Sherdog.com Preview: PRIDE Open-Weight Grand Prix
Mirko Filipovic vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Jun 30, 2006
FILIPOVIC: 6’2”, 213 pounds, 32, Croatia, known as “Cro
Cop”
BACKGROUND: Mirko was a Croatian Special Forces officer. He is a former I.K.B.F. world heavyweight full contact champion, K-1 Grand Prix ’99 finalist and a K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka finalist.
Filipovic trains with Rodrigo Artilheiro, Igor Kolakusic, Igor Pokrajac and the rest of the
Cro Cop Squad Gym. He has a 40-5 amateur and 12-5 professional
boxing record as well as an 18-4-2 record in MMA.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stopped Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) from a cut stoppage at the K-1 Andy Hug Memorial show. He beat Fujita again by decision at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Mirko is a striker with deadly accuracy. The left roundhouse kick has been the kiss of death for a numerous fighters in PRIDE and the K-1. He put in the time to learn the ground and though he’ll likely never be a submission mater (why bother when you can hit like that?), his fight game has come full circle.
YOSHIDA: 5’11”, 225 pounds, 37, Aichi, Japan, known as “The Baby-Faced Assassin”
BACKGROUND: Yoshida is an Olympic judo gold medalist and World Games gold medalist with over 1,000 judo matches to his credit. He was a member of the Meiji University Judo Team and won the Gold Medal in the 78-kg category at the ’92 Olympics. He trains with Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures), Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Pictures) and Shungo Oyama (Pictures). Yoshida has expanded his striking working with K-1 fighter and trainer Chris Johnson and Muay Thai coach Sergio Cunha. Hidehiko sports a MMA record of 7-3-1.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Masaaki Satake (Pictures) via neck crank at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002 show.
PFC EXPERIENCE: 6-3-1. Submitted Don Frye (Pictures) via armbar at PRIDE 23 and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) via cross collar choke at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003. Lost a decision to Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003. He faced Silva again at the PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 show and lost another decision. Fought to a draw with Royce Gracie (Pictures) at PRIDE Shockwave 2003. This was a rematch using full MMA rules after their controversial grappling bout. Submitted Naoya Ogawa (Pictures) via armbar at PRIDE Shockwave 2005 and Yosuke Nishijima (Pictures) via triangle choke at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute 2006.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Hidehiko is a world class Olympic champion in judo. Like his opponent, he has put in the time to balance his game. He’s not a precision striker, but his stand-up consists of more than just a set up to bring the fight to the mat (remember when he kicked Tank Abbott in the head?). He has also adapted his fighting style to be effective without the gi (can you say Luta Livre?) but he’ll use it in some situations. And though he hasn’t fought a lot of MMA, he is a battle hardened veteran not inclined to make some of the mistakes perpetrated by fighters with just 10 bouts.
OVERALL OPINION OF MATCH-UP: We have another traditional “striker versus grappler” match-up but on the grandest of scales. Traditionally, it has been easier for the grappler to learn to strike than for the striker to learn to grapple. However this is an individual sport and it all comes down to the determination of that fighter to improve their skills.
Other than “Minotauro” (a bout he lost), this is the best submission fighter Mirko has faced in the PFC. Yoshida has already been in there with “Tank,” Nishijima, Silva (twice) and Hunt. Silva’s the most complete fighter of that bunch and in turn, beat Yoshida in both contests. So both have room for improvement but at this level of competition, who doesn’t? Filipovic has learned to sprawl and avoid submission. Yoshida has learned to strike effectively and move on his feet. Who can put their newly acquired skills into action more effectively? We’ll find out Sunday night.
BACKGROUND: Mirko was a Croatian Special Forces officer. He is a former I.K.B.F. world heavyweight full contact champion, K-1 Grand Prix ’99 finalist and a K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 in Fukuoka finalist.
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MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Stopped Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) from a cut stoppage at the K-1 Andy Hug Memorial show. He beat Fujita again by decision at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye.
