*Official* Pride 34 Thread...Wand vs Igor V!!!

[LEONARD]

:elephant :elephant :elephant

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/articlefiles/3718-SilvaVovchanchyn.jpg

Silva is actually on suspension with the NSAC til the 11th which is 3 days after Pride 34, but he was cleared to fight by doctors and the NSAC is going to let him fight...

PRIDE: APRIL 8, 2007 IN JAPAN (last Pride show under DSE)

-Wand Silva (#5 LHW) vs Igor V
-Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Jeff Monson
-Ricardo Arona (#3 LHW)* vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
-Shinya Aoki (#6 LW)* vs. Brian Lo-A-Njoe
-Zelg Galesic vs. Makoto Takimoto
-Don Frye vs. James Thompson
-Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Edson Drago
-Bazigit "Volk" Atajev vs. Gilbert Yvel
-Eric Esch vs. Zulu

Definitely not the most star-studded card by Pride's standards, but there are some very interesting matchups.

Is Sokoudjou for real? (I think Arona will smash him)
"Lil Crocop" (Galesic) making his Pride debut.
Fujita vs Monson is the "UFC vs Pride" fight (Give me Fujita to smash Monson)
The return of Don Frye :dizzy and Volk...
Butterbean vs Zulu...800+ lbs of fury... :lol

War Pride :fro

[cornbread]

I had little interest in this card until I saw that Vovchanchyn will be fighting!

My money is on Igor...my favorite fighter of all time. BTW, I also heard a rumor that he will be competing in ADCC. Heard anything about that?

[LEONARD]

Yes, he's on the ADCC list...
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/03/josh-barnett-called-for-adcc-2007.html

When I saw that a few weeks ago I thought that an Igor comeback might be underway.... :fro

[LEONARD]

Volk Ataev is out injured. A replacement is still being searched for...

http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/04/pride-34-kamikazi-card-update.html

Fight card:

Fight 1: Don Frye vs. James Thompson

Fight 2: Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao vs. Edson Drago

Fight 3: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Jeff Monson

Fight 4: Eric "Butterbean" Esch vs. Zuluzinho

Fight 5: Gilbert Yvel vs. TBA

Fight 6: Makoto Takimoto vs. Zelg Galesic

Fight 7: Shinya Aoki vs. Brian Lo-A-Njoe

Fight 8: Ricardo Arona vs. Sokoudjou

Fight 9: Wanderlei Silva vs Igor Vovchanchyn

Wow, surprised that Monson vs Fujita is the 3rd fight?? Before Zulu vs Bean? WTF?

[LEONARD]

New Pride 34 Commercial...UFC/Pride mix...
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=543885

That song gets me ready for some Pride... :fro

[LEONARD]

Jeff Monson interview
http://evilmaster-mma.blogspot.com/2007/04/war-of-mma-world-fujita-vs-monson.html

War of the MMA World: Fujita Vs. Monson Represents First Salvo In The UFC Vs. PRIDE War. But Who Will Be The First Victor?

Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Jeff Monson is not just another match. Even though it is not a title match, nor is it a long-anticipated rematch, it is based on a personal vendetta that fans have clamored about for years: PRIDE vs. UFC.

With PRIDE.34 just around the corner, submission specialist Jeff "The Snowman" Monson discusses his thoughts and impressions on his training camp, on how to beat Fujita, and on the significance of his match as the first battle in a larger war.

PRIDE: How is your condition right now?
Monson: Good. I'm in really good condition.

PRIDE: You fight in 2 days. How do you feel now?
Monson: I had a good training today. I got over the jetlag now. I was working on having my sleep schedule changed before I came, so I feel good. I feel confident, healthy and ready to go.

PRIDE: What are your impressions of Fujita?
Monson: I think Fujita is a hard puncher. He comes in really good shape and good conditioning, and he's got a great heart. He kind of epitomizes what PRIDE is about, that warrior spirit. He comes in trying to win every match and put 100% into it, so I do think that he's a very tough opponent.

PRIDE: Can you share your game plan with us?
Monson: To be aggressive. I've been working with Howard Davis, my boxing coach. I'm going to come out aggressive and try to strike with him and push the pace and hopefully wear him down so I can catch him in a strike hopefully. If not, I can look for a submission.

PRIDE: So you actually plan to knock him out and you don't just want to finish him with a submission?
Monson: I think the fans are looking for an exciting fight. I think I'm a better striker than him. I've had some pro-boxing matches and I think I can hurt him boxing. That's my plan right now.

PRIDE: PRIDE vs. UFC starts with this fight. People are paying a lot of attention to this fight. What is the significance of this fight for you?
Monson: It's very significant because I feel honored that the UFC chose me to represent them against PRIDE, so I feel honored that they had the confidence in me to represent them well. I feel excited about the opportunity, and I know that a lot of fans throughout the world are going to watch this in anticipation. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to do well, and I'm expecting to do my best.

PRIDE: I'm sure that people are looking forward to seeing your exciting fight. Do you want to have a KO or submission at a very early time of the first round?
Monson: Fujita is a tough guy I know that he has a hard head and I'm going to have to wear him down a little bit, and come after him very hard and strong. I think it'll most likely be later in the fight before I knock him out.

