During Sunday's Bushido 8 event in Nagoya, Dream Stage Entertainment announced pairings for the remaining four 205-pound fighters in this year's PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix.
August 28's PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix "Final Round" is the culmination of an event that began in April, when several of the world's finest 205-lb. fighters rounded out the then 16-man field. In June, eight men were chopped to four, leaving only the late summer Sunday in which one fighter is asked to win twice to capture the tournament.
Silva-Arona is a grudge match fans have clamored for since Silva won the PRIDE middleweight belt in November 2001. Splitting Silva and Rua leaves open the possibility of teammates fighting in the finals; in the end, it's clear, PRIDE decided it best to risk that than the potential outcome — and the inevitable questions that would accompany it — of a semifinal encounter.
Overeem is the only non-Brazilian eligible to win the second 205-lb. GP belt. In his first-round match-up, the Dutchman shockingly guillotined Brazilian Vitor Belfort. His submission string continued in the quarterfinals when he used the same choke to finish durable Igor Vovchanchyn. Rua's destruction of Quinton Jackson and a 20-minute war with Rogerio Nogueira were impressive to make him the current favorite to walk away with the tournament. Silva comes in a close second in the sports books, then Overeem and Arona.