From the Yokohama Arena in JapanA legendary event in Japan PRIDE FC matches the world s elite fighters in competitions of honor and art. Imagine Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner versus Kick boxer Judo specialist versus Wrestler . . . this is PRIDE FC. Each match is the culmination of years of training by these athletes the finest representatives of their martial art who not only compete for victory but also to defend their fighting style! From big-time knockouts to punishing submissions you don t want to miss the drama spectacle and excitement of PRIDE FC!FIGHTCARDFedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil)Quinton Jackson (USA) vs. Kevin Randleman (USA)Antonio Nino Schembri (Brazil) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan)Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Shungo Oyama (Japan)Anderson Silva (Brazil) vs. Carlos Newton (Canada)Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)Alexander Otsuka (Japan) vs. Kenichi Yamamoto (Japan)Akira Shoji (Japan) vs. Alex Stiebling (USA)Special FeaturesBonus Match: Otsuka vs. Yamamoto Behind the Scenes Featurette Wanderlei Ringside FeaturettePhoto GalleriesPRIDE FC RulesVideo Feature: What is PRIDE FC?Detailed Fighter BiosFight GlossaryEvent Program CoverEvent PosterEaster EggsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/FIGHTING UPC: 787364628698
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Make it four and a half stars... Comment: This DVD is worth buying for the Rampage/Randleman fight alone! It does not matter if you are a newby to the sport, or a hardcore fan... you need to have this event in your collection. Customer Rating: Summary: Pride Fighting Championship: Body Blow Comment: March 16, 2003
Yokohama Arena, Japan
This was, by far, one of the best Pride Fighting events I have ever seen. It is in fact one of the best mixed martial arts shows that has ever taken place. The matchups are outstanding and the performances delivered by the fighters are amazing. From beginning to end, this is a thrilling and historic event.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura:
Nogueira is much larger than Nakamura. Nakamura, however, scores with an early takedown of Nogueira. This fight becomes a very tactical battle, as Nakamura proves to be far tougher than expected. The fight gets slightly less interesting as it wears on, but it all ends with a submission for some final excitement in the battle.
Alex Steibling vs. Akira Shoji:
There is some intense action in the 1st round. Shoji drops Steibling - Steibling regains composure and takes over to dominate and win the round. In the 2nd round, Steibling stalks Shoji. After three great rounds of action, the fight ends in a shockingly incorrect decision. Great fight! Great drama!
Carlos Newton vs. Anderson Silva:
This was the earliest fight I'd seen Anderson Silva in. I was very excited to see him go up against a talented fighter like Carlos "The Ronin" Newton. Newton takes Silva down early and controls the flow of things on the ground. He doesn't necessarily do any damage to Silva, yet he dictates the pace somewhat. The referee stands them up and Silva is yellow-carded and penalized for inactivity. Perhaps someone took the term "inactivity" as an insult because the fight ends with a crushing strike within a second of being stood up. Silva dresses up like Michael Jackson after the fight and does a dance in the ring. He is entertaining on top of being an amazing talent in mixed martial arts.
Dan Henderson vs. Shungo Ohyama:
Henderson is coming off of a stirring performance in a loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. He had gained even more fans and popularity due to that fight. Here, against Ohyama, Henderson lands some good shots right away. Ohyama makes a good fight of it, however. It ends in very exciting fashion. This is an outstanding bout.
Nino Schembri vs. Kazushi Sakuraba:
Sakuraba, with his huge celebrity status in Japan, entertains the crowd on the way toward the ring. Once inside the ring, he dominates what appears to be a terribly outclassed Nino Schembri. Three knees change all that and deliver one of the biggest upsets in all of Pride fighting. The crowd doesn't even know how to reach to what they see. More great drama in an already stellar night of fights.
Next up is the co-main event!
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Kevin "The Monster" Rendleman:
I was dying to see this fight... Both of these men fight with high intensity and skill. A bout between them would no doubt include some "fireworks". There is no animosity between them, yet they must face-off to determine who will go on to fight Wanderlei Silva. I was expecting a great fight, leaning toward Jackson in terms of ability to win the fight. He's just more entertaining that Randleman, in my opinion.
