with some big punches. Hansen misses with a big straight right and Edwards tags him with an uppercut. Hansen presses forward but Edwards throws a few punches before just missing with a spinning back fist. Hansen presses forward and grabs the clinch but Edwards breaks his hands and throws a few knees of his own. Hansen ties up but Edwards is the one that takes him down. Edwards is stuck in the butterfly guard and Hansen brings them up with his arms still locked. Hansen takes him back down and Edwards nearly has an armbar attempt but Hansen quickly pulls out. The ref restarts them back on the ground away from the ropes and Hansen is stuck in the half guard. Hansen works for a side choke but he can’t pass from the half guard. Hansen briefly stands up with Edwards holding on to him. Hansen delivers a nasty stomp and Edwards may have gotten hurt there. Hansen gets the mount and throws some punches, but Edwards rolls and gives up his back. Hansen gets the hooks in but Edwards stands up with Hansen still hanging on to him. Hansen sets his feet down and takes Edwards down with a BIG suplex. Hansen delivers a few punches from the back and Edwards gets back to his feet. Hansen still has a hold of him and he takes Edwards back down. They end struggling on the ground as the fight comes to a close. Hansen scored with the takedowns and controlled a majority of the fight, but Edwards was the better man whenever they were on the feet. 411mania awards the fight to Joachim Hansen, but it really could go either way.
Winner: Joachim Hansen, Split Decision, round 2, 5:00
Edwards would go back to the UFC for a few fights. He was last seen in EliteXC where he recently lost to KJ Noons.
Our first semi-final match is now set. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai meets Joachim Hansen a little later tonight. Both guys were in tough fights so we’ll see who is the fresher man.
Gomi is a former SHOOTO welterweight champion, and has competed on all the Bushido events except for the first one. He has never lost in PRIDE. Kawajiri is the current SHOOTO welterweight champ and is also unbeaten in PRIDE.
In the pre-fight interviews Gomi says that he is the leader of Bushido and that is why he wants to win this tournament. Kawajiri says he wants to dominate Gomi for the whole fight, and he wants to show the fans he is the stronger one by finishing him.
Kawajiri makes his entrance wearing his SHOOTO belt. Gomi comes in sporting his natural black locks (rather than his more infamous red mane). Ranallo states that these two are the best lightweights in Japan, and possibly the world.
Round 1
It’s worth noting that the normally stoic Japanese crowd is extremely AMPED for this one. Kawajiri just misses with a big right hand, then shoots in. Gomi circles nicely to block the takedown and they tie up against the ropes. Gomi delivers some nice knees and Kawajiri pushes him away. Kawajiri lands some nice leg kicks and Gomi misses with a big combination. Gomi presses forward and lands a few shots, and Kawajiri seems to be hurt. Gomi lands a few more punches and they tie up against the corner. Gomi delivers some knees to the body and legs before the ref steps in and restarts them in the center. Both fighters press forward and miss with their punches. Kawajiri tags Gomi with a big overhand right. Kawajiri shoots in but Gomi pushes him off quickly. Gomi comes in and lands a nice uppercut but Kawajiri smiles and sticks his tongue out. Kawajiri lands a low kick followed by a high kick. Gomi presses forward and hits him with a nice little combo. Kawajiri backs up and Gomi moves forward again, letting his hands go. Gomi motions to the ref and apparently there was an accidental head butt during the exchange. They touch gloves and move back to the center. Gomi throws a nice punch to the body. Kawajiri lands the leg kick followed by a body kick. He tags Gomi with a right hand and they circle back to the center. Gomi lands a nice leg kick and Kawajiri just misses with one of his own. Kawajiri moves forward and Gomi catches him with a left jab. They exchange and Gomi gets the better of it. Kawajiri grabs the Thai clinch but he then drops down for a takedown and eats a knee from Gomi. Back on the feet Gomi wades in with big body shots followed by punches to the head. Gomi presses him towards the ropes and really starts unloading, landing a big knee before Kawajiri can escape. Gomi runs him down and starts pounding away in the corner. Kawajiri circles out and they move back to the center. Kawajiri hits a nice right hook but Gomi starts answering back with some big punches. Kawajiri tags him with a spinning back fist but Gomi keeps coming forward. Gomi grabs the clinch to deliver some big knees to the head and Kawajiri is down in the turtle position. Gomi jumps on top and starts throwing punches and Bas says that it’s going to be over. Gomi takes his back, gets the hooks in, and starts wailing on Kawajiri’s head. Gomi looks up at the ref but Kawajiri takes that opportunity to press Gomi on to his back. Gomi immediately locks in a rear naked choke and Kawajiri TAPS! The recap does this one no justice as it was absolutely, without a doubt, one of the greatest fights I have ever seen.
