pride 19 report - japan Mixed martial arts

The arena was packed for the show, with all the cheap (if you can call Y7,000 cheap) tickets sold out. There were some tickets selling in better seats but no many. Saitama Arena is a huge venue with a retractable roof and all sorts of shops, gyms and even a John Lennon museum inside it. It had a big fight atmosphere due to Enson`s comeback and it seemed every other person had some sort of Enson merchandise. The merchandise pit had the usual t-shirts and stuff. Best item was the Igor Vovchanchyn sports towel, selling for Y3,000. I tried to find the Igor cookies but they`d sold out.

I missed the opening ceremony (deliberately) so straight onto the fights. On paper it was an awesome card, with the last 4 fights legitimate headliners for any other promotion.

Tim Catalfo vs Tom Erikson

Erikson came in looking leaner and stronger than recently, while Catalfo was in great shape for an old man. Erikson came out fast from the opening bell and secured a double underhook grip to take control of Catalfo`s lower back and bend him back for a takedown. He soon scooted round to side mount and started looking for a forearm choke. As Catalfo struggled he gave his back and it was downhill from there for him. Erikson started working for a pretty ragged rear naked choke and Catalfo seemed to be defending it okay with his chin tucked in, but as Erikson released and tried again he got it on the second attempt to force the tap.

Catalfo was under pressure right from the opening bell and was never in it. Erikson seemed to think it would be an easy match cos he walked right through him and was muscling his way through all the moves and making no attempt to conserve energy.

Tom Erikson by rear naked choke at 2:35 of round 1

SFUK verdict: Erikson looking as good as ever, but he doesn`t seem to have learned from his loss to Herring when he shot his wad too early.

Wallid Ismael vs Alex Steibling

The crowd were really up for this one and both fighters made good ring entrances. Steibling was wearing a t-shirt with `Brazilian Killa` and the front and `Royce Who?` on the back. I suppose he`s earned the right having beaten 5 Brazilians in a row. He was very hyper on his way into the ring and was well received by the crowd. Wallid was funny too, doing his psycho-eyes thing and looking manic.

The fight was a let-down. Wallid shot for a double leg straight out the blocks and Steibling sprawled until Wallid could finally finsh the takedown and ended in Steibling`s guard. He was then just happy to punch inside the guard for a while, as he`s apt to do. The match went this way for a while, slowly, with nothing effective from either fighter. Steibling didn`t seem to have any problems holding Wallid in his guard and showed that throughout the match. When the last 30 seconds were called, Wallid forced the pace and nearly gave his back on the bell.

Steibling hurt him with a knee early in the first round, forcing Wallid into a bad double leg attempt. With an inconclusive position on the mat, Steibling went for a wierd kimura lock which had Wallid rolling around a bit until he got a side mount. Steibling escaped well from it and gave Wallid a few good `pedalo` kicks in the face. Again both fighters upped the pace in the last 30 seconds which ended with Steibling delivering hard knees from the front headlock position on the mat. Wallid took a few but tucked up well underneath.

At the start of the third round Wallid took more hard shots that had him dazed enough to try a weak single leg. It looked like the pounding he took from Akira Shoji, but TV replays showed that nothing landed clean. He was starting to look one-dimensional and Steibling was defusing all his attacks. Steibling pulled off a nice reversal to briefly take the back but Wallid turned out well into half guard, but it put Wallid on his back for the first time in the fight. As they scrambled Steibling tried an arm bar over the top but rolled off into guard. He did a few more pedalo kicks and the round ended.

Alex Steibling by unanimous decision after three rounds

SFUK verdict: close, but fair decision. Steibling`s guard is very good. Wallid needs to add more to his game cos he`s becoming predictable.

