PRIDE FC 1 – 10.11.97

Pride Fighting Championships
October 11th, 1997
Tokyo Dome
Attendance 47,860

The Smashing Machine has finally hit cinemas so let’s see if anyone still Kerrs about this little shoot company.

I’m watching the DVD versions with Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten’s wonderful commentary. We’re at the Tokyo Dome so surely his name should be Stephen Quintupleros?

We get a very 1997-y hype video to start, complete with strobe lights and techno music that sounds like someone’s about to yell “Mortal Kombat!” at any moment. Annoyingly, we don’t get a rundown of the rules or how many rounds there are or anything important like that. I’ll save you the Google search that I had to do, it’s three ten minute rounds.

The original SkyPerfect TV broadcast went four hours forty-five minutes(!) so I’m glad the Western DVD removed all the fannying about to get it under two hours, even if means we miss out on the gloriously dramatic copyright-infringing entrances. As a result, you can barely tell they’re in the Dome.

Kazunari Murakami vs. ‘Big’ John Dixson

Always an encouraging sign when they mis-spell your name on the chyron. And the commentators hype you up by mentioning you’re currently 0-2.

Dixson starts by taking Kazunari down to the mat. Kazunari attempts to sweep his foe off him but his nickname is “Big” so it doesn’t work, with Dixson landing some shots before standing himself up. Quadros politely states that Kazunari is “the more conditioned” fighter cos Dixson’s fighting with a shirt on. He’s built like he wears it when swimming too. Kazunari scores a takedown via hip throw before locking in a straight armbar for the immediate tap at 1:34.

Perfectly cromulent fight to start things off and let any newcomers know size doesn’t matter if you know how to do an armbar. Rutten explains that Dixson submitted honourably because “he didn’t take any brain damage or died.” Meltzer reckoned this was a work but I think Dixson just sucked.

Kazunari is presented with a big bowling trophy afterwards as Bas reminds us you get those for winning in Japan, before adding “unless it’s Pancrase where it’s about honour” while trying not to laugh. Dixson wouldn’t return.

After the match, Murakami challenges the Gracies. I just made a Pot Noodle without burning myself so I think I’m ready for a Michelin Star.

Gary Goodridge vs. Oleg Taktarov

Oleg had already made a name for himself by winning UFC VI. Goodridge’s UFC run was more about his terrifying knockouts than the quality of fighters he defeated. I wonder if that’s foreshadowing in any way.

Goodridge is impressively big but is normal sized compared to some of the freaks we’d see in later years. Quadros points out that Oleg is wearing boxing shorts likely as a statement to Gary that he is going to try to box him. “It’s like a guy wearing Thai shorts, you know he’s going to go for a low kick!” I love this commentary team already, they’re able to be informative and entertaining at the same time like Taz & Cole. Gary teases the jabs but Oleg counters one to send Gary to the floor. It didn’t do any damage as he’s immediately up and defending himself easily.

Oleg is cut open on the cheek and goes back to being hesitant after being bear-tapped. Gary realises this and dangles his arms by his side while staring deeply into Oleg’s eyes. As Bas wonders if Oleg will abandon this boxing strategy and go for a takedown, Oleg charges with I guess a clinch but it’s met with a giant right hand. Oleg’s floored so Gary tries a wild soccer kick. Oleg stays on the mat but decides to stand up after Gary stops interacting. Oleg’s face resembles a Street Fighter portrait after a loss so Quadros questions his strategy of going back to boxing. It’s a good point. After some stalling, Oleg attempts another clinch which Gary easily shoves off and ANNHILATES Oleg with a giant right hook before getting two more unnecessary shots to the corpse at 4:47.

It’s the understated Observer debut of the brutal PRIDE Knock Out! Gary hit him harder than a pie in Anita Bryant’s face. Could have done without the two shots afterwards but that’s on the ref.