The fight turns out to be high energy indeed. It stalemates for a few minutes, as neither man is able to take the other man down. During the battle for positioning and a takedown, Jackson does land some very solid knees to the mid-section of Kevin Randleman. Not to give it all away, one man drops the other and attacks to finish it with ground and pound... Awesome ending to the fight! The winner then has a confrontation in the ring after calling out Wanderlei Silva. Silva charges the ring and pushes the now top contender, claiming the belt is HIS. This will be the next great Pride fight and I can't wait to see it.
The main event of the evening...
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Emelianenko Fedor:
This is a dream-fight for Pride fighting fans. You rarely get to see two fighters who are this good go at it. These are two true warriors of the finest ilk and they are about to do battle to see who will reign over the heavyweight division. I am a HUGE UFC fan, but I must admit that for HEAVYWEIGHT fighters, you have to look to Pride for the top talent in the world. There is a huge buildup to what should be a landmark heavyweight bout...
The fight goes to the ground and Fedor is able to employ his strong ground and pound to slowly batter Nogueira as we have never seen him be battered before. Nogueira continually makes submission attempts, constantly trying to position himself for the quick win, but Fedor is always able to pull out of danger with what appears to be minimal effort. Fedor appears, in this fight, to be a force unlike we have seen before in mixed martial arts. He lands a monster shot from the top position on the ground that causes some concern for Nogueira. Nogueira reverses the position... Fedor reverses it right back to his favor. It's back and forth at points, but largely one-sided overall. It goes to a unanimous decision.
This is an excellent Pride Fighting show. The DVD includes plenty of behind-the-scenes footage in a few featurettes. This is required viewing for fans of mixed martial arts. Truly awesome. Customer Rating: Summary: One of the Greatest MMA Events of All Time Comment: 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.
PRIDE 25: Body Blow is one of the greatest events PRIDE has ever held before. Playing host to 19,739 fans, this was a historic night that no MMA fan will ever forget. Here is a spoiler-free rundown of the fight card:
ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA vs KAZUHIRO NAKAMURA - 8/10
- The younger brother of the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Rogerio Nogueira, takes on a Yoshida Dojo protege in Kazuhiro Nakamura. This is a pretty good fight with an impressive showing by both men.
AKIRA SHOJI vs ALEX STEIBLING - 10/10
- What a war! Neither fighter is considered great but you'd never know it by watching these two guys throw down. Just when you think one man has the victory within grasp, his opponent turns it around. Repeat this cycle for three rounds.
ANDERSON SILVA vs CARLOS NEWTON - 9/10
- A highly anticipated fight between two of the world's top fighters. The end result is a very devastating KO.
DAN HENDERSON vs SHUNGO OYAMA - 9/10
- What looks like a mismatch on paper turns out to be much more than that. On paper, Dan Henderson is the heavy favorite but Shungo Oyama doesn't back down.
ANTONIO SCHEMBRI vs KAZUSHI SAKURABA - 9/10
- The greatest fighter in MMA history, Kazushi Sakuraba, returns to the ring to face off against an upstart newcomer in Antonio Schembri. Did Sakuraba easily dispatch of his opponent as everyone expected, or did Schembri pull off an unexpected performance? You'll have to watch to find out.
QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON vs KEVIN RANDLEMAN - 8.5/10
- Two of the world's top five 205lbs fighters do battle in a #1 contender's bout for the PRIDE MW Championship. Both men have very similar styles and this results in a very entertaining fight. The post-fight aftermath is almost as good as the fight.
ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA vs FEDOR EMELIANEKO - 10/10
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, the World Heavyweight Champion and the best fighter in the world, defends his title in the main event. His opponent; the unstoppable Russian cyborg known as Fedor. The ensuing encounter results in one of the greatest performances ever put forth by an MMA fighter.
Overall, a remarkable PRIDE event. This is a night that will be looked back upon 50 years from now. The DVD contains some decent bonus features including an extra fight, a photo gallery, and a few behind-the-scenes featurettes. Customer Rating: Summary: No Low Blows in Body Blow (no spoilers) Comment: Pride 25: Body Blow is one of the best PPVs held by Pride. It contains enough surprise knockouts to appeal to any MMA fan, casual or loyal.