Daijiro Matsui vs Rodrigo Gracie

Gracie was really enjoying himself on the ring walk, looking more like he was on his way to a nightclub than his MMA debut. In contrast Matsui looked really tense, probably conditioned to expect his ritual beating in a Pride ring. Gracie shot for a double leg and bulled Matsui out through the ropes. After another tie-up Matsui grabbed the ropes to avoid a takedown and was warned but not carded. Gracie was doing all his tackles behind a right hand punch and third time lucky got the takedown, landing in Matsui`s guard. The Japanese fighter locked up tight for a while but Gracie worked his way through to mount. Gracie was looking very comfortable under MMA rules, even when Matsui reversed him. Matsui tried a bad achilles hold and got reversed shortly before the bell. The doctors checked his bloody nose between rounds.

The second round was more of the same in what was quickly becoming a boring fight. Gracie got a takedown, passed to half mount, Matsui recovered full guard and so on. The fighter were stood up and Gracie got a yellow card for something I didn`t see and wasn`t announced in English. Gracie ended the round by nearly sinking a rear naked choke but as usual Matsui proved to be resilient to submission attempts.

Just as the third round started and I was contemplating getting a drink, Matsui tackled and got caught in a guillotine. It didn`t look dangerous because he had his arm through, but he ended up tapping. Gracie didn`t let him go for a while, and started mugging to the crowd until the ref dragged him off. Pretty conclusive finsh to a mediocre bout.

Rodrigo Gracie by guillotine choke at 0:28 of the third round.

SFUK verdict: Matsui showed his usual resilience and lack of offense, Gracie could be the goods but its too early to tell.

Carlos Newton vs Jose Pele Landhi Jons

Now it was time for 5 consecutive good match-ups (on paper at least). This was a tough fight to call and the crowd knew it judging from the anticipation in the air. There were split loyalties too, because Newton speaks decent Japanese but Pele is associated with the popular Vanderlei.

Both fighters locked up into a clinch early on and it was clear Newton wanted a judo throw. His first attempt resulted in a scramble and another clinch. Then he did a beautiful over the shoulder throw that drop Pele heavily onto his back. Newton transitioned to a tight-looking armbar from the bottom but Pele scrambled backwards and eventually pulled out of it. During the stand-up Pele landed a huge knee to the face that had Newton wobbly and after a missed flying knee, Pele capitalised with a hard takedown from a bodylock. Newton recovered his senses and went for a sweet armbar. He held onto Pele`s other arm too to stop him escaping the same way. Pele wouldn`t tap (he never has before) and Newton really cranked it. I was expecting to here a crack, but Pele tapped and walked straight out the ring.

Newton gave a comedy speech in Japanese saying stuff like `How did you like the match? Interesting eh?` and `The rest of the matches can`t be as good as this one` etc, and the crowd were laughing along. It was a very good match with alot going on, momentum shifts and a conclusive finish. Except for the knee, Pele never really got his standup going, while Newton showed he can submit anyone.

Carlos Newton by left arm bar at 7:17 of round one.

SFUK verdict: Newton was able to impose his game and that kept Pele on the defensive except for brief flurries. Best fight of the night.

Heath Herring vs Igor Vovchanchin

Igor weighed in lighter than usual at 103kg but didn`t really look himself during the ring walk. He did a brief taped comedy skit on the big screens before the bout. Early in round one Herring bumbled his way into a takedown after a bunch of flying knees that missed. Herring got very busy inside Igor`s guard but nothing landed to worry Igor. I got the feeling Herring felt he should make as much of it as he could while he was on top, because he seemed to be over working himself for little reward. Igor got back to his feet and they traded a little. Igor caught a kick to get a takedown that he converted to mount but Herring quickly threw him off. Herring tried an optimistic triangle from guard which just let Igor slip round to side mount. This was about 4 minutes in and Igor really took over and kept Herring pinned while chopping away with short punches and knees. Herring found a kimura that he exploited into a reversal but Igor writhed his way out of it. Towards the end of round one Igor took Herring`s back and worked a choke, fighting like a BJJ guy. For most of round one Igor was out-wrestling Herring and the only dominant positions (side, full mount) were from Igor. Herring never passed guard. Herring seemed like he was gassing and it was clear he`d felt Igor`s power and didn`t like it. During every flurry, Herring panicked a little and disengaged.

