SPOILERS AHEAD
Pride Bushido 6 Recap
Pride will debut on PPV April 14th, don’t read any further if you don’t wish to find out the results.BUSHIDO VOLUME 6 will take place from the Yokohama Arena in Japan and isscheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer`s Choice Canada on Thursday, April 14th, 2005.
Schedule:iNDEMAND, DISH Network, DIRECTV: Thursday, April 14th, 2005, ALL DAY TICKETTVN: Thursday, April 14th, 2005, 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PS
Pride Bushido 6:
The first fight of the night was Dennis Kang and Takahiro Oba. I had wanted to see Kang fight in a big show for a long time and I think his pride debut was going to be a test of his abilities; going against Oba wasn`t going to be an easy task either. The fight began there was a little feeling out process and then Kang exploded with a nice over hand right that put Oba on the mat and Kang attacking with a kick but Oba grabbed the leg and clinched, threw a knee and it was Kang that used this to put it on the mat. Kang was in half guard and working to escape by throwing punches to the body as well as elbows but Oba was very good at maintaining the half guard. Eventually Kang got mounted but briefly as Oba reversed it and put Kang on his back. Oba stood up and kang joined him standing and the exchange continued as Oba threw a jab and shot in Kang stuffed him and threw a knee. When Oba tried to clinch Kang got the underhooks lifted and swept Oba to the mat hard where he landed in side control and began working again to mount and when he did he threw punches to get Oba to move and then worked for an armbar but when Oba reversed it again Kang worked his open guard and kicked Oba in the face with a hard up kick that set him back and allowed Kang to stand once again. Oba pushed Kang to the ropes where he tried to throw him to the mat but instead pulled him to mount where Kang armbared him quickly to win the match in the second round.
Fight 2 was Amar Suloev and Paulo Filho which had all the makings of a great match as Filho is never afraid to stand and trade and Suloev is known for his stand up but when the fight started it a it of feeling out and jabs here and there and Suloev threw a nice right hook and a couple of leg kicks but nothing really connected. Suloev threw a high right round kick to Filhos head that just missed but Suloev was a bit off balance and this led to Filho pushing it to the ropes were he worked to get Suloev to the gournd but Suloev would have not of that and he escaped and tried to stand with Filho. Filho shot hard and deep and literally picked up Suloev around the thighs and Suloev kept grabbing the roes to avoid the takedown so a yellow card was issued to him. After that little break Suloev charged Filho with combinations but Filho backed away and it was back to the center of the ring where they did a bit of exchanging of punches and kicks. Nothing real dramatic until Filho shot in once again and picked Suloev up and slammed him to the mat where he landed in side control. Filho was looking to mount but Suloev was very resistant to that idea and kept Filho from mounting. Filho continued to work at side control until he was able to mount and throw some hard punches and make Suloev cover and roll to his knees to escape as soon as he did Filho caught his right arm and armbarred him for the win!
Next up was Akira Shoji and this was also Dean Lister`s return to the Pride Ring. Dean lost a decision in his first appearance and some thought it was due to it being in the “big show” so this was his chance to prove to everyone that that was just fluke and he looked very focused when he entered the ring. The round started out with Shoji jabbing and throwing a combo that really didn`t connect but Lister answered with a right kick then a back kick of his own that really didn`t connect bt as they exchanged you could see the determination in both competitors as Dean was working his stand up and he looked very comfortable but when he decided to shoot and Shoji stuffed it Lister went to his back and Shoji joined him on the ground. NOT the place to be no matter who you are especially with Lister. Shoji did stand up at one point I thought o step back and get it standing again but Lister up kicked him in the face and Shoji went right back into Lister`s guard. While he was there Lister really worked hard for submissions which he is known for and he eventually caught Shoji in a tight triangle that Shoji resisted for a while but eventually had to tap. Lister looked very comfortable both standing and in his natural element, the mat!
