Remember me.....Pedro Rizzo

Glove

Glove

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One of the single most feared strikers in the world, Pedro (The Rock) Rizzo was a protege of UFC 7 tournament winner Marco Ruas. A Vale Tudo and kickboxing practitioner, Rizzo is still considered the best heavyweight in MMA/NHB history in his use of lower leg kicks. Once described as getting hit by a baseball bat to your thigh by a major league slugger, Rizzo's kicks are still often talked about amongst MMA fans. A 20-11 record with 12 by way of KO/TKO...his statistics are considered average or even lackluster, but his wins over top ranked opponents during a 4 year reign is what's to be considered here.From 1999-2003 Rizzo defeated the likes of Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, David (Tank) Abbott and Andre Arlovski. But what Pedro Rizzo will most likely be remembered for are his two "apocalyptic" wars with Lion's Den fighter Tra Telligman, where Rizzo would win both times by TKO and a doctor's stoppage. A Vale Tudo Heavyweight Champion he tried to get gold in the UFC by trying to upend UFC Hall of Famer and then UFC HW Champion Randy Couture at UFC 31 where he would lose via split decision but sent "The Natural" to the hospital and out of commission for 4 weeks due to his brutal leg kicks that left Randy with discolored legs. Years later Couture would claim it was Rizzo who gave him his toughest fight in his long storied career. He may not have been a champion but his exciting style of using his kickboxing and excellent use of the jab made Rizzo quite popular among MMA traditionalists even to the very day.

Pedro Rizzo vs Tra Telligman II (UFC 43)



Pedro Rizzo vs Josh Barnett I (UFC 30)

http://media.zie.nl/m/[email protected]
 
Pedro was/is the man, but I have to say, the beating he took against Sergei is one of the finest displays of superior boxing boxing in MMA in my opinion. Those jabs and straights were beautiful to watch.
 
Glove said:
One of the single most feared strikers in the world, Pedro (The Rock) Rizzo was a protege of UFC 7 tournament winner Marco Ruas. A Vale Tudo and kickboxing practitioner, Rizzo is still considered the best heavyweight in MMA/NHB history in his use of lower leg kicks. Once described as getting hit by a baseball bat to your thigh by a major league slugger, Rizzo's kicks are still often talked about amongst MMA fans. A 20-11 record with 12 by way of KO/TKO...his statistics are considered average or even lackluster, but his wins over top ranked opponents during a 4 year reign is what's to be considered here.From 1999-2003 Rizzo defeated the likes of Mark Coleman, Dan Severn, Josh Barnett, David (Tank) Abbott and Andre Arlovski. But what Pedro Rizzo will most likely be remembered for are his two "apocalyptic" wars with Lion's Den fighter Tra Telligman, where Rizzo would win both times by TKO and a doctor's stoppage. A Vale Tudo Heavyweight Champion he tried to get gold in the UFC by trying to upend UFC Hall of Famer and then UFC HW Champion Randy Couture at UFC 31 where he would lose via split decision but sent "The Natural" to the hospital and out of commission for 4 weeks due to his brutal leg kicks that left Randy with discolored legs. Years later Couture would claim it was Rizzo who gave him his toughest fight in his long storied career. He may not have been a champion but his exciting style of using his kickboxing and excellent use of the jab made Rizzo quite popular among MMA traditionalists even to the very day.

Pedro Rizzo vs Tra Telligman II (UFC 43)



Pedro Rizzo vs Josh Barnett I (UFC 30)

http://media.zie.nl/m/[email protected]
Click to expand...


..and then he left UFC for Pride.
Got 0-2 and got his jaw cracked forever by two mean Russians.
 
The Barnett KO is an all time great in terms of how brutal it was, Josh was sent flying to the fence, but also how he mixed up low kicks and punches to set up the KO. Very nice display of Kickboxing.
 
His KO loss to Roman Zentsov is one of the most violent-looking I've seen. Pedro's head moved 90 degrees
 
Anyone else think that the surname "Landless" must put you at the absolute bottom of society?
 
And his mentor and coach is still a legend.......how old is Ruas again lol?
 
TheIrishPsycho said:
It was the same with BJ Penn...if he had just stayed after beating Hughes things could have been so different.
Click to expand...

Different of course...but it's not like his K-1 stint has got his career closer to the end or something.

Rizzo could've fought today hadn't he gone to Pride.
 
Some of the best low kicks I have ever seen.

He made Severn quit with this one:

tumblr_mcf5l3ZiRP1ry1rm7o1_250.gif



He also really wore down Tank with his low kicks:

sizedRizzoKOsTank.gif
 
I became a fan because Marco Ruas who was/is one of my favorite all time fighters, I just wished Pedro was a little more aggressive, it seems to me that he would get complacent in his fights and often that cost him the match. Still I always watched when he fought!!
 
Rizzo was one of the guys who brought high level striking to the UFC. He did take a couple bad KO's. Fedor sure crushed him there.


wompuscatwilly said:
And his mentor and coach is still a legend.......how old is Ruas again lol?
Click to expand...

Add 5 to whatever it says in Sherdog.
 
For the longest time, I think Pedro-Randy was the best HW MMA fight of all time.

I haven't seen it in years but from what I remember, no HW fight ever surpassed it, although I rarely watch MMA anymore.

It had entertainment value, 2 skilled fighters, and they continued to fight for al 5 rounds which is probably still a big deal for HWs today, much less in 2001 MMA.
 
beastman said:
Rizzo was one of the guys who brought high level striking to the UFC. He did take a couple bad KO's. Fedor sure crushed him there.
Click to expand...


Fedor's got nothing to crush...everything was crushed there before him.

That's the sad thing about that fight...no intrigue whatsoever.
 
Should he have gotten the decision against Randy?
 
great fighter. top 15-20 HW ever
 
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