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By Aaron Crecy Fight One Gary Goodridge def. Yoshiaki Yatsu by submission (corner throws in towel), 3:05 of R1 This fight was a mismatch from the outset as Goodridge, who bludgeoned Yatsu in Pride 11, exhibited admirable restraint en route to a lopsided victory. In just over three minutes, the Pride gatekeeper succeeded in landing a steady stream of knees, uppercuts, jabs and hooks. Though Yatsu seemed to have a little gas left in the tank, he called for the towel after Goodridge secured a guillotine choke. Fight Two Assuerio Silva def. Norihisa Yamamoto by TKO, :11 of R1 Chute Boxe's heavyweight prodigy thoroughly demolished Yamamoto in just eleven seconds, opening with two huge overhand rights and a high kick that barely missed. However, Silva felled Yamamoto with an ensuing right hand and then landed another huge right while standing above his opponent. The fight was stopped as the Brazilian delivered a flurry of punches upon the head of his down foe. Fight Three Murilo "Ninja" Rua def. Daijiro Matsui by KO (kicks to face), :51 of R3 Making his Pride debut, Rua proved true to his Chute Boxe lineage by displaying an impressive combination of ground work and standup skills. While the first round for the most part featured a series of takedowns and reversals, Ninja ended the period with a collection of kicks and foot stomps that bloodied the downed Matsui. The second round brought more of the same as the Brazilian began to take control the standup action while mixing in several knees to the head from the side mount. At this point, it seemed to be only a matter of time before the defenseless Matsui would succumb. Ninja opened the third round with combinations and knees, quickly taking a retreating Matsui to the ground with a bodylock. The fight ended there as the Brazilian scored the KO with a left kick to the face followed by two devastating foot stomps. Fight Four Ricardo Arona def. Guy Mezger by judges' decision, 2 - 1 After an uneventful first round that ended with neither fighter gaining a clear advantage, Mezger took control of the fight in the second period behind the strength of several heavy body shots and a huge high kick that stunned his young opponent. However, Arona gutted his way through the round and avoided the KO. In the third round, Arona took his winded opponent to the mat almost immediately and proceeded to score with punches to the head and ribs from inside Mezger's guard. Though he did not damage Mezger, Arona apparently did enough in the final round to earn a 2-1 judges' decision. Fight Five Semmy Schilt def. Akira Shoji by KO (knees and punches), 8:19 of R1 One-sided from the opening bell, this fight was custom-made for a Japanese audience that loves to root for the underdog. However, the diminutive Shoji was sorely overmatched and fell victim to an accumulation of stiff jabs and even stiffer knees to the face. The bout was compassionately halted late in the first round after Schilt repeatedly knocked down his adversary with unblocked and unreturned blows. Fight Six Don Frye def. Gilbert Yvel by DQ (three yellow cards for holding the ropes), 7:22 of R1 Though clearly reeling from an abundance of flying knees, Frye prevailed after Yvel was issued a third yellow card in the first round for holding the ropes. The Dutch fighter exploited Frye's poor defenses-the result of both advancing age and a years-long layoff-but fell victim to his own inner demons, losing his cool after Frye retaliated to an accidental eye gouge with a seemingly deliberate head butt. The bout ended shortly thereafter, and it was only when Frye suggested a rematch that a post-fight melee was prevented between the fighter and their camps. Fight Seven Rodrigo Nogueira def. Mark Coleman by submission (tapped out to triangle arm bar), 6:10 of R1 Coleman seemed to lack focus throughout as Nogueira exhibited improved standup skills and an impressive arsenal of submissions. Surprisingly, the placid Brazilian controlled the fight with a mixture of punches and low kicks. Though Coleman eventually scored a takedown when Nogueira slipped while attempting a high kick, he was unable to pass the guard. After missing with both a kimura and a triangle, Nogueira again secured a triangle before switching to an arm bar triangle that forced the world's top ranked heavyweight fighter to tap.  Don Frye post-fight wearing a "Terrorists Suck" T-shirt More Pride-16 post-fight pictures will be coming soon Complete coverage of the event in the October 2001 issue of FULL CONTACT FIGHTER, subscribe now! Check out the FCF Shop for the lowest prices on Pride videos! |
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