PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round
Encyclopedia
The Pride Grand Prix 2000 Opening Round was a mixed martial arts
event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome
in Tokyo
, Japan
on January 30, 2000. The event began the Pride Openweight tournament of 2000.
vs. Osamu Tachihikari
Ebenezer Fontes Braga
vs. Akira Shoji
Kazuyuki Fujita
vs. Hans Nijman
Guy Mezger
vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Mark Coleman
vs. Masaaki Satake
Alexander Otsuka
vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
Enson Inoue
vs. Mark Kerr
Royce Gracie
vs. Nobuhiko Takada
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. It took place at the Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome
Tokyo Dome is a 55,000-seat baseball stadium located in Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, Japan.The stadium opened for business on March 17, 1988. It was built on the site of the Velodrome which was next door to the site of the predecessor ballpark, Kōrakuen Stadium...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on January 30, 2000. The event began the Pride Openweight tournament of 2000.
Results
Bob Schrijber vs Wanderlei SilvaWanderlei Silva
Wanderlei César da Silva , nicknamed "The Axe Murderer", is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has competed in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships and the American based Ultimate Fighting Championship . Silva is known for his aggressive fighting style with the majority of his fights ending in...
- Silva defeated Schrijber by submission (Rear Naked Choke) 2:42 into the fight.
First Round
Gary GoodridgeGary Goodridge
Gary Goodridge , nicknamed "Big Daddy", is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian-Canadian former super heavyweight kickboxer and heavyweight mixed martial artist fighting out of Barrie, Ontario. Goodridge is known for his hard-hitting fighting style and showmanship...
vs. Osamu Tachihikari
- Goodridge defeated Tachihikari by submission (Forearm Choke) 0:51 into the fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Ebenezer Fontes Braga
Ebenezer Fontes Braga
Ebenezer "Pitbull" Fontes Braga is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the Light Heavyweight division...
vs. Akira Shoji
- Shoji won by decision after a 15:00 fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Kazuyuki Fujita
Kazuyuki Fujita
is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler. He has fought in mixed martial arts promotions including PRIDE, K-1 and currently fighting in Sengoku....
vs. Hans Nijman
Hans Nijman
Hans Nijman is a Dutch former professional mixed martial artist and Wrestler. He competes in the Heavyweight division. He is a RINGS Holland veteran and has also fought for many other top promotions such as Pride FC and It's Showtime.-Fighting Network RINGS:Hans Nijman made his Shootfighting debut...
- Fujita won by submission (Neck crank) 2:48 into the fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger
Guy Mezger is a retired American martial artist who competed in professional combat sports ranging from full contact karate, kickboxing, and boxing, but is most recognized as a mixed martial arts fighter . He is associated with Lion's Den Dallas...
vs. Kazushi Sakuraba
Kazushi Sakuraba
is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist and former professional wrestler. He has competed in pro-wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, UWFi and Kingdom Pro Wrestling. He has fought in MMA competition in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championships, K-1 Hero's and Dream...
- Sakuraba won by a controversial forfeit after a 15:00 fight to advance to the quarterfinals. Although Mezger maintained control for much of the fight, all four judges in attendance scored the bout a draw, opting for overtime, despite the contract for the fight stipulating that it be only one 15-minute round. Mezger's teammate Ken Shamrock was livid at this decision, and ordered Guy Mezger back to the locker room, forfeiting the fight. Mezger had taken the fight on two weeks notice and had a broken foot going into the fight.
Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman
Mark Coleman is an American mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, former NCAA collegiate wrestler and former Olympic amateur wrestler. In MMA, he was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion, and the Pride Fighting...
vs. Masaaki Satake
Masaaki Satake
is a Japanese former super heavyweight karateka, kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was one of the pioneering heavyweight fighters in K-1, after being a member of Kazuyoshi Ishii's Seido-Kaikan school and organization.-Biography and career:...
- Coleman won by submission (Can Opener) 1:14 into the fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Alexander Otsuka
Alexander Otsuka
, better known by his ring name Alexander Otsuka, is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He won his last fight at VFX - Vale Tudo Fighters Mexico against Masada Masada on May 27, 2006...
vs. Igor Vovchanchyn
Igor Vovchanchyn
Igor Yaroslavovich "Ice Cold" Vovchanchyn is a retired Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer. He won seven mixed martial arts tournaments, as well as acquiring a 37 fight unbeaten streak, and reaching the final of the Pride Grand Prix 2000....
- Vovchanchyn won by decision after a 15:00 fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Enson Inoue
Enson Inoue
Enson Inoue is a Japanese American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 12-8-0. He is a former Shooto Heavyweight Champion. He had also previously fought in Pride Fighting Championships, the biggest mixed martial arts organization at the time...
vs. Mark Kerr
- Kerr won by decision after a 15:00 fight to advance to the quarterfinals.
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie
Royce Gracie is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist, a UFC Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. A legend and pioneer in the sport of mixed martial arts, he is widely considered to be the most influential figure in the history of modern MMA.Gracie gained fame for his...
vs. Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada
Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler. He is best known for helping to popularize shoot-style professional wrestling, as one of the biggest stars of the Universal Wrestling Federation and Union of Wrestling Force International in the '80s and '90s. He...
- Gracie won by decision after a 15:00 fight to advance to the quarterfinals.