Herring`s stand-up was also ineffective in round two and I think he still hadn`t landed a shot. Igor caught another kick for a takedown to side mount. This time Igor was reluctant to let the strikes go from the top position, probably respecting the couple of reversal`s Herring had pulled off in round one. So most of the round was Igor laying in side mount and chopping away while Herring just hung on and covered up. Near the end Herring rolled for a knee-bar but Igor saw it coming. It seemed that Herring had switched to survival mode while Igor was playing it safe for a decision. Igor`s round by a long shot.

Everything changed in round three. Herring came out with his second wind and was more aggressive. He immediately looked for a takedown and ended up in Igor`s guard. By now it was clear that Herring wasn`t going to stand up with Igor. Herring dropped a hard accidental headbut onto Igor from the top but there was no card. Herring was really busy with punches from the top but nothing hard or clean, just point scorers. Igor was yellow carded for inaction, which seemed very harsh. But as the round progressed Igor just wasn`t offering any offense, like he was surrendering the round. Don`t know why because he didn`t look hurt or tired, and Herring wasn`t doing anything different to how he started round one.

Heath Herring by unanimous decision after three rounds

SFUK verdict: A bad decision. Can only assume that the yellow card and inactivity in round three cost Igor the fight. But he`d won the first two rounds clearly and the card was harsh. Still, Igor needs an easy opponent next, he`s burning out.

Ken Shamrock vs Don Frye

Most people had been waiting years to see this bout and the Japanese knew it. There was so much tension pre-fight! Frye was far and away the popular fighter, probably owing to his years at New Japan Pro Wrestling. Or maybe Ken`s sideburns worked against him, because he got booed during the introductions. The staredown was intense. Ken looked determined and Frye just looked evil. Both fighters were lean and light.

Most of the fight followed the same pattern: A short exchange of punches followed by an upper-body tie-up and then both fighters looking to land short hooks and knees. Then they`d break and do it again. Ken seemed to slightly out-strength Don in the early going but from about the 5 minute mark Don was walking Ken around the ring, though not overly dominating position. Don worked a really effective body attack from the tie up, throwing lots of painful sounding right hooks that reddened Ken`s ribs. Ken was mostly headhunting and mixing in a few knees. It seemed like Don was getting the best of it when Ken monkey-rolled for a knee-bar and ended up with a heel hook. In was sunk in very deep but Don didn`t look at all phased and never for a moment looked like tapping. But he did look a little lost on the ground, restricting his escape attempts to pulling on Ken`s forearms and throwing the odd shot. Mostly he just lay there. Ken switched to a figure-four footlock but couldn`t get a good grip and went back to the heel hook. Ken was working on alot of squeezing bursts that must have took alot out of him and then the bell went. Everyone was watching Frye walk back to his corner and he`s foot was dragging a bit. Amazing that he never tapped.

Round two was dull, now that the tension had faded and it was just two old men trading shots from a tie-up. Frye`s foot seemed okay. In a few exchanges Don seemed to be pushing Ken around. Both fighters seemed to want the round off to catch their breath.

Round three picked up again. Don dropped Ken heavily with a six-punch combination of which the last left hook landed clean on the chin. Ken woke up as he hit the mat and Don jumped onto him in a strong half mount and pounded the shit out of him. Ken hung in there and after nearly losing to a forearm choke, Ken shrugged him off, nearly gave his back and ended up in Frye`s guard. Don had missed his chance but the momentum hadn`t really swung away from him. Frye tried an unlikely double armbar which Ken pulled out of and went for a heel hook on the other leg. Again Frye looked to be lost on the mat and Ken again sunk in a heel hook really tight. Frye didn`t try to escape, he just went after Ken`s ankle but seemed, frankly, inept. The fight ended with both fighters working heel hooks but Ken`s was much tighter. They hugged after the bell but there was still a little tension between them.

