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[Boogie]

Managed to beat EviLore to the punch this time

Here's my breakdown of tomorrow's second round of Pride's 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix tournament. Err, at least, I think it's happening tomorrow, right? In any event, it doesn't air in North America until next weekend. Should we say spoiler-tag results until then? Or not bother?

Non-tournament fights:

Kiyoshi Tamura (12-8) vs. Makoto Takimoto (1-0)

It’s veteran MMA fighter versus newbie judo gold medallist in this matchup. Takimoto’s only MMA fight so far was against one of those washed-up sumo wrestlers. I gotta go with the experienced fighter here. Tamura by TKO.

Sergei Kharitonov (10-1) vs. Pedro Rizzo (14-5)

I personally think that this fight should end up as fight of the night. Kharitonov is the rising
Russian star who mixes solid boxing skills and his sambo groundwork. It seems that Kharitonov may only be able to effectively use his striking skills against inferior opponents though. He dismantled Mu Bae Choi and Murilo Rua, but took a lot of punishment from Schilt before he got him to the ground, and was outboxed by Nogueira in their fight.

As for Rizzo, his cheerleader, Eric Apple has been chanting on the Underground forum about how focused, and aggressive Rizzo is now, that he’s totally reinvented himself. But we’ve heard all this before. I don’t think we can expect an overly aggressive Rizzo here, but he still has the skills to make Kharitonov’s night miserable. In fact, I think that Kharitonov’s fight with Schilt could indicate that Pedro can take this. As I said, Kharitonov took a fair amount of punishment from Schilt before he got him down. I think this will be a war, but I think that eventually, Kharitonov will pull through, by decision.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (24-3-1) vs. Pawel Nastula (0-0)

Hmm, the #2 Heavyweight in the world faces MMA newbie. I wonder how this is going to go? Nastula may be yet another judo gold medallist, but he’s being thrown to the wolves here. Nogueira by submission.

Ibragim Magomedov (12-2) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (15-2-2)

Since Fedor injured his hand once again in beating the everloving crap out of TK, one of the most anticipated matchups in MMA history has been delayed....again. For the last time, I hope.

Anyhow, in the meantime, Mirko gets to add another brutal KO to his highlight reel. Magomedov seems to be a solid fighter, but I’ve heard him described as having more of a brawler style, more comfortable standing than on the ground, which doesn’t say much for his chances against Mirko.

A request, dear Mirko: Finish him with the high kick this time. In your last fight, we all felt cheated because you decided to dispatch Coleman with your punches. We want to see the cemetery kick again, pretty please?

And please please PLEASE God, after Mirko puts away Fedor’s teammate here, let the fight finally happen in August.....Although I fear Pride will delay because they don’t want to split attention between a heavyweight title fight and the finals of the Middleweight Grand
Prix....dammit, I want this fight to happen!

Tournament fights:

Ricardo Arona (10-2)vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (17-8-1)

Although Sakuraba has traditionally matched up well against BJJ fighters, things aren’t looking good for him here. Arona is at the top of the BJJ food chain, and Saku is, well, old and busted. One thing is for sure, the striking will be awkward, apart from Arona’s low kicks. Arona by decision.

Igor Vovchanchyn (45-7-1) vs. Alistair Overeem (20-5)

Igor is the man, but he’s giving up NINE INCHES to Overeem here. That’s absurd. Anyhow, this could be a stand up war. I’d like Igor’s chances a lot more if he weren’t giving up so much reach. Also, I’m not sure how these two will match up on the ground, should the fight go there. I think how they stack up there could be the x factor in this fight. I think I’m going to pick with my heart and go with Biff’s man Igor, by TKO.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira (11-1)

This to me is the most interesting tournament matchup by far. These are two promising fighters who, until their last wins, didn’t really have a big win. But with their latest wins, they are skyrocketing to the top of the division. I think that this fight will really test both of these fighters. Nogueira will have to deal with someone with elite striking skills and the non-stop aggression that Shogun brings, while Shogun will have to deal with the a fighter who is as calm, collected and precise as Nogueira is. It’s a tough one to call, but I’m thinking that Shogun’s aggression will serve him well in pushing the pace of the fight, allowing him to win via TKO.