The fight card is as follows (scored on a scale of 0-10):
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Kazuhiro Kakamura (6/10)
FYI: He's the twin brother, not the champ.
- Akira Shoji vs Alex Stiebling (6/10)
It wouldn't be a Pride event without Japan's favorite underdog Shoji.
- Anderson Silva vs Carlos Newton (8/10)
Don't let this one catch you off guard.
- Dan Henderson vs Shungo Oyama (9/10)
Best-paced match of the night.
- Kazushi Sakuraba vs Antonio Shembri (7/10)
Sakuraba's personality makes an otherwise predictable fight into a comedic meltdown.
CO-MAIN EVENTS:
- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs Kevin Randleman (8/10)
The winner of this match has a minor physical encounter with Wanderlei Silva. Great match and great showdown after the fight.
- Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (7/10)
This match gets more credit than it should. Granted, it was an important championship bout, but the commentators were really exaggerating the entertainment aspect of the fight.
BONUS MATCH:
- Alexander Otsuka vs Kenichi Yamamoto (0/10)
The Special Features are nothing special. It includes a brief backstage clip before the event. The rest are stale photo galleries and biographies. The bonus match comprises of two fighters (Otsuka has lost his last 3 matches/Yamamoto has lost his last 5 matches) who're at the end of their careers.
I don't know what Pride was feeding the fighters at this PPV, but Body Blow is a knockout fan's dream come true. Special Features aside, the event is always ranked among the top 10 Pride shows. Don't let this one pass you by. Customer Rating: Summary: Fedor's rise to stardom Comment: Fedor Emilianenko is now considered the best fighter in the world. Here we get to see him win his first championship fight. It is a very one-sided fight against champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Fedor gets on top and bashes him in the face with power and accuracy, while Nogueira tries to apply submission holds. This fight is good because the fighters are both excellent, but it isn't competitive, and lacks drama. Nogueira is a great one, but not against Fedor today.
Carlos Newton is one of the best grapplers of our time, because of his sophisticated technique and his speed and mobility. He has beaten some of the best. He is matched against a great striker named Anderson Silva. We don't really get to see Newton do his thing. He makes the mistake of slugging with a slugger. We do get to see Silva do his thing.
Kazushi Sakuraba is one of the best mixed martial artists ever. He has beaten opponents even more impressive than the ones Carlos Newton has beaten. Here he is coming off injuries and losses. He's healthy again. He completely dominates his opponent Nino Elvis Schembri, Elvis because of the sideburns. But when Schembri connects with a knee to the head, all of a sudden Sakuraba finds himself in a fight.
Kevin Randleman and his dyed crewcut are matched against Quinton Rampage Jackson. These are two of the world's top black fighters. It's great to see the respect between these two. Randleman predicts a knockout one way or the other, and he's right, though a lot of time is spent maneuvering in the corner. The winner challenges the champ, Wanderlei Silva, who is in the first row watching. Silva answers the challenge, and it looks like a fight is about to break out in the ring after the fight.
Dan Henderson, a top level fighter, is matched against Shungo Ohyama, someone I am not familiar with. Henderson hits too hard and has too much experience for Shungo. This is a mismatch, a showcase for Henderson.
Akira Shoji fights Alexander Stiebling. Alex is a good one too, and taller than Shoji. Alex hits harder, until Shoji lands a shot that shakes him badly. The announcers are firmly on the side of one of the fighters, but two of the judges rule for the other, so we have a judging problem here. I agree with the announcers, and I find the judging suspicious. Not sure what fight they were watching or if it was really on the up and up. I hate to think that maybe it wasn't.
The best pre-fight interview on the show is Stiebling. He explains that his former nickname was The Brazilian Killer, since he was 6-0 against good Brazilians, but then he lost on a cut to a Brazilian, and now his nickname is The Fighting Al Bundy because after a fight he sits on the couch, sticks his hands in his pants, and watches tv.
The announcers are very good. The color guy, Bas Rutten, is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, a fact that viewers may not realize when they see him joking around. Bas in his prime could have given any one of these guys a fight, and may well have defeated all of them on the card except perhaps Fedor. And he isn't very much past his prime.
