Today 13yrs ago: Critical Countdown 2005 (June 26th 05)

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RINYA NAKAMURA
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Event: Critical Countdown 2005
Location: Saitama Super Arena
Attendence: 45.102
Date: June 26th 2005
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Fighters being eliminated in the 1st Round:
Randleman (Nakamura), Belfort (Overeem), Rampage (Rua), Lister (Arona), Dong-Sik (Saku), Henderson (LilNog), Yoshida (Wand), Kondo (Igor)

2nd round of the PrideFC MW GP 05
Card:
Wanderlei Silva def. Kazuhiro Nakamura TKO (Punches) 5:24

Ricardo Arona def. Kazushi Sakuraba TKO (Corner Stoppage) R2 5:00

Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Pawel Nastula TKO (Punches) 8:30

Kiyoshi Tamura def. Makoto Takimoto Decision (Unanimous)

Mirko Cro Cop def. Ibragim Magomedov KO (Kick to the Body) 3:53

Alistair Overeem def. Igor Vovchanchyn
Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1:20

Mauricio Rua def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Decision (Unanimous)

Sergei Kharitonov def. Pedro Rizzo TKO (Soccer Kick and Punches) 2:02


This Card started out with Pedro Rizzo's Pride debut...who came straight over from the UFC

Sergei x Rizzo
The last guy you want to fight at HW in 04-07, if it wasn't for the title, is probably Karithanov.
But Pedro did...UFC legend and dangerous striking, with Lowkicks as heavy as Trees...
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But he wasn't at his top anymore and Sergei was just too quick on his feet and with his hands...
Bigger, Stronger, Faster...
He tagged him over and over but Rizzo stood right there with him, trying to land his own punches.

Man...Sergei was scary back then...nothing like the slow stalking he does today...

Rizzo's leg's getting wobbled and he doesn't really find them back under him...
Sergei lands more and Pedro goes pretty slow down to his butt and gets soccer kicked by Sergei over his face. Standing-to-ground-follow-up-punches...

Shogun x Lil'Nog
Sherdog Fight of the Year 2005

And what a great fight it was!
Back and forth...knockdowns on both sides...great exchanges...both guys not giving each other an inch, standing or on the ground.
This one was one of the best fights, at this level at the time it happend.
Best fight of the GP!

Both guys showed great durabillity...and Shoguns chin was top notch at the time...at one point Nog dropped Rua hard, right on his butt cheeks and he just stood up like nothing happend...

New to MMA?...check this fight out man!


Alistair x Igor
This Alistair and the Alistair who just fought Blaydes...is like day and night...no waiting...not there to stay away from your opponent...he went right at his opponents back then..
He brought that fight right to Igor.
Who himself was an undersized HW, his whole career...and still not that big at MW (LHW)

Bing...the bell rings...
Igor and Alistair end up in the clinch and AO goes for knees from there...and ends up tripping Ice Cold Vovchanchyn...side control and they start to scramble back up to their feet.
But the sneaky Alistair uses it to sink in a choke and taps Igor out with a standing guillotine choke...
Alistair celebrates and Igors face is kinda like smiling and saying fuck at the same time...


CroCop x Magomedov
Nothing special right there...except for the liver kick finish by Filipovic.
(Who remembers Bas giving a shout out to sherdog?...not in this fight...but it was also after a strike to the liver and Bas said: "Yes people on sherdog...its the liver!" ?)

With this W CroCop became the official challenger for Fedor's belt and they would meet each other inside the ring at Final Conflict 2005...whoever would win this fight, would become the absolute undisputed #1 HW in the world...


Tamura x Takimoto
I don't remember much...except Tamura winning a decision...lol

Big Nog x Nastula
Nastula came in with a heavy and decorated backround in Judo and Nog was absolute willing to engage on the ground with Pawel.
Both guys scored sweeps over each other in the opening 2 minutes...and both guys showing their grappling skills.
It was Nastulas MMA debut and Nog was just too much for him as the fight went on.
Nog tko'd Pawel later on with strikes from the full mount...