Up next was Daisuke Nakamura and Marcos Aurelio for the forth match of the night and if any of you have seen Marcos fight you knew that this was going to be a war! Marcos likes to lay it all out and just go for broke and it showed as he was able to work his stand up and just show his domination as he threw a right hook that Nakamura avoid but set Aurelio up to take his back and then take him down where he got his hooks in and worked the back position for a couple of minutes and to his credit, Nakamura did show great defense as he avoided submission attempts and absorbed punches from Aurelio on his back. Nakamura did reverse it and he even managed to stand up but Aurelio shot in took a single and when Nakamura tried to get away he pulled half guard and worked his way up and then when Nakamura tried to get away Aurelio double legged him and put him on the ground but Nakamura did defend for a bit and stand up but as he did Aurelio jumped on his back and brought him down. From that position he just repeated what he did in the beginning minutes of the round and threw punches and worked for a rear naked choke. Aurelio found that it wasn`t that easy to submit the squirrelly Nakamura, but he was able to keep the figure four around his waist and work from the back and score points. Nakamura did his best to defend up till the last minute where Nakamura was turtled up and Marcos went for a reverse triangle then to an armbar but Nakamura defended both and just when Aurelio looked in the triangle the bell rang for the end of round 1.
Round 2 and both fighters looked pretty fresh, with the esception of Nakamura having a couple of bumps on his face. Aurelio shot in and took Nakamura to the ground but not before he was able to get a Kimura and almost locked it in on Aurelio. Aurelio defended and rolled out of danger and to side control where he was able to control Nakamura til he was able to swing his leg over the waist and mount Nakamura in a quick swift movement. Nakamura tried to escape by yet again turning to his knees and Aurelio working the hooks in and then to figure four lock where Nakamura finally worked his way out and got to his feet with a short exchange Aurelio shot in again took him to the ground, took his back and once again asserted his authority over Nakamura by applying a reverse triangle but could not lock it in and Nakmura escaped stood up and tried to punch Aurelio from the inside his guard standing up. As he did that he went for a sloppy kneebar that Aurelio easily defended and Nakmura rolled to side control but wasn`t able to mount any kind of offense and the bel rang for the end of round 2 and the match! Aurelio won this match by Unanimous decision even before the judges spoke!
Luis Buscape and Luiz Azeredo hit the ring and it was Buscape that shot in and took Azeredo down and immediately started to work from the top position! Azeredo had some great defense as he was able to get it up once but not able to keep it standing as Buscape got the single and it was back to the mat. Buscape had to defend and armbar attempt from Azeredo and did so with perfect technique. Now when you are in the guard and you try to stand and punch you risk given your opente an opportunity to stand up and that exactly what happened. Azeredo got to his feet and Buscape had to work hard for another takedown but it when it did hit the mat it was Azeredo tht wound up on top and once again Buscape found himself defending another armbar attempt! Back to the center of the ring Buscape on top and looking to pas gets swept to his back where Azeredo worked the body and head trying to soften up Buscape. Buscape worked fromteh bottom to defend and look for a way out and he found it when he went for and armbar of his own which Azeredo had to defend, then he had to defend a kneebar attempt so he stepped back and that was when it was back to the feet for these two! Clinched the knees were thrown and then Buscape tried to front trip Azeredo but being slippery didn`t help at all and Buscape had to defend a kick and go to his back Azeredo tried a spin kick to Buscape that didn`t land but then he tried to do the Vanderlei jump kick to Buscape`s head and wound up in getting single legged by Buscape. He didn`t stay on bottom long as he rolled Busacpe and wound up in his guard and in the ropes. After eing moved a bit by the ref not a whole lot was happening except Buscpe tried for an darmbar here and Azeredo threw a punch there so the ref stood them back up and gave Buscape a red card for stalling! Personally I thought they were both moving so why the red card to only Buscape? I thought it was the guy on top that would get the red card for not improving his position? When they restarted the match Buscape threw a night right hook and took the single leg but just could not complete it and it was clinch time for these two at the last two minutes. But once again Buscape tried for a single leg and this time he was successful and from the guard he worked with shots to the head and body. At the end of round 1 Azered did try to an armbar but time for a break.