Oleg’s decision to stand directly in front of Gary The Boxer Who Boxes was a curious one but this was as convincing a squash match as you’re going to get. I’d love to see Gary vs. Lee Scott. Gary served as a warning light that Sambo/Jiu Jitsu/Whatever doesn’t mean much if you’re fighting a guy who can knock you out with one punch. Sadly for Gary, a lot of fighters would pay attention to that.

Gary is examined and appears to have broken his foot when he kicked Oleg which is impressive considering the calmness on his face the whole fight.

Oleg would later blame the loss on Goodridge being on steroids and wouldn’t return to PRIDE aka We Drug Test To Make Sure You Are On Drugs.

Oh also Goodridge was supposed to fight Mark Kerr at UFC XV but took this fight for $20,000 instead. He was replaced by Steven Graham who withdrew due to blowing out his knee in training, so Gregory Scott replaced the replacement. He lasted seventeen seconds.

Renzo Gracie vs. Akira Shoji

Quadros says this is Akira’s MMA debut before immediately correcting himself so I assume Bas playfully nudged him in the booth. This is also obviously not Renzo’s first rodeo either, with Quadros reminding us of the amazing mess that was Pentagon Combat.

Renzo grabs a bodylock and is shoved into the ropes so Shoji grabs them. The ref orders him to release and ends up having to remove them himself in the first time we see people wondering if a ring was the best stage for these fights. Renzo eventually extracts Shoji from the ropes and onto the mat so he can take elbows and punches. Luckily for Shoji, he’s directly underneath the ropes so Renzo’s strikes are deflected somewhat. The ref notices so they stop the action to move both men away from the ropes. The fans laugh because it’s a bizarre image to see two intertwined men being moved like an object. Shoji tries to escape but he can only make it to his knees where Renzo is waiting to lock in a rear naked choke. Shoji’s idea is to escape the ring with Renzo still attached so the refs have to break it up. And that amazingly is what happens, with the crowd applauding. But the refs don’t order Shoji to get back into the position he was before he yeeted himself outside! Well done Shoji. I mean that’s ridiculous in terms of real fighting rules but as a wrestling fan I applaud the shithousery.

Now vertical, Shoji absorbs a standing knee to come back with a punch. Renzo attempts the bodylock again so Shoji heads to the ropes again. This has been very pro wrestling so far. Shoji lands headbutts while against the ropes so Renzo tries a guillotine while he’s being pressed into the ropes. Easier said than done because Shoji halts it by (you guessed it) pushing his foe into the ropes. Nothing’s happening so Bas lets us know how dangerous it can be for your corner to yell advice because it’s so quiet at Japanese shows that everyone can hear. Renzo holds onto a guillotine and gently falls to the mat after the ref makes Shoji get off the ropes, which again results in laughter. Shoji tries to slot Renzo underneath the ring ropes like he’s delivering a parcel to end Round One for the first time.

Shoji is happy to trade shots while standing up but Renzo isn’t so he shoots for a takedown…only for Shoji to covert it to take Renzo’s back on the mat! Shoji doesn’t get much from it but that was a smooth counter. Shoji tries to shove his chin into Renzo’s throat which kills a few minutes so Bas explained he made up a move he’d never done before during a Pancrase fight and it won the match. I believe it. That kills a few minutes while Renzo attempts a gogoplata but Shoji escapes by standing up. Renzo stays on the mat, relaxing with his arms behind his head. Shoji doesn’t take the bait so Renzo stands up. It’s a shame Shoji doesn’t have a standing game because the pair of them end up doing very little while on their feet. After some low kicks, Shoji again blocks a Renzo single. He doesn’t do anything with it apart from get stuck in the ropes which results in more ref-moving. Shoji ends up in the guard despite trying to use his cup to keep Renzo’s head down (Bas’ words, not mine). Renzo passes the guard so Shoji flips out of it, only to end up in an armbar, which Shoji counters by shoving Renzo off via the ropes. That was a cool sequence, well shot from the camera.

