Best of Pride Fighting Championships, Shogun Rua vs Alistair Overeem 2

This is a new feature that we are going to do just to show respect to the legends and showcase fights that people may or may not have seen before. This fight took place at Pride 33 in 2007 in the city of Las Vegas. To new MMA fans, Shogun may look like he is unbeatable one minute, a mere mortal the next. To clear things up, the guy has had 3 major reconstructive knee surgeries. I'm not laying out any excuses, just stating facts. As you can see from his earlier fights, he was a pent up ball of aggression in the cage. He now fights a lot more measured and intelligently as he doesn't have the explosiveness he had when he was younger.

Before Alistair Overeem became "Ubereem", he was a skinny, Dutch striker that fought at 205 pounds. He had varying success in Pride and this video is actually a rematch from their first meeting, a fight in which Shogun won by TKO.  In Shogun's UFC fights, he is a very good striker and often keeps the fight standing. In his Pride days, Shogun liked to drag guys to the ground and then unleash holy hell on them. He had/has some of the most devastating ground and pound in the sport. A recent example is his second fight with Lyoto Machida. He drops Machida with an overhand right and then he immediately follows Machida to the ground and lands in full mount. These are finishing instincts that are impossible to teach.

Anyways, in the above fight, Shogun and Overeem stand for a bit before going to the ground. Overeem doesn't want any part of Shogun on the ground due to Shogun's grappling advantage. They eventually hit the ground and Shogun immediately goes for kimuras as Overeem looks to sweep and get the fight back to a standing position. Overeem eventually gets the fight back to a standing position but then throws an ill-advised knee. Shogun catches the leg and takes him down with a single. From there, it is Shogun in top position looking to rain down blows. I won't spoil the ending but the bout ends in highlight reel fashion.

(Pride - Total Elimination 2005) Mauricio ''Shogun'' Rua Vs. Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson

(Fight starts at the 3:05 mark.) 

Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson rematch confirmed for summer

A fight that Rampage has been asking for for the past 7 years will finally come to reality. Per mmamania.com and mmajunkie.com, verbal agreements are in for the long awaited rematch. For newcomers to the UFC, Shogun holds a victory over Rampage stemming from their Pride days in 2005. He shot out of his ring corner at the bell, attacked Rampage with knees and kicks and used his devastating Muay Thai plum to defeat Rampage. Shogun won a first round TKO that really announced his arrival to MMA superstardom. Shogun went on to win the Pride Grand Prix (besting Overeem, Noguiera, afore-mentioned Rampage and Arona) before transitioning to the UFC.

For Rampage, it's been a rough 6 months. He lost his title opportunity to Jon Jones in September of 2011, hurt his knee, missed weight by 6 pounds before his next fight and then lost a lackluster decision to Ryan Bader in February of 2012 It was obvious to anyone watching that Rampage was clearly hurt but he accepted the fight so it is what it is. Rampage has spent the last week asking the UFC for a release, stating that they have constantly disrespected him and are now trying to lower his pay. Well, Rampage is 2-3 in his last 5 fights. One of those wins was a close split decision to Lyoto Machida that really could have gone either way so he realistically could be 1-4 in his last 5 fights. To be blunt, his value is not nearly as high as it was a couple of years ago and the UFC is not in the wrong for asking him to take a pay cut. It's strictly a business decision but Rampage is a very sensitive guy so that is why he is so upset. I love the guy for his past performances but his lack of worth ethic in the past seems to be catching up to him.

The rematch will take place sometime in the summer, per Dana White. This is also the last fight on Rampage's contract so Rampage will leave the UFC after the conclusion of this fight. For my analysis of the fight, it's really a toss up. Shogun is my favorite fighter but his performances have been very inconsistent since coming over to the UFC from Pride. His constant knee problems (and surgeries) have really hindered him and he is far from the wrecking machine he was in Pride. Even in his war with Dan Henderson (the best MMA fight I have ever seen), he looked slow and flat-footed. That being said, he is still much quicker than Rampage and should look to attack Rampage's legs with leg kicks. This will pay dividends in the later rounds. Rampage will not check leg kicks (for some reason) and will look to plod forward and land with either a right or left handed bomb. Both are known for their iron chins so it will most likely go to a decision.

MMA is a crazy sport. Rampage beat Chuck Liddell for the title in May of 2007. He was considered unbeatable and would hold the belt for a long time. He held the belt for a little over a year before losing it to Forrest Griffin and really hasn't looked great since then. It'll be an odd feeling to watch Rampage fight for the "last time" in the UFC (I say "last time" because I think he'll patch things up with Dana and fight for the UFC again) but good luck to the former champion. I'll be rooting hardcore for Shogun but it'll be nice to see 2 Pride vets go at it. Let's just hope that it's a great sequel to their first fight and that Shogun comes out on top.

2011 Fight of the Year - Shogun vs Hendo

A tribute to a great fight!