MMA Retro-Rants: PRIDE 1

Posted by Michael Huckaby on 03.28.2007

With the Fertitta Brothers purchasing PRIDE, we take a look back at their history, one by one.

October 11th, 1997 at the Tokyo Dome. Your announcers are Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten.

As with a couple other early PRIDE reviews, I won't be reviewing the kickboxing match(es). This card is chalk full of four first round beatdowns and two fairly uneventful draws, bare with me as we progress through the beginning.

- Match 1: Murakami Kazunari vs John Dixon

Kazunari stands in his corner sporting his stylish Nike swoosh shirt. In the opposite corner Dixon rocks his oversized fat guy wife beater made famous on Cops. Bas relates a story of watching John Dixon fight in the Ukraine on the same show as "this guy named Igor Vovchanchyn." That's somewhat like saying you watched a college football game featuring Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning.

Round 1: The match begins as Quadros points out a 65lb weight differential… I hadn't noticed. Kazunari charges in and gets the clinch but is quickly slammed to the ground by the much larger Dixon. After some soft punches by Dixon to the side, Kazunari works for guard and quickly achieves it. Wanting none of it, Dixon immediately stands back up and we're back on our feet. Another lock up in the center as Kazunari lands a beautiful Judo throw on his much larger opponent and immediately works for an armbar. After landing some softening shots he pulls off the straight armbar to perfection. Winner: Murakami Kazunari, submission (armbar), 1:34 of Rd1. Not much to this, though if your nickname is simply "Big" perhaps you should stay out of the ring (though I'll amend that for Eric Pele).

- Match 2: Gary Goodridge vs Oleg Taktarov

For those that are based mainly on the UFC this bout took place after the first 10 UFC events that might have made both of these names noticeable to you. This was also Taktarov's last MMA fight against real competition before his retirement. You can now see Taktarov in blockbuster films testing his acting chops out on parts such as "Boris", "Oleg", "Russian Security", and "Volkov". Quadros points out Taktarov was the UFC 6 champion and Goodridge was the UFC 8 runner-up and we're off….

Round 1: As they circle Bas tells us Oleg trained specifically on boxing for this fight in Los Angeles. This fight might well be a perfect example in "sticking to what you know". Eventually Gary throws a leg kick which is quickly countered by an Oleg jab, sending Gary stumbling backwards. The last thing Oleg needs is confidence to stick to this boxing strategy. A minute later it seems both men's boxing strategies consist of staring at each other and keeping their fists near their nipples. Oleg seems to be bleeding from the cheek and side of his head despite not taking a noteworthy punch. This isn't to be surprised when you factor in the man has more scar tissue than Abdullah the Butcher and New Jack combined. Oleg stalking Goodridge with an emotionless face and his arms at his chest might well be the cutest thing I've ever seen. As I type that Gary lands an uppercut and a huge right cross that sends Taktarov to all fours. In modern times this fight would have been stopped but Gary gets to land a big knee to the head and spin around to throw deadly hammerfists. Goodridge back to his feet as Oleg buttscoots and bleeds down the left side of his face. Oleg eventually stands back up and they continue to circle as Bas Rutten states Oleg should take him down. He tries just that but Gary sprawls and they're back on their feet and Gary hits a nice left jab. Quadros states that he's impressed at Gary's ability to conserve energy, which I believe is code for saying he's surprised Goodridge doesn't just throw some punches and end it now. Oleg ducks in and Goodridge lands a huge right hook sending Oleg down to his face where he lands three more headshots on his unconscious body. As the referee stops the fight you see the white towel fly in over the his head. Winner: Gary Goodridge, KO (punch), 4:57 of Rd1. Oleg continues to lay face down as if he were a floater in the river.

Gary is sitting down in his corner complaining of an injured knee while you see Oleg being stretchered out of the ring, motionless. Directly behind Goodridge is one of his cornermen who looks to have a camera in his hand taking pictures of the stretcher with Taktarov on it. That's nice, put that right next to the wife and kids in the photoalbum. "This is the time we went to the Grand Canyon, this was Aunt Lucille at her 60th birthday party, and this is when I nearly killed a man in a fight." The "photographer" had the flash on by the way, in case this is ever a trivia question on the strangest board game ever.

