PRIDE FC 32: “THE REAL DEAL” REVIEW
While PRIDE FC’s first show in America didn’t feature any serious candidates for Fight of the Year, it was a very entertaining show from top to bottom. All of the matches were either technical, exciting, brutal, short, or some combination of the four, and as a result none of them came close to being dull. The crowd was one of the real highlights of the show, evincing none of the boorish behavior that often seems to characterize stateside MMA audiences. There were no chants of “YOU! ESS! AY!” as the crowd got behind the fighters regardless of where they were from. The crowd seemed, in general, to be very knowledgeable about MMA. There were cheers for good striking and spectacular takedowns, but also for more subtle action like advancing position on the ground or reversing submission attempts. PRIDE also pulled out all of the stops in staging this event, and as a result THE REAL DEAL came complete with both a big event atmosphere and a polished and professional presentation.
None of that, of course, means a damn thing unless the fights were good. Here’s what I thought:
Joey Villasenor v Robbie Lawler
What I said in the preview: “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler is a Miletich student who was being groomed to be the UFC’s Middleweight Golden Boy until he got stopped cold by Nick Diaz at UFC 47. He left the promotion after getting tapped out by Evan Tanner at UFC 50, and has since put up a 3-1 record against good competition on the indy circuit.
Villasenor is the King Of The Cage Middleweight Champion. His is a well-rounded fighter whose record is studded with first round KOs and Submissions. This has the potential to be a pretty exciting stand-up battle.
Prediction: It looks like Villasenor is a fighter on his way up, while Lawler is on the down side of his career. Villasenor, Submission, R2
What actually happened: Villasenor came out with his hands a little low to start the fight. Lawler noticed this and took immediate advantage with a quick high kick setting up a pinpoint flying knee. This combo left Villasenor helpless on his back, and the ref had no choice but to stop the fight. Lawler looked very much like a fighter on his way back up.
Lawler, TKO, 0:22 of R1
Kazuhiro Nakamura v Travis Galbraith
What I said in the preview: Nakamura is a judoka, the protege of Olympic gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida. He is coming off of a lackluster fight against Yoshihiro “Kiss” Nakao at Final Conflict Absolute.
Brought in as a last-minute replacement for Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman, Galbraith is a top contender in KOTC’s Light Heavyweight division. Born in Edmonton, he trains with Bill Mahood, Denis Kang, and other up and coming Canadian fighters.
Prediction: I’m excited to see Galbraith getting a shot in PRIDE, but he is definitely the underdog in this one. Nakamura, Decision
What actually happened: Galbraith got tagged early, but he fought back and manged to take the judoka down twice in the first round. Both fighters were aggressive and both defended really well, and the round looked almost even to me going into the final minute. Nakamura took the round definitively, however, when he caught the Canadian with a picture perfect judo hip throw. It was one of the prettiest takedowns I’ve ever seen. Nak took advantage and gained mount on a stunned Galbraith, but the bell sounded before he could do any further damage.
They came out swinging in the second round. Nakamura took Galbraith down and quickly gained side mount. He wasn’t able to sink the choke, though, so he stood up to let the action keep flowing. Galbraith dropped his hips and bulled the judoka back into the corner. In that position, however, the Canadian’s head was fully exposed, and Nakamura wasted no time in creaming him with a knee lift. Galbraith dropped to all fours, and Kazuhiro started laying in the hammer fists. Herb Dean stepped in to stop the punishment.
Nakamura, TKO, 1:16 of R2
Phil Baroni v Yosuke Nishijima
What I said in the preview: Nishijima is the former professional boxer who was taken down and humiliated by Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos at Final Conflict Absolute.
Phil “New York Bad Ass” Baroni is a big meathead with sick knockout power. If Baroni charges in blindly with his hands down, Nishijima might catch him with a lucky punch. If this goes to the ground, you’d have to give a huge advantage to Baroni.
Prediction: Baroni isn’t exactly known as a submission wizard, but the same could be said of “Cyborg” Santos. Baroni, Submission, R1
What actually happened: Baroni pranced to the ring in full-on “New York Dumb Ass” mode, tugging on his crotch in time to his music. When the bell rang, however, Baroni the showman morphed into Baroni the killing machine. He immediately picked Nishijima’s legs and took him violently to the mat. He rained down blows at will until Nish kicked him off. Baroni then dropped into side control on the supine boxer, worked his way into crucifix position, grabbed Nishijima’s arm, and worked relentlessly for the Kimura until the ref called for the bell.
Even more impressively, Baroni managed to come across as a class act and a likable guy in his profanity-laden post-fight promo.
