Sherdog.com Preview: PRIDE Middleweight GP “Final Conflict” Part II
Ricardo Arona vs. Wanderlei Silva
Aug 25, 2005
ARONA: Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Ricardo Arona (Pictures) won the 2001 Abu Dhabi Submission
Wrestling Absolute & 2001 Under 98-kg Class division championships
and the 2000 Abu Dhabi Under 98-kg (under 216-lbs) division
championship.
“The Brazilian Tiger” was the RINGS King of Kings 2001 middleweight class champion and trains with Murilo Bustamante (Pictures), Ricardo Liborio (Pictures), Mario Sperry (Pictures), Rodrigo and Rogerio Nogueira and the rest of the Brazilian Top Team. He carries a record of 11-2 in MMA and makes his eighth appearance (6-1) in the ring of the PFC.
Arona began his MMA career fighting in the RINGS organization in
2000. He missed the first King of Kings tournament and took part in
the first Millennium Combine event against PRIDE veteran Andrei Kopylov.
He pounded Andrei, even rear mounting him and swinging free, but he could not put the sambo stylist away. Arona took the decision and returned to Millennium Combine 3 and beat UFC/PRIDE veteran Jeremy Horn (Pictures).
He submitted PRIDE veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara (Pictures) in the RINGS World Title Series and defeated Horn for a second time on the 10th Anniversary show. The four-man tournament, which included Arona, Horn, UFC veteran Christopher Haseman and Ruas Vale Tudo fighter Gustavo Machado (Pictures), would wrap up in August of 2001. “Ximu” Machado advanced to the final but was stunned with strikes in less than 90 seconds, allowing Arona to claim his RINGS middleweight championship.
Arona debuted in the PFC at PRIDE 16, fighting a back-and-forth battle with Lion’s Den fighter Guy Mezger. Early on the Brazilian appeared rough around the edges and couldn’t take Mezger down without a great deal of effort.
Mezger punched through Arona’s ground game and landed a beautiful kick in the throat in the second round. Yet Arona looked rejuvenated in the third round and pulled out the split decision win.
At PRIDE 20, Arona looked like he had worked a lot of the kinks out of his game and handed Dan Henderson (Pictures) a rare loss. He faced Murilo Rua (Pictures) at PRIDE 23, taking another decision but injuries kept Arona from fighting for the next year and half. He returned to the ring last June in the Grand Prix but was slammed unconscious by Quinton Jackson (Pictures).
Last Halloween, Arona faced Russian Top Team fighter Sergei Ignatev and choked him out late in the first round. He then took a decision over American grappling wonder boy Dean Lister (Pictures) in the opening round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. In June, Arona fought an opponent he’d waited years to face.
He finally stood across the ring from MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) and made the most of the experience, pounding the Japanese hopeful unmercifully, handing him his first loss since 2003.
SILVA: Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) is a Muay Thai fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt out of the Chute Boxe Academy, and is both the current PFC middleweight champion and the winner of the 2003 PFC Middleweight Grand Prix.
“The Axe Murderer” is the IVC 2 eight-man tournament champion and a UFC, MECA and Brazilian Vale Tudo veteran with a record of 29-4-1 in MMA. He is making his 24th appearance (20-1-1-1) in the ring of the PFC.
Silva began fighting MMA in Brazil at local shows in 1996. He battled both fellow Brazilians and American imports like UFC veterans Mike Van Arsdale (Pictures), Adrian Serrano (Pictures) and Eugene Jackson. Silva suffered his only by-cut stoppage in an absolute war against Artur Mariano at IVC 2.
He made three appearances in the UFC (1-2) losing by a flash knockout to Vitor Belfort (Pictures) and by decision to former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures).
In 2000 he made a semi-permanent move to PRIDE and has battled the organizations top 205-pounders. Silva has punished Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) on three occasions and was scheduled to meet him a fourth time.
Lion’s Den fighter Guy Mezger was knocked out (with help from a head butt) at PRIDE 10 and we missed out on what could’ve been a war when Silva accidentally hit Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) in the groin at PRIDE 11.
Dan Henderson (Pictures) gave Silva one of his best challenges to date at PRIDE 12. Many felt Silva had been “taking it easy” for a few years, padding his record with Japanese opponents and only taking a one tough bout (a draw with Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) at Pride 20) along the way. However most of his doubters were silenced when, after defeating Sakuraba for a third time, he beat both judo Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) and American wrestler Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in one night.
He continued his winning ways, knocking out his next three opponents (Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), Yuki Kondo (Pictures) and Jackson for a second time) before the proposed fourth match with Sakuraba. But just days before, Sakuraba (a natural 185-lb submission wrestler) pulled out due to injury and Mark Hunt (Pictures) (a 250-lb kickboxer) was inserted in his place.
Silva, being a true warrior, took the bout anyway and lost a questionable split decision. The PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix began in April of this year and Silva met Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) in the opening round.
The judo champion proved to be an even more formidable opponent than the first time they met in the ring. Silva won a split decision and went on to face Yoshida disciple Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures). Kazuhiro gave Silva a battle but made a poor decision and got caught in transition, allowing himself to be struck repeatedly and end his climb toward the middleweight tournament title.
MY PICK: Silva.
Who could pick against Wanderlei to win it all? His unquestionable dominance over the past five years makes me wonder what damage he would’ve done in the 2000 GP had he competed as a reserve. Arona is very tough and likely deserves to be where he is but I don’t think he has the tools to defeat Silva. Ricardo’s no punk. He won’t go down easy and he’ll make Silva work for the win. I feel it will be Silva by decision in the third round.
