Sherdog.com Preview: PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix Critical Countdown
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Alistair Overeem
Jun 21, 2005
VOVCHANCHYN: Ukrainian kickboxer and sambo stylist Igor Vovchanchyn trains with
Igor Kovalev, Gennadiy Matsigora, Yuri
Gudymahas and the rest of Team Vovchanchyn and carries an amazing
50-8-1-1 record in MMA. “Ice Cold” is a five-time eight-man
tournament winner and a cage fighting legend. Vovchanchyn was the
PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 runner-up and makes his 26th appearance
(18-6-0-1) in the PFC.
Although he has been fighting around the world for an entire decade, he has never fought in the United States. Igor was scheduled to appear in the UFC 11 tournament but visa issues kept him from making the trip. From 1995-98 he fought in seven eight-man (or larger) tournaments and a four-man tournament, winning five titles.
At one point, in a span of 32 days in 1996, Igor knocked out six
men in two Russian tournaments. In his first international
tournament, the Kombat in Kiev IFC event, he faced three big men in
the sport in the form of Paul
Varelans, Fred Floyd and
John Dixson and beat all of them. Vovchanchyn began fighting for
PRIDE in 1998 and other than a handful of bouts over the years he
has remained exclusively in Japan. Igor never fought for either the
PFC middleweight or heavyweight title but was always a force in
PRIDE.
Vovchanchyn debuted in the PFC in October of ’98, running through fighters like Gary Goodridge, Akira Shoji, Daijiro Matsui and Enson Inoue. He defeated Goodridge again and punished Kazushi Sakuraba before catching knees in the head from Mark Coleman in the final of the PRIDE Grand Prix in 2000.
He submitted RINGS veteran Bob Schrijber and knocked out three straight opponents and UFC veterans including Dan Bobish, Shimoji Fuji and former Open-Weight King of Pancrase Yoshiki Takahashi. At Total Elimination in April, Igor took a decision win over another former King of Pancrase, Yuki Kondo.
OVEREEM: Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem carries a 20-5 record in MMA. The “Demolition Man” trains in RINGS Holland with Dennis Raven, Peter Hoopman, Andrew Gijs Houtveen and the rest of the Tatsujin Dojo. Alistair represents Team Golden Glory along with fighters Semmy Schilt, Gilbert Yvel and his brother Valentijn Overeem. He will be making his eighth appearance (5-2) in the ring of the PFC.
Alistair started competing in wrestling at 16 years old and also carries a 7-1-1 record in kickboxing. He began fighting MMA in the It’s Showtime promotion in Holland where he faced RINGS veteran Ricardo Fyeet and vanquished him in the first round with a rear-naked choke.
Overeem entered the 1999 RINGS King of Kings tournament and battled Russian Top Team member Iouri Kotchkine for the first time (they met again in RINGS Russia). Kotchkine was able to control him on the feet with strikes and on the ground with wrestling to take a decisive decision victory. Alistair bounced back-and-forth from the RINGS Holland event and the 2 Hot 2 Handle shows and the original RINGS promotion in Japan.
Overeem fought Bobby Hoffman in the RINGS Millennium Combine 2 show but with just 23 seconds left in the round, Hoffman threw a heavy overhand right, knocking him out. He continued to jet back and forth, scoring wins in both promotions including a victory over MFC veteran and Red Devil Roman Zentosov by keylock. Alistair competed in the K-1 Lumber Jack Returns show in 2001, losing by TKO to Errol Parris in a kickboxing bout and made his debut at PRIDE: The Best 2 against Yusuke Imamura, stopping him in under a minute.
He won a four-man tournament at the 2H2H 5 and choked out UFC veteran Aaron Brink at 2H2H 6. In his next trip to Japan, Alistair took on highly touted Russian striker (13-0 as a pro at the time) Bazigit Atajev at PRIDE 24. Alistair struck with “Volk” Atajev and caught him with a knee to the body that stopped the bout just prior to the second round bell.
Alistair clobbered “Batman” Mike Bencic at PRIDE 26 to get into the Total Elimination show but was knocked out by current UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the first round. Overeem scored a win at Antoni Inoki’s New Year’s Eve 2003 show and went back to Holland to choke out PRIDE Bushido veteran and Golden Glory teammate Rodney Faverus.
At PRIDE 28 he cut Hiromitsu Kanehara late in the second round for the win but he lost a decision to Rogerio Nogueira in February’s Fists of Fire show at PRIDE 29. And at Total Elimination in April, Alistair surprised many by submitting former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort late in the first round.
