Pride Shockwave 2 Preview
Wanderlei Silva vs. Mark Hunt
Dec 28, 2004
HUNT: New Zealand native and
W.K.B.F. Australian champion Mark Hunt is a kickboxer training
out of the Liverpool Kickboxing Gym. He is 1-1 in MMA and 27-11-1
(12 KO) in K-1. Mark trains Brazilian jiu-jitsu and wrestling four
hours a day and has been training boxing with the head coach of the
New Zealand Olympic Boxing Team.
He began his K-1 career by winning the K-1 Oceania Grand Prix 2000 and a bout at the K-1 Oceania Revenge. Hunt lost a decision to veteran Jerome Le Banner at the '00 Grand Prix in Nagoya. He also won the K-1 Oceania 2001 Annihilis eight-man tournament. Mark had two major decision losses, to Ernesto Hoost and Ray Sefo, but then he came back strong to win the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 by beating Jerome Le Banner (with a right hook KO), Stefan Leko (unanimous decision) and Francisco Filho (unanimous decision). Earlier this year he lost to Mirco Filipovic and Jerome Le Banner.
In his PFC debut Hunt showed he could compete on this level under
MMA rules in the bout with Hidehiko Yoshida. Standing he
showed some solid takedown and submission defense -- good ol'
punches in the face. Yoshida's grappling skills were too much to
counter and with five minutes gone by, Hunt was in the grip of the
judo Olympian and was forced to tap out from an armbar. At Pride 28
Hunt met former KOTC super-heavyweight champion Dan Bobish. Hunt showed improved
skills from the start, answering Bobish's bull-rush with knees to
the body and an uppercut. Bobish ran into another uppercut that cut
him and after a brief stoppage, ran into yet another one but he
took Hunt to the mat. Dan was controlling the action as Mark ate
heavy strikes and seemed fatigued until saved by a stand-up. Back
on the feet, Bobish was sluggish and had tired himself out. An
uppercut and push into the ropes signaled the end as Dan stood but
a kick to the ribs sent him right back down.
SILVA: Wanderlei Silva is a Muay Thai fighter and Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a record of 27-3-1 in MMA. He trains out of the Chute Boxe Academy with Murilo Rua, Mauricio Rua, Rafael Cordeiro and Rudimar Fedrigo. Silva is the current PFC middleweight champion and has won the PFC middleweight Grand Prix two years running. “The Axe Murderer” is also a UFC, MECA and Brazilian Vale Tudo veteran and IVC champion.
Silva began fighting in Vale Tudo (means “anything goes”) events in Brazil in 1998. He steamrolled the sub-par talent there, remaining undefeated until the final of the IVC 2 tournament where a cut stoppage kept him from the title. He defeated UFC veteran Mike Van Arsdale at IVC 6 and debuted to the UFC at Ultimate Brazil. Vitor Belfort handed him his second loss and he continued to win until his decision loss in 2000 to former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
Wanderlei fought some solid competition since making the permanent move to Pride in the form of Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan Henderson, Guy Mezger, Gilbert Yvel and Mirko Filipovic but many felt Silva had been “taking it easy” recently and padding his record with Japanese opponents. Most of his doubters were silenced when, after defeating Kazushi Sakuraba for a third time (via devastating KO), he beat both judo Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida and American wrestler Quinton Jackson in one night. In 2004 Silva has been on a three-fight KO win streak having taken out Ikuhisa Minowa, Yuki Kondo and Quinton Jackson in an eight-month span.
MY PICK: This is a far tougher match-up for Silva and he's brave to take the bout on one week's notice. There was no time to get Igor Vovchanchyn or Sergei Kharitonov on short notice and the interest in seeing Sanae Kikuta in there was lackluster. With Hunt 50-60 pounds heavier (he was 275 lbs. against Bobish), the game plan to combat him is completely different than Sakuraba. I hesitate to say it but, given the ease of which Silva discarded Sakuraba in previous matches (no bout went past the first round), could Wanderlei have under-trained? Let's hope not. Silva's motivation has to be to do what neither "Cro Cop" or anyone has been able to do: KO Hunt (Jerome Le Banner came close). Whoever wins this bout will likely end in a KO or TKO. Both fighters bring big knees and like to trade in the clinch. It is safe to say it will not go the distance. Silva by KO in the first round.
He began his K-1 career by winning the K-1 Oceania Grand Prix 2000 and a bout at the K-1 Oceania Revenge. Hunt lost a decision to veteran Jerome Le Banner at the '00 Grand Prix in Nagoya. He also won the K-1 Oceania 2001 Annihilis eight-man tournament. Mark had two major decision losses, to Ernesto Hoost and Ray Sefo, but then he came back strong to win the K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 by beating Jerome Le Banner (with a right hook KO), Stefan Leko (unanimous decision) and Francisco Filho (unanimous decision). Earlier this year he lost to Mirco Filipovic and Jerome Le Banner.
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SILVA: Wanderlei Silva is a Muay Thai fighter and Jiu-Jitsu black belt with a record of 27-3-1 in MMA. He trains out of the Chute Boxe Academy with Murilo Rua, Mauricio Rua, Rafael Cordeiro and Rudimar Fedrigo. Silva is the current PFC middleweight champion and has won the PFC middleweight Grand Prix two years running. “The Axe Murderer” is also a UFC, MECA and Brazilian Vale Tudo veteran and IVC champion.
Silva began fighting in Vale Tudo (means “anything goes”) events in Brazil in 1998. He steamrolled the sub-par talent there, remaining undefeated until the final of the IVC 2 tournament where a cut stoppage kept him from the title. He defeated UFC veteran Mike Van Arsdale at IVC 6 and debuted to the UFC at Ultimate Brazil. Vitor Belfort handed him his second loss and he continued to win until his decision loss in 2000 to former UFC light-heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz.
Wanderlei fought some solid competition since making the permanent move to Pride in the form of Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan Henderson, Guy Mezger, Gilbert Yvel and Mirko Filipovic but many felt Silva had been “taking it easy” recently and padding his record with Japanese opponents. Most of his doubters were silenced when, after defeating Kazushi Sakuraba for a third time (via devastating KO), he beat both judo Olympian Hidehiko Yoshida and American wrestler Quinton Jackson in one night. In 2004 Silva has been on a three-fight KO win streak having taken out Ikuhisa Minowa, Yuki Kondo and Quinton Jackson in an eight-month span.
MY PICK: This is a far tougher match-up for Silva and he's brave to take the bout on one week's notice. There was no time to get Igor Vovchanchyn or Sergei Kharitonov on short notice and the interest in seeing Sanae Kikuta in there was lackluster. With Hunt 50-60 pounds heavier (he was 275 lbs. against Bobish), the game plan to combat him is completely different than Sakuraba. I hesitate to say it but, given the ease of which Silva discarded Sakuraba in previous matches (no bout went past the first round), could Wanderlei have under-trained? Let's hope not. Silva's motivation has to be to do what neither "Cro Cop" or anyone has been able to do: KO Hunt (Jerome Le Banner came close). Whoever wins this bout will likely end in a KO or TKO. Both fighters bring big knees and like to trade in the clinch. It is safe to say it will not go the distance. Silva by KO in the first round.
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