Pride Shockwave 12/31

[kuri]

The card:

Emelianenko Fedor
Height: 6'0" Weight: 233
Wins: 13 Losses: 0 Draws: 0
Country: Russia
Style: Sambo/Judo

vs.

Mark Hunt
Height: 5'10" Weight: 290
Wins: 5 Losses: 2 Draws: 0
Country: New Zealand
Style: Kickboxing

Tatsuya Kawajiri
Height: 5' 6 Weight: 154
Wins:4 Losses: 1 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Wrestling

VS
Gilbert Melendez
Height: 5'9" Weight: 155
Wins: 1 (in Pride only) Losses: 0 Draws: 0
Country: USA
Style:


Shinya Aoki
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 170
Wins: 2 Losses: 0 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Kickboxing

VS
Joachim Hansen
Height: 5'7" Weight: 154
Wins: 3 Losses: 1 Draws: 0
Country: Norway
Style:

Mauricio Shogun
Height: 6'1" Weight: 201
Wins:10 Losses: 1 Draws: 0
Country: Brazil
Style: N/A

VS
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Height: 5'11" Weight: 220
Wins: 11 Losses: 5 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Judo

Takanori Gomi
Height:5'6" Weight: 154
Wins: 12 Losses: 1 Draws: 0
Country: Japan Style: Shooto

VS
Mitsuhiro Ishida
Height: 5'6" Weight: 154
Wins: 4 Losses: 0 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Wrestling


Kiyoshi Tamura
Height: 5'11" Weight: 195
Wins: 4 Losses: 4 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Submission Wrestling
VS
Ikuhisa Minowa
Height: 5' 9 " Weight: 181
Wins: 9 Losses: 7 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Pro-Wrestling

Josh Barnett
Height: 6'2" Weight: 258
Wins: 5 Losses: 3 Draws: 0
Country: USA
Style: Pro-Wrestling

VS
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Height: 6'3" Weight: 231
Wins: 16 Losses: 4 Draws: 0
Country: Brazil
Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu


Akihiro Gono
Height: 5'9" Weight: 183
Wins:5 Losses: 3 Draws: 0
Country:Japan
Style: Submission Fighting

VS
Yuki Kondo
Height: 5'11" Weight: 194
Wins: 1 Losses: 5 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Pancrase/Boxing



Kazuyuki Fujita
Height: 6'0" Weight: 232
Wins: 6 Losses: 3 Draws: 0
Country: Japan
Style: Pro Wrestling

VS
Eldari Kurtanidze
Height: 5'6" Weight: 234
Wins: 0 Losses: 0 Draws: 0
Country: Georgia
Style: Wrestling

Hidehiko Yoshida
Height: 5'11" Weight: 220
Wins: 6 Losses: 4 Draws: 1
Country: Japan
Style: Judo

VS
James Thompson
Height: 5'6" (?) Weight: 264
Wins: 3 Losses: 2 Draws: 0
Country: England

[kuri]

There are some great potential fights on this card.
Aoki/Hansen, Melendez/Kawajiri, Fedor/Hunt, Gomi/Ishida, and Barnett/Nogeira could all be fights of the year.

Yeah there are some throwaway fights but whatever, the others will more than make up for it.

So who's gonna be watching?

[Chiron]

I'll definitely be watching. Like you said, there are several fights that make this a great event. This could be the event of the year even withCrocop not fighting New Year's Eve. Care to venture some guesses as to who'll win their matches?

[kuri]

I think Fedor will sub Hunt. With a broken toe he probably won't wanna stand and bang and he knows he can take him on the ground.

I think Hansen's grappling is good enough to nullify Aoki's bread and butter, and his strikes are brutal. Hansen via TKO.

Melendez vs. Kawajiri - dunno but either way the leather is gonna be flying.

Gomi's striking is too good for Ishida, and Ishida may not be big enough to keep Gomi down.

Barnett vs Nogueira -toss up.

