All-Star Final Four Culminate PRIDE Grand Prix
Finals Prediction
Sep 7, 2006
Wanderlei Silva
(Pictures) vs. Rodrigo
Nogueira
Silva has the more dangerous semifinal opponent but somehow I see him getting to the final fight with less overall damage. Whoever comes out of the Silva-Filipovic bracket will likely have only taken a round’s worth of damage because this one is not going to see the final bell. It is going to end swiftly and painfully.
Nogueira looked exhausted against Werdum and Barnett may take him
the distance as well. In fact, given the outcome of the Werdum
battle, Rodrigo might opt to change his strategy and force a ground
war with Josh. Whoever comes out of the Nogueira-Barnett fight will
be more spent physically and will have taken more punishment
because neither guy is a knockout artist and needs an accumulation
of strikes to do serious damage.
We see grappler against grappler and striker against striker in the semis. The pairings made me think of the old World Combat Championships tournament in which Renzo Gracie (Pictures) advanced to the final and finished pro boxer James Warring to win the tournament in ’95. However, that was then and this is now. The world was still learning what MMA was all about then. Everyone in the Final Four is a complete package.
I see Silva doing it again.
He lost his last crack at the Middleweight GP but he was happy to pass the torch to Mauricio Rua (Pictures). Silva spoke of moving to heavyweight and here he is. He’s the smallest remaining competitor but in many ways the most deadly.
Silva didn’t get his shot in the 2000 GP after beating Bob Schrijber (Pictures), even though Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) entered the ring knowing he wouldn’t compete against Mark Coleman (Pictures). Who knows what damage Silva could’ve done then. It’s almost fitting that he got to pound Fujita on the road to the title this time. Now he gets his chance to compete with the big men and he will do well. Silva by TKO over a bloodied Nogueira to claim the PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix crown.
Silva has the more dangerous semifinal opponent but somehow I see him getting to the final fight with less overall damage. Whoever comes out of the Silva-Filipovic bracket will likely have only taken a round’s worth of damage because this one is not going to see the final bell. It is going to end swiftly and painfully.
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We see grappler against grappler and striker against striker in the semis. The pairings made me think of the old World Combat Championships tournament in which Renzo Gracie (Pictures) advanced to the final and finished pro boxer James Warring to win the tournament in ’95. However, that was then and this is now. The world was still learning what MMA was all about then. Everyone in the Final Four is a complete package.
I see Silva doing it again.
He lost his last crack at the Middleweight GP but he was happy to pass the torch to Mauricio Rua (Pictures). Silva spoke of moving to heavyweight and here he is. He’s the smallest remaining competitor but in many ways the most deadly.
Silva didn’t get his shot in the 2000 GP after beating Bob Schrijber (Pictures), even though Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) entered the ring knowing he wouldn’t compete against Mark Coleman (Pictures). Who knows what damage Silva could’ve done then. It’s almost fitting that he got to pound Fujita on the road to the title this time. Now he gets his chance to compete with the big men and he will do well. Silva by TKO over a bloodied Nogueira to claim the PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix crown.
