The first match announcements for PRIDE Fighting Championships "THE REAL DEAL", PRIDE's first American event, have been announced. The event, held on October 21st at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko and Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua!
PRIDE Heavyweight Champion
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia/Red Devil)
VS
PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Champion
Mark Coleman (America/Hammer House)
Fedor Emelianenko' comeback match will be held in Las Vegas! The "emperor", unable to compete in the Open Weight Grand Prix due a slow-to-recover injury, has chosen America as the location to get back in the game. His opponent will be veteran Heavyweight fighter and the pride of America, Mark Coleman.
Mark Coleman comes from a wrestling background in the great wrestling state of Ohio, winning a silver medal in the 1991 freestyle wrestling world championships' 100kg division and placing 7th in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics freestyle division. Wrestling is a popular sport in America and Coleman use that wrestling to gain fame when he twice dominated UFC tournaments. In short, Mark Coleman is a real American hero.
On the other hand, Emelianenko's background is *****, the national martial art of Russia. This match will pit the American hero against the Russian emperor and American wrestling against Russian *****. In Rocky 4, the Russian boxer Drago destroyed Rocky's friend Apollo Creed in the ring and Rocky went on to take his revenge on Drago. Can Coleman become the modern-day Rocky? Or will he be sent to the mat like Apollo?
Coleman has made it clear that he won't stop fighting until he has become the PRIDE Champion again. Although this is a non-title fight, a rematch with the current Champion is Coleman's big chance. Coleman is on fire as he aims for the American dream.
PRIDE Grand Prix 2005 Champion
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
VS
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion
Kevin Randleman (America/Hammer House)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will make his comeback in Las Vegas. Shogun's popularity was proven at the frenzied autograph session held recently and in his seminars, which were packed with students eager to learn from the master. Shogun dislocated his arm in an Open Weight Grand Prix preliminary match against Mark Coleman in February of this year and with that, his dreams of conquering two weight classes disappeared. Shogun's opponent this time will be Kevin Randleman, a student of Coleman, the man who stole Shogun's dreams.
When Randleman is on his game, he's even more dangerous than Coleman. Will Shogun be able to make his comeback against Randleman, a man with superhuman physical abilities and wrestling techniques?
PRIDE Heavyweight Champion
Fedor Emelianenko (Russia/Red Devil)
VS
PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Champion
Mark Coleman (America/Hammer House)
Fedor Emelianenko' comeback match will be held in Las Vegas! The "emperor", unable to compete in the Open Weight Grand Prix due a slow-to-recover injury, has chosen America as the location to get back in the game. His opponent will be veteran Heavyweight fighter and the pride of America, Mark Coleman.
Mark Coleman comes from a wrestling background in the great wrestling state of Ohio, winning a silver medal in the 1991 freestyle wrestling world championships' 100kg division and placing 7th in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics freestyle division. Wrestling is a popular sport in America and Coleman use that wrestling to gain fame when he twice dominated UFC tournaments. In short, Mark Coleman is a real American hero.
On the other hand, Emelianenko's background is *****, the national martial art of Russia. This match will pit the American hero against the Russian emperor and American wrestling against Russian *****. In Rocky 4, the Russian boxer Drago destroyed Rocky's friend Apollo Creed in the ring and Rocky went on to take his revenge on Drago. Can Coleman become the modern-day Rocky? Or will he be sent to the mat like Apollo?
Coleman has made it clear that he won't stop fighting until he has become the PRIDE Champion again. Although this is a non-title fight, a rematch with the current Champion is Coleman's big chance. Coleman is on fire as he aims for the American dream.
PRIDE Grand Prix 2005 Champion
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
VS
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion
Kevin Randleman (America/Hammer House)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will make his comeback in Las Vegas. Shogun's popularity was proven at the frenzied autograph session held recently and in his seminars, which were packed with students eager to learn from the master. Shogun dislocated his arm in an Open Weight Grand Prix preliminary match against Mark Coleman in February of this year and with that, his dreams of conquering two weight classes disappeared. Shogun's opponent this time will be Kevin Randleman, a student of Coleman, the man who stole Shogun's dreams.
When Randleman is on his game, he's even more dangerous than Coleman. Will Shogun be able to make his comeback against Randleman, a man with superhuman physical abilities and wrestling techniques?
