"The second round fo the Pride Grand Prix has come and gone, and so has the chance for 4 fighters to advance towards the most prestigious title in MMA.  The results were pretty much as expected, but that does not diminish the excitment one iota... This show definitely gave the fans their monies worth.

Sergei Kharitonov Def. Pedro Rizzo

This might have been a great fight if Sergei Kharitonov had been fighting the Pedro Rizzo from a few years ago. Some thought this fight might be close but it wasn’t, it was a blowout. Kharitonov and Rizzo started tentatively but it wasn’t long before they both were throwing down. Rizzo managed to land a leg kick and a couple of punches but Kharitonov easily shook them off and pressed forward. It became obvious soon thereafter he was too strong for Pedro. Throwing powerful punches to the head and
body, Kharitonov backed Rizzo up and had him off balance. He landed a knee to the head and on the way down landed a round kick to the head. Kharitonov pounced on the dazed Rizzo and landed a punch to the head. This was all it took for the referee to step in. In just over 2 minutes Kharitonov had easily dispatched of the once formidable Rizzo.

Mauricio Rua  Def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

With grappling, escapes and toe-to-toe exchanges, this bout had a little bit of something for everyone in it. Surprisingly, from the start Rua was easily able to take down Little Nog. For the time on their feet though, Nog continually landed punches on the incoming Rua. Nog gained several kimuras and triangles and came close to an arm bar but Rua, slippery with sweat, wiggled his way back to his feet. Although he was on the receiving end of numerous hard shots from Nog, Rua landed a strong right of his
own in the third knocking him backwards. He was unable to capitalize though and the bout ended. Although the judges gave Rua the unanimous decision his face took a beating in the process. At the post press conference Rua’s face was a mass of lumps and bruises.

Alistair Overeem Def Igor Vovchanchyn

In what was one of the few surprises of the evening, Alistair Overeem held back what little offense Igor Vovchanchyn presented and effortlessly locked in a guillotine choke. A shocked Vovchanchyn had been submitted in only 1:20 of the first round.

Mirko Filipovic Def. Ibragim Magomedov

Mirko CroCop dismantled a game Ibragim Magomedov to stop him in just under 4 minutes. With Fedor Emelianenko watching from Magomedov’s corner, CroCop repeatedly landed his vaunted left leg round kick to the body. Red and purple welts quickly appeared and it became apparent it was only a  matter of time before Mirko ended it. A left leg to the head was blocked by Magomedov and then another narrowly missed. Mirko stepped in with a round kick to the body, backing up Magomedov. One final round kick to the liver ended the bout with Magomedov writing in pain on the canvas. Mirko CroCop dismantled a game Ibragim Magomedov in less than 4 minutes.

After the bout CroCop called matchmaker Nobuhiko Takada into the ring for a “big announcement.” Could it be Filopovic wanted Takada to promote his new movie or did he have something else on his mind? Lo and behold he asked Takada to call Fedor to the ring. A few moments’ later Fedor shows with the Pride belt around his neck, imagine that. They take some photos together and Fedor announces “he promises he will fight Mirko Filopovic on the August 28th  Pride show.” Takada declares “Fedor, champion, Mirko, challenger!” Fans around the world are hoping to see this match and at this point it does indeed look like it will happen.

Kiyoshi Tamura Def. Makoto Takimoto

In the “who cares” bout of the night Yoshida dojo member Makoto Takimoto took on Kiyoshi Tamura. The fight was slow and mostly uneventful with most of the action taking place in the last round. Tamura would land the occasional leg kick and Takimoto would counter but most were happy to see the fight end. When the bell rang to signal the end of the fight it was Tamura who got the unanimous decision.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Def. Pawel Nastula

As said when I previewed this card, being a great Judoka does not necessarily make a great Pride fighter. Nog showed why. He repeatedly took the side mount but Nastula repeatedly found a way to escape. Nonetheless, Nog controlled the bout from the beginning and wore out Nastula who gassed by the 5 or 6 minute mark. Nog finally obtained the mount position on the defenseless Nastula and pounded him with punches until the referee stepped in at 8:38. Nastula hung in for as long as he could but was totally spent. Taking on Nogueira in his first Pride bout was either foolish or ballsy depending how you look at it but with a little more seasoning in the Pride arena he may be able to make the step up.

Ricardo Arona Def. Kazushi Sakuraba

Kazushi Sakuraba, dressed in a Japanese school boy’s uniform, joyfully rode a small bicycle to the ring but in the end needed help leaving it. Ricardo Arona has said he always wanted to fight Sakuraba and he made the most of the opportunity. After a feeling out process in the first portion of round one Arona managed to position Sak into the north-south position. A few knees to the head later and Sak was bleeding from his heavily taped ears. Soon after Sak was given the once over by the ring doctor and
allowed to continue.

Much of the next round was spent with Arona dropping knees to the head of Sak. By the end of the second round Sak was a bloody mess and was unable to continue. The “Gracie Hunter” of old is long gone and these days Sak almost always takes an inane amount of punishment. Who knows what’s next for him? Arona advances to the semi-finals and has a fair chance of winning the championship.

Wanderlei Silva Def. Kazuhiro Nakamura

These two didn’t waste much time getting at it. The bout began with both fighters trading punches. Nakumura didn’t take a step backwards and landed two or three solid rights to the jaw of Silva. Silva fought back aggressively and landed some shots of his own until they both ended up clinching. Nakamura went down to the canvas and Silva then attempted stomping him.

Nakumura had elected to wear his gi top which would eventually contribute to  his downfall. By the 4th minute of the bout it had begun to hinder his movements. He quickly ripped his gi off but not quick enough. While taking off the gi Nakumura stumbled slightly and Wanderlei seized the moment and threw a straight right. Down went Nakamura, Silva gained the mount and that was all she wrote. Wanderei turned on the afterburners and threw punch after punch until the referee brought the bout to a halt. Silva victorious by TKO at 5:24 in the first round.

Fighters Advancing:

Wanderlei Silva
Mauricio Rua
Alistair Overeem
Ricardo Arona