Customer Reviews

Pride Fighting Championships: Total Elimination 2005

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

All of the fights were interesting. Sakuraba's fight was quick, Shogun vs Rampage was revealing and Silva vs Yoshida was excellent. The 2nd disk contains uncut interviews with Randleman and Rampage starring.

All-in-all a very intertaining DVD.

PRIDE or PRIDE Fighting Championships is the largest mixed martial arts organization in the world. It is based in Japan and currently promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997, promoted by Kakutougi Revolution Spirits (KRS). It is the most popular MMA organization in the world based on the number of event attendees: the PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 event had over 67,000 people in the audience. The audience record is 91,107 people on the PRIDE and K-1 co-production Shockwave/Dynamite, held in August 2002. It is considered to be the premiere MMA organization on the planet.

Total Elimination 2005 is the 1st round of the PRIDE Middleweight(205lbs) Grand Prix. This tournament pitted 16 of the world's best 205lbs fighters against each other in order to determine who was the world's best.

On paper, this 1st round looks like an MMA fan's wet dream come true. Every fight is between two top contenders and in a tournament of this magnitude, it was expected that this would be a 5-star fight card. Unfortunately, this was not so. Due to the relatively even skill level of each fighter, many of the bouts became stalemates rather than entertaining shootouts. With that said, there are some great fights on this card including the main event between Wanderlei Silva and Hidehiko Yoshida.

Realistically, I should have given this event 3 stars. I bumped it up to 4 because the 2nd and Final Rounds of the Grand Prix are incredible(Critical Countdown and Final Conflict 2005) and this first round is good to have in order to substantiate your MMA collection.

The event reads like a who's who of MMA and submission grappling:

Wanderlei Silva
Yoshida
Shogun
Rampage
Sakuraba
Minotauro
Dan Henderson
Alistar Overeem
Vitor Belfort
Igor Vovchanchyn
Yuki Kondo
Kevin Randleman
Dean Lister

Contrast the exceptional talent level of this card to the typical sub-standard UFC event churned out by the ZUFFA sausage factory. Absolutely no comparison.

The polish on this DVD is simply amazing. Everything looks just plain cool. The fights however, were not quite as amazing. If I were doing this review based on the fights alone, I would have given it 2 or 3 stars. Like I said though... the production of this DVD jacks the rating up to four stars. There are some interesting fights so it is not by any means a waste of time to watch. The next round of the tournament (critical countdown 2005) is where things REALLY start to get exciting.

This was a pretty good event that literally gets better as it goes on! A must have for PrideFC fans

I love Pride FC, but I have to be honest. This disk, the 1st round of the GP, is a bore. On paper, looking at the caliber of fighters, you would think that this would be the greatest card in the history of mma, but it was far from that. The Shogun v Rampage bout was exciting, and the Wandy v Yoshida were exciting, but the rest were average and the fighters seemed to fight not to lose as opposed to fighting to win. The 2nd and 3rd rounds of this GP are where it gets exciting.

In the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Pride Fighting Championship hails as the top organization in the world. It draws huge crowds and their fighters are top brass. Every year since it's reinstatement in 2003, Pride hosts a tournament covering 3 shows that is called the Grand Prix. In 2003, the Middleweight (205lb.) tournament dazzled fans in its excitement and spirit. In the end one man, Pride Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva stood as the winner. Two years later Silva was back along with some new and familiar foes all trying to win the most impressive tournament. The first round of the Grand Prix was named "Total Elimination 2005" and left many eager for great match-ups, but unfortunately fell short of expectations for the most part.

This installment of the Middleweight Grand Prix contained fighters from the same camps, risking fights between teammates. The Yoshida Dojo had two representatives: Hidehiko Yoshida himself and his protégé Kazuhiro Nakamura. Nakamura had come to his own, winning some pivotal encounters exhibiting the fighting spirit Yoshida himself has. His first round fight would be against a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and Pride's "wildcard" fighter. Kevin Randleman at one time was at the top of the heavyweight division. Despite being a smaller heavyweight (210 pounds), Randleman made up for size with world-class wrestling skills incorporating blinding speed and strength. In Pride, his competition was stiffer and his record notes this clearly. He was a participant of the 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix where he shocked the MMA world by ko'ing Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. In this tournament his speed and size where keys to his backers confidence in his chances of winning the tournament. The Nakamura/Randleman fight set a tone for the evening, but a clear winner earned a rather boring decision.

In the world of Grappling/Submission Fighting, the Abu Dabi show is the super bowl. That tournament fell in the same timeframe the Grand Prix took place. The problem was that two of its super fight participants were paired up in the first round of the Middleweight Grand Prix. Both Ricardo Arona and Dean Lister are very accomplished competitive submission grapplers, but in the first round of the Grand Prix, their striking would need to be exhibited to separate an even ground game. Ricardo Arona like all the other fighters has the Grand Prix as a goal, but personally his intentions are to somehow be pitted against current champion Wanderlei Silva. Their rivalry and verbal shots had reached boiling points within their respective camps (Brazilian Top Team and Chute Boxe). Arona though would need additional skills to counter his first round opponent. Dean Lister like Arona has ground skills envied by grapplers around the world. His MMA career was not as polished as Arona's, but was formidable. His last fight to qualify for the Grand Prix showed just how effective and precise his Jiu-Jitsu could be as he triangle-choked the scrappy veteran Akira Shoji. The battle between the world-class submission fighters was another tame performance lacking excitement on the ground or on the feet.