PFC EXPERIENCE: 15-4-2. Fought to draw with Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at PRIDE 20. Stopped Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) due to an eye injury at PRIDE
Shockwave 2002. Finished Heath
Herring (Pictures) with strikes at PRIDE 26. Dropped
Igor Vovchanchyn
(Pictures) with a kick at PRIDE Total
Elimination 2003. Was submitted by Rodrigo Nogueira at PRIDE Final
Conflict 2003. Stopped Ron
Waterman (Pictures) with strikes at PRIDE 27. Was
knocked out by Kevin
Randleman (Pictures) at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003.
Mirko later submitted Randleman with a guillotine choke at PRIDE
Shockwave 2004. KO’d Aleksander Emelianenko
(Pictures) with a kick at PRIDE Final
Conflict 2004. Submitted Josh
Barnett (Pictures) due to injury at PRIDE 28 and
then beat him again by decision at PRIDE 30. KO’d Mark Coleman (Pictures) at PRIDE 29. Stopped Ibragim Magomedov
(Pictures) with strikes to the body at
PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005. Lost a decision to Fedor Emelianenko
(Pictures) at PRIDE Final Conflict
2005. Mark Hunt (Pictures) out-pointed Cro Cop at PRIDE
Shockwave 2005. Stopped Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) with strikes at PRIDE Total
Elimination Absolute 2006.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Mirko is a striker with deadly accuracy. The left roundhouse kick has been the kiss of death for a numerous fighters in PRIDE and the K-1. He put in the time to learn the ground and though he’ll likely never be a submission mater (why bother when you can hit like that?), his fight game has come full circle.
YOSHIDA: 5’11”, 225 pounds, 37, Aichi, Japan, known as “The Baby-Faced Assassin”
BACKGROUND: Yoshida is an Olympic judo gold medalist and World Games gold medalist with over 1,000 judo matches to his credit. He was a member of the Meiji University Judo Team and won the Gold Medal in the 78-kg category at the ’92 Olympics. He trains with Kazuhiro Nakamura (Pictures), Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (Pictures) and Shungo Oyama (Pictures). Yoshida has expanded his striking working with K-1 fighter and trainer Chris Johnson and Muay Thai coach Sergio Cunha. Hidehiko sports a MMA record of 7-3-1.
MMA CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Submitted Masaaki Satake (Pictures) via neck crank at the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2002 show.
PFC EXPERIENCE: 6-3-1. Submitted Don Frye (Pictures) via armbar at PRIDE 23 and Kiyoshi Tamura (Pictures) via cross collar choke at PRIDE Total Elimination 2003. Lost a decision to Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) at PRIDE Final Conflict 2003. He faced Silva again at the PRIDE Total Elimination 2005 show and lost another decision. Fought to a draw with Royce Gracie (Pictures) at PRIDE Shockwave 2003. This was a rematch using full MMA rules after their controversial grappling bout. Submitted Naoya Ogawa (Pictures) via armbar at PRIDE Shockwave 2005 and Yosuke Nishijima (Pictures) via triangle choke at PRIDE Total Elimination Absolute 2006.
WHAT HE BRINGS TO THE BOUT: Hidehiko is a world class Olympic champion in judo. Like his opponent, he has put in the time to balance his game. He’s not a precision striker, but his stand-up consists of more than just a set up to bring the fight to the mat (remember when he kicked Tank Abbott in the head?). He has also adapted his fighting style to be effective without the gi (can you say Luta Livre?) but he’ll use it in some situations. And though he hasn’t fought a lot of MMA, he is a battle hardened veteran not inclined to make some of the mistakes perpetrated by fighters with just 10 bouts.
OVERALL OPINION OF MATCH-UP: We have another traditional “striker versus grappler” match-up but on the grandest of scales. Traditionally, it has been easier for the grappler to learn to strike than for the striker to learn to grapple. However this is an individual sport and it all comes down to the determination of that fighter to improve their skills.
Other than “Minotauro” (a bout he lost), this is the best submission fighter Mirko has faced in the PFC. Yoshida has already been in there with “Tank,” Nishijima, Silva (twice) and Hunt. Silva’s the most complete fighter of that bunch and in turn, beat Yoshida in both contests. So both have room for improvement but at this level of competition, who doesn’t? Filipovic has learned to sprawl and avoid submission. Yoshida has learned to strike effectively and move on his feet. Who can put their newly acquired skills into action more effectively? We’ll find out Sunday night.