Throughout the evening tournament winners have been presented ceremonial medals after their victory. In a tremendous show of respect, Gomi takes his medal and places it around Kawajiri’s neck. An inspiring ending to an extraordinary fight.
Kawajiri would go on to win his next four fights before losing to Gilbert Melendez in his final PRIDE bout. He was last seen in DREAM where he lost in the semi-finals of the lightweight grand prix to Eddie Alvarez.
Gomi is in the semi-finals where he’ll face the winner of our next fight.
Azeredo is a member of Chute Boxe and he holds a decision win over Anderson Silva. He is currently 1-1 in PRIDE. Kotani is a veteran of Rings and ZST, and is making his PRIDE debut.
Round 1
Azeredo lands a leg kick, then Kotani presses forward and eats a NICE left-right combo from Azeredo. Kotani goes down and Azeredo pounces with kicks and knees to the head. The referee can’t stop it fast enough.
Winner: Luiz Azeredo, KO (punch), round 1, :11
Kotani would not fight in PRIDE again, but he did get a brief run in the UFC last year where he went 0-2.
That sets up a rematch between Luiz Azeredo and Takanori Gomi in the semi-finals later tonight.
LIGHTWEIGHTS: SEMI-FINALS - Joachim Hansen (13-2-1) vs. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai (26-6-2)
Round 1
Hansen presses forward and Sakurai lands a leg kick. Hansen moves forward again and lets his hands go. Sakurai ties up and trips him down, but Hansen reverses it to land on top in Sakurai’s mount. They get near the ropes and the ref restarts them back on the ground in the center. Hansen isn’t doing much from the top and Sakurai starts using his heels to kick Hansen’s body. Hansen starts throwing some punches and Sakurai grabs his head to control the posture. Hansen stands up and tries to get a big stomp but he misses. He lands a few punches then misses with a second stomp. Sakurai gets up and they tie up against the ropes. Sakurai lands some knees inside but they aren’t doing much. Hansen switches it up and presses Sakurai against the corner, but Sakurai tries to throw Hansen down. He doesn’t do it so he settles for a quick clinch and a knee to the head. Hansen shakes it off but eats a big right while pressing forward. Sakurai lands an inside leg kick then whiffs on a second. Hansen moves forward with a straight right but Sakurai NAILS him with a left hook. Hansen is down, but he recovers quickly and hops back up. Sakurai grabs a quick clinch and delivers a knee, then he uses a nice judo throw to take Hansen down. Sakurai quickly goes for an armbar spins out and lands on top in half guard. Awesome stuff so far. Hansen moves to full guard but much like earlier tonight against Edwards, he’s not dealing much damage and is mostly trying to pass. Hansen stands up and measures Sakurai for a stomp, but that misses. Hansen goes back down and Sakurai pulls butterfly guard. Hansen gets up again and wades in with punches. Hansen gets up again and Sakurai quickly pops up. Hansen pushes forward with a left and then he tags Sakurai with a knee to the head. Hansen ties up and trips Sakurai back down. Hansen throws a few punches from the closed guard. He stands up again and Sakurai pops up as well. Hansen quickly swarms on top of him but he nearly gets an arm caught. Sakurai ends up on top and he doesn’t take long to stand so he can spin around and try to come in with a big shot. He nearly goes for a leg but Hansen defends well and pulls Sakurai down into his (Hansen’s) guard. Sakurai throws a few punches from the top and Hansen answers back with a few of his own. Sakurai tries to pass but Hansen keeps him in the half guard. Sakurai tries again on the other side but Hansen defends well. The ref steps in to stop them because they were too close to the ropes. They restart on the ground in the center and Sakurai starts posturing up. He stands and delivers a nice spinning heel kick to Hansen’s leg. Hansen stands up and Sakurai lands another spinning heel kick to the leg. Hansen misses with a left and Sakurai tags him with a spinning back fist. Sakurai tries to follow up with a right hook but Hansen ties up and trips him down, landing in side control right in the corner of the ring. Hansen starts working for a head and arm choke but the ref steps in to restart them in the center. Hansen is still working for the choke but he gives that up to stand and land a nice stomp. He comes in with some punches but Sakurai throws a few leg kicks. Sakurai pops up and quickly lands a left hook. Hansen goes down but pops right back up. Sakurai whiffs on a big head kick and they exchange. Hansen grabs the clinch but Sakurai breaks it up. Sakurai shoots in and Hansen defends the takedown. Hansen lands a left hook and Sakurai grabs the clinch. He lands a knee inside and throws Hansen down. Hansen throws a few up kicks as the round ends. Both guys are giving everything they’ve got but Sakurai is the better man so far.