Crowd are very behind Shoji as he stands there doing nothing as Renzo stays on the mat. Shoji doesn’t allow Renzo to stand up and Renzo doesn’t want to get up which ends the round on a dull note. “Thank God for that!” Tell ’em Bas.

Shoji tries for jabs while Renzo attempts low kicks to start Round Three. Quadros points out Shoji has nothing to lose in this fight, hence the defensive strategy. Renzo misses his takedown attempt which Shoji takes advantage of properly this time by throwing knees to the downed opponent. The refs immediately stop him and inform him that’s not allowed. The commentators weren’t aware which is crazy because their job is to inform the viewer. Shoji instead leans on Renzo on the mat as Bas comments that this will probably be a long fight. Shoji hears him and lands knees to the mid-section while he’s on top. Renzo tries the gogoplata but Shoji rolls out of it and directly into Renzo’s bodyhold which was his plan all along…only for Shoji to wriggle through Renzo’s legs and stand up. Commentators can’t believe he did that. Sadly it means more stood up inaction. Until Shoji hears the announcer inform us there’s only a minute remaining so he yells “C’MONNNN.” Crowd already love this man as he blocks another Renzo takedown attempt to land a flurry of weak shots as the fight ends.

Fuck it, I had Shinjo winning this even though he only knew how to counter. Oh, there’s no judges so it’s declared a draw? This company is still in Early Access. Shinjo’s happy with a draw but Renzo looks furious with himself.

Fun fight to watch even though Shoji was fighting to survive rather than win. He was completely overmatched so I understand his desire to not be submitted and to grab every rope he could see. Renzo did not look impressive against a guy he should have clowned. Meltzer speculated that this was a work but I think the Gracies would rather eat a grenade than work anything.

Koji Kitao vs. Nathan Jones

Winner gets the title of Most Forgettable Wrestlemania Competitor and will defend their title at PRIDE 2 against Shaq.

Kitao is still a name people will pay money to see if it means he’s going to his head kicked in. This is Jones’ first MMA fight so there’s not much chance of that happening. Bas tries to summarise the story of Kitao’s sumo expulsion during the introductions, but it was all admitted to be made up years later so we’ll move on to PRIDE’s first Freakshow fight.

Nathan’s smiling. Maybe because he can hear the commentators compare this to a Godzilla movie. Aye, the one with Matthew Broderick. Jones circles before trying a spinning crescent kick that had more chance of hitting the guy in the third row than Kitao. Jones headlocks Kitao who stands there taking knees. Kitao grabs a knee a blind puppy could have seen coming to take Jones down with Kitao using his gut to keep him on the mat. Kitao then locks in a keylock/Americana with zero resistance as the commentators mock Jones’ lack of skill at 2:14.

“I don’t think we’re going to see either man breaking into the top ten” says Quadros while Bas bites his tongue. Nathan has admitted the fight was fixed, in case there was any doubt over Kitao’s only MMA victory.

Jones would be immortalised in video games thanks to Tekken, meanwhile Kitao had to settle for the TKO animation in the AKI wrestling games. Let’s make like PRIDE and move on from these two.

Igor Meindert vs. Hiroki Kurosawa

This wasn’t included on the DVD so I’m watching the Japanese PPV because it’s 2025 and it’s very easy to find these things. Igor is a head taller than Hiroki and they’re both wearing Gis.

Hiroki tries low kicks to start. Igor doesn’t seem fazed by any of them as he locks in a standing headlock to launch his foe across the ring. Once back on the feed, Igor slams into Hiroki’s face which causes a warning and time out for some reason. Igor basically DDTs his opponent into the ropes causing a re-start before Hiroki pretends he’s dazed. Ref doesn’t care so Hiroki throws a low kick so hard he falls over delivering it. Ref has a look at Hiroki who does his finest “ooo I’m dizzy” acting. Hiroki hilariously lands a half-dozen strikes to Igor’s chest as he stands there doing nothing until the bell ends and I’m pretty sure we can write this one off already.