Wanderlei Silva (28-4-1) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (6-3)

Up-and-coming Japanese fighter Nakamura goes up against the top Light-Heavyweight fighter in the world. Nakamura's good, but I don't think he's nearly good enough for Silva. Pain for Nakamura ensues. Silva by vicious KO.

 

[Biff Hardbody]

Kiyoshi Tamura (12-8) vs. Makoto Takimoto (1-0)

Same with Boogie, I go with experience. Tamura by TKO.

Sergei Kharitonov (10-1) vs. Pedro Rizzo (14-5)

Pedro is/was awesome when he was on. His KO of Barnett was picture perfect, and I thought he defeated Couture in their first encounter. That being said, he's got a history of coming close and never quite making it. I still think he can be a huge force, but this is a really, really tough match for his first big fight in Pride after a layoff. I would have liked to see Pedro get an easier fight for his debut so he can be built up, because I believe Sergei is so dangerous he could very well trash a rusty Rizzo.

From what I have seen of both so far, I think Pedro is the better fighter. Sergei is probably more well rounded, but Pedro is dynamic when he's on. I think this fight favors Sergei because of the layoff Rizzo has had. I'll pick Sergei by UD, but I would not be surprised if he wins via submission/TKO. I'll be pulling for Pedro though, and regardless of the outcome I'd like to see more of him in Pride because I think the rules favor his style.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (24-3-1) vs. Pawel Nastula (0-0)

I think Nogueria wins this early on, but by TKO and not sub. Nogueira TKO rd 1.

Ibragim Magomedov (12-2) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (15-2-2)

Mirko has been on a mission for awhile now. I don't know much about his opponent, but its a safe bet that unless your the elite of the elite your outgunned against Crocop. Mirko via decapitation rd 1.

Ricardo Arona (10-2)vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (17-8-1

I honestly think Arona can really hurt Sakuraba with striking. I know Arona looks akward as hell, and he's made to order for a big puncher if he chooses to stand. But, he's a big, strong guy, and akward or not he can hurt you with his punches and kicks. Sakuraba has taken brutal, brutal beatings over his career, even in fights that weren't considered beatdowns (The Nogueira match comes to mind, Nog landed some vicious strikes to him there).

I would flip the fuck out if Sakuraba wins. I believe even a broken down Sakuraba has the ability to Sub Arona, even with Arona's excellent neutralizing ability. That being said, I see Arona punishing Sak here and there with strikes, and doing just enough work on the ground to take a comfortable UD.

Igor Vovchanchyn (45-7-1) vs. Alistair Overeem (20-5)

I have to be honest, I'm nervous for Igor's chances here. I believe he may the best p4p MMA fighter I've seen, but Allistair is a skilled guy, and he's fucking huge. I saw a pic of him, and he looked to be 230-240, not the 205 weight limit. Igor has a history of demolishing bigger guys, but this isn't some bum with height like Varlens or "The Mangler". Ali is skilled, huge, and steadily improving.

That being said, Ali runs hot and cold at times and he cannot take Igor's power. I think Igor has looked incredible ever since coming down to 205. His first two performances were highlight reel KOs. His 3rd performance got dogged out, but I rewatched it a couple times and saw the controlling beatdown he layed on a very crafty Kondo (a man whos only been finished once ina huge amount of fights I believe). Vovchanchyn has devastating speed and power, and underrated ground skill. He's essentially a nightmare for anyone to fight, his only big flaw being his size (which makes him one to cheer for).

Ali can win this. He's big and good enough to keep Igor off him and do enough on the ground. I don't think he'd KO Igor if he'll win, if he wins I see it via decision in a long drawn out battle he wins via control or possibly TKO via striking on the ground.

I have to go with Igor though. This is the guy who destroyed Kerr when Kerr was Godzilla, and he's the purest fighter I've seen in MMA. Igor finds a way to get in there and KO Ali. He can and will get past Ali's reach and chop that tree down. I don't want to see him bring Ali down and try to pound his way to victory, I think he's struggle against Ali if he does. I think its better if he gets inside and pounds away. Go Igor, beat Ali and win this whole thing. Igor via KO rd1.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira (11-1)

This could be fight of the night. Shogun is a big, big guy and really strong, and he's got great aggression. I have to say though, I think he's a bully in the ring and I'm interested in how he does aginst someone who can take it and keep coming back. Nog is just that. He's tough as nails, a great submission artist and has decent enough boxing that could interrupt the chutebox brawl style. I think this will be a war, but I pick Nogueira via UD.

