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Latest Man Festival card
By Zach Arnold | December 13, 2006
- PRIDE Heavyweight Title Match: Emelianenko Fedor vs. Mark Hunt
- Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
- Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Gilbert Melendez
- Shin’ya Aoki vs. Joachim Hansen
- Mauricio Shogun vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
- Takanori Gomi vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 47 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Fedor on there elevates it from Pretty Good to Freakin Sweet. I hope his toe is not badly broken.
There should be a whole load more fights to come though, right?
It’s supposed to be a 10 fight card. If Fedor can’t make it, things get much more complicated. As of last week, they hadn’t made an offer to Josh Barnett. I don’t know… I think they should just try to minimize the amount of gaijin on the show and go for broke with all Japanese talent.
I suppose the smart thing would be to cut there losses if fedor is off, and go with more japanese talent, but they do have a healthy amount of japanese on there already, I expect fujita or yoshida to fight again.
Personally however I wouldnt like to see more japanese then fujita vs yoshida on this card, since its not on tv this year the hardcore fans will be ordering the ppv, who are more in tune with good fights.
If fedors off i would like to see maybe hunt vs fujita
with maybe minotauro vs vanderlei/yoshida.
The problem withv vanderlei to, is they are in a jam, they kind of need him for new years with crocop off, and posssibly fedor, but they also are already marketing him here in america for febuary defending his belt.
There are plenty of other factors that may be influencing who gets booked on the card (in relation to gaijin), including work visas. It’s too late at this point to bring in a fresh face unless the office has already gotten that person a visa, so it’s a lot simpler to plug in some Japanese talent and hope for the best.
By the way that should say in addition to yoshida or fujita on the show I think they have enough japanese.
Yea it is simpler to put in more japanese but is it a good thing from a quality standpoint, like i said the people buying the ppv will be hardcore fans, who typically are more educated.
Im sure the people scheduled such as vanderlei and minotauro, have there work visa’s in order, they been going to japan constantly for years now.
Tamura vs. Minowa is a rematch from a DEEP event. And with Fedor possibly off the card, this isn’t exactly a typical Pride Shockwave event.
As far as the overall card goes, I would say its on par with last years, last years might have had a few bigger fights, but there was also alot of bad matches on it.
The big matches, crocop/hunt, silva/arona, busta/henderson, gomi/sakurai.
Mixed in with alot of ugly matches like fedor vs zulu, alex vs natsula, kikuta vs takmioto.
This year assuming fedors on the card might be overall better.
Fedor/Hunt, Gomi/Ishida, Melendez/Kawajiri, Aoki/Hansen
Not as many big names but the quality and excitement so far should surpass last years.
They definitly need more japanese talent as thats whats goign to draw people to GO to the show. C’mon its in JAPAN, even the diehard PRIDE fans wants to see their HOMETOWN fighters. With Fedor off the show I say put Fujita in there with Hunt which will be a slugfest. Throw Yoshida in with Nog or even lil Nog if they dont have lil Nog fighting Silva or rematching with SHogun. Hell I would even try and put Nishijima in there (even though he sucks) just to get some casual PRIDE fans to show up.
I know this website generally takes an extremely negative slant towards PRIDE, but I think it’ll be a damn shame if the company goes under, which is looking closer and closer with each passing day.
Bah, don’t believe the hype of a few hardcore grudge-holders. Zach has been more than fair with PRIDE, but for some reason people refuse to believe that the company is in trouble. It’s not negative. It’s accurate.
Reporting the troubles of a company is one thing, excitedly predicting it’s demise at every given opportunity is another.
I’m no great PRIDE lover (though I’d hate to see them go under), but I do think Zach has alienated a large number of their fans with his often overly critical reporting.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he trashes PRIDE, but I certainly get the impression he has somewhat of a distaste for the company, which he does a fairly poor job of disguising.
110% agreed.
I don’t need to disguise anything PRIDE-related. Or K-1 related at that matter. Believe me, I echo the same concerns that PRIDE fans echo with a Japanese marketplace dominated by K-1, which under Tanigawa’s reign is excruciatingly boring.
Hey I dont mind u bashing PRIDE but dont mess with K-1…it hasnt been boring the last few years (as soon as we started edging out Sapp).