Round 2 and Buscpe was really trying to make an impression as he came in hard with a right and then a double leg, although Azeredo tried to defend Buscape was successful and wound up in the guard but once again Azeredo wasn`t content to just sit there and he tried to escpe and submit Buscape. Buscape worked some body shots and head shots while in the guard but you could see that these two guys were spent! The ref stood them both up and gave them both red cards for stalling! So now Busape came in with a left right combo that connected pretty good but this again set up a double leg and he got it this time without to much trouble. So once again it was in the guard of Azeredo and in the last minute of the round Azeredo worked for an armbar and Buscape worked some punches but neither guy had enough to finish! It was literally one of he most energy expending matches I had seen in a while and in the end the judges had made the decision that Luiz Azeredo won with a split decision!
The Sixth match up of the night put Japanese fighter Daiju Takase against Chute Boxes Daniel Acacio. Takase made the first move by shooting for a double but getting stuffed by Acacio which put Takase on his back and Acacio working in the open guard. After a bit of glove repair the restart foud a fast exchangeup top but Takse really wanted to clinch and he got it and shot hard but once again was stuffed and had to go to his back. He defended a jump stomp and when Acacio tried to soccer kick him in the head, Acacio slipped and Takase took full advantage of this and while Acacio had his back turned Takase jumped on it!Acacio stood up with Takase on top looking for the rear naked! This went on for a while til Acacio was able to swing Takase around to face him but Takse did not let go and kept his tight guard on Acacio`s waist. He did let go eventually and they stood and exhange punching recipes with each other until they clinched again. Once it broke the quick footed Takase shot but took a kick to head for his trouble. It was obvious that Acacio wanted to stand and Takse wanted to GnP or submit Acacio! Takase tried to shoot again but again stuffed, stomped and kicked in the head as a result! With Takse on his back Acacio would try to punch the stomach and kick the thighs, or he would try to jump stomp Takase. When it was standing Takase would try to stand but Acacio had heavy hands and would put Takse on his back with a nice punch and then follow up with a jump stomp! Click and repeat for most of the rest of round 1! Every now and again Acacio would let Takase up so he could hit him again and boy did he! A nice placed right and Takse would shoot, Acacio would defend and Takse would go to his back. Like I said earlier click and repeat! I could literally copy paste this entire first round from the opening minutes of the match! But I didn`t! I swear I didn`t! In the last minute of the first round Acacio clinched and threw a knee to the side but the bell rang before anything else could happen!
Round 2 and I was so hopin not to have to copy paste this round! Takase opened up with a left jab but it was answered by Acacio withone of his own and then a shot by Takse and flop to the back got him a red card from the ref. Would it make a difference? Ummm NO! Not really Takase was throwing looping left hooks and he did actually connect on one but this just seemed to bring Acacio to punish him with some hard shots. One clinch and Takase tried to jump guard so Acacio obliged him by throwing him to the mat where he was able to kick and stomp to his little hearts desire. He absolutely dominated Takse to the point where the ref stepped in to see if he could stand up again! When they ere standing Takase took more shots to the face and when he tried to jump guard he got stomped on for the last time and his corner threw in the towel at 3 minutes and 35 seconds into the second round!
Ricardo Morais stepped into the ring after a bit of a rest and this time it was against Emelianenko Alexander. These two met in the middle and Ricardo threw a right but Alexander was the one that capitalized and caught Morias on the cheek with a left hook and almost finished it there but he decided to throw a couple more combonations to make sure Morias was actually standing OUT cold and he was but to put the explination point on he hit him about 6 more times before Morias hit the mat! Quick fight ala Bueno Vovchanchin!
Murilo Bustamante and Ryuta Sakurai had to follow up that quick match and Bustamante whot in immediately for a takedown but it was defended by Sakurai so Bustamante decided to wait a bit and he timed it perfect, got the takedown and threw a couple of punches from inside his guard. When he tried to pass Sakurai`s guard Sakuair turned to his knees and Bustamante took his back and worked the side of Sakurai`s head with his fists and look for a rear naked. Sakurai did defend and Bustamante got off this back and actually went to the front of Sakurai and looked for the front head and arm (nogueira`s choke) but decided to knee him instead. Sakurai defended but got to his feet and when Bustamante shot in Sakurai got Bustamante to the ground and actually got to side control for while til Bustamante got to his feet. A quick jab from Bustamante set up a flurry from Sakurai of combos and kicks, Bustamante clinched and decided to stand and trade with Sakurai and if this was a good or bad thing I really don`t know Bustamante got the better of the exchange but it was Sakurai that got him to his back! While in the guard of Bustamante, Sakurai tried to punch and work while Bustamante worked a guillotine choke. The choke was obviously taking its toll on Sakurai but to his credit Sakurai didn`t panic and he defended it until Bustamante had to adjust the choke and he escaped. They both looked tied but as they say the fight much go on and Sakurai worked the body head until he almost got caught with a omoplata and in the scramble of his escape he tried to go to side and mount but Bustmante had had enough of that and reversed it and went to side control where he tried to mount but Sakurai defended and Bustamante stood up and landed some shots to Sakurai`s head. Bustamante backed off and the ref stepped in stood them up and Bustamanted took Sakurai down and proceeded to hammer fist the right side of Sakurai`s head until the bell rang!