Don Frye by split decision after three rounds

SFUK verdict: Fair decision on account of a heavy knockdown and Frye seemingly edging the standup (90% of the fight). Ken had near submissions twice but couldn`t make them work. Frye said after the fight that Ken broke both his ankles!

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Enson Inoue

No doubt at all that this was the main event as far as the crowd were concerned. Enson made an emotional entrance with the walkway lined with his team-mates holding traditional battle banners reading `Yamato Damashi`. He hugged them all on a long ring walk and the crowd were cheering him on. It seemed to me like a man walking to his execution, even though Enson fears no-one. Nogueira was warmly received but came a clear second favourite. Enson was down to 97kg and covered in tattoos.

Enson stood off from Minotaur until the latter made a lunging tackle. Enson fended it off easily and Nogueira rolled to guard, anticipating kicks to the head. Enson was very patient and kicked around Nogueira`s legs until the ref stood them up. Nogueira forced a clinch, got a takedown and passed guard to take half mount and an armbar. Predictably, Enson wouldn`t tap and eventually gritted his way out of it and landed in Nogeira`s guard. He then launched his own offense and landed some good strikes. Nogueira is always busy on the bottom though and when Enson over-extended on a punch he reversed and got a guillotine. Enson fought out and landed in a shoulder lock from Nogueira`s legs. That looked like the end but just as Enson escaped he got caught in a tight triangle that put him to sleep.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by triangle choke at 6:07 of round one.

SFUK verdict: Pretty much one way traffic and Enson showed alot of heart but couldn`t match Nogueira`s groundwork.

After the bout, Enson made a speech in Japanese from the ring. Not sure what it was about but alot of the crowd didn't like it because when he started repeating it in English, some sections of the crowd started booing him and shouting "Tamura! Tamura!". The booing meant I couldn't follow his English speech either so I have no idea what he said. He got riled by the booing and told the crowd (well, sections of it) to sfuk off. Really unusual to hear a Japanese crowd boo a fighter, especially considering how they'd cheered him on the way in and everyone was wearing Enson t-shirts. Nogueira was oblivious to it all and made a polite speech saying he loves Japan and how he is treated here.

Vanderlei Silva vs Kiyoshi Tamura

This was a middleweight title bout as Pride tried to throw another challenger at Silva in the hope of keeping the belt in Japan. Silva weighed in at 92kg and Tamura at 85kg. The build-up was full of shameful Japanese nationalism, with a video on the big screens that basically said `Vanderlei has beaten our Japanese fighters, lets hope Tamura sorts him out`. Kimura looked like he was on his way to the electric chair and wouldn`t return Silva`s famous stare-down.

Silva caught a kick to get a take-down and initiated a serious smackdown from inside Tamura`s guard. Tamura was busy underneath but Silva blocked every attempt early and he was the only one doing attrition. When Silva started to get through with heavy shots, Tamura made a break for it and stood up. From out of nowhere Tamura dropped Vanderlei with a punch that put him headfirst into the ropes and when Silva turned around he looked shaky for a second or two. It forced Vanderlei into a takedown attempt while he recovered his composure. The round ended with Tamura lumped up and spitting blood in his corner.

Vanderlei got a takedown early in round two and when they stood up he landed a picture-perfect right hand to the chin that dropped Tamura face first. The follow up football punt missed but the ref jumped in an waved it off. Tamura was going nowhere and didn`t protest (when he finally got up).

Vanderlei Silva by knockout (straight right) at 2:28 of round two.

SFUK verdict: An easy win for Vanderlei though Tamura occassionally made it interesting.

Overall it was a good show but it couldn`t live up to the high expectations that the match-ups promised. Brazil is still top of the tree in Pride.