PRIDE: Are you confident of the fact that UFC is better than PRIDE?
Monson: That's the great debate. I feel fond of the UFC, and the fans always debate over who is the better organization, but as a fighter representing UFC, I think UFC has the better fighters. They picked me to represent them and prove that, so that's my intention.

PRIDE: If Mr. Fujita is right in front of you, what would you want to say to him?
Monson: I have respect for him, because he's got a good heart and his coming to fight. I respect the fact that he's willing to step into the ring with me, but he better bring his best because it's going to be very difficult for him to win.

PRIDE: Would you please give a message to the fans?
Monson: This is Jeff Monson. I appreciate you guys watching PRIDE.34. I'm here to tell you that I'm going to knock out Fujita and do the UFC proud.

[LEONARD]

I'm still draggin' ass after staying up all night Saturday night streaming the event...ended at 6 am or so. I didn't plan on doing that, but couldn't resist. Got 45 min's of sleep before doing the Easter thing... :dizzy

Not one fight went past the 10 min 1st rd...

Thompson vs Frye might be the craziest staredown ever? Frye's forehead was bleeding afterwards :lol

I won't say anything just in case anybody wants to watch...but I think we have a new contender at 205 lbs on our hands...

Pride 34 opening ceremony
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=546774

1 - Edson Draggo vs Yoshihiro Nakao (honestly, I'd skip this fight)
http://www.mediafire.com/?a4x52znwqmz
http://www.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1no6c_edson-drago-vs-nakao-kiss-pride-34

2 - Eric Butterbean vs Zuluzinho
http://www.mediafire.com/?8umwlmywmfz
http://5.upload.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1nopx_eric-butterbean-vs-zuluzinho-pride

3 - Makoto Takimoto vs Zelg Galesic
http://www.mediafire.com/?fymmne3mvzm
http://3.upload.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1nohu_makoto-takimoto-vs-zelg-galesic-pri

4 - Akira Shoji vs Gilbert Yvel
http://www.mediafire.com/?fl5hgjkyd2r
http://www.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1no0g_gilbert-yvel-vs-shoji-akira-pride-3

5 - James Thompson vs Don Frye
http://www.mediafire.com/?2mn22zihynz
http://www.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1nped_don-frye-vs-james-thompson-pride-34

6 - Shinya Aoki vs Brian Lo-A-Njoe
http://www.mediafire.com/?8ymmzqzzmzl
http://www.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1noct_shinya-aoki-vs-brian-loanjoe-pride

7 - Ricardo Arona vs Rameau Sokoudjou
http://www.mediafire.com/?8j5zmctgmzy
http://www.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1np7k_ricardo-arona-vs-sokoudjou-pride-34

8 - Jeff Monson vs Kazuyuki Fujita
http://www.mediafire.com/?8myyyjymyym
http://5.upload.dailymotion.com/redkiller77400/video/x1np16_jeff-monson-vs-kazuyuki-fujita-prid/1

There were lots of speeches since it was DSE's last event. Sakuraba came out and announced that he's returning to Pride. He shed a tear while Sakakibara was speaking. Lots of fighters in the ring at the end addressing the crowd. Dan Henderson wants to fight Chuck more than Anderson Silva...

Definitely the funeral for Pride as it's been known for 10 years, and they really went out with a thud in comparison with some of their other historic cards. But it's time to move on with a new brand of Pride... :ihit

[IX_Equilibrium]

Leonard, what happened to Wanderlei Silva vs Igor Vovchanchyn fight??? That's the only one I really wanted to watch.


*SPOILER*

That Frye fight was beyond pathetic.

The unknown Soko is dismantling BTT without breaking a sweat!

Yeah, this card was a thud. Zuffa couldn't be taking over at a better time.

[desflood]

The unknown Soko is dismantling BTT without breaking a sweat!
Yeah, who is that guy? :lol Came out of nowhere to school some of Pride's top fighters.

[IX_Equilibrium]

Yeah, who is that guy? :lol Came out of nowhere to school some of Pride's top fighters.

He is under the tutelage of Dan Henderson.

[LEONARD]

Leonard, what happened to Wanderlei Silva vs Igor Vovchanchyn fight??? That's the only one I really wanted to watch.

Wand wasn't cleared by the NSAC to fight...he was there, but didn't fight. I never saw Igor though...

[LEONARD]

Pride 34 opening ceremony
http://www.mediafire.com/?atoz2eywwzm

Closing Credits (also the fighters throwing Sakakibara up in the air :lol )
http://www.mediafire.com/?9j2zjtzy40m

[LEONARD]

Frye - Thompson staredown... :lol

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/Mattiasblogger/Pride34/ThompsonvsFrye1.gif

Frye was actually cut on the forehead... :lol

Atomic teabag...
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q83/Mattiasblogger/Pride34/AtomicTeabag.gif

[desflood]

Staredown, my ass. That's eskimo kissing. It was all foreplay :lol