Baroni, Submission, 3:20 of R1
Dan Henderson v Vitor Belfort
What I said in the preview: Henderson is the PRIDE Bushido Welterweight Champion. His third-round loss to Minotauro Nogueira at PRIDE 24 was probably the most exciting David vs. Goliath type MMA bout that I have ever seen. Henderson’s last fight, however, was an entirely uninspiring decision loss to Kazuo Misaki at Bushido 12. That was a tournament bout, and thus the title wasn’t on the line. I’d assume that the pressure is on Henderson to prove his championship mettle with a win here.
Belfort has incredibly fast hands that have won him notable victories over fighters like Tank Abbott and Wanderlei Silva. Those fights were in the 1990s, though, and Belfort has lost five of his last seven contests. On the other hand, those losses came against top fighters Alistair Overeem (twice), Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture. Henderson is motivated. If Belfort also feels he has something to prove, this could be a great fight.
Prediction: I’m expecting the wrestler to take the striker down and grind out a win. Henderson, Decision
What actually happened: This followed the template of many classic wrestler vs. striker battles. “Hollywood” Henderson stayed in control for most of the fight by taking Vitor down repeatedly and dominating the position battle. This was, in fact, very impressive. Belfort’s MMA reputation is based mainly on his quick hands and vicious knockouts, but he is also a Gracie-trained BJJ black belt and a veteran of the Abu Dhabi Combat Club’s World Grappling Championships. Also, in contrast to many one-sided takedown-heavy decision battles, this was not a boring fight. Hendo and Vitor kept this bout, if not quite exciting, at least interesting through all three rounds. The first round featured some nice escapes and reversals. The second saw a real MMA highspot when Vitor tried to take a jump guard on Henderson, only to be violently driven onto the mat by the American wrestler. The final round featured a great shoulder strike by Henderson, and another impressive reversal by Belfort. It was the kind of fight that might have been booed by a typical mainstream UFC crowd, but the knowledgeable MMA fans in the Thomas and Mack Center seemed to be hanging on every maneuver.
Henderson, Unanimous Decision
Sean O’Haire v Eric “Butterbean” Esch
What I said in the preview: Speaking of last minute replacements, Butterbean was originally scheduled to face the man with (arguably) the strongest chin in PRIDE, Mark Hunt. That would have been a tremendous freak show match, with two huge guys presumably just throwing bombs at one another.
O’Haire is a former professional wrestler who is also well known for getting knocked out in spectacular fashion in K-1 matches. He did beat up the much smaller Shungo Oyama at Rumble On The Rock 6, (and also allegedly a couple of women outside a bar in 2004)… But, hey, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.
Prediction: O’Haire is a tough guy, but he doesn’t exactly have a granite chin, and Butterbean has historically done pretty well against pro wrestlers. Esch, KO, R1
What actually happened: Neither Mauro nor Trig gave O’Haire any chance of winning this one. Renallo even made a Dusty Rhodes reference about the former pro wrestler making his way to the pay window… if you will! (People who hate on Mauro have no idea what they are talking about). It wasn’t just the announcers who felt that O’Haire had no chance against Butterbean, every single prediction that I’m aware of had the 398-pounder going over, and rightly so. It took less than half a minute before Esch ended the farce with a series of crushing right hooks.
Esch, TKO, 0:29 of R1
Wanderlei Silva came to the ring after the fight, and called Chuck Liddell out. Who doesn’t want to see The Ice Man fight The Axe Murderer?
Josh Barnett v Pawel Nastula
What I said in the preview: Nastula won an Olympic gold medal for Poland, in judo. He suffered first round losses against Minotauro Nogueira and Aleks Emelianenko in PRIDE in 2005 in what was surely a baptism by fire. Nastula’s first MMA win came at Critical Countdown this past July, as he forced the previously unbeaten Edson Drago to tap out to an arm bar. From the pictures I’ve seen of the weigh-in, he looks to have added quite a bit of muscle to his frame to prepare for The Babyface Assassin.
Josh Barnett elevated himself to the elite level of the PRIDE heavyweight ranks with his tremendous run through the 2006 Openweight Tournament. He seems to be fully recovered from the punishment he absorbed at Final Conflict Absolute, and he certainly appears to be on a roll right now.
Prediction: In a battle of wrestling vs. judo, who wins? The bigger, more experienced fighter. Barnett, Submission, R2
What actually happened: This was the first match to get booed by the audience. Nastula’s strength and leverage were more than enough to match Barnett’s size and power on this night, and the two men frequently grappled to a stalemate in the clinch and on the ground. Nastula seemed to have the advantage at the end of the first round, having twice taken Barnett down. As with his fight against Big Nog at Final Conflict Absolute, the American managed to sink in a knee bar right as the bell rang to signal the end of the opening round.