Wanderlei Silva (28-4-1) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (6-3)

Silva via death rd 1.

I can't wait for this event.

 

[Days like these...]

Somehow I thought you were talking about some other kind of pride.

 

[Boogie]

.
Ricardo Arona (10-2)vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (17-8-1

I honestly think Arona can really hurt Sakuraba with striking. I know Arona looks akward as hell, and he's made to order for a big puncher if he chooses to stand. But, he's a big, strong guy, and akward or not he can hurt you with his punches and kicks. Sakuraba has taken brutal, brutal beatings over his career, even in fights that weren't considered beatdowns (The Nogueira match comes to mind, Nog landed some vicious strikes to him there).

I would flip the fuck out if Sakuraba wins. I believe even a broken down Sakuraba has the ability to Sub Arona, even with Arona's excellent neutralizing ability. That being said, I see Arona punishing Sak here and there with strikes, and doing just enough work on the ground to take a comfortable UD.

You know, I definitely agree with you here. Although I don't think Saku will win, and the odds are heavily stacked against him, I don't think that he has no chance. He's just so skilled, so unorthodox, and has matched up so well with BJJ guys in the past, that you just can't count Sak completely out. I too will flip out if he manages to put Arona off balance enough for the win.

 

[Minotauro]

Here are my picks:

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Pedro Rizzo

While I wouldn't be too surprised to see Pedro connect with a solid counter, I think Sergei is going to overwelm him. Sergei also has a reach advantage. Plus, he hasn't fought in awhile and Sergei was just in the heavyweight tournament.

Sergei, TKO round 2

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

I've been nothing but impressed by Rogerio recently. Ignoring Wanderlei, I think he's the fighter most likely to win the whole thing. Shogun is really tough too and I bet he tests Rogerio's chin but I don't expect to see him get knocked out...unless he pulls guard and then eats some stomps that is. Either way, this is probably my most anticipated fight.

Rogerio, submission round 3

Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem

I really think Igor is going to struggle with the height difference in this fight. Alistair is going to come at him from angles and I don't know if Igor can sneak inside or not. Then again, I wouldn't be too surprised to see this go to the ground. Overall, it's a tough one to call.

Overeem, TKO round 1

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ricardo Arona

It's really sad that the best matchup for Sak still isn't one he can win. His best bet is to probably keep this standing although he's certainly had success grappling with BJJ specialists in the past. Either way, ignoring any suspect judging, I see Arona winning this.

Arona, decision

Wanderlei Silva vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura

Stranger things have happened but I really can't imagine Nakamura winning this...unless he grinds out a decision or connects with an Nino Schembri-like hail mary.

Silva, TKO round 1

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic vs. Ibragim Magomedov

Nothing is going to stand between Cro Cop and his date with Fedor.

Cro Cop, TKO round 1

Makoto Takimoto vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

I'd be stunned if this one is even broadcast on the US PPV. Still, it's a little hard to call since Takimoto has only had one match--in which he was unable to finish Sentoryu. I'm going with experience in this one.

Tamura, decision

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Pawel Nastula

The method and round are a little difficult to call in this one due to it being Nastula's debut. Regardless, I don't think the end result is in question at all. Actually, I think Nog will choose to box with him since he's most likely leaps and bounds ahead in that regard. Plus, Nog is always talking about how he's going to knock someone out. This is probably his chance.

Nog, TKO round 1


I'm really excited for this show overall. There are some really interesting matchups and some intriguing debuts. Sadly, the black box my cousin has is no longer functioning so I guess I'll end up getting the torrents. At least I don't have to wait until the 1st though I guess.

 

[Boogie]

Okay, so apparently the event is happening on the usual Sunday, about 2a.m. EST.

I jumped the gun by a day, my bad

 

[Asbel]

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Pedro Rizzo

When I think of Sergei, I remember him getting outboxed and saved by the bell on the ground against Nog. I know he'll improve, but he doesn't have what it takes to beat the top 3 HW. This fight could change that. With Rizzo, I remember his devasting KO over Arlovski and I think he has a relatively good chance against the top 3. Rizzo is on and off but at both their best, Rizzo should take it.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

I haven't seen much of li'l Nog but his win over Hendo was impressive (whom, while I like, I think is overrated in the LHW division). From the Shogun/Babalu fight, if it goes to the ground, Nog has a good chance at sinking the sub but Nog doesn't have Babalu's takedown skills either. If Shogun can keep this on his feet as long as possible, he can take this fight.

Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem

Overeem is dangerous due to his reach but has openings from leaving his arm out too long. Overeem's guillotine choke could come out of nowhere in this striking match and win it though. Although Igor was expected to finish Kondo (who should also move down to MW and from what I remember, was finished by Tito and Wandy), he looked good controlling that fight to me. Igor may have to weather a storm to do it but a few heavy hands inside should be lights out for Overeem.

Not much left to say about the other fights other than I look forward to seeing their results. The Weight-ins and Press Conference vids are up on the net now too.

 

[Biff Hardbody]

Yeah your right Asbel. I thought Kondo was just finished by Wanderlei, but I remember Tito finished him in the cage as well.

I'm inclined to pick Rizzo too, you make a good case...but man, I think this is a really tough debut match for him.

Sakuraba's weigh in photo is great. God, I hope he beats Arona.

 

[EviLore]

Coming off Bushido 7, which was pretty spectacular, I have high hopes for Round 2 here. Anyway, my thoughts:



Kiyoshi Tamura (12-8) vs. Makoto Takimoto (1-0)

Yet another trial by fire. Expect takimoto to get burned.


Sergei Kharitonov (10-1) vs. Pedro Rizzo (14-5)

Fight of the night (#1). Rizzo needs this, and if he gets it he'll instantly be a force again in the HW division. Kharitonov hasn't quite reached the highest level yet, but he's been more active and is more well-rounded. The fight may depend on whether Sergei is confident in his standup. He may not want to be against this opponent. Still, I'll give it to the russian.

Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira (24-3-1) vs. Pawel Nastula (0-0)

Fire, burned, see above.

Ibragim Magomedov (12-2) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (15-2-2)

High kick KO first 5 minutes.


Tournament fights:

Ricardo Arona (10-2)vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (17-8-1)

Arona is much bigger, much stronger, and has a certificate in dominating ground fights to a decision. Saku is injured, has had some brutal KO losses and is 4 or 5 years past his prime. But as much as logic says to give Arona a boring win by decision (I don't think Saku will ever be submitted...except against a wandy armbar, am i rite?), I'm gonna root for my man Kazushi Sakuraba and for one of those ludicrous arm-breaking kimura finishes of old. If he comes through I'll be forced to buy a $70 imported saku t-shirt, I think. WAR. SAKU.


Igor Vovchanchyn (45-7-1) vs. Alistair Overeem (20-5)

Fight of the night (#2). Alistair is no joke. He should be able to hang with Igor on the ground with no probs, and that height and reach advantage is going to be a giant issue standing. Neither man really has an aura of invincibility around him, so it's hard to just say, "oh yeah, well Igor's just going to plow through anyone." I have to look at the numbers here. But hey, I'm thinking that Igor still has that core of ukrainian absolute zero in him, and that those tough losses a while back haven't chipped away enough to crack under the pressure of Ali's hammer. This will probably end up as one of Igor's toughest conscious battles (since his willpower didn't really have a say in the matter vs Mirko) since those fights with Nick Nutter. Calling it for Igor....would kinda be a disservice to Alistair, though, so I'm just going to root for one hell of a fight.


Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (9-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira (11-1)

Fight of the night (#3). What the hell can I say? One of Chute Box's best versus one of BTT's best. Vastly different styles. Shogun's going to want to explode from the first seconds, and Rogerio's going to want to stay out of the thai clinch, chip away without taking much damage, and go for a sub in round 2 or 3...and I think he'll get it. Looking at Shogun's fights in that IFC tourney, I don't know, if Babalu can hang, then I think Rogerio can too. And he looked good in the last fight with decision dan (though yeah shogun annihilated one of the top 205ers...but rampage seems fucked since the born again stuff happened).