[kuri]

Shinya Aoki pre-fight interview from Sherdog

- Everyone around me is in the end of the year party spirit, but not so much for me. I feel the same as I usually do before a fight. I don't feel anything especially different because my opponent is Hansen. I'll be myself as always. I said before that "Either Hansen will beat me to death, or I'll strangle him to death," I still feel the same way. This fight will definitely be kill or be killed, to sub or be KOed.

- Wouldn't it hurt pretty bad if Hansen's strikes were to all find their mark? I think all of his weapons deserve respect. Knees, punches...elbows to the bodies, slams, pounds, they're all pretty fearsome haha. Hansen has an impression that he pounds alot, but I have confidence that I won't get hit on the ground and that I'll be able to upkick him from the bottom as well. I'm confident on the ground so there's nothing especially to be afraid of.

- If we go to the ground then it'll be my world, if we stand....might be my world too, haha. You can't be sure, I think I can go for a sub from anywhere. I think it'll be a great fight. Hansen grew his hair out right? I thought he would, he grew it out for the Kawajiri match. I'll tear it out, haha.

- Will my standing subs be revealed? I say that everytime. There are things I want to try everytime, I want to fight a match where I go one step further than usual. In places where I would normally play safe, I'll go for a sub. I want to fight in a way to overcome fear. That's the theme for this fight. I'm human so I have some fear too. There are places I can't go. I want to test my limits.

- I have a foul cup (*Hansen was DQ'ed via groin kick when fighting Kawajiri in Shooto). I'll take every low blow. I trained it well, haha.

- I'm glad to be able to fight in NYE. Every time, Pride helps put me in front of the fans. I feel fortunate that I'm able to fight in Pride period, not just NYE. People ask me what I did past NYE's, I was watching TV. When I was 19 I was with my friends going "Wow!"

- I focused on training my grappling this time. Not that I'm trying to return to the basics or anything, but when you ask what people want from me it's grappling. I say this everytime too, but I want to finish with a good move that's easy to understand. Winning both Pride matches by subs, I think I developed an image of "Ippon Aoki." I'm grateful. I want to snap on a good sub this time, fighting a match with alot of movements that clearly signal submissions.

- My winter line of pants is amazing. Please check it out. I'm shocked. It's not yellow though. If you thought it was yellow, you got another thing coming. My moped and helmet is actually yellow too, but it's the end of 2006 so I want to change the yellow theme. If I clear this match, then next year I want to keep all matches that come my way. It can be Melendez, anyone who is a strong fighter. There's no one weak in Pride though.

- There are two great LW matches, I think Kawajiri VS Melendez will be a slugfest. I have no idea who will win until the fight happens. I think Gomi VS Ishida will be a good match too. I personally want the strong Gomi to show up. He's the champ, I want him to fight in a way to give us motivation.

- I'm serious about my fight, and my pants, so please watch the fight haha.

[kuri]

Joachim Hansen interview

- Does it bother you that I grew out my beard and hair this time? I had it short ever since 16 but recently my hair started falling out, so I figured this maybe the last time I'll have long hair and I'm growing it out haha. I havevn't decided whether I'll leave it long for the fight. I've been growing it ever since summer, if I shave it now then my head will be pale white and I'll look ridiculous haha. Come to think of it, I had my hair long on the Kawajiri fight when it was stopped via groin shot. I didn't do it on purpose last time and have no plans to do it now, but if it accidentally happens again then I'll definitely shave my head afterwards haha.

- It doesn't matter that I haven't fought in a while. I wanted to fight in Pride but they didn't give me a chance. Instead, I've been in amateur boxing tournaments ever since fall. In a way, I was still fighting so I still maintained my fighting spirit. I had two boxing fights before the Azeredo match, and 7 matches since then. I fought in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and my record is 7-2. I'm going to boxing gyms, but I have no intention of going pro. It's a part of training for MMA. So this time around, my punching techniques increased the most.

