Multiple Parts… MORE than worth the watch. If all you know is the UFC. Then you really don’t know MMA. This is the organization where legends were made. These guys were the Titans of their time. These fighters from this era are the Hercules’s, Achilles’s, and Dioxippus’s of our time. I really can’t describe to you the exhilaration of being able to watch this shit during the time period it actually happened.
It took them awhile to get real talent, other than Sakaraba. Once they did, it got real exciting in a hurry. I own just about all of them on DVD. I don’t have, nor did I watch any of the Bushido events.
I started over from the beginning about a month ago. I’m up to Pride17, Saku/Wandi 2 for the belt. The actual Pride middleweight belt, not Saku’s Saku belt.
[quote]analog_kid wrote:
I started over from the beginning about a month ago. I’m up to Pride17, Saku/Wandi 2 for the belt. The actual Pride middleweight belt, not Saku’s Saku belt.
Man I miss Pride.[/quote]
Funny you should post this. I am doing the same thing. I am on UFC 17 and got through the Pride 2000 grand prix. I am trying to watch them chronologically, so no more pride until I get up to UFC 25.
[quote]dhickey wrote:
analog_kid wrote:
I started over from the beginning about a month ago. I’m up to Pride17, Saku/Wandi 2 for the belt. The actual Pride middleweight belt, not Saku’s Saku belt.
Man I miss Pride.
Funny you should post this. I am doing the same thing. I am on UFC 17 and got through the Pride 2000 grand prix. I am trying to watch them chronologically, so no more pride until I get up to UFC 25.[/quote]
One of these days I’ll have to get around to watching the early UFC shows. I don’t think I’ve seen much before 25, at least not the whole show.
There is not and probably never will be anything quite like the old Pride battles. I remember when I first started training MMA, I went out and bought every Pride Pay-Per-View on DVD and studied them religiously. I still watch them regularly to this day - definitely a worthy investment.
It really saddens me to see fighters like Heath Herring, Mirko CroCop, and Wanderlei Silva struggle in the UFC when they were so dominant in their Pride days. People need to understand that it’s not just the difference between the cage and the ring, different and constantly evolving rules, and 10 minute rounds back then. Fighters had to know how to pace themselves and maintain composure for extended periods when finding themselves in a compromised position.
I think I am going to watch some of those DVDs right now.
[quote]analog_kid wrote:
dhickey wrote:
analog_kid wrote:
I started over from the beginning about a month ago. I’m up to Pride17, Saku/Wandi 2 for the belt. The actual Pride middleweight belt, not Saku’s Saku belt.
Man I miss Pride.
Funny you should post this. I am doing the same thing. I am on UFC 17 and got through the Pride 2000 grand prix. I am trying to watch them chronologically, so no more pride until I get up to UFC 25.
One of these days I’ll have to get around to watching the early UFC shows. I don’t think I’ve seen much before 25, at least not the whole show. [/quote]
The early ones can be hard to sit through. FF is your friend. Some of the first Pride shows were like this as well. What’s fun is to see the the early fights of guys you know now. Like Sakaraba, Fujita, Randy, Kerr, Coleman, Randleman, Huas, Belfort, Frye, Henderson, Wandi, etc. The fights are a lot different than I remember them.
The next UFC I have to watch is Randy fighting Maurice Smith for the title. The last one I got to see Mikey Burnett and Pat Miletich fight (not each other)for the first time in the UFC.
I have pretty much the entire Pride back catalgue - Sherdog’s got some great deals if you buy in bulk (they call them Mega Saver Deals or similar). So many great, great fights, my top 10 in no particular order …
Big Nog v Sapp
Big Nog v Crocop
Fedor v Big Nog I
Fedor v Fujita
Fedor v Crocop
Saku v Renzo
Saku v Royce
Saku v Carlos Newton
Wanderlei v Quinton II
Can’t believe I left Shogun’s fights off that list but there you go.
[quote]Wayland wrote:
There where some terrific Pride moments that ill never forget. The Randleman slam for example is imprinted on my mind for ever.
[/quote]
That was one of the most violent moments in MMA history. Definately my favorite. A good slam is the only thing better than a debilitating liver kick. What’s incredible is fedor seemed completely uneffected.