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 Bushido is the branch of PRIDE FC that showcases the lighter weight fighters. Since its inception, early Bushido shows were often criticized by the Japanese media for not having enough action. In my opinion, Bushido 4 was the turning point that placed Bushido on the path to becoming the hottest event in Mixed Martial Arts today.
Unlike many MMA fight events, you get a ton of bang for your buck. There are 10 fights on the original PPV fight card with an 11th bonus fight in the Extra Features section of the DVD. Here is a spoiler-free breakdown of the fights:
Luiz Buscape vs Hiroyuki Abe - 7/10
Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs Marcus Aurelio - 9/10
- a tremendous fight between two top Lightweight fighters.
Amar Suloev vs Dean Lister - 4/10
- What looked like a decent match on paper, turns out to be a terrible snoozefest.
Hayato Sakurai vs Brady Fink - 6/10
- A pretty large mismatch as the legendary Hayato "Mach" Sakurai takes on an upstart American in Brady Fink. Sakurai's original opponent Crosley Gracie, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Ikuhisa Minowa vs Kenichi Yamamoto - 7/10
- Minowa is a character
Takashi Sugiura vs Giant Silva - 7/10
- Interesting to watch because of the sideshow factor. The 7'4, 400lbs Giant Silva makes his PRIDE and MMA debut against a much smaller Japanese opponent.
Mirko Filipovic vs Shungo Oyama - 8/10
- Cro Cop makes a huge impact as he returns to the ring after being upset in his previous bout.
Paulo Filho vs Akira Shoji - 8/10
- Very good back-and-forth fight with both men gaining the advantage on momentary occasions.
Takanori Gomi vs Fabio Mello - 9/10
- A tremendous fight between "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi and BTT fighter Fabio Mello. Gomi shows why he's one of the most dynamic and entertaining fighters in the world.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Kazuhiro Nakamura - 7/10
- After an entertaining tilt in their first fight, Rogerio and Nakamura lock up again in the rematch. A good fight.
With the its reduced price, I highly recommend Bushido 4 for any Mixed Martial Arts fan. Their are a few boring fights and some snooze worthy moments, but overall its a pretty high class event.
PRIDE Bushido is the branch of PRIDE FC that showcases the lighter weight fighters. Since its inception, early Bushido shows were often criticized by the Japanese media for not having enough action. In my opinion, Bushido 4 was the turning point that placed Bushido on the path to becoming the hottest event in Mixed Martial Arts today.
Unlike many MMA fight events, you get a ton of bang for your buck. There are 10 fights on the original PPV fight card with an 11th bonus fight in the Extra Features section of the DVD. Here is a spoiler-free breakdown of the fights:
Luiz Buscape vs Hiroyuki Abe - 7/10
Dokonjonosuke Mishima vs Marcus Aurelio - 9/10
- a tremendous fight between two top Lightweight fighters.
Amar Suloev vs Dean Lister - 4/10
- What looked like a decent match on paper, turns out to be a terrible snoozefest.
Hayato Sakurai vs Brady Fink - 6/10
- A pretty large mismatch as the legendary Hayato "Mach" Sakurai takes on an upstart American in Brady Fink. Sakurai's original opponent Crosley Gracie, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Ikuhisa Minowa vs Kenichi Yamamoto - 7/10
- Minowa is a character
Takashi Sugiura vs Giant Silva - 7/10
- Interesting to watch because of the sideshow factor. The 7'4, 400lbs Giant Silva makes his PRIDE and MMA debut against a much smaller Japanese opponent.
Mirko Filipovic vs Shungo Oyama - 8/10
- Cro Cop makes a huge impact as he returns to the ring after being upset in his previous bout.
Paulo Filho vs Akira Shoji - 8/10
- Very good back-and-forth fight with both men gaining the advantage on momentary occasions.
Takanori Gomi vs Fabio Mello - 9/10
- A tremendous fight between "The Fireball Kid" Takanori Gomi and BTT fighter Fabio Mello. Gomi shows why he's one of the most dynamic and entertaining fighters in the world.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Kazuhiro Nakamura - 7/10
- After an entertaining tilt in their first fight, Rogerio and Nakamura lock up again in the rematch. A good fight.
With the its reduced price, I highly recommend Bushido 4 for any Mixed Martial Arts fan. Their are a few boring fights and some snooze worthy moments, but overall its a pretty high class event.