- Aoki is a Shooto fighter. He's a division above and he's cutting weight, I'm adding weight for this fight. Physically Aoki is taller and heavier than me, and he has better grappling technique but I think my striking is better. What I'm watching out for is his armbar and triangle on the ground. I'm aware that he's known to fly and try tricky things as well. I'm not especially worried about that, and I am prepared to deal with any situation. He says "I'll either strangle him to death or Hansen will beat me to death?" Well then, I'll beat him to death.

- There's also Gomi VS Ishida and Melendez VS Aoki in terms of LW matches. For Gomi VS Ishida, if Ishida tackles then I think he will win. If Gomi avoids the takedowns like he did in the Kawajiri match, then he'll probably win. Melendez and Aoki are both great fighters, so I can't really predict the outcome. On the 31st I'll fight with all of my strength, and strive to fight a great match for the fans. The more cheering I hear, the more I think I will be able to beat down Aoki.

[kuri]

Some nice ears on Kawajiri there

- I still don't feel like I'm fighting. After the weigh ins, after the meal, that's probably when it starts. I'm a different person from last year. I think even the fans will see it. If they look at me the same way they did last year, I think they may be surprised.

- The two Pride matches this year weren't against very exciting opponents, but I thought of this year as training and focused on taking myself to higher ground. In that sense it was a productive year. I had a sub, and I was able to KO standing.

- This time I'm very excited. Melendez has a tough heart. He will never back down, and will always aggressively come at you. One lapse in judgement will be fatal. I think this match will be a measure of who has the strongest desire to win. Either Melendez will crush my spirit, or I will crush his. That's the kind of fight I wawnt. It will probably be a slugfest. Standing, lying down, on top, on bottom, horizontally, vertically, slugfest. I don't think I will be taken down by Melendez, but I feel comfortable even if it happens. I'm confident that I can stand up, and I'm confident that I can fight from the bottom too. If I do end up on the bottom, maybe I'll be able to show a new side of me as well.

- I adjusted my body gradually and I think this time it will be complete. I spent this whole year making a body that can fight in Shooto (70kg/154lb) and Pride (73kg/160lb), and in my mind it will be complete on NYE. So I'm probably in the best condition I've been in this whole year. My technique has gone up as well. Striking, wrestling, grappling, everything is at a higher level now. If so then would Melendez be no match? That's something I should be believing in right? Fans should predict their own winners, I want them to be excited as well. In my mind, the winner is decided. I believe it, and I just have to carry it out in the fight. This time I just want to have fun in the match. I have stuff I want to say after the match too.

- I think NYE is a special match. It sucks a bit that the TV broadcast is off, but it's my first time fighting in Saitama Super Arena in front of over 40,000 people and I really feel honored as a fighter. I'm simply happy. I want to excite the whole arena. Last year I was invited and I watched from the side. The year before that, I was in the regular seats with all the regular fans. I was watching the monitors, since the ring was so far haha. But I didn't feel that I wanted to fight, since NYE and New Years break is usually reserved for relaxing. NYE is when the top Pride fighters gather though, so I started thinking this year that I wanted to be on the ring too.

- Every year, on January 1st, I go to Kawasaki Daishi (temple?) so I want to go after the fight this year. I've been going with my family ever since I was born. At one time I stopped going, but I started again and since then it's been an yearly ritual for me. Taking a fortune. By the way, this year was "small fortune (fyi, it goes up to "Great fortune")." These several years, I was basically Bad Fortune -> Bad Fortune -> Small Fortune -> Bad Fortune -> Small Fortune. Really. So I want to work toward Great Fortune...then again, my fight record tends to be better on the years I get Bad Fortune so I'll fight hard to get Bad Fortune again, haha.

- I'm looking forward to the other two LW matches too. I want to watch them as a fan. I'm not thinking too deeply about the results. I do want to make sure that my fights live up to them, but I'm not especially competing. I'm really interested in who is stronger as a fan. It would be nice if I could wrap up in a Kotatsu (Table+Blanket+Heater) but I can't ask for too much. I want Ishida-kun to win, and I think that will raise my motivation too.

[kuri]

Gilbert Melendez

- My arm is fine, during training it didn't cause any problems either. I'm ready for the fight. I was able to train alittle during the injury too. I couldn't fully train until after November, but I was still doing light training.

