Rewatch Kimo Leopoldo vs Dan Severn in Pride Fc1

[jitzmonkey]

One of my first MMA/Grappling coaches was his training partner (cornered him when he got choked out by Ken.)
We used to drive periodically from Detroit (about 4 hours round trip) to train at Dan's gym out in Coldwater.

I'd rather make that drive w/o the training session than watch this snooze fest again; and I say that having the utmost respect for Dan who was cool AF!

I met Dan in Nashville years ago. I asked him if UFC was in town and he looked like he wanted to smash my head in. He said no he wrestles for wwe or f or whatever it was then. Time flies.

Bro, we'd finish MMA drills, and the pro wrestling guys would come in wearing masks and capes with their boots jumping off the ropes; being dead tired and all amped up from boxing, TD, catch wrestling style drills and seeing sh-t was ridiculously funny and surreal at the time.
It lightened the mood immediately.

 

[Migdagen]

Severn is a good dude, but he probably was the most boring fighter ever.

 

[Patrick Jane]

Dan Severn vs. Takada in a UWFi rivalry rematch would have been $$$

 

[blewgums]

You can say what you want, but Kimo was really good at having a weird first name.

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

Do you think anyone would have really wanted to watch either of them fight again after that performance?

 

[Onidemon84]

It really is a bit strange that Kimo was not a staple over in Pride. Of course there was a time when Pride was home to the best of the best in the world but being the best was not a requirement at all to be threre. Kimo had a look and was a big strong guy who for the most part put on some entertaining fights. Would have loved to have seen him vs a lot of the different Japanese pro wrestling cross over guys along with putting him against guys like Vovchanchyn, Coleman and Kerr ( those 3 would have murdered him but still.)

 

[sonhow]

Kimo vs Kimbo would have been legendary
RIP

 

[Bork Neslar]

Great fight. Thank you, TS.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

One of the most boring fights ever. Probably the worst fight in PRIDE history.

But yes, I would have loved to see Dan and Kimo return and fight different opponents.

I don't know about that, the early pride events had some stinkers, up until the 2000gp they had some strange fights

 

[Choco]

Insert Steve Carell "NO" meme

 

[moreorless87]

Don Frye took Severns spot.

 

[Thesnake101]

Fight so bad it blacklisted both from Pride, lmao.

 

[leifi]

It really is a bit strange that Kimo was not a staple over in Pride. Of course there was a time when Pride was home to the best of the best in the world but being the best was not a requirement at all to be threre. Kimo had a look and was a big strong guy who for the most part put on some entertaining fights. Would have loved to have seen him vs a lot of the different Japanese pro wrestling cross over guys along with putting him against guys like Vovchanchyn, Coleman and Kerr ( those 3 would have murdered him but still.)

Kimo vs Akira Shoji
Dan Severn vs Gary Goodridge

Now it is to late

 

[mkt]

You can say what you want, but Kimo was really good at having a weird first name.

Even weirder if you add the letter "b" after the third letter in his first name.

 

[mkt]

One of my first MMA/Grappling coaches was his training partner (cornered him when he got choked out by Ken.)
We used to drive periodically from Detroit (about 4 hours round trip) to train at Dan's gym out in Coldwater.

Mark Tripp? He was active on the early AOL MMA boards. He coached Dan after he got triangle choked by Royce. Severn looked totally different just 4 months later when he faced Oleg Taktarov. Better sub defense and absolutely brutal with knees, elbows, headbutts (legal back then). I don't think Royce could've survived the beatings Severn put on Oleg and Tank. Those two guys were just extra tough.

 

[Blanqa Blanqua]

Maybe a rematch for UFC 300? !!!

 

[JohnMandick]

Didn't Kimo test positive for meth or something? Or was that Ken Shamrock?

Pretty sure one or both tested for meth and/or methadone (in addition to all the steroids of course).... in any case, time wasn't kind to them.

Severn fought into his 50s I think.

 

[jitzmonkey]

Mark Tripp? He was active on the early AOL MMA boards. He coached Dan after he got triangle choked by Royce. Severn looked totally different just 4 months later when he faced Oleg Taktarov. Better sub defense and absolutely brutal with knees, elbows, headbutts (legal back then). I don't think Royce could've survived the beatings Severn put on Oleg and Tank. Those two guys were just extra tough.

Different guy who I’m not going to name due to some personal differences.

According to him, they only used Tripp’s academy to prepare but never really trained under him.
I got the impression that he exaggerated quite a bit about a lot of stuff (high level black belts in judo and jiujitsu for one)
That said, he was a good wrestler and did some coaching and I believe competed internationally.
FWIW, I got my green belt under the Tripps when I was ~19 y/o.
Nothing bad to say about them; just wasn’t my scene.

 

[mkt]

Different guy who I’m not going to name due to some personal differences.

According to him, they only used Tripp’s academy to prepare but never really trained under him.
I got the impression that he exaggerated quite a bit about a lot of stuff (high level black belts in judo and jiujitsu for one)
That said, he was a good wrestler and did some coaching and I believe competed internationally.
FWIW, I got my green belt under the Tripps when I was ~19 y/o.
Nothing bad to say about them; just wasn’t my scene.

That was an odd time, because you had judo/JJ/wrestling coaches trying to adapt to the early UFCs and Gracie JJ, as it was called at the time. John Saylor was another name I heard a lot then, along with Tony Cecchine (catch wrestling). While Cecchine got bashed a lot later, I'm guessing he knew more about submissions than 99.999% of the population did in, say, 1994.

I went to a local judo/JJ school that was quickly adapting to MMA (even some of the striking) around 1994-95.

 

[mkt]

Kimo vs Akira Shoji
Dan Severn vs Gary Goodridge

Now it is to late

Yeah, there could've been some better fights for sure. Considering that Coleman, Mark Schultz, Tom Erikson all beat Severn...and even a smaller Don Frye beat him twce in the 90s...I think Severn would take it via wrestling. Goodridge would be too dangerous to stand with, and like I said earlier, I think Severn/Kimo might have been rigged. Since it was almost certainly going to be a long grappling match, I'm thinking the promoters told them to stand and bang...and they decided to have a boring 30-minute Aerobox display to spite them.