Round 2
Hansen just misses with a high knee and they briefly exchange. Hansen throws a nice front kick and they land a left hook on each at the same time. Hansen presses forward and lands a few shots but Sakurai ties up and trips him down, landing in half guard. Sakurai stands up and goes for a leg lock but Hansen defends it. Sakurai stands up and measure for a shot but the ref stands Hansen back up. Sakurai lands a body kick and Hansen whiffs on a high knee. They start unloading on each other towards the corner and Sakurai grabs the clinch. He trips Hansen down in the full guard and Hansen briefly tries for a triangle. Sakurai stands up out of it and the ref stands Hansen back up. Hansen presses forward and lets his hands go but Sakurai drops down looking for the takedown. Hansen defends that and trips Sakurai down, landing in side control right next to the ropes. The referee quickly moves them to the center. Sakurai tries to throw a knee to Hansen’s head and Hansen stands up. He comes in with a few shots and lands in Sakurai’s guard. Hansen throws some punches from the top and Sakurai lands a few from the bottom. Hansen tries to pass the guard but Sakurai is keeping him in half-guard. Hansen stands up and looks for a big stomp but Sakurai grabs the leg and goes for a heel hook. Hansen quickly gets out of that and tries to throw a few axe kicks but Sakurai stands up and Hansen quickly does the same. Sakurai unloads with a few big shots, and he DROPS Hansen again. Hansen recovers quickly on the ground and Sakurai lands on top in half guard. He throws some big punches and then stands up, trying for a big stomp. Hansen tags him with an upkick they quickly scramble with Hansen winding up on top in guard. Hansen stands up and lands a nice kick but Sakurai pops up and pulls Hansen down. Hansen quickly tries for a triangle but Sakurai pulls out as the fight comes to a close. Crazy action all over the place, and another awesome fight on a show that has been full of them. It was close but 411mania awards the fight to Sakurai.
Hansen would continue in PRIDE and SHOOTO, and earlier this year he became the first DREAM lightweight champion when he replaced Eddie Alvarez and beat Shinya Aoki in the finals of the lightweight grand prix.
Sakurai now moves on to the tournament finals at Shockwave where he’ll meet the winner of our final fight of the evening.
LIGHTWEIGHTS: SEMI-FINALS - Luiz Azeredo (10-4) vs. Takanori Gomi (22-2)
This a rematch from Bushido 7 where Gomi won via knockout, then proceeded to continue punching Azeredo after he was out. Ranallo says that Gomi is public enemy #1 in the Chute Boxe camp, and Azeredo has wanted this rematch ever since the first fight ended.