Two true MMA veterans would be pitted against each other next, both fighters having more than 50 fights under their respective belts. Yuki Kondo has fought for nearly 10 years, but has been associated closely with the Pancrase organization for the better of those years. His battles against stiff competition are heralded, despite at times being the smaller fighter in these encounters. He mixes of good striking and ground game which rounds out a solid and respected game. His opponent has been feared by many for 10 years of fighting primarily for his heavy hands. Igor Vovchanchyn first began fighting in smaller shows and the 8-man old-school tournaments. He amassed an impressive 4 of these 8-man tournaments that were usually contested in one day. From these humble beginnings, Igor graduated to the big leagues when he signed to fight with Pride. Soon he established himself as the best fighter in the world leading up to the first Grand Prix tournament held in 2000. He managed to reach the finals, but fell short to a determined Mark Coleman. As a newly trim Middleweight, he instantly became a favorite to take the 2005 Grand Prix. The veterans fought a calculated fight almost respecting each others skills too much. A unanimous decision would decide the fate of these men.

With the first three fights ending in decision, some pressure must have been received by the remaining fighters. As the official UFC representative, Vitor Belfort was eager to show his skills against Pride's best. Belfort was actually coming off two consecutive losses in the UFC against Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. Thought both fighters are top at their weight classes, two consecutive losses was not exactly the spring Belfort needed. Belfort still though has super-fast hands and is a black belt in BJJ. His opposition was a different type of striker with recent impressive submission grappling success. Alistair Overeem surprised many in 2003's Grand Prix by going toe-to-toe with Chuck Liddell. He was back now, more experienced and just as eager. He recently qualified for the Abu Dabi Submission competition, winning all his matches via guillotine choke. This was a surprise too considering previously Overeem only seemed to rely on his kickboxing skills. The Belfort/Overeem fight would be quite even at first, but end in a surprising (but now routine) manner.

The right hand from hell and its owner, Dan Henderson was up next vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Henderson was renowned for his wrestling skills in which he honed training with Team Quest. Team Quest featured an impressive list of competitors, but more notably UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture and Matt Linland. Henderson 's participation in the Grand Prix brought many problems to any competitor. Being the twin of former Heavyweight Champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Lil' Nog) was use to being second in MMA exposure. His skills like his brothers are solid, but this Grand Prix would be an excellent opportunity to show the world about the other Nogueira. This match carried a nice groove and ended in a textbook manner.

In Japan one fighter still is heads and shoulders the most popular, his name is Kazushi Sakuraba. Saku over the last few years has appeared to have slowed a bit, but is still crafty enough for a trick or two. His first round opponent would be "comfortably" picked for him. Korean Dong Sik Yoon was making his MMA debut in the Grand Prix having been a standout Judoka for many years. There was little to nothing known about his training, but he did decide on wearing a gi to battle. The biggest mismatch of the evening lived up to its billing.

Quentin "Rampage" Jackson 's performance in the 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix was impressive. His run though ended via TKO against Chute Boxe's Wanderlei Silva. His return match against Silva ended in brutal fashion as he was KO' between the bottom two ropes. His tune-up fight before the 2005 Grand Prix would be against Chute Boxe's Murilo "Ninja" Rua in Pride 29. While having his had raised in victory after decision, many felt Ninja was the better fighter that night. After the fight, Ninja's younger brother Mauricio or "Shogun" challenged Rampage. Their fight would take place in the first round of the Grand Prix. Their battle would end with a broken rib and a broken man via TKO.

Defending champion Wanderlei Silva was back and back to grab another Grand Prix to his 2003 effort. He was every other fighter's aim and he knew it. He stepped up his training and was keen on success. His opponent in the first round was a familiar one as it would be a fighter he faced and defeated in the 2003 Grand Prix. Hidehiko Yoshida was that common opponent, but common is not an adjective to use for this fighter. Yoshida truly exuded a fighter spirit many would aspire and his submission and throws were on par with the best. His 2003 Grand Prix run ended versus Silva, but he gained many who doubted him the respect he deserved. He took Silva the distance, with Silva having to win the third round to assure his advancement. Their rematch would go the full 3 rounds with a nice pace and action to go with it.

All in all as mentioned earlier, a disappointing show considering the talent showcased. There appeared to be an overly conservative attitude most fighters adopted to assure their placement in the second round. Still, though the last couple of fights were solid.

the opening round of the light heavyweight tournament in 2005.
a lot of reconized fighters such as wanderle silva quinton jackson,dean lister,dan henderson ,shogun rua exc.
best fights:
1)yoshida vs wanderlei silva 2)antonio rogeiro nogueira vs dan henderson 3)alistair overeem vs vitor belfort 4)igor vovchanchyn vs yuki kondo

I've tried time and again to get into Pride, but then another show like this comes along and kills what little faith I have in the organization. Every match, no matter if it's between two submission fighters or two sluggers, they all go the same way. Maybe a few punches thrown, nothing noteworthy landing, and then they fall on the ground and wiggle around for 3 rounds. Atrocious. Two fights on this card end inside the distance, and the rest go just like I described above. Do not, under any circumstances, be fooled by all the big names like I was. This event is boring and not worth your time and money. Although I know the Japanese crowds are always quiet during fights, it only makes the boredom of what's going on inside the ring that much worse. I've heard that Pride may be on its last legs. This probably has a lot to do with why.