Sherdog.com Preview: PRIDE 31 “Unbreakable”

In the U.S. PRIDE 31 is being marketed as “Unbreakable.” But in Japan they’re looking forward to watching “Dreamers.”

Who are the dreamers? The people who think Tamura is going to beat Nogueira. Seriously though, the American moniker seems to better fit this card. What is unbreakable? Plenty of things, including Mauricio Rua (Pictures)’s shins, Mark Hunt (Pictures)’s chin and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures)’s spirit.

The card is exciting, though not earth-shattering like we’ve come to expect from PRIDE. I think the cards have generally been so good that we’re spoiled and expect a Grand Prix every two months. Well, there will be another GP this year and some of the fighters on this line-up will be part of the field.

The entire card breaks down as follows:

Brazilian striker Pedro Rizzo (Pictures) and Russian Top Team fighter Roman Zentsov (Pictures) take to the ring.

American Quinton Jackson (Pictures) battles Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon (Pictures).

Norwegian grappler Jon Olav Einemo faces Brazilian jiu-jitsu stylist Fabricio Werdum (Pictures).

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Pictures) and the Brazilian Top Team’s Mario Sperry (Pictures) square off.

Russian Top Team member Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures) goes toe-to-toe with Dutch fighter Alistair Overeem (Pictures).

Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett (Pictures) confronts Yoshida Dojo judoka Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures).

Brazilian Top Team grappler “Minotauro” Nogueira tangles with U-File Camp grappler Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures).

Last year’s PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix winner Mauricio Rua (Pictures), fighting out of the Chute Boxe Academy, meets Hammer House founder and MMA legend Mark Coleman (Pictures).

New Zealand’s Mark Hunt (Pictures), a one-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, takes on former pro boxer Yosuke Nishijima.