Round Two starts with Hiroki practically launching himself into Igor’s guillotine but he’s so useless he can’t even end a fight with his opponent trying to end it himself so he ends up squishing Hiroki in the ropes causing the refs to stop him. Christ alive. Hiroki tries to escape the ring but he can’t so Igor tries to shove his face in his arse. Hiroki is doing his best to throw this fight but Igor’s so bad there’s a chance he could win. If I was Hiroki I’d think “fuck it” and grab my chest and fake a heart attack. Hiroki locks in a guillotine out of frustration which he has to release while possibly wondering where he went wrong in life. Igor keeps on going for takedowns and keeps on landing in the ropes because he’s so useless.

Somehow we’ve made it to Round Three. Igor AGAIN can’t stop taking down Hiroki into the ropes to necessitate the ref restarting it and he can’t figure out to stop doing that. Hiroki goes rogue and starts throwing leg kicks as the crowd cheer him on. Even pretending to slip on a kick attempt can’t help Igor figure out what to do so Hiroki pretends his leg is hurt and some more hammy acting convinces the ref to end it at 1:16.

I’m speechless at the idea of a guy being so bad at fighting that he couldn’t beat a guy who was obviously diving for him. The only thing that’s half as ridiculous and funny as this fight is the bit in Sgt. Bilko when both boxers are bribed to take dives.

Igor Meindert would only fight once more in UFO. Sherdog doesn’t list this fight in it’s records and it is right to do so. I only wish this was kept on the DVD because the commentary would have been legendary.

Ralph White vs. Branko Cikatic

This is under kickboxing rules. Ralph asks for a touch of gloves, which Branko accepts…at the same time as delivering a kick to the mid-section. MAN, FUCK HIM. Ralph fires back with body kicks before going to low kicks. Branko manages an overhand right to send Ralph to the mat before shin kicking a downed opponent in the face. Wait what? Well it’s clearly under kickboxing rules and he’s the current K-1 Grand Prix Champion so he definitely knows what they are.

Ralph stands up and the bulge sticking out of his head is almost pornographic. The commentators laugh in amazement while comparing it to Scanners.

Bas thinks Sigourney Weaver is going to pop out of it. “They should stick a needle in it and suck it out!” The refs discuss what to do while the commentators wonder how much Clearasil it would take to fix that. Bas talks about when Branko cheap-shotted Ernesto Hoost it caused the fans to throw drinks into the ring. Oh it’s here at 9:22 in case you were wondering. Fair play for the commentators for keeping this entertaining while nothing is happening.

Bas wonders if he can say “motherfucker” on commentary and says Branko should have kicked him on the other side of the head so Ralph can be a devil with horns. Ralph’s corner can be heard arguing with someone over the rules and It’s unclear why Ralph’s corner need to argue this point or why it’s taking so long. Quadros kills me by saying Ralph should go up to Roger Corman and audition for “The Bump That Wouldn’t Die”.

Finally, the fight is deemed a No Contest. Neither man would return to the promotion and I have no idea how Branko didn’t know the rules to a fight that had special rules to accommodate his fighting style AND HE STILL FUCKED IT UP.

Actually after watching the Igor fight, I can believe anything.

Kimo Leopoldo vs. Dan Severn

Crowd are very happy to see Dan because this will surely be a better fight than the previous one. Right?

Both lads play with the air in front of them while the commentators talk about the dryness of KIMO. Dan gets a few tender shots to the back of KIMO’s head. So far this has been two guys who don’t favour strikes favouring strikes. “This is like a schoolyard slapping fight. Battle of the kittens.” So little is happening that Dan is able to adjust his moustache without consequence. Barely anything happens worth typing as neither want to commit to anything. Dan doesn’t want to commit to his wife and KIMO doesn’t want to commit to reports of his death.

