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FIGHT ODDS

Pride Shockwave 2 Preview

Dec 28, 2004

Olympic gold and high-octane rematches highlight a huge night of fights. The Rodrigo Nogueira-Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Filipovic-Kevin Randleman rematch bouts take a back seat to the Hidehiko Yoshida-Rulon Gardner bout between two grappling superstars. Also, on short notice PRIDE middleweight champion faces K-1's 2003 Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt, who's filling in for the injured Kazushi Sakuraba. MMA neophyte and judo champion Makoto Takimoto joins the Japanese contingent, which includes top fighters Takanori Gomi, Yuki Kondo and Ryo Chonan . Perennial light-heavyweight contender Dan Henderson , lightweight standout Jens Pulver and sumo wrestler Henry Miller represent the U.S. And the boys from Brazil include “Giant” Silva , Anderson Silva and Ryan Gracie .

And let’s turn our attention to the big show here in the U.S. that night. What? You don’t know of any big show? Me neither. And for an organization to pass off a highlight reel as some sort of eagerly anticipated annual tradition is sad. Does it take a team of investigators for these guys to realize “hey, if we put together a show for New Years Eve, our fans will watch it?” And I’m not even talking about a grand gala like they do in Japan. A six-bout card ala UFC 37.5 would still get some solid numbers on a night when you know you don’t want to be traveling out on the streets.

The thought of watching a six-hour rerun, with the knowledge that there are two huge events taking place on the other side of the globe for both live and PPV audiences to enjoy, is about as satisfying as learning that some aunt of yours has named a star after you. I guess those hungry for MMA here in the States just have to wait until the night of January 2 to celebrate.

The jam-packed night of fights includes:
Ryo Chonan from U-File Camp clashes with Muay Thai Dream Team leader Anderson Silva; UWF wrestler Yoji Anjo tangles with Team Renzo Gracie product Ryan Gracie; Brazilian giant “Giant” Silva combats Korean Greco-Roman wrestler Choi Mu Bae; Brazilian Top Team fighter Ikuhisa Minowa faces K-1 kickboxer fighter Stefan Leko; Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Makoto Takimoto makes his MMA debut taking on Takada Dojo fighter Henry Miller; kickboxer Mirko Filipovic from the Cro Cop Squad meets wrestler Kevin Randleman of the Hammer House in a rematch of their Pride GP quarterfinal bout; K’s Factory fighter Takanori Gomi confronts Miletich Martial Arts striker Jens Pulver; reigning light-heavyweight King of Pancrase Yuki Kondo goes toe-to-toe with Team Quest wrestler Dan Henderson; Wanderlei Silva fighting the heavier kickboxer, Mark Hunt; in a battle of Olympic gold medallists, judo stylist Hidehiko Yoshida of Yoshida Dojo grapples with Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner; In a double-title match, for both the PFC heavyweight championship and the 2004 Pride heavyweight Grand Prix championship, Fedor Emelianenko of the Red Devil Fight Club battles Rodrigo Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team in the pair’s third meeting.