- As always, I mainly trained my boxing and wrestling. Like all fighters, I trained very hard for this fight. Physically, I tried to train my stamina the most. I can move better than I did against Obiya, and I will try to have more movement for this fight too.

- I'm used to fighting at 73kg now. Maybe this time I'll fight at 70kg though. Kawajiri isn't bigger than me, so the weight is of no concern. I'm at 75-76kg right now.

- At first I thought it was against Aoki, it changed to Kawajiri but I basically don't mind. When Aoki challenged me I thought I would fight against him, but this time I'm focused on Kawajiri. I don't care that the opponent changed. I want to think about the Aoki match after this match is over.

- I think Kawajiri is one of the top world class fighters in the LW division. He's the type of fighter that everyone wants to be like. And he's a very respectable fighter. So this match will be a very big test for me, and a chance as well. I want to enjoy this challenge.

- I won't make strategies for Kawajiri. I want to be ready for anything when I'm on the ring. I want to let my instincts take over, and as a result defeat my opponent. Kawajiri said it'll be a slugfest standing and on the ground? He said that? It'll be a very exciting MMA match then. I'm ready for all kinds of situations, so I don't mind if it turns out that way. He also said "When we get off the ring, one of us will have a battered face?" I'm sure it will. And I'll leave the ring without a scratch.

- I think it's a great honor to be on the NYE ring. It's wonderful. Nogueira, Hansen, Aoki, Fedor, Gomi, it was my dream to be on the ring with all of those fighters on NYE. Of course I'm watching out for the Gomi VS Ishida and Hansen VS Aoki matches as well. Anyone could be the winner, and I'm especially interested in those two matches for this event. I want to fight an amazing fight that everyone can enjoy too.

[kuri]

Gomi

- It's already 2 days before the match. Time passes by so quickly. I just drove here with my gym students. I can relax with my students, but there will probably be pressure today and tomorrow. I'm feeling ready for the fight though. I train at the gym, and this is my third year in Pride too. I'm probably getting used to it. I'm very calm, and I was able to train when I wanted to so I feel assured as well. I'm happy that my students gathered in this cold.

- My condition is perfect. I mainly trained in grappling this time, my striking may not be as strong right now. I didn't train with too many pro fighters. Honestly, in terms of training it doesn't really make a difference whether I train with pro-fighters, amateurs, or experts in a certain field. Training is training. Training with a pro doesn't guarantee that I'll get something out of it. I just have to think as I train. I've been professional for ten years. And I'm champion. Training with whomever isn't really going to make much of a difference right now, haha. The gym students and the Kokudo-kan University wrestling team mates supported me alot so I want to give them the results though.

- This time I feel pretty easy about the fight. It's a non-title match, I feel like I'll be able to go all out like I did the first two years of Pride. For example, we had the GP the second year. Needless to say I have to win the GP, and it felt like a match that I couldn't lose. But when I became a champion, the scope become narrower. Ofcourse I have to win in a good fashion, and I can't betray the fans. But I don't feel the pressure as a champ right now. It's a non-title match so I'm at an easy feeling right now. I can just go into the ring like a beast to do whatever I want.

- I want to blow my opponent away. This year is over after this match so I'll go all out without thinking of the consequences. I wanted to compete in NYE. It sucks when there's no NYE event. My body is used to it now too. It would've been good if I could've won by KO last time, but that will have to carry over to this match. There are great HW matches in Otoko-Matsuri, but I wish to establish a place for the LW division in Pride too. It's a big stadium. If I can show something like the Pulver fight from first year and the Sakurai fight from second year, I think we can hold our own against the HW division.

- I like Saitama Super Arena the best. I'm able to give all of my strength, and it's an incredible stadium as well. The tickets are selling well too, I want the sold out stadium to be on their feet. This time Wanderlei Silva's not competing, so I want to fight in his place and excite the crowd. There are 10 matches, it's a long event but it won't be as long as the Bushido event last time haha. NYE is a festival, even if it's a bit long hopefully people will stick around. Afterwards they can go drinking, go to the temple, and just enjoy the whole night without sleeping.