Look at what has happened since 2002 with the World MAX series of shows. The concept was red hot, picked it up, and now where is the concept as far as being on the rank of important things K-1 is promoting? Not as high as it used to be. And that was the quality show they were producing.
Granted thw MAX show isnt nearly as well promoted as it SHOULD be but the last few WGPs (especially this years) and the last Final Elimination shows have been top notch. As long as K-1 limits the involvement of freaks (ie Sapp, Akebono, Hong Man) we are perfectly fine.
Does anyone find it kind of funny that the event everyone is drooling over here – Tito vs. Chuck involves a fighter whose recent resume consists of beating:
Ken Shamrock x 2, Forest Griffin and Patrick Cote
???
If this was the slate of fighters Silva had faced in the last 1-2 years or his opponent/challenger had this resume – they’d be tearing PRIDE a new a**hole over it. But this is something thats being trumpeted as, by far the top NYE draw.
I think it’s mildly pathetic…a rematch in a fight that left ZERO question as to who was the better fighter – and the lesser has spent his time “improving” by beating TUF contestants and an OLD OLD man.
Characters and marketing are still ultimately the most important factors in promoting a fight or a match.
What are u talking about the match wasnt a 100% clear cut, Tito got poke in the eye! How would u like it if I poke u in the eye and see how well u fair in a fight. But it is kinda funny how peopel do question the quality and resume of all the PRIDE champs when yes Liddell last defense was a rematch against Babalu and earlier this year ANOTHER rematch against Randy (where he not only got poked but slipped into the punch from Liddell). Oh well go fig…
I agree with Zach’s comemnt 100% though. Ortiz/Lidell II will be the biggest PPV buy in UFC history.
True, true. I just meant it’s mildly pathetic that *this* is the best we’re being offered and no one really wants to market any meaningful fights.
Fedor vs. Hunt – might be appealing brawling wise but Hunt is barely a top 10
Sak vs. Aki – Sak needs to retire and could die here
Liddell vs. Tito – see above
As much as I love the “storylines”, I’d like to see legitimate contenders fighting each other, I guess the GP’s have spoiled us…hopefully these rumours that Couture is coming out of retirement to fight Silva have some weight.
I think that fight could satisfy both requirements: dream match and Couture is arguably still inside the top 5-8 LHW’s in the world. (I guess on further thought Tito could be considered a top 10, but imo he’s done nothing to deserve it).
110% agree that this is going to be a HUGE PPV buyrate, but I think the UFC is just hyping up something that was never a big deal in the first place (Tito vs. Chuck I – poke) to garner some controversy/uncertainty. But as much as I think the UFC LHW division is rediculously weak, Chuck cannot be faulted b/c he *IS* fighting the top contenders in the division.
Whereas I think PRIDE needs to do better job of bringing the heat on Silva. I am a HUGE Silva fan and I think he actually IS the top LHW in the world and would crush Chuck, but PRIDE’s retarded matchmaking really only has him defend the belt like once a year.
The worst thing in all this is that there is a guaranteed HUGE PPV if DSE/Zuffa would let Silva vs. Chuck happen – and everyone knows these two guys are genuine and DO want to fight each other – but its the suits that are holding this back.
Well Fedor/ Hunt is off but it was only made becuase there was no one else to fight Fedor. Mirko is injured, Barnett is not 100% NO ONE wants to see Nog/Fedor IV. As for Sak/ Akiyama, thats more of a Japanese fan “dream match” so its understandable ratings wise. Hell all of K-1’s NYE show is a ratings draw more so then a puriist MMA fan draw (Ken kaneko, Andy Ologun…damn japanese fans luv them for some reason). The Tito. Liddell fight to me is a money making match PLUS who else would Liddell fight? one of the TUF kids? At least this has some type of competitivness.
Like i said in MANY other posts..gie PRIDE some time. I guarantee u Silva will face Lil Nog before the end of 2007, sadly I think he will also face Arona before the end of 2007. And to behonest those are the top guys in PRIDE’s MW division. OF course we would all love to see Silva/Shogun BUT sadly that wont happen, unless creative matchmaking makes it in a GP.