Wanderlei Silva (28-4-1) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (6-3)

Silva, brutal KO round 2

 

[Deleted member 4784]

The general consensus seems to be that Arona is stronger than Saku, but doesn't Saku still hold the chance of winning Arona by decision (maybe even submission)? Arona might be stronger and Saku might be getting older, but Saku is still pretty smart. I dunno, I just have a lot of faith in Saku after seeing his fight with Rogerio, where he got out of Rogerio's hold and started to do an armbar right before the time ran out. I wouldn't discredit Saku too easily, because I doubt Arona will be able to win him by submission and there's still the possibility that Saku can turn a decision in his favor. You're more knowledgable about this stuff than I am though, so you're probably right. =\ I just don't want to give up hope on Saku yet...

 

[EviLore]

Saku is arguably the best 185 pound fighter ever in the short history of MMA. An injured, possibly psychologically distracted Saku *always* still has a real chance.

However, stuff like the Giles Arsene fight sticks in my mind. You watch that and hear the commentators saying things like, "okay, sakuraba is clearly in no danger whatsoever, and seems to just be toying around with Giles....*ten minutes later*...okay that's still the case, but why hasn't he finished him yet? What's going on? THis isn't the sakuraba we normally see, win or lose."

And then the injury in the second Silva fight, the injury in the Mirko fight, the BRUTAL KO in the third silva fight...and some boring fights like Schembri 2 (IIRC). The last time I saw the Saku that made him an MMA legend was probably in Schembri 1, where I was cheering madly as he dismantled that boring ass quadruple jointed brasilian (until the unintentional headbutt...).


So yeah, he has a chance, but a history of fighting much larger opponents has really killed his body. And Arona is big. Like I said in the other post, I don't think Arona has a chance in hell of submitting Saku (unless it's fedor vs fujita style where saku is pretty much knocked out when the sub slips on). Or at least I'd like to think so.

Oh, and I can't find a database of ADCC results, so I can't substantiate something I heard: that Arona has only finished 2 or 3 opponents ever in ADCC? That he just wins through takedown/position points. No idea if that's true or not, though it seems possible... (I would think that he would be able to submit plenty of people in the qualifiers, so it might be a little off or just talking about the main tourney).

But I'll stop rambling.

Edit: Oh, and I just saw the weigh-in pictures. Hilarious stuff from sakuraba ;b

 

[EviLore]

Saku seems to be in very good condition. I could tell according what Mr. Takada said. “Saku’s condition is better than ever. He injured his rib a while ago so he couldn’t train for long time. At that time, he was irritated. But I think that was good for him after all because he couldn’t train really hard. Then that blank of training helped his knee to get better. Now, he even trains without a knee brace for real hard training. And he says to me that he feels real good with his knee. He’s in the best shape of the past four to five years. Guaranteed.”

Saku looks like he cut the flab out, and if his knee is actually better...disregard everything I said above, and Fuck Arona. Kick his ass and do the impossible in the semifinal and final rounds of the tournament. WAR SAKU

 

[Deleted member 4784]

The pix are awesome! :lol

 

[yoshifumi]

The pix are awesome! :lol

:lol:lol

 

[Minotauro]

I too hope that Sak somehow pulls it off. Sadly, I don't think he has much of chance. Arona's takedowns and power are just too much. Then again, he did submit Randleman who at least matches Arona in those two areas. Double then again, it's Rangleman.

 

[Boogie]

The pix are awesome! :lol

WTF?

:lol :lol Go Saku!

 

[Boogie]

Downloaded three of the fights so far:

Mirko vs. Magomedov:

Spoiler

Went as expected. Short, but fairly slow at first, with Mirko simply sizing Magomedov up and easily avoiding his wild right hands. Eventually, Mirko lands his vicious cemetary kick to the body, and Magomedov crumples to the mat ala Herring, only this time Mirko doesn't bother to follow up with punches.

Nastula vs. Nogueira:

Spoiler

Again, as expected. The grappling was competitive at first, but gradually Nastula was overwhelmned. Once Nogueira got top position, he just methodically picked him apart, ending it with strikes from the mount.

Igor vs. Alistair:

Spoiler

Ouch, sorry Biff. Igor got caught early in a guillotine off of a scramble. It's becoming apparent that Alistair is quite dangerous with his guillotine, as this is the second fight in a row that he's caught someone in it, having caught Vitor in it in the first round. I think his height helps him get the extra leverage in it, since he didn't even have to pull guard to finish Igor with it.