Between rounds, Barnett’s corner advised him to avoid the clinch, but Nastula managed to impose his will at the start of the second. They clinched, broke, traded punches, and clinched again. Surprisingly, the Polish judoka got the better of the standing exchanges, catching Barnett with a solid punch and taking him to the mat. Nastula grabbed a leg, but Barnett quickly rolled through, planted a knee on Pawel’s chest, caught his ankle, and twisted it to snatch an amazing comeback victory by submission. This was really an unbelievable moment, bringing to mind the days of old school Catch Wrestling.
Barnett, Submission, 3:04 of R2
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua v Kevin Randleman
What I said in the preview: This fight continues the Hammer House vs. Chute Box feud that boiled over at PRIDE 31, when Rua’s arm was broken by a Coleman takedown. Shogun proved that he was all the way back from his injury by stomping “The Snake” Diabate into submission at PRIDE 31. He won’t have stomps in his arsenal this time out, however.
Randleman is the underdog in this fight, but it was his infamous KO of Mirko Cro Cop at Total Elimination 2004 that proved once and for all that in MMA the underdog always has a chance to pull off an upset. Since beating Filipovic, however, “The Monster” has won only once in five outings.
Prediction: The Revenge of Chute Box begins here. Rua, Submission, R2
What actually happened: Randleman took Rua straight down before the sounds of the ring bell had died away, but Rua reversed the advantage just as quickly. The Brazilian maneuvered himself into position to to catch The Monster’s left ankle. Randleman powered out of danger, but Rua refused to let go. He kept cranking on the leg, continuing to work for the submission no matter how many times Randleman managed to muscle himself out of danger. Finally, Shogun planted his hips on his opponent’s chest, leaned all the way back, and hyperextended Randleman’s knee.
I honestly can’t remember the last time that I saw two consecutive fights on the same show end with knee bars! I guess that the prohibition on kicks to the head took away the most common defense for that kind of hold. Whatever the reason, I was both impressed and delighted by this turn of events.
Rua, Submission, 2:35 of R1
Fedor Emelianenko v Mark Coleman
What I said in the preview: Fedor is a dominant heavyweight champion, and he is almost certainly the best fighter in the world today. He is coming back from a hand injury that was serious enough to require surgery. It only took Fedor a little over two minutes to stop Coleman at Total Elimination 2004. For the first fifteen seconds of that fight, it looked like Coleman was strong enough to manhandle Emelianenko.
I don’t by any means think that Coleman is finished as a fighter, but I do believe that he is past his prime. I am sure he’s been training like an animal in preparation for this fight, but at this point Fedor is simply on another level as a fighter.
Prediction: The only question is whether he’ll knock him out or make him tap. Emelianenko, KO, R1
What actually happened: Coleman’s strategy was pretty clear, as he kept going for takedowns, which Fedor calmly defended. Perseverance paid off, as the wrestler eventually took the champion down. Fedor, however, merely stood right back up. Emelianenko kept his cool, as he always does, and threw hard punches whenever he was given an opening. Eventually, he caught Coleman with a good one, and followed up with several punishing bombs. With about a minute left, the referee stopped the action so that the doctors could check Coleman’s eye, which was badly busted up. The decision was made to continue, and the American bravely kept fighting until the end of the round.
Coleman threw a punch to start the second that was, as far as I could tell, the closest he came to marking Fedor. Coleman’s first shot attempt was stuffed, but he held on and kept working. Eventually, he got position, and it looked like we were going to get some serious Ground & Pound action. The stoic Russian, however, caught the wrestler’s arm, worked his hips loose, and sunk in a beautiful arm bar.
After the fight, we got a display that must have reminded every pro wrestling fan in the crowd of Mick Foley’s children watching The Rock cave their father’s head in. The Hammer’s young daughters came to the ring, and burst into tears when they saw the mess that Emelianenko had made of their father’s face. Fedor showed the class and humility that he always does in victory, smiling apologetically at the heartbroken girls.
Emelianenko, Submission, 1:15 of R2
Agree? Disagree? If you’d like to send feedback, please do. Just click here (that’s mr.gordi at gmail dot com). The contact link below works, too, but my gmail address is better for correspondence.
The Inside Pulse
Not a great show, but a genuinely good one. Probably the kind of show that seems better as it is happening than it will on repeat viewings. More importantly, THE REAL DEAL was a showcase for some of PRIDE’s most exciting fighters and a great way to introduce the promotion to American fans who might not have seen their brand of Mixed Martial Arts before.