MY PICK: This is an incredibly tough call. I am looking forward to seeing these two light it up. The size advantage to Overeem is ridiculous (about nine inches in height) but that could hurt him on the mat. Igor is tenacious and a ground battle usually turns out in his favor. If Alistair lets it go to the mat his length may work against him and with a compact killer like Igor on top of him, it could be lights out. I feel it will be Vovchanchyn by KO in the first round.
Although he has been fighting around the world for an entire decade, he has never fought in the United States. Igor was scheduled to appear in the UFC 11 tournament but visa issues kept him from making the trip. From 1995-98 he fought in seven eight-man (or larger) tournaments and a four-man tournament, winning five titles.
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Vovchanchyn debuted in the PFC in October of ’98, running through fighters like Gary Goodridge, Akira Shoji, Daijiro Matsui and Enson Inoue. He defeated Goodridge again and punished Kazushi Sakuraba before catching knees in the head from Mark Coleman in the final of the PRIDE Grand Prix in 2000.
After a stunning upset by Tra
Telligman at PRIDE 13, we saw Igor was actually human. He beat
kickboxer Gilbert Yvel but
was submitted by Mario
Sperry at PRIDE 17. It appeared he was getting burnt out,
dropping 4 of 7 bouts including losses to Heath Herring, Quinton Jackson and Mirko Filipovic. Now Igor has
won five of six (losing only to Mirko Filipovic) since
returning to action in June of ’03.
He submitted RINGS veteran Bob Schrijber and knocked out three straight opponents and UFC veterans including Dan Bobish, Shimoji Fuji and former Open-Weight King of Pancrase Yoshiki Takahashi. At Total Elimination in April, Igor took a decision win over another former King of Pancrase, Yuki Kondo.
OVEREEM: Dutch kickboxer Alistair Overeem carries a 20-5 record in MMA. The “Demolition Man” trains in RINGS Holland with Dennis Raven, Peter Hoopman, Andrew Gijs Houtveen and the rest of the Tatsujin Dojo. Alistair represents Team Golden Glory along with fighters Semmy Schilt, Gilbert Yvel and his brother Valentijn Overeem. He will be making his eighth appearance (5-2) in the ring of the PFC.
Alistair started competing in wrestling at 16 years old and also carries a 7-1-1 record in kickboxing. He began fighting MMA in the It’s Showtime promotion in Holland where he faced RINGS veteran Ricardo Fyeet and vanquished him in the first round with a rear-naked choke.
Overeem entered the 1999 RINGS King of Kings tournament and battled Russian Top Team member Iouri Kotchkine for the first time (they met again in RINGS Russia). Kotchkine was able to control him on the feet with strikes and on the ground with wrestling to take a decisive decision victory. Alistair bounced back-and-forth from the RINGS Holland event and the 2 Hot 2 Handle shows and the original RINGS promotion in Japan.
Overeem fought Bobby Hoffman in the RINGS Millennium Combine 2 show but with just 23 seconds left in the round, Hoffman threw a heavy overhand right, knocking him out. He continued to jet back and forth, scoring wins in both promotions including a victory over MFC veteran and Red Devil Roman Zentosov by keylock. Alistair competed in the K-1 Lumber Jack Returns show in 2001, losing by TKO to Errol Parris in a kickboxing bout and made his debut at PRIDE: The Best 2 against Yusuke Imamura, stopping him in under a minute.
He won a four-man tournament at the 2H2H 5 and choked out UFC veteran Aaron Brink at 2H2H 6. In his next trip to Japan, Alistair took on highly touted Russian striker (13-0 as a pro at the time) Bazigit Atajev at PRIDE 24. Alistair struck with “Volk” Atajev and caught him with a knee to the body that stopped the bout just prior to the second round bell.
Alistair clobbered “Batman” Mike Bencic at PRIDE 26 to get into the Total Elimination show but was knocked out by current UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell in the first round. Overeem scored a win at Antoni Inoki’s New Year’s Eve 2003 show and went back to Holland to choke out PRIDE Bushido veteran and Golden Glory teammate Rodney Faverus.
At PRIDE 28 he cut Hiromitsu Kanehara late in the second round for the win but he lost a decision to Rogerio Nogueira in February’s Fists of Fire show at PRIDE 29. And at Total Elimination in April, Alistair surprised many by submitting former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort late in the first round.
MY PICK: This is an incredibly tough call. I am looking forward to seeing these two light it up. The size advantage to Overeem is ridiculous (about nine inches in height) but that could hurt him on the mat. Igor is tenacious and a ground battle usually turns out in his favor. If Alistair lets it go to the mat his length may work against him and with a compact killer like Igor on top of him, it could be lights out. I feel it will be Vovchanchyn by KO in the first round.