“We have anything here but an exciting fight.” Dan gets a quick takedown but Kimo gets up before anything can happen and it’s back to gentle tapping. “Yeah he’s quite bigger than Freddie Mercury.” Quadros talks about the Bam Bam fight which I’m sure we were all trying to forget happened. Another nothing takedown as this continues to be like watching two guys playing a fighting game they’ve never played before and are still getting used to the controls. Kimo tries a takedown again and it’s so effective that Dan stands up and adjusts his kneepad without reprisal. “Dan can’t punch.”

I was begging for the end of Round One but Bas tells me that the announcer said fifteen minutes have passed. What? “The rules are all over the place!” Both men continue to circle while jabbing nothing as the commentators wonder why neither is going to the mat. The fans start booing as Bas tries not to laugh. This is like watching the Kennel From Hell with Foley & Kelly’s commentary. After a brief tussle in the corner, KIMO is somehow bleeding from the forehead. Both lads continue to kind-of throw strikes but not really. KIMO throws a strike while turning his head away so Dan manages to land a counter strike. The commentators try to put it over but Chuckie from the Rugrats could have landed that.

Twenty minutes have gone by and the crowd’s boos are getting louder and louder. Bloody hell. Quadros talk about Dan’s stalling tactics causing the draw at a UFC PPV that went on so long that the PPV went off the air without a finish. “You’d better believe I got a refund!” Commentators continue to rag on this as they wonder if the crowd paid to see these two in a boxing match. KIMO gets tripped up and just when we think we’re about to get some delicious ground work, KIMO ends up in the ropes and the refs cruelly re-start them stood up.

“Back to this marathon of inactivity” as both continue trying to punch ghosts that only they can see. Bas starts doing impressions to fill the time while Quadros mocks the “vicious right hook” of Dan. I’d be jumping off a bridge if I didn’t have these two talking. Dan attempts a single leg but KIMO blocks it aaaaaaand both men stand up afterwards. “Oh my God! Do something now! Jesus Christ!” Quadros correctly points out that yes, this is a sport but it’s also entertainment and there is an expectation of something. He suggests a Rassberry award for “tedium personified.” Both attempt last-minute strikes. KIMO somehow ends up in the ropes with Dan punching him but Severn’s shots couldn’t break wind. With ten seconds left they go to the ground for real which is the perfect way to end this. Fight ends, crowd explodes with boos. “They’re relieved! Thank God it’s over! It’s been declared a quote draw un-quote.”

Dog-shit fight with amazing commentary so I’d say it’s a must-see, or a must-hear at least. “We’re getting a replay now. Of what? Dan missing every one of his punches?”

Dan had little to say about this fight in his book other than insinuating KIMO’s chemical use made Bane look like Colin Delaney. Dan wouldn’t return but his best days were behind him anyway. He probably won this match if it went to the judges because he was making more of an effort to engage but I don’t care.

Oh also, I believe Dan was fighting this lackadaisical because he thought he could do this fight and then the UFC XV contest against Maurice Smitha week later. Wrong, he broke his hand here so Tank Abbott replaced him. Which was weird because Tank had been scheduled to face KIMO in this fight in the first place. Huh.

Rickson Gracie vs. Nobuhiko Takada

The story of this match has been told time and time again but it’s one of my favourites, considering how much drama and business came out of one moment: Yoji Anjo of UWF-i decided it would be a really good idea to go to Brazil and challenge the Gracies, only for Rickson to re-arrange his face in a video we may or may not ever get to see publicly. Takada’s reluctance to challenge Rickson to avenge his colleague resulted in the decline of UWF-i and the Hail Mary NJPW feud to give the company a crazy last year of existence. And from it’s ashes comes this mega company to give this highly-anticipated match the stage it needed. Oh and also the first company to be able to gamble on paying the massive Gracie paycheque. But it’s OK, Takada has been booked and hyped as a legit super tough wrestler for years so a puny Jiu Jitsu guy like Rickson will surely be a pushover.

Just to show how accepting of his fate Takada is, he gives the camera a “yep, that’s me, you’re probably wondering how I ended up here” expression before the fight starts.