“I don’t need to disguise anything PRIDE-related. Or K-1 related at that matter. Believe me, I echo the same concerns that PRIDE fans echo with a Japanese marketplace dominated by K-1, which under Tanigawa’s reign is excruciatingly boring.”
Your not the biggest k-1 fan but you certainly dont dwell on it like pride, I am curious gryphon had a report how the k-1 grand prix this year was one of the worst ratings ever for the company, I havent really seen much talk of the bad rating from you. Or even mention its bad.
And for the person who said they should use more japanese fighters (In addition to the 9 or so they have on the card already) because japanese people go to the shows. I dont know where you have been but pride does not have a problem with arena sales, thats probably the one thing keeping them going. The only japanese fighters who would boost arena sales for pride beyond what they usually get are yoshida and fujita.
The teaser today from DSE was Yoshida vs. a gaijin (either Nogueira or Barnett). They should pick Barnett, because Nogueira’s a weaker drawing card at this point and the fight money probably is just too high to absorb.
K-1 drawing a 16% TV rating, even if it ranks the worst of all time for their Tokyo Dome GP series, is still a good rating in what has become a free-falling business climate for the fight game in Japan. With professional wrestling clearly on the ropes and everyone else struggling to hang on, a 16% on Fuji TV is not bad considering the circumstances.
K-1 is a product right now where you go in with low expectations. They’ve set the bar low on so many events, it’s really hard to get energized at all about what they are doing – positively or negatively.
Here’s some red meat for Mirko fans: Sherdog claiming he’s going to UFC.
Sherdog.com is reporting that Cro Cop is going to the UFC. This is huge for the UFC, and a disaster for Pride. He just won the Pride Grand Prix tournament. Losing him is gigantic.
Yup, also just read it over at SD. If it is indeed true (and i pretty much think now that it is) it really is a HUGE blow to Pride. He may “only” be the OWGP-Champion, but he’s a bigger fan favorite than Fedor and much, much more marketable than him…
a lot of people are reaching at straws
pride’s nye card is an absolute disaster. at best, it is a bushido card and they dumped bushido for a reason – nobody in japan gives a shit about it. so what do they do, put on another bushido card for their last event ever in japan. absolute pile of shite
and dont give me that japanese fans love minowa shit. i guarantee you that less than 100 people will buy tickets to see minowa fight. gomi? after his last fight? give me a break. nakamura is hated by the japanese fans cause he is boring as batspiss. yoshida? fujita? dont make me laugh.
you can go into denial as much as you want, but crocop and fedor pulling out of the card means that pride’s days as a premier mma promotion have finished. they have been relegated to the second division and this will be their last show in japan
The Minowa/Tamura fight is probably the most interesting fight on that card. It’s a rematch from several years ago on a DEEP show that happened at Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo (it didn’t sell out, but it was a good fight), if I’m not mistaken. It’s also clearly being labeled in Japanese as pro-wrestler vs. pro-wrestler.
The rest of the card mainly appeals to the hardcore MMA fans, not necessarily the hardcore wrestling fan. And even with the state of the pro-wrestling business in Japan, it’d be smart to try to pick up some of those disgruntled fans pretty quickly. I’m not sure this card will do it unless they add some more appeal, which Yoshida/Barnett could do.
I have said for a while that if the UFC has to choose between Mirko & Fedor, to go with Mirko. He speaks English. He has an exciting style for the American fans.
So now Pride has their Heavyweight Champion fighting for another company. And their OWGP champion fighting for their biggest competitor.
The last thing PRIDE needs is to have to fight multiple wars at the same time from different rivals, using various proxies. The proxy wars, if it continues, are going to cripple them. There cannot be any middle ground here for DSE as far as future business decisions. This is not the time to be wishy-washy on a current direction. Either downscale permanently and try to survive or go out with a big-bang.
Zach,
Do you think Mirko seeing the “writing on the wall” with Pride as a big deciding factor to go from Pride to the UFC?
Mirko’s all about the money first and foremost. If UFC’s paying him more, he’ll follow the money. Not really a complicated situation. And it gives him more options to make more money on more fights versus easier opponents. It’s a pure business move.
Crocop knows he can’t beat fedor I guess… Unlike Barnett competition doesn’t matter for him I guess.
