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PRIDE Shockwave 2006
''Pride Shockwave 2006'' was a mixed martial arts event held by Pride Fighting Championships on December 31, 2006. Background The main event was scheduled to be heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko defending his heavyweight championship against the winner of the Absolute Grand Prix, but Mirko Filipović was recovering from foot surgery he underwent on October 26 and could not fight at Shockwave. Josh Barnett, the Absolute Grand Prix runner up, was also a contender to face Emelianenko, as mentioned by the heavyweight champion in a Pride 32 post-fight press conference, but was "not in the best condition" to compete and instead fought Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira in a rematch and lost that fight to. Ultimately, Fedor defended his title against Mark Hunt. The event was the first outside of tournaments, title bouts, and fights under the NSAC jurisdiction to feature concrete weight classes. All Lightweight (-73 kg) and Welterweight (-83 kg) bouts were fought under Bushido ru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pride Fighting Championships
PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts events, broadcast to about 40 countries worldwide.What is Pride? , Official Pride site. Last retrieved December 5, 2006 PRIDE was owned by the (DSE). For the ten years of its existence, PRIDE was one of the most popular MMA organizations in the world. Pride broadcast its event ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Thompson (fighter)
James Thompson (born 16 December 1978) is a British professional mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2003, Thompson has also formerly competed for PRIDE FC, Bellator MMA, Cage Rage, EliteXC, Sengoku, DREAM, KSW, Rizin, and the SFL. Background Born in Rochdale to a Northern Irish father and an English mother, Thompson grew up playing rugby league. Widely considered to be a talented player, at one point in time he did consider pursuing a professional career in rugby. Ultimately, he ended up working as debt collector and nightclub bouncer, whilst also competing in amateur bodybuilding. Thompson then took up the sport of wrestling and competed in several matches before eventually seeing an MMA bout featuring Don Frye (whom he would later fight and beat at PRIDE 34: Kamikaze), which ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in MMA. Thompson initially started watching DVDs on boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joachim Hansen (fighter)
Joachim B. Hansen (born 26 May 1979) is a Norwegian retired mixed martial artist. He began his career fighting for FinnFight before moving on to fight for Shooto where he became the first Scandinavian person to hold an MMA world title after winning the Shooto World Lightweight Championship in 2003 from Takanori Gomi. Hansen later fought for the Pride Fighting Championship and most recently Dream where he became the Dream Lightweight Champion. Background Hansen was born in Oslo, Norway to a Norwegian father and Scottish mother. Aside from his career as a fighter, he has a job driving an oil tanker. Hansen's passion in martial arts began after seeing Jackie Chan films in his youth and he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he was 19 years old. He is good friends with former UFC veteran and Norwegian Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist John Olav Einemo.http://www.tri-coasta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173%3Aoslo&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=1 Mixed martial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinya Aoki
is a Japanese mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and grappler currently competing in ONE Championship's and Rizin Fighting Federation's Welterweight division. He also competes in DDT Pro-Wrestling where he is a former three-time DDT Extreme Champion. A professional competitor since 2003, he is noted for being the DREAM Lightweight Champion, former two time ONE Lightweight World Champion, former WAMMA Lightweight Champion and former Shooto Welterweight Champion. Aoki is an A-class Shootist and BJJ black belt, both under his long-term mentor Yuki Nakai, as well as a Black Belt Judoka. As of 2008, Aoki, along with DEEP champion Masakazu Imanari, and Sengoku champion Satoru Kitaoka have founded the "Nippon Top Team" as a group of elite Japanese grapplers competing in MMA. As well as his MMA credentials, Aoki has garnered several submission grappling accolades including two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu Championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship, a Budo Open Championship, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuki Kondo
is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. He has officially 111 professional fights, making him one of the most experienced mixed martial artists ever. He has also competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Sengoku, Palace Fighting Championships, BodogFIGHT, and DEEP. He has competed overseas only four times, and holds a record of 2–2. He is the former Pancrase Light Heavyweight Champion as well as the former Pancrase Middleweight Champion. Background Kondo is from Niigata, Japan, began Shorinji Kempo in high school, and is currently a second dan rank. Mixed martial arts career Pancrase Kondo made his professional debut for the Pancrase organization in Japan in early 1996 when he was 21 years old at the Pancrase: Truth 1. His decision to compete for Pancrase was heavily influenced by Masakatsu Funaki being the co-founder, as Kondo looked up to the professional wrestler Funaki. Kondo won his debut by a guillotine choke submission in the first r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Akihiro Gono
(born October 7, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 1994, he is best known for his clever and deceptive fighting style, and for his flashy ring entrances. Gono has competed for the UFC, PRIDE Fighting Championships, Pancrase, the World Series of Fighting, DEEP, World Victory Road, Shooto, Bellator, and also participated in the Dynamite!! 2009 event. Mixed martial arts career Shooto and Pancrase Akihiro Gono began fighting mixed martial arts in 1994, competing in the Lumax Cup tournaments as a sambo representative. He got a win over Kazunari Murakami via head kick, but lost to him in their rematch the next year. Gono originally debuted in Fighting Network Rings's undercard, but he moved to Shooto after the Lumax Cup. His run there was uneventful, although he drew Jutaro Nakao and led Matt Hughes to a decision in his first years. 2000 would be his breakout year, winning against veteran Masa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuhiro Nakamura
