The recent Pride ‘Unbreakable’ show which went from being lampooned by critics before the opening bell to having almost universal praise heaped upon it after a titanic tussle of a main event between Mark Hunt and Yousuke Nishijima can now bizarrely lay claim to being the most ironic event ever.
The card was panned for apparently being insipid as soon as the bouts were announced, but ultimately the wild night of action that ensued could well have produced an unforgettable feud between the unlikeliest of competitors which may define the promotion’s calendar year.
The controversial contest between Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Mark Coleman was a bout filled with contradiction and contention. Firstly, the Chute Boxe fighter was supposed to be the lighter competitor heading into the match, which was scheduled as a qualifier for the Openweight Grand Prix which will commence on May 5.
Any weight advantage the 41-year-old Colman held over his opponent of 17 years younger would apparently even up the fight, but paradoxically Rua actually entered the ring three pounds heavier than his foe from the Hammer House.
Unsurprisingly, the clash began exactly as planned with Coleman taking the fight to the ground and then having his submission defence quickly exposed as ‘Shogun’ seamlessly rolled from being on all fours, into guard, while catching a triangle choke.
The Ohio native quickly fought off the attempt with a brutal show of strength through a meaty powerbomb, but the erudite Rua immediately tried for another submission, this time via a rigid leglock.
Coleman diligently managed to unclamp his limb from the firm hold and when he locked on to ‘Shogun’s ankles and took the Brazilian to the ground, upon impacting the canvas, Rua sickeningly dislocated his elbow, immediately prompting the referee to call a halt to the contest at the 52 second mark.
If anyone was supposed to win the fight early it was ‘Shogun’, but despite already being awarded the victory Coleman was clearly still ‘in the zone’ and it took several seconds for him to come to and stop attempting to inflict damage on his stricken foe.
This was where a match which had been previously ravaged for its potential to disappoint quickly became home to one of the most exciting scenes in Pride history as the Chute Boxe Academy rushed into the ring to defend their team-mate, ensure his safety and take out some frustrations on Coleman.
Wanderlei Silva raced straight for the American but was taken down by Phil Baroni before he could strike Coleman, while on the way to the ground ‘The Hammer’ managed to land some shots of his own to the cocooned body of the Chute Boxe head honcho.
As a clutch of referees, Hammer House members and Chute Boxe fighters then surrounded the scene, Baroni pounded Silva, while ‘Shogun’s brother Murilo ‘Ninja’ Rua swatted Coleman with a cheap shot right hook straight to his face.
The melee then calmed allowing Coleman and Baroni to celebrate by climbing the ropes while ‘Shogun’ finally received some much needed attention, but the repercussions from the incident will last long after that over zealous rejoicing of a win by freak accident.
Post fight, Coleman explained his actions, stating: “It was a fight, I was extremely excited and a little confused, then the next thing I know I had a bunch of people trying to take my head off and it turned into a war.
“I worked very hard for this and that was no accident out there, I did that to him, I won this fight and I am very proud of that”.
‘The Hammer’ then offered any member of Chute Boxe Academy a chance to meet him in the ring at a future show, something which he may live to regret given the pent up anger the Brazilians will be suppressing come bell time.
“I have no hard feelings but I am sure they do, it was the heat of the moment and Shogun’s brother was protecting him, said Coleman.
“To me it is over, but I am sure they are going to hold it against me. I don’t care, let’s do it in the ring.
“Shogun, if you want a rematch, you got it. Silva, if you want a fight, you got it. Little Ninja if you want to fight, you got it.
“It makes for a hell of a match up and a nice little rivalry. I love the Chute Boxe team and would have liked to go train with them, maybe that can’t happen now, but shit happens”.
No doubt, the Pride executives who would have already been delighted with the skirmish which concluded the fight were overjoyed to hear Coleman’s words, as a show which was slated for being bad for business and full of cost cutting due to the competitors being offered lower purses to fight, spawned a money drawing feud.
Thus, in addition to producing one of the most exciting evenings in Pride Fighting Championships’ brief history, Pride 31: ‘Unbreakable’ also set up two fantastic fights for a future show.
Silva will seek revenge against Coleman for what happened to ‘Shogun’ in either in a middleweight or openweight bout, while the two other main protagonists in the brawl, Baroni and ‘Ninja’ will also square off, probably at welterweight.
At an event which was labelled ‘unbreakable’, in true mixed-martial-arts fashion, it took a bad crack to create a positive break and finally smash the complaints which circled it into smithereens.
In typical fight game fashion what appears to be the sweetest of scenarios will come from the sourest of situations.
How bizarre. How ironic. How MMA.
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