“The Brazilian Tiger” was the RINGS King of Kings 2001 middleweight class champion and trains with Murilo Bustamante (Pictures), Ricardo Liborio (Pictures), Mario Sperry (Pictures), Rodrigo and Rogerio Nogueira and the rest of the Brazilian Top Team. He carries a record of 11-2 in MMA and makes his eighth appearance (6-1) in the ring of the PFC.
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He pounded Andrei, even rear mounting him and swinging free, but he could not put the sambo stylist away. Arona took the decision and returned to Millennium Combine 3 and beat UFC/PRIDE veteran Jeremy Horn (Pictures).
He then he ran into Fedor
Emelianenko (Pictures), who frustrated Arona, countering
his skills on the ground to win a decision. Arona, a takedown
master, only scored two clean takedowns in the entire bout but it
was by no means a one-sided battle.
He submitted PRIDE veteran Hiromitsu Kanehara (Pictures) in the RINGS World Title Series and defeated Horn for a second time on the 10th Anniversary show. The four-man tournament, which included Arona, Horn, UFC veteran Christopher Haseman and Ruas Vale Tudo fighter Gustavo Machado (Pictures), would wrap up in August of 2001. “Ximu” Machado advanced to the final but was stunned with strikes in less than 90 seconds, allowing Arona to claim his RINGS middleweight championship.
Arona debuted in the PFC at PRIDE 16, fighting a back-and-forth battle with Lion’s Den fighter Guy Mezger. Early on the Brazilian appeared rough around the edges and couldn’t take Mezger down without a great deal of effort.
Mezger punched through Arona’s ground game and landed a beautiful kick in the throat in the second round. Yet Arona looked rejuvenated in the third round and pulled out the split decision win.
At PRIDE 20, Arona looked like he had worked a lot of the kinks out of his game and handed Dan Henderson (Pictures) a rare loss. He faced Murilo Rua (Pictures) at PRIDE 23, taking another decision but injuries kept Arona from fighting for the next year and half. He returned to the ring last June in the Grand Prix but was slammed unconscious by Quinton Jackson (Pictures).
Last Halloween, Arona faced Russian Top Team fighter Sergei Ignatev and choked him out late in the first round. He then took a decision over American grappling wonder boy Dean Lister (Pictures) in the opening round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. In June, Arona fought an opponent he’d waited years to face.
He finally stood across the ring from MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) and made the most of the experience, pounding the Japanese hopeful unmercifully, handing him his first loss since 2003.
SILVA: Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) is a Muay Thai fighter and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt out of the Chute Boxe Academy, and is both the current PFC middleweight champion and the winner of the 2003 PFC Middleweight Grand Prix.
“The Axe Murderer” is the IVC 2 eight-man tournament champion and a UFC, MECA and Brazilian Vale Tudo veteran with a record of 29-4-1 in MMA. He is making his 24th appearance (20-1-1-1) in the ring of the PFC.
Silva began fighting MMA in Brazil at local shows in 1996. He battled both fellow Brazilians and American imports like UFC veterans Mike Van Arsdale (Pictures), Adrian Serrano (Pictures) and Eugene Jackson. Silva suffered his only by-cut stoppage in an absolute war against Artur Mariano at IVC 2.
He made three appearances in the UFC (1-2) losing by a flash knockout to Vitor Belfort (Pictures) and by decision to former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz (Pictures).
In 2000 he made a semi-permanent move to PRIDE and has battled the organizations top 205-pounders. Silva has punished Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) on three occasions and was scheduled to meet him a fourth time.
Lion’s Den fighter Guy Mezger was knocked out (with help from a head butt) at PRIDE 10 and we missed out on what could’ve been a war when Silva accidentally hit Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) in the groin at PRIDE 11.
Dan Henderson (Pictures) gave Silva one of his best challenges to date at PRIDE 12. Many felt Silva had been “taking it easy” for a few years, padding his record with Japanese opponents and only taking a one tough bout (a draw with Mirko Filipovic (Pictures) at Pride 20) along the way. However most of his doubters were silenced when, after defeating Sakuraba for a third time, he beat both judo Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) and American wrestler Quinton Jackson (Pictures) in one night.
He continued his winning ways, knocking out his next three opponents (Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures), Yuki Kondo (Pictures) and Jackson for a second time) before the proposed fourth match with Sakuraba. But just days before, Sakuraba (a natural 185-lb submission wrestler) pulled out due to injury and Mark Hunt (Pictures) (a 250-lb kickboxer) was inserted in his place.
Silva, being a true warrior, took the bout anyway and lost a questionable split decision. The PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix began in April of this year and Silva met Hidehiko Yoshida (Pictures) in the opening round.
The judo champion proved to be an even more formidable opponent than the first time they met in the ring. Silva won a split decision and went on to face Yoshida disciple Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures). Kazuhiro gave Silva a battle but made a poor decision and got caught in transition, allowing himself to be struck repeatedly and end his climb toward the middleweight tournament title.
MY PICK: Silva.
Who could pick against Wanderlei to win it all? His unquestionable dominance over the past five years makes me wonder what damage he would’ve done in the 2000 GP had he competed as a reserve. Arona is very tough and likely deserves to be where he is but I don’t think he has the tools to defeat Silva. Ricardo’s no punk. He won’t go down easy and he’ll make Silva work for the win. I feel it will be Silva by decision in the third round.