When round 2began it looked like Bustamante was a bit flat as he got caught with a kick to the midsection but he returned with some combos and the bosing of Sakurai and Bustamante was very well accurate I suppose as Bustamante was able to land some very accurate shots when was doing doing some serious damage to sakurai and at one point Bustamante shot a double leg took Sakurai down and then stood up and kiced Sakurai through the guard right in the head. When the ref stood them back up with 2 minutes left Bustamante just dominated the stand up with accurate punches that bloodied Sakurai. After Bustamante got tired of that he took Sakurai back down and mounted him and punched him from there. Bustamante did this for a little while and in the last minute he did it some more! Sakurai tried to defend but Bustamante just controlled Sakurai and in the end won the Unanimous decision! I know Bustamantes Jiu Jitsu is sick but this fight his punches were so accurate it was insane! It seemed like everything he threw hit Sakurai in the face!
Up next was the good natured Gilbert Yvel and the hard core Minowa Ikuhisa! This fight had KO written all over it and Ikuhisha shot in for the double leg to prevent him being the one that was KOd but while in the guard of Yvel he looked for a footlock and then a toe hold and then and figure for footlock which seemed to do it for Yvel only seconds into the first round and forced him to tap!
Now here was where Lister and Filho were suppose to meet to decide who went to the GP but Filho came out with a broken right foot and had to bow out to Lister! Filho was very disappointed in having to step out and Lister was motivated enough to say he would even fight both (Shoji and Filho) at the same time! What was really scary is it looked he was very serious!
Emelianenko Fedor and Tsuyoshi Kosaka were ready to enter the ring and finish the night off and they did exactly that! If you have seen Fedor`s fight once then you have seen this fight! In the opening minutes of the fight Fedor opened up a cut on Kosaka`s left eye and they stepped in to check it out. At the restart they exchanged a flurry of punches and Kosaka was thrown down by Fedor who then went to Kosaka tried to work for an armbar then when Fedor defended that he went for a knee bar that Fedor just ripped out of. That was where Fedor is the most dangerous. You on your back and him in any position! His punches were heavy and he hit Kosaka until the cut flowed freely and the eventually covered Kosaka`s forehead. When the ref stepped in and stopped the bout to have it checked again they stopped the bleeding and brought the match back to the center where they put Kosaka on his back and Fedor in his guard and COPY PASTE! Fedor ground and pound and turn Kosaka into a bloody mess with hammer fists and left hooks to the head. Fast forward a little and now Kosaka`s nose is bleeding freely as well as his forehead! Oh and get this the ref gave Kosaka a red card for laying there and stopping all of Fedor`s punches with his face! So after a quick towel off and a pep talk from his corner Kosaka wanted to continue and this time Fedor heel picked Kosaka and continued to work on his face. I don`t know what was worse. Kosaka spitting the blood everywhere or every time he got hit in the face the blood squirting all over the place. It`s a good thing this was the last match cause there is no way anyone cold fight on a slick wet mat! Fedor continued to impose his will and punch the cuts and the nose of Kosaka and once again the ref gave Kosaka a red card for bleeding all over Fedor`s fists. When the fight continued after another little towel off, Kosaka tried to single leg Fedor but that was defended and Kosaka was once again on the bottom and stopping every punch with his head and face. Round one ended and that was the end of this match as Kosaka wisely declined to step back into the ring!