- I already booked the hotsprings tour after the fight, and the party venue too. I haven't drank up even once with the gym students yet, so I want to do the End-of-year party + Victory party + New Years party all at the same time with them. So I want to finish without damage. I want to make this NYE event fit to be a great closure for the year, with the real Gomi Takanori showing up. Please be tremendously excited at the event. And have a great new year!

Ishida

- I'm a little more anxious than I was the past four fights. I'm facing the strongest fighter in the world after all, so I guess it's a good that I'm on my toes. My teammates are with me and I'm still relaxed, it might be difficult if I was alone though. At nights I think alot, and I sometimes get too tired from thinking and fall asleep.

- The conditioning went well, it's perfect. I trained my boxing so hopefully I can show that in the fight. Of course I'll tackle too, but it depends on the flow of the fight. I'm not hell-bent on tackling. I want to try various things. I don't need to cut weight for 73kg so I haven't measured my weight, with my clothes on you can't tell but when I take them off people say I got bigger. My usual weight increased to about 75-76kg though.

- I have alot of Gomi videos at home, I saw them all. It wasn't like hours upon hours, but I saw a fair amount. The LW GP fights, the last title match..but that title match wasn't like the GP fight at all so it wasn't really useful. What was useful was the Baron match, it was the GP Gomi. I felt he was very strong. I know it's a given. He has a strong heart. He won't back down from receiving punches, he won't show weakness.

- We had a bit of a verbal battle, I took part too haha (*A week ago, Ishida said Gomi's body shots won't affect him which pissed off Gomi in a sparring session). I just said exactly what I felt, I won't deny it and there are no definites in a match. I believe that I have a shot at defeating him. He said alot of things too, I just thought "hey, he replied!" haha. It's good, we'll both get motivated for the match and that's all I want.

- I felt disappointed that my last two fights weren't very popular. They probably thought that since it was the first fight, that he wasn't that strong, but the past two opponents were really tough (***I don't exactly know what Ishida meant, so I'm just translating as is). I can't stand it that people think I fought weak fighters, I want to prove that they were strong opponents too. That everyone I fought were strong.

- Last NYE, I was in the edge of the stadium cheering on Mach-san. Year before that it was snowing so I watched on TV. At that time I didn't really want to go the stadium since it was NYE, but when I went last year it was incredible. I realized that it's way better live, haha. I never thought that one year from then, I'll be on the ring with the opponent that Mach-san fought. I'm amazed. I think all fighters want to fight in NYE. I'm able to fight on that stage, and my opponent is world class so I'm very blessed. We'll be in the ring crushing each other, so that's what I'll do.

- I have things I want to do after the fight, but for me it's either I go out, or I just go home depending on the results. I want to have a good New Years with a victory.

- My family just said "try hard." "Where's the tickets?" haha. My family will all come out for me, and they really took care of me this year so I want to pay them back. Most of my family generally came out everytime, but as for my mom, she came from this April and it looks like she got hooked. This is the only way I can pay my parents back, so I want to be a good son.

- I was able to train well with Kawajiri-kun. This time, I was able to obtain this opportunity with my own hands so I want to make the best of it. Kawajiri-kun has Kawajiri-kun's own revenge road, so he's not looking for me to "avenge" him or anything. He has his own revenge story, and I have my own story. We are team mates so I hope we win together and start the New Year.

- Kawajiri VS Melendez, Aoki VS Hansen is difficult to predict. I'm really excited about it. It's the sort of card I want to see as a fan. Honestly, I want to watch at ringside. It might be an incredible match that goes down in MMA history, all 3 LW fights have that potential. Will I go for the best bout? Yeah, losing sucks so I want to win and have the best bout.

- For the last 48 hours I'll relax playing games or something. I've been playing PSP recently, so I'll just play that. I want to relax and be in good condition for the match.

[kuri]

Josh Barnett

- Before complaining and grumbling, practice and fight a fight whereby you can actually say you won. This fight will be the final match!