Saku x Arona
One of the most brutal beatings ever on display in Pride...and that should say alot.
It was a even fight until a this moment:
Arona comes in with a hard knee to the body and it hit Saku clean, both guys were fiti g punches at each other and right after this exchange...Saku looked winded.
And it went nowhere but downhill for the Gracie Hunter at this point.
His face still looked ok after the 1st round...but after eating heavy knees and soccer kicks over and over, by Arona, in a somewhat sprawling position...it turned ugly!
(Fucking awesome pic right there)
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What i also remember is that when Saku was stuck on his butt...eating heavy knees...he either was communicating with his corner, the whole time, or cheering Arona on to keep kneeing him...i think it was more of a communication with his corner...who is cheering someone on to keep kneeing his head into a pulp?;)

2nd Round is over and they stop the fight as soon as they see Sakus beaten face...OMG his face man!...i mean his whole head was swollen up and leaking everywhere...
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Arona advances to the semi's...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NDoQxI9qATc

Wand x Nakamura
"Tell Wanderlei: Shut the fuck up!"
...Yep thats what Kazuhiro said in the pre-fight interview...fucking lol.
(Sometimes i ask myself how much words Cunt Millen was putting into some fighters mouths...)

Later that night...Nakamura found himself in a situation, every japanese dude found himself against Silva...he got beaten down...after throwing away his GI during the fight.
Nakamura verbally tapped, while being mounted and getting his face punched in from Silva's right hand...

A happy Wanderlei was celebrating his entrance to the semi's of this GP.
And his next fight proofed...A champion can be beaten on any given night on any given day...even if he isn't facing the #1 contender...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GHx0v_GeUUw

Another great great Event for Pride with lots of good memories and not so good ones (Saku).
Critical Countdown delivered (again) and it wasn't the last CriticalCountdown PrideFC put up...

And of course i bought this whole GP in a box set and i think the whole GP is a must have for every MMA fan!

Share your thoughts and feel free to add some stuff guys...
 
PRIDE, where freakshow fights were properly promoted as freak show fights and they didn't try to trick into thinking they were "legit" fights.

RIP PRIDE

<mma1>
 
Great post.

I miss pride.

Twas a great event that night.
 
What’s shocking is this was not even one of PrideFC’s better events (in terms of being stacked and star power)
 
Please for the love of humanity bring back yellow cards and ippon style judging.
 
Shit on CM Punk all you want (and i did)
But imo That Giant Silva guy was the biggest embarrassment in MMA and they put him in HW grand Prix. Didnt he used to bring a big 2x4 to the ring?
 
What’s shocking is this was not even one of PrideFC’s better events (in terms of being stacked and star power)
Well,
Wanderlei Silva
Sakuraba
Ricardo Arona
Shogun Rua
Lil'Nog
Overeem
Igor Vovchanchyn
Nakamura
BigNog
Sergei Karithanov
Pedro Rizzo
CroCop
Tamura

...looks fucking stacked to me ;)


But i get you...there have been even more stacked and better events...the Shockwave Cards were unbeleavable
 
Mauricio Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was an absolute classic. One of my favorite fights of all time.

Great post TS.
 
What's really sad is there are some casuals in here who know NOTHING about this or other fighters. Truly sad if you missed this era. I remember watching the ufc ppvs then staying up till 3am to watch pride.
 
Shit on CM Punk all you want (and i did)
But imo That Giant Silva guy was the biggest embarrassment in MMA and they put him in HW grand Prix. Didnt he used to bring a big 2x4 to the ring?
He wasn't skilled at all...but he was huuuuge ...and that was it...i think he was allready known in Japan from pro-wrestling i think, so he brought in some extra viewers...

And about the 2x4 ...i think he even tried to attack somebody after a fight with it...it was nothing but awesome
 
Shit on CM Punk all you want (and i did)
But imo That Giant Silva guy was the biggest embarrassment in MMA and they put him in HW grand Prix. Didnt he used to bring a big 2x4 to the ring?
Nothing wrong with that

buC8jR.gif
 
Shogun's MW Grand Prix run: Prime Rampage, Prime Minotoro, The Reem, & Arona. April the 23th - August the 28th.

INSANITY. And they wonder why we can't just let go...
 
Loved it.

It's a shame Rizin never really took off. Same rule-set but hardly any events.
 


Golden age of MMA. It wasn't just because of Pride either; regardless if you thought Pride was ichiban #1 supreme best GOAT at the time (it was), there was still the UFC, WEC, KOTC, Cage Rage, and all sorts of decent regional shows.



Lenne Hardt gave me goosebumps with her fighter introductions. You knew you were watching something special.
 
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