Kazuhiro Nakamura ( , born July 16, 1979) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed as a Middleweight in DREAM, and is a former DEEP Middleweight Champion. He fought out of the Yoshida Dojo and also competed in the Pride Fighting Championships, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the Sengoku Raiden Championship. His primary style is judo, in which he holds a third ''dan'' black belt under Hidehiko Yoshida. Career Starting judo at 10 years old, Nakamura went to train under Katsuhiko Kashiwazaki and enter the Fukuyama University team. He became a professional judoka under the sponsorship of Keiyo Gas and competed at national and international level, placing third at the Japanese championships at 100+. His career in judo lasted until 2002, when he met Hidehiko Yoshida and became a member of his Yoshida Dojo.Snowden, Jonathan. ''MMA Encyclopedia'', ECW Press, 2010 PRIDE Fighting Championships Nakamura made his MMA debut at PRIDE 25 against Antônio Rogério No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maurício Rua
Maurício Milani Rua (; born 25 November 1981), also known as Shogun, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former model. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2002, Rua is also the 2005 PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. Background Rua was born on 25 November 1981 and raised in Curitiba, Brazil and is of Italian, and Portuguese descent. Rua's father is a businessman and his mother is a former track athlete and now marathon runner. He has an older brother, Murilo (nicknamed Ninja, born 1980), and a younger brother, Marcos (nicknamed Shaolin). Both are mixed martial artists training at Universidade da luta, though Marcos does not compete at a professional level. The Rua brothers occasionally take 10-kilometre runs with their mother. Rua began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the age of six and Muay Thai at the age of seven. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tatsuya Kawajiri
is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He is a former Shooto Lightweight Champion, and has also competed in the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Strikeforce, ONE FC, and Rizin Fighting Federation. Kawajiri also participated in the Yarennoka! event as well as Dynamite!! 2009 and Dynamite!! 2010, representing DREAM in both events. Kawajiri's fight at PRIDE Bushido 9 with Takanori Gomi was voted as PRIDE Fighting Championship's Fight of the Year for 2005. In the same year, Kawajiri was considered by many mixed martial arts publications to be the #1 Lightweight fighter in the world. Background Kawajiri was born in the Inashiki District of Ibaraki Prefecture and competed in baseball from elementary school through middle school before he transitioned into track and field in high school. At the age of 19, Kawajiri viewed the 1997 K-1 World Grand Prix Semifinal match between Ernesto Hoost and Francisco Filho, persuading him to begin training in combat sport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gilbert Melendez
Gilbert Melendez (born April 12, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a two-time Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He also competed in PRIDE FC, Shooto and Rumble on the Rock. Melendez was nicknamed after the El Niño storm, it was given to him by a Japanese broadcaster describing his fight-style and the manner in which he stormed through the Shooto Lightweight division. Background Melendez is from Santa Ana, California, of Mexican descent. He wrestled at Santa Ana High School. Melendez always enjoyed combat sports and competition, but did not start training in MMA until after college when he was introduced to the sport by his good friend and MMA fighter Jake Shields. Melendez attended San Francisco State University and was studying in liberal arts, he anticipated becoming a teacher but did not finish his college education and get a d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eldar Kurtanidze
Eldar "Luka" Kurtanidze ( ka, ელდარ უკაკურტანიძე) (born April 16, 1972, in Gulripshi, Georgian SSR) is a Georgian wrestler and the Georgian Dream political activist. He has served as the president of the Wrestling Federation of Georgia since December 2012 and Head of Physical Training at the Georgian Police Academy since January 2013. Wrestling career Kurtanidze has been a senior professional freestyle wrestler since 1992. He was a bronze medalist in both the Men's Freestyle 90 kg at the 1996 Summer Olympics and also Men's Freestyle 97 kg at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He also competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics, but was eliminated early. In addition to his Olympic bronzes, he has two gold medals, two silver medals, and one bronze medal from the FILA Senior World Championships. He has received five gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals from the FILA Senior European Championships. In 2006 he raised his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for his work in the PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1, Rizin Fighting Federation, and World Victory Road. Fujita began his career as a professional wrestler in 1993, joining the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) dojo, while still competing as an amateur wrestler. Debuting in 1996, Fujita would put his wrestling career on hiatus in early 2000 to train in MMA. Returning the following year with a new shoot based offence, Fujita won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship immediately and went on to hold it two more times before leaving the company in 2005. After a six-year hiatus, Fujita returned to pro wrestling in 2011 for Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), and continues to make occasional appearances as a freelancer, most recently for Pro Wrestling Noah and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