- Match 3: Akira Shoji vs Renzo Gracie

Round 1: Renzo starts as the aggressor on his feet with Shoji circling. Renzo eventually gets underhooks while Shoji does the ever classy "the ref is telling me not to grab the ropes so I'm raising the arm closest to him as if to say I'm not while my hand he can't see is wrapped around it tightly" maneuver made famous by pro wrestling and abdominal stretches. He does this back and forth as the ref circles for a good 15 seconds, that's talent. Eventually Renzo gets sick of this and just drags him to the center before dropping him and getting full mount. Gracie immediately looks to get an arm as Shoji defends for dear life. After little action, Quadros states that restarting them on the feet would "favor the standup fighter", that's just funny. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he means in general. Gracie gets Shoji's back and eventually slips the RNC on…. Shoji being ever so smart/classy/aware stands back up and brings them both out of the ring leading the ref to start them on the feet again. Yellow card much? The two then clinch for awhile while Shoji throws a couple of headbutts, causing Renzo to go for a guillotine. Roughly five minutes in and Shoji is sweaty and breathing heavily while Renzo looks as though he could well be reading a book at the local library. Renzo then hooks in a guillotine and pulls full guard while Shoji grabs the ropes once again before eventually pulling himself out in the corner. Shoji lays in top position for the next minute or two until the bell rings, end of round 1. Not that they score by round but I score it 10-9 Renzo.

Round 2: After much circling Renzo goes for the shot but Shoji sprawls nicely and eventually gets top position after some rolling. Shoji is headbutting and putting his chin into the throat of Gracie, who has an active guard. Gracie works for an omaplata and then switches it up to a triangle attempt that Shoji immediately escapes back to his feet. Gracie eventually back to his feet as well and we're standing again. For the record, no punches are being thrown so I literally mean they're standing. Renzo with a left hook and Shoji with a leg kick as Renzo goes for the takedown once again but is stifled by Shoji. After some time working it, Renzo once again gets Shoji on his back in half guard…. to full mount…. flips to Shoji's back. Shoji tries to escape and Renzo grabs an armbar which Shoji's sweaty body slips right out from and he's back in a dominate standing position with Renzo on his back. Same position and no action for a minute or two as Gracie does the "bring it on" gesture to Shoji from his back. This is how the round ends which gets a "thank God" from the announcers. Quadros and Rutten give it to Shoji based on his escapes. Very even round that could go either way (if it mattered).

Round 3: After little standing action in the first minute of the round, Renzo gets stuffed on a takedown attempt. I'm trying to figure out how Shoji is working to win this fight, he doesn't want to go to the ground but he's not throwing any strikes from the feet either. Nice legkick by Shoji as Renzo's left thigh is turning red and purple. After another minute of no action, Renzo's takedown attempt is stuffed again and Shoji is throwing knees from almost a north/south position. "Evidently knee strikes aren't allowed in this fight", states Quadros as the ref reprimands Shoji. Akira eventually twists around and Renzo gets him back in full mount as Shoji knees to Renzo's thighs. More active guard work from Renzo Gracie but Shoji is doing a great job avoiding every attempt. Renzo flips position and lands a couple of strikes before Shoji pops right back up to his feet. Quadros states that in the back of both of their minds they're wondering how good they would be if they could box like Mike Tyson. This would explain the stalling. Renzo shoots again but Shoji gets the best of it and gets on top before popping back to his feet with some fire. The bell rings with Shoji on his feet and Gracie on his back in the corner and that is that. Result: Draw.

This really was a draw in every sense of the word. Renzo was more active and went to finish more often but never seemed to have Shoji in much trouble. Shoji frequently got the better position and landed some beautiful leg kicks. Neither man did enough to really distance himself from the other.