- The crook head scissors was a move that I was originally working on, but I had a chance to meet with Karl Gotch who gave me a few pointers, which I have incorporated to make it my own move. The crook head scissors is one of my fvorite moves, so if there is a chance to slap it on Noguera that would be great. I don't think he knows a way to escape the move.

- I feel that catch wrestling symbolizes professional wrestling, and want to show that professional wrestling is the top martial art, a real art. I want to use the experience I gained in New Japan Wrestling and Pancrase, and showcase my skills on the PRIDE stage while proving the strength of pro wrestling. I want everyone to understand the true meaning of catch wrestling.

- This time, the theme for me is catch wreslting versus jiu jitsu. Nogueira claims that his jiu jitsu is of a higher level and catch wrestling isnt effective, but they are both different disciplines and I want him to actually experience my ground game during the fight. During the last fight it was a situation where going for the finish was needed. I went for it but Nogueira could not. I'm sure Nogueira knows that too. Last time it went to decision but this time I hope to win by KO and clearly show that catch wrestling is better than jiu jitsu.

- By the way, in my view, after I deal with Brazlian jiu jitsu, I think catch wrestling versus judo will be interesting. It was that way during Tamura vs. Yoshida, and also with Nakamura vs. me. So next time don't you think it will be interesting for Yoshida and me to battle?

- This upcoming fight being 3 rounds is a good thing for me. During the 2nd and 3rd rounds Nogueira will get tired, his movements will slow down, and his power will decrease. If that happens I will have the advantage and conversely I think I will be able to show my strengths. However I intend to bring it in the 1st round.

- After the last fight, Nogueira was saying that the judge's decision was not right but I was expecting that kind of emotion. Even after matches with other fighters, he's always made those sort of comments. I had to prepare for the Mirko fight, so I had no time to deal with that. If he wants to make such comments, wouldn't it have made sense to practice and give a fight where he wouldnt have any regrets afterwards? This time, before he can make excuses I will break his leg. Nogueira, this time its the final match!

[kuri]

Nogueira

When I was offered the rematch I was delighted. Brazilian jiu jitsu is a more complete discipline.

- My conditioning is extremely good, as is my motivation. My team gave me full support so I am going into this fight under good conditions. I want to close out this year with a nice victory. Japan is very cold. It was 38-40C (100-104F) in Brazil, so it feels very cold here. I arrived here on Monday so I have had some time to grow accustomed to the weather and have also gotten some rest.

- There was not much time between the last match and this rematch, but I was delighted to take up the offer. I am very positive going into this rematch. My motivation skyrocketed when I received the rematch offer. For me, its imperative to win this bout. I was not satisfied with the results of the last fight, so this time I want to make sure I give it my all and win in good fashion.

- After rewatching the tape of the last fight, I still feel that I was the one who seized the initiative. Josh also had some nice positions and neither one of us was able to finish, but I feel I was the one who was attacking from top. But I dont want to think about the last fight right now. Since I received a chance for the rematch, I want to concentrate on settling this fight in nice fashion. After I win I want to challenge Fedor for the title.

- Of course I evaluate Josh as a strong fighter. I feel that he has good speed considering his large physique, and he also has a good ground game. But I'm certain that my jiu jitsu is better than his ground technique, and this time I want to prove that.

- The catch wrestling that he mentions - it works well for positioning and provides for many variations of leg/ankle locks. But BJJ provides more variations and is a more complete discipline. I want to showcase my BJJ skills and win this one.

- The last fight was 2 rounds, but this time its the usual 3 rounds. I prefer 3 rounds since it gives you a chance to try various moves and positions. I'm sure Josh thinks the same thing, but I intend on settling this one by KO before the 20 minutes are up.

- My predictions for the Fedor/Hunt match? When considering the overall picture, I have to say Fedor is of course the more complete fighter. He is good on the ground and has good wrestling skills. Hunt is a vigorous fighter and has a strong punch, but Fedor has the MMA experience so I will say that Fedor has a 80% chance of winning.