Sherdog.com Preview: PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix
Fabricio Werdum vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Jun 30, 2006
WERDUM: 6’ 3”, 242 pounds, 29, Brazil
BACKGROUND: Werdum is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and won third place honors in the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships in 2003. He began training jiu-jitsu in 1998 after a girlfriend’s former boyfriend challenged him to a fight. He was unfamiliar with BJJ and was easily triangle choked in front of his girlfriend. He sought out Winner Behring and instructor Marcio Corleta to begin training.
Fabricio was winning world titles and the Pan American
championships as a blue belt, the European Cup as a brown belt and
won the World Cup and World Championship as a black belt in the
super heavyweight category all in a two-year span. Has a
professional record of 8-1-1 in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) by triangle choke at Millennium Brawl 7. Fought James Zikic (Pictures) to a draw at Millennium Brawl 8. Submitted Kristof Midoux (Pictures) by triangle choke at the World Absolute Fight 2. Stopped Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) with strikes at Jungle Fight 1. Knocked out Ebenezer Fontes Braga (Pictures) with strikes at Jungle Fight 1.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: He has quality ground skills and continues to mold his jiu-jitsu game to MMA. He lost a questionable decision to Kharitonov and has been more impressive after every bout in PRIDE.
NOGUEIRA: 6’ 3”, 242 pounds, 30, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, known as “Minotauro”
BACKGROUND: Nogueira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He is a two-time BJJ World Champion; the RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament runner up; the RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament Champion; the former WEF heavyweight champion; a 2000 Abu Dhabi Combat Championships 99-kg division tournament quarterfinalist; and a former PFC heavyweight champion. Rodrigo carries a professional MMA record of 27-3-1 (1 NC).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: He owns many submissions (not including his PRIDE bouts) over top quality fighters, including Valentijn Overeem (Pictures), Iouri Kotchkine, Achmed Labasanov and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures), Hiromitsu Kanehara (Pictures).
PFC EXPERIENCE: 15-2-0 (1 NC). Used a triangle choke to submit Gary Goodridge (Pictures) at PRIDE 15 and Mark Coleman (Pictures) at PRIDE 16. He then beat Heath Herring (Pictures) by decision at PRIDE 17 to capture to PRIDE heavyweight belt. Nogueira would defeat Herring again by anaconda choke at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004. “Minotauro” submitted Enson Inoue by triangle choke at PRIDE 19, Bob Sapp (Pictures) by armbar at PRIDE Shockwave 2002, Semmy Schilt (Pictures) by triangle choke at PRIDE 23 and Dan Henderson (Pictures) by armbar at PRIDE 24. He lost a decision to Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) at PRIDE 25 and fought Fedor at PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 but a cut stoppage resulted in a No Contest. They fought for a third time on New Year’s Eve at the PRIDE Shockwave 2004 show and Emelianenko won by decision again. He has since defeated Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures), Mirko Filipovic (Pictures), Hirotaka Yokoi (Pictures), Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures), Pawel Nastula (Pictures), Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and Wagner da Conceicao Martins (Pictures).
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Unequaled technical skill in the heavyweight division. Nogueira moves like a middleweight and has the best submission skills of any fighter his size. He is very durable and is always ready to go the distance. It is rare to see “Minotauro” exhausted in the ring. He also has huge heart. No matter how battered or bruised, he will continue to fight.
OVERALL OPINION OF MATCH-UP: Everybody knows that both of these guys can work the mat like nobody’s business. In addition to advancing them in the tournament, there would be a certain amount of bragging rights if one were able to submit the other. However a KO would be entertaining too. Werdum gets the biggest challenge of his MMA career in the form of past heavyweight champion Nogueira. Rodrigo faces a fellow countryman looking to knock off the renowned Brazilian face of the heavyweight division. We should see a great technical battle but it could just as easily turn into a stand-up brawl.
BACKGROUND: Werdum is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and won third place honors in the Abu Dhabi Combat Championships in 2003. He began training jiu-jitsu in 1998 after a girlfriend’s former boyfriend challenged him to a fight. He was unfamiliar with BJJ and was easily triangle choked in front of his girlfriend. He sought out Winner Behring and instructor Marcio Corleta to begin training.