Yeah this is pretty crappy I think this is a sign that Pride is definitely going under. But it’s rediculous though, their product is just as a amazing but tv channels refuse to deal with them due to scandal! Japan really does have completely different business culture.
Oh well, here’s to hoping he will break Tim Sylvia’s dumb face.
Labeling Mirko as a quitter because he supposedly chose a better business opportunity is not a shining point for you. You can’t have it both ways on the issue of fighters and the salary they make. You can’t sit here and say that Mirko shouldn’t take the most money and then in the same breath claim that because he got more money to work somewhere else that he’s suddenly a quitter.
I guess it’s a bit harsh but I was just comparing it to Barnett’s comments on your show. That competion is one of (if not the) most important thing for him as a competitor. Yes it might be a better business oportunity for CC but it will still probably a stain on his career history if he never ends up fighting Fedor again.
I love Josh Barnett as a fighter…. But that is the same Josh Barnett who beat a less then 200 pound Yuki Kondo for the King of Pancrase title. It is the same Josh Barnett who has an absolute love of Japanese Pro Wrestling… Which is one of the major reasons he is competing in Japan.
This is the same Mirko Cro Cop that beat a less than 200lb Shungo Oyama, Hiromitsu Kanehara (by decision), Minowa and Dos “Fucking Caras Jr. – don’t try to plod down THAT road my friend.
My comment has nothing to do with Cro Cop. It has to do with Barnett talking about a certain level of competition. Cro Cop has never preached keeping a certain level of competition.
i cant believe you guys are criticising mirko for the fights that he has had. these fights and opponents were all chosen by DSE (Suckmibara)
the whole reason that mirko is leaving PRIDE (other than the $$$) is because pride would not match him against FEDOR and as far as he could see, there was no plan for a rematch, despite the fact that Mirko took the OWGP title (yeah, i know, the road to the title was 3mws, minowa, yoshida, silva before the final against a gassed barnett) but these fights were selected by DSE
“But that is the same Josh Barnett who beat a less then 200 pound Yuki Kondo for the King of Pancrase title. It is the same Josh Barnett who has an absolute love of Japanese Pro Wrestling… Which is one of the major reasons he is competing in Japan.”
But that is also the same Josh Barnett to beat Nog, Couture, Aleks, Hunt, etc. Plus, since a man’s weight seems important to you, he beat the 300 lbs + Hunt, Schilt, Ambriz, and fellow big men Hoffman, McGee, Nastula, Severn….
Oh, and Barnett isn’t the biggest guy Kondo has faced, the same Kondo who has refused multiple times to shed a couple of pounds because he doesn’t want to fight anyone smaller than him.
If it’s really true that Fedor cannot make this card, the best possible chance for Yoshida to win is to re-match him versus Mark Hunt. Yoshida will lose if he faces Barnett or Nogueira. This way, Yoshida vs. Hunt and Barnett vs. Nogueira makes logical sense and can further advance or wrap-up past history. I know DSE said Yoshida’s opponent would be a gaijin who he hasn’t faced before, but Hunt would be fine in a re-match. As long as it’s not Silva again…
ninja 4:20 – I wasn’t so much trying to criticize Mirko himself about the opponents he’s faced, I realize that the fighters fight who DSE gives them. It was in line with his criticism of Barnett fighting Kondo.
There’s no question of Mirko’s talent, ability and accomplishments at all. As Allen pointed out, just because Barnett fought Kondo – DOES NOT leave him open to the criticism that MMA Critic placed on him, it was a titlefight for the KOP title – and he has defeated basically every other HW of noteworthiness as well as many Super HW’s.
Any news on Fedor’s official status? I’m gnawing my toes off in anticipation here!
“K-1 drawing a 16% TV rating, even if it ranks the worst of all time for their Tokyo Dome GP series, is still a good rating in what has become a free-falling business climate for the fight game in Japan. With professional wrestling clearly on the ropes and everyone else struggling to hang on, a 16% on Fuji TV is not bad considering the circumstances.”
This year’s MAX GP finals did like a 16.9% right? Pretty good for a criminally underpromoted event.
The MAX events are still superior to their heavyweight counterparts when it comes to show quality. Some consider the 2006 finals to be the best yet. 2005 was its worst year. But Masato actually drew a high of 24% against Zambidis that year and that can’t be ignored.