Round 1
Azeredo charges forward and they exchange briefly. Azeredo is pushing the action, charging forward with kicks and punches. He lands some nice shots and Gomi ties up in the corner. They break apart and Gomi tags him with a left. Azeredo presses forward with punches and Gomi lands a few of his own. Azeredo lands a leg kick followed by a left hook. They exchange near the ropes and Gomi throws a kick to the body. Azeredo catches it and takes him down into Gomi’s guard. Azeredo drops some nice hammer fists but Gomi is doing a good job of holding the body and controlling his posture. The ref doesn’t like the action so he stands them up and gives Gomi a green card (costing him 10% of his purse). They restart in the center and have a brief stalemate. Azeredo misses a big left and Gomi lands with his left. Azeredo throws a nice leg kick and Gomi tags him with a right. Azeredo lands another leg kick and rushes forward with a flying knee but Gomi tags him with the left hook. Gomi presses forward and lands a nice shot to the body followed by a left to the head. Azeredo drops down and grabs a single but Gomi shows good balance to avoid the takedown. They break apart in the corner and Gomi starts to unload. Azeredo recovers and backs away but Gomi chases him down and continues to punish him. Azeredo escapes danger again but Gomi is just stalking him now. Gomi unloads again in the corner and Azeredo quickly shoots in to get the takedown. Gomi keeps him in closed guard and throws punches from the bottom. Azeredo seems to want to recover and he’s not doing much. Azeredo smothers Gomi’s mouth and throws a few punches. They move towards the ropes and the ref stops and stands them up. The ref gives Gomi a second green card and they restart in the center. Azeredo lands a leg kick that throws Gomi off balance, followed by a nice kick to the body. Gomi defends by throwing a few punches and Azeredo backs off. Gomi stalks him down some more and begins unloading in the corner. Azeredo lands a nice knee inside and they split apart. Azeredo just misses with a spinning back fist, followed by a few more kicks to the leg. Gomi throws another big shot to the body followed by a left. Gomi gets him against the ropes and unloads more punches, mixing up the shots to the body and head. Azeredo throws a kick to the body and Gomi catches it and delivers a beautiful straight right to the head. Azeredo goes down and Gomi lands in his guard. Azeredo throws some punches from the bottom as the round comes to an end. This may have been the hardest fight I’ve ever tried to recap, as the action has been pretty much non-stop so far.
Round 2
Gomi catches a low kick and throws a few punches. Azeredo escapes and tries a spinning heel kick. Azeredo swings and misses, but Gomi catches him with a left. Gomi lands some good combinations but Azeredo lands a nice counter punch and they move back to the center. They exchange in the corner and Azeredo backs up. Azeredo lands a nice leg kick but he spending a lot of time backing up. Gomi tries to unload in the corner but Azeredo circles out. Azeredo lands a leg kick but Gomi catches it and throws a few punches. Azeredo goes down and Gomi lands on top in full guard. They move towards the ropes and the ref briefly steps in to roll them toward the center. Both men are staying busy throwing punches but neither is causing a lot of damage. Azeredo is holding on to Gomi’s body and Gomi stands up to slam him down. Gomi rolls and Azeredo tries to grab an arm but they end up back on their feet. Azeredo presses forward and they exchange. Azeredo backs up and starts throwing out some weird stances. He lands a few kicks but Gomi presses forward with punches. Both fighters whiff on a big shot as the bell sounds. Another amazing fight to wrap up a card that was full of them. Gomi was the aggressor more often than not so 411mania awards the fight to him.
Azeredo would follow up his performance here with a loss against Joachim Hansen at Bushido 10. He was last seen in Jungle Fight where he competed last month.
Gomi and Sakurai would meet at Shockwave 2005. Gomi KO’d Sakurai halfway through the first round to become the first and only PRIDE lightweight champion.
The three other semi-finalists enter the ring and everyone takes a turn on the mic to address the fans. Mauro and Bas pimp the upcoming shows and say goodbye.
Before we go I want to address a comment left on part 1 of this review last week:
Will you be reviewing all the PRIDE shows chronologically? I hope sure as hell hope so..
Posted By: Samer (Guest) on August 19, 2008 at 08:37 PM
Well the short answer is no, but the better answer is not right now. I’ve got something else in mind for next week, and many more weeks after that. However the idea of trying to review all the PRIDE shows isn’t a terrible one. 411mania did have a guy that started doing that, but he’s not around anymore so I may pick up where he left off at some point down the line.
The 411: There’s not much more to say if you’ve read both parts of this review. From top to bottom this is easily one of the best shows ever. Several fights have the distinction of being absolute classics, and many of the fighters here rank amongst the greatest in the world. Thumbs way the hell up.