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MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Tengiz Tedoradze (Pictures) by triangle choke at Millennium Brawl 7. Fought James Zikic (Pictures) to a draw at Millennium Brawl 8. Submitted Kristof Midoux (Pictures) by triangle choke at the World Absolute Fight 2. Stopped Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) with strikes at Jungle Fight 1. Knocked out Ebenezer Fontes Braga (Pictures) with strikes at Jungle Fight 1.
PFC EXPERIENCE: 4-1. Submitted Tom Erikson (Pictures) by choke at PRIDE 29 and Roman Zentsov (Pictures) by triangle choke at PRIDE Final
Conflict 2005. After losing a decision to Sergei Kharitonov
(Pictures) at PRIDE 30 Werdum bounced
back to defeat Jon Olav
Einemo (Pictures) by decision at PRIDE 31.
Submitted Alistair
Overeem (Pictures) with a Kimura at PRIDE Total
Elimination Absolute 2006.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: He has quality ground skills and continues to mold his jiu-jitsu game to MMA. He lost a questionable decision to Kharitonov and has been more impressive after every bout in PRIDE.
NOGUEIRA: 6’ 3”, 242 pounds, 30, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, known as “Minotauro”
BACKGROUND: Nogueira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He is a two-time BJJ World Champion; the RINGS King of Kings 1999 Tournament runner up; the RINGS King of Kings 2000 Tournament Champion; the former WEF heavyweight champion; a 2000 Abu Dhabi Combat Championships 99-kg division tournament quarterfinalist; and a former PFC heavyweight champion. Rodrigo carries a professional MMA record of 27-3-1 (1 NC).
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: He owns many submissions (not including his PRIDE bouts) over top quality fighters, including Valentijn Overeem (Pictures), Iouri Kotchkine, Achmed Labasanov and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures), Dan Henderson (Pictures), Hiromitsu Kanehara (Pictures).
PFC EXPERIENCE: 15-2-0 (1 NC). Used a triangle choke to submit Gary Goodridge (Pictures) at PRIDE 15 and Mark Coleman (Pictures) at PRIDE 16. He then beat Heath Herring (Pictures) by decision at PRIDE 17 to capture to PRIDE heavyweight belt. Nogueira would defeat Herring again by anaconda choke at PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004. “Minotauro” submitted Enson Inoue by triangle choke at PRIDE 19, Bob Sapp (Pictures) by armbar at PRIDE Shockwave 2002, Semmy Schilt (Pictures) by triangle choke at PRIDE 23 and Dan Henderson (Pictures) by armbar at PRIDE 24. He lost a decision to Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures) at PRIDE 25 and fought Fedor at PRIDE Final Conflict 2004 but a cut stoppage resulted in a No Contest. They fought for a third time on New Year’s Eve at the PRIDE Shockwave 2004 show and Emelianenko won by decision again. He has since defeated Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures), Mirko Filipovic (Pictures), Hirotaka Yokoi (Pictures), Sergei Kharitonov (Pictures), Pawel Nastula (Pictures), Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) and Wagner da Conceicao Martins (Pictures).
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Unequaled technical skill in the heavyweight division. Nogueira moves like a middleweight and has the best submission skills of any fighter his size. He is very durable and is always ready to go the distance. It is rare to see “Minotauro” exhausted in the ring. He also has huge heart. No matter how battered or bruised, he will continue to fight.
OVERALL OPINION OF MATCH-UP: Everybody knows that both of these guys can work the mat like nobody’s business. In addition to advancing them in the tournament, there would be a certain amount of bragging rights if one were able to submit the other. However a KO would be entertaining too. Werdum gets the biggest challenge of his MMA career in the form of past heavyweight champion Nogueira. Rodrigo faces a fellow countryman looking to knock off the renowned Brazilian face of the heavyweight division. We should see a great technical battle but it could just as easily turn into a stand-up brawl.