 

[Biff Hardbody]

Spoiler

Fuck, I am genuinely depressed right now. I know this sounds like bullsit, and maybe I'm wrong...but as soon as I saw Igor come out and looked at his face and then saw Ali's face, I got a pain in my gut and I knew things were bad. Ali looked focused as hell, and Igor looked a little disheveled.

You have to give it to Ali, and actually this was the smart call to pick for a fight ender. I watched Igor/Kerr yesterday, and he left his head open exactly as he did last night in the scramble. Ali sunk that choke on hard, and that was it. His height just helped seal the deal.

I've always thought Igor's grappling was underated, and I said before his only big flaw was his size. But, this really wasn't a size issue. He didn't protect his head, he lost because of it. Good for Ali, he fought really well.

 

[Hitman]

I really need to see these fights. Could someone hook up a little something something? PM me PLEASE!

 

[EviLore]

Rizzo vs Kharitonov

Spoiler

Did you SEE THAT? Wow. Rizzo was ANNIHILATED.

Igor vs Alistair

Spoiler

That choke really caught me by surprise. Biff ;(. Like I mentioned before, Igor's a tenacious guy, but that doesn't matter when you leave yourself open for a clean finisher. This really throws my expectations off for the final four, though. Damn, Vitor and Igor consecutively by guillotine? Respect for Alistair +100.

Big Nog vs Nastula

Spoiler

I was impressed by Nastula's ground control, but he started to either gas or become psychologically overwhelmed, and it was all over when Nog secured position on top. Not a bad fight though, and Nastula is obviously talented...I'd like him to stay in MMA and train for 6 months, then come back to fight someone besides fedor/nog/mirko/khari.

Mirko vs Magamodev

Spoiler

Crunch, flop. I think Maga touched mirko with one unblocked shot, a really light low kick. I hope Mirko's properly warmed up for august now? Maybe Pride should feed him a champion from a smaller organization so that he doesn't fall asleep in the ring.

 

[Deleted member 4784]

Saku v Arona

Spoiler

Holy shit, I guess you were right, EvilLore... Arona beat the crap out of him. =\ Ugh, I feel so bad for Saku... I've never seen anyone beat up that bad. I mean, Saku's face just looked totally mutilated at the end. I guess that no matter what his training condition, Saku is just getting old...

 

[dem]

Downloaded three of the fights so far:

Where are you downloading these fights? =\

 

[Boogie]

Sergei vs. Pedro:

Spoiler

Wow. Kharitonov absolutely dismantled Pedro. His solid punching technique, plus his reach advantage and aggression made for a combination that Pedro just couldn't deal with. Kharitonov attacked first with accurate punches, and Pedro's counterpunches completely missed their mark.

Kharitonov is solidly #4 in the world right now, in my opinion. Maybe Arlovski could be ranked alongside him, but no one else, I think. He's right outside the big 3.

 

[EviLore]

Saku vs Arona

Spoiler

Yeah, arona played defensively and waited for saku to try to go for a takedown, then used his superior strength & excellent control to land endless knees and soccer kicks. Saku looked a little slow from the start, and that only got worse as he accrued damage, but really I think the lack of confidence killed him here. He was afraid of arona and didn't wait for the right timing on the takedown attempts. When the two of them were standing and just trading shots, I'd probably give the advantage to arona slightly, but saku wasn't in any danger for the most part. But those failed takedown attempts were capitalized upon brutally. Sakuraba's past due for retirement.

Shogun vs Rogerio

Spoiler

Great fight, back and forth. Rogerio has *great* technical boxing skills, but no KO power and didn't follow through with an aggressive move when he dropped shogun. Rogerio landed a bunch of clean shots, but nothing as successful as that one-two early on. Shogun's only real success was that simultaneous shot that rippled through rogerio's face and was probably very close to a clean KO. But I don't know, that single shot and countless takedowns that shogun did nothing with...was that enough to get a unanimous decision? I'm not so sure. Rogerio dominated the standup for most of the fight (though wasn't particularly damaging), and had some pretty decent sub attempts vs shogun's punching from the guard that didn't do a whole lot. It makes sense in a K-1 decision sort of sense, where shogun came closest to finishing the fight with that one punch, but it just doesn't sit too well with me (and I'd rather not see shogun vs wandy in the finals...)