- Match 4: Nathan Jones vs Koji Kitao

Yes, that is eight armed robberies, seven years in prison, WWE wrestler, now actor Nathan Jones. Between he and Mitsuharu it's a combined 13 feet, four inches, and 735lbs of man in the ring. It's large angry convict vs 400lb former sumo wrestler in what could historically be called PRIDE's first freakshow match. Aww, history.

Round 1: Jones starts by hopping all around Kitao, who stays stationary in the center of the ring. Jones with a huge crescent kick that misses and follows with a high kick which also fails. Kitao grabs on and Jones attempts a guillotine (a sloppy one) as Kitao then just falls over on top of him into side mount. Shockingly, Kitao immediately goes for an arm and Jones can't tap fast enough. Winner: Koji Kitao, submission (keylock), 2:14 of Rd1. Kitao didn't even sink it in fully and Jones went into panic mode with no idea how to escape.

"I don't think we'll ever see either of these guys breaking in to the top 10." Be nice, Quadros. And the jury is still out on that one.

- Match 5: Kimo vs Dan Severn

Oh dear God, I forgot this was on PRIDE 1. I'd normally avoid doing this for months but the commentary of frustrated Bas Rutten and Quadros almost make it worth it. Actually that isn't true at all but just to hear an entire Japanese crowd boo is a rare opportunity in life. For those unfamiliar with timelines, this was Severn after all of his UFC triumphs as he'd only later return to UFC three years later, quickly losing to Pedro Rizzo. Kimo would immediately go back to the UFC after this fight (how much do you want to bet they never saw it) and lose to TK before retiring for four years. For the second half of this fight I'll pretty much just quote the announcers for everyone's sanity.

Round 1: "I would expect this fight to go to the ground" - Quadros. Stephen just lost all of his psychic points for his previous assumption that Nathan Jones and Koji Kitao would never make the top 10. Kimo and Severn circle, both with their chins up and their hands down. I remind you, it's the start of the fight. Wild miss by Kimo, countered by a short miss from Severn. Severn shoots and Kimo fights it as they fight for position in the corner. Kimo with a WILD swing and miss. "This is like a Toughman Competition," comments Rutten. Quadros mentions that Severn has so many wrestling accomplishments that he wants to show the crowd his boxing skills…. we have the old school Matt Hughes! "Right now we have anything but an exciting fight," says Quadros. I remind you we're about 6 minutes into the fight. A couple legkicks by Kimo and a sloppy right jab by Severn. Severn tries for the takedown, Kimo slips, but both are immediately back up to their feet. "Dan Severn kind of looks like Eddie Mercury," comments Bas Rutten, only to be shot down by Quadros who points out Tank Abbott used to say the same thing but in a much more derogatory way. Rutten responds that in Holland only UFC 1 and UFC 2 are available so he hasn‘t seen any of the tapes. I remind you this is the first round of a mixed martial arts fight between two of (at the time) the sport's biggest starts. "There may be too much respect in this fight"…. not from me. Severn just threw what Quadros called "a slap" but I call a girly punch. His hand literally went from up high to clawing down at Kimo's head like he had a nest of eggs to protect. Quadros: "This is like a dance contest." Severn finally shoots hard with some energy but Kimo defends well and they're back to their feet. Quadros: "Severn really can not punch." Quadros: "This fight is basically two guys shutting each other down." At the beginning of the fight Bas said it was 3-10 minute rounds (like Renzo/Shoji) but he just heard the PA announcer say we were 15 minutes into the fight. "The rules are all over the place tonight," says Bas. Headbutts are fine, knees to the ground are not (and won't be for another dozen PRIDE events), and apparently each fight has different round and time structures. Quadros: "Both men continue to box…. or I guess throw punches at one another. I don't know that it's boxing." Rutten: "I'm speechless right now." Rutten: "It's very rare to have the Japanese audience start yelling." Quadros: "They say mixed martial artists can be boxers or kickboxers but right now I'm not so sure." Quadros: "Severn is doing a fundamental mistake with his punches, he's bending his wrist back when he punches." Severn actually lands a good right knee and Kimo has a small cut on his forehead, this is the first action in about 25 minutes. Severn is LITERALLY slapping his hand out there, this is unbelievable. I'm not saying Kimo is much better, he has some form just no power or accuracy. Severn actually lands a solid right hand with one minute left, to say Kimo isn't in trouble would be an understatement. Severn actually grabs a leg during a kick, tumbling Kimo backward but he slides out of the ring and they're restarted on their feet. Great. Quadros: "Marathon of inactivity." Quadros: "(THICK sarcasm) Who knows what will happen, will Dan Severn beat Kimo with that vicious right hook or will Kimo survive the onslaught and institute that devastating K-1 low kick?" Rutten: "If they had a rematch of this fight I think not a lot of people would watch it." Quadros is now talking about Kimo's fire tattoos being neutralized by Severn being water, everyone is going completely insane. Severn shoots after about 10 straight minutes of circling and it still doesn't work. That alone should tell the story. Rutten: "JESUS CHRIST!" Quadros: "This isn't a sprint folks, this a jog." Quadros: "As much as the purists want to believe it's all about technique and strategy, this is entertainment. If it's not entertaining you will be out of a job soon." Rutten comments that he's never heard a Japanese audience boo before now. Quadros: "This may be in the Raspberry Awards for maybe not the greatest fight, maybe one of the slowest fights." Quadros: "This is tedium personified." Quadros: "Severn slapping away, trying to outslap Kimo here." Severn actually gets a takedown and attains sidemount, "wish I would have seen this twenty minutes ago" comments Quadros as there are 10 seconds left in the fight. Result: Draw. Quadros: "(the fans) are relieved, ‘thank God it's over.'" Quadros: "We have a replay…. a replay of what, them slapping away?"

