Okay, I was inspired by James Hirth's expected lackluster effort to go and break down Pride 33. Sherdog, hire me. I obviously have talent, and I can clean it up and be more professional if need be, not to mention stick to a deadline.


Hansen vs. Ireland

Hansen was cruising for a title shot before Aoki set him back another year. Between that and his ball-shot on Kawajiri, the man has no belt to hold his pants up. This is a squash match, so there isn't much to say about it. I just felt like complaining that we're missing out on Hansen vs. Gomi for a while. Ireland is a solid wrestler, which is no good because Hansen is better at BJJ than striking. Not to mention better at striking than Ireland. Plus, Hansen's greatest attribute on the feet is POWAH, so he'll be effective even with the few shots he'll be able to land before giving up the takedown. Hansen by sub in the 2nd

Misaki vs. Trigg

Misaki is talented, and has racked up some excellent victories, but his technical and cautious striking style is poison for the likes of Baroni and Hendo. He hasn't shown me much on the ground, so Trigg has a shot at controlling and beating him up, then coasting to a decision or late stoppage once his man is worn down. That said, Trigg is being lazy by not cutting back down to his best weight and fighting a naturally bigger man, so Misaki can probably outlast and outwork Trigg and take the fight if he can avoid serious punishment early on. Misaki by decision.

Travis Wiuff vs. James Lee

It's the intended fall guy vs the late replacement in a battle to see who can get a W in his debut and never get invited back! Who cares! Sorry Travis, you're talented, but you don't matter in this division right now. Good luck, James. Wiuff by KOTC-style slop KO in the first.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Sokoudjou

I swear the shadowy forces behind pride matchmaking have something agains Rog Nog. The only interesting parts of this match are Sokoudjou's hair and figuring out whether Nog is going to KO him or sub him. I'll go out on a limb and say Nog by KO in the 5th minute.

Sakurai vs Danzig

Sakurai is my homeboy. Brother throws spin kicks, does tight-ass judo throws, and looks like someone's pissed off dad. Plus he has tight gambling debts. Danzig is a legitimately talented fighter with technical skills, but he's limited and Sakurai can do it all (and well). The short right hook comes over your infighting, Mac, and you drop, to be finished with GnP for the TKO. Sakurai KO 2nd

Sergei Kharitonov vs Mike Russow

Sergei has what it takes to be a strong competitor for years. He showed to be a much better fighter than Aleks (if a dumber one) in their match, and the only thing that's going to hold him back is his extreme slowness, and what seems to be a tendency towards injury. If the injuries were flukes, Sergei is going to continue to smash up the division. Russow is green as hell. He's a monster wrestler, so expect sergei to roll around on his back early in the match, but with no knees to the face, the Russian machine will not be stopped. Russow's inexperience will come to the fore later in the match, when he does the all-too-typical one-dimensional-wrestler gas-out after a few minutes of strong control. Then they'll be stood back up, and Sergei will maul him like he insulted the motherland. Sergei by KO 2nd.

Shogun vs. Overeem

Why is everyone saying this match is pointless? Their first match was back and forth. Sure it only went back once, and then came right back forth, but it went pretty far back. Overeem remains a legit threat, and a win here would shake up the division and make for interesting matches in the future. If Shogun wins, he'll have to show more champion-caliber qualities, and this will be an excellent touchstone fight in evaluating him. Maybe Overeem has lost a few and has all the lasting power of a 17 year old on prom night, but he's explosive, and dangerous in a number of weird ways. Not to mention he nearly won the first fight. Shogun is sloppy on the feet, and if Overeem could punch, I'd say he's the favorite. Sadly, Overeem punches with his head and then his arm follows in a wild flail. Don't ask me why. I expect essentially a repeat of the first fight, although hopefully without 30-takedown-combos by Overeem. That said, I've seen odds as strong as +350 for Overeem, and that's a smart bet if you like to play the spread. Shogun KO 2

Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi

First things first: Diaz is not as big as Gomi. Nick might have fought at 170, but the man is not a huge powerful monster like GSP or Hughes are at that weight. Marcus Aurelio is a much bigger man than Nick is, and Gomi is around his size. Gomi is a lock for this fight. Diaz is durable, has tons of fight in him, and has talent on the feet and on the ground. However, a strong wrestler can control him. Gomi has a BETTER chin and more power striking, and, if he gets into trouble with Diaz's reach, he can just shoot takedowns on Diaz and ride it out. Yes Gomi was subbed when he gave up side control to Aurelio with a badly missed haymaker, and yes Diaz stuffed Sherk's takedown when Sherk's midget ass shot in from two miles away, but don't miss the forest for the trees. Diaz has no chance of taking Gomi down barring another slip-up by the champ, and Gomi isn't going to play around on the ground and give Diaz a chance for anything from his guard. Gomi is going to win. Gomi by KO 2nd

Dan Henderson vs. Wanderlei Silva

Silva has only gotten bigger and stronger since their first fight, where Silva clearly outmuscled him. Dan's improve his striking immensely, and forgotten how to wrestle. Wanderlei has honed his brawling style for MMA, and become an absolute killer, with an excellent and tight defensive guard. Silva has a soft head, and Dan a hard one. Both are incredibly tenacious and will NOT give up in a fight. Silva has much better cardio, and trying to control a larger, stronger man will wear Dan down. Dan isn't going to submit Wanderlei, and only Arona has ever been able to control the MW champ for a decision, and that man could control a buffalo. Dan's only hope is landing another monster right and dropping Wandy for the finish. If he looks for the KO, Dan's aimless windmilling style is going to get him KO'd horribly, and trying to wrestle with Silva is just going to wear him out to set up a horrible KO late in the bout. Silva by KO 2nd


So a lot of squash matches and a couple that might be important for their division. A pretty solid card then, and one that has serious talent in every fight, although the bulk of it will be on one side of the ref when the match starts. Should be very entertaining.