It may not seem that way but people that have seen this know full well I wrote down every bit of activity as it happened. Stephen and Bas in rare form doing their best to save the show.

- Match 6: Rickson Gracie vs Nobuhiko Takada

They play the national anthems as Bas comments that Takada simply isn't going to win this fight. I thought about putting quotes around "fight" but I'm holding out. During the Brazilian anthem, Quadros discusses Rickson's vast array of street fighting "until the cops came" and "behind closed doors" matches. Something is weird about that during a national anthem. Quadros says during the Japanese anthem that Takada is as big in Japan as Hulk Hogan is in America…. that's more fitting of national anthem commentary. As I type that, Quadros skips around the story of Yoji Anjo going to Rickson's academy. For those unaware, Anjo, a Japanese pro wrestler, kept challenging Rickson Gracie before finally coming to his dojo with Japanese camera crews. Rickson only let Anjo in and beat him to a bloody, choked out pulp before letting the press in to see him. Again, this is during the national anthem.

Round 1: Rickson begins by holding the center of the ring with Takada circling around. Takada starts jogging around, "running away" says Rutten, as Rickson stands in the center. Takada with a nice low kick, still circling wildly. Rickson shoots in as Takada holds on to the ropes for dear life; the ref separates them and Rickson is none too pleased. Circling again, in a very quick motion Rickson shoots as Takada uses nice wrestling abilities to stop it but this only leads to a double leg bodyslam by Rickson, who gets full mount. Rickson with punches to the side as he tries to get an arm. Many more body shots by Rickson as Quadros calls him the most technical pure fighter on the card. Rickson smoothly steps over and gets an armbar for a nice submission. Winner: Rickson Gracie, submission (armbar), 4:47 of Rd1.

Rickson raises a large trophy in the center of the ring, I don't know whether or not he went to the back and played the drums.

OVERALL THOUGHT: I suppose a must see for historical purposes and more entertaining than some of the early PRIDE's to come. Two or three brutal mismatches, a quick but entertaining Goodridge/Taktarov fight, and a pretty nice ground bout between Renzo and Shoji. 4/10 for an overall lack of athletes, technique, and great battles as is to be expected with a first card and especially a first card in 1997.