“I don’t think Takada is going to win this fight.” Yeah no shit. The commentators list Rickson’s accolades but can only talk about how popular Takada is by comparison. “He’s as popular as Hulk Hogan but that’s in pro wrestling.” It’s refreshing to hear them speak like this because half the crowd still thought Takada was going to massacre Gracie here. Oh, Anjo is at ringside for this? That’s like seeing OJ attend Nicole’s funeral.

Imagining doing pro wrestling for years and finding out your first MMA opponent is Rickson Gracie. It’d be like showing up to school and finding out your new P.E. teacher is Jonah Lomu. Takada circles Rickson as Bas compares him to Yul Brenner. “In the King & I? Oh you’re talking about Westworld!” How did these two not win Commentator Of The Year every year? Takada attempts to get under Rickson’s skin by mocking his lack of contact but only he believes it. Low kicks are traded with the crowd popping but they clearly did nothing to either of them. Rickson gets Takada in the corner but he’s helped by the ropes. The ref breaks up Rickson’s leg hold and he’s very unhappy when the ref forces them to the centre of the ring with no leg hold locked in. Commentary is rightfully mad at that but also realise it won’t matter too much. Rickson gets the bodylock but Takada wriggles out of it in an impressive moment all things considering. It lasts 0.2 seconds before Rickson double legs him and gets the mount. Takada can’t do anything but wait for the inevitable as Rickson smothers him with his elbow. Takada holds on for dear life but he might as well be fighting a concept. Rickson releases his own hold to lock in an armbar for the instant tap-out at 4:47.

Takada had as much chance of winning here as Conor did against Mayweather so fair play to him for even showing up. Given that the finish saw him tap instantly to a cross armbreaker, after having dozens of matches in UWF-i where he was able to TAKADA UP out of the exact same hold must have been a sobering moment for thousands of fans in attendance.

Note-Worthy Or Interesting Stuff From The Observer

Shinobu Kandori has asked for a match against a male opponent on the Pride One shoot show at the 10/11 Tokyo Dome. (Wouldn’t happen, but Shinobu would fight for LLPW and RIZIN.)

The planned 10/19 Kobe match with Hashimoto vs. K-1 star Branko Cikatic appears to be off since Cikatic will instead work on the Pride One show on 10/11 at the Tokyo Dome against Ralph White, billed as a kick boxer from the U.S., in an NHB style match. (NJPW dodges Inoki-Ism for the time being.)

Akira Maeda went berserk about the Pride One show in a RINGS press conference after the Korakuen Hall show. He challenged Rickson Gracie before he retires in September but said he only would do the match in RINGS which I guess is his way to save face. (I hoped there would be footage of this but there isn’t, fuck.)

There may have been a lot more than 5,000 freebies at the show because there were tons of postcards at convenience stores in Tokyo that you could redeem for one free ticket at the box office the day of the show. (I mean it’s pretty much excepted Yakuza shows were papered or they forced people to go so that’s no big surprise.)

The first Pride One Event, on 10/9 at the Tokyo Dome, was the first PPV event ever in Japan and drew an 8.0 buy rate, although with the limited universe that is actually 12,000 buys out of a universe of only 150,000 homes. (Was it really the first ever PPV in Japan? I want a non-Dave source on that.)

The story is that Takada never actually studied Gracie tapes and his manager didn’t go looking for tapes of Gracie’s previous fights until three days before the match, at which point it was way too late. (There can’t be any fucking chance of that being true. Then again, why study for a test you know you can’t pass?)

After the match Gracie thanked the fans who came to see him. He said of the majority of fans, who were Takada fans, that if their minds were open he hoped this match would teach them to embrace Jiu Jitsu and if they did, they would have many great victories in the future to celebrate. A man then came into the ring and said he represented Marco Ruas, and challenged Gracie to a match. The awkwardness of the pro wrestling type angle was such that it actually didn’t look like a planned angle but it obviously was at least to the point he was let into the ring although Gracie didn’t seem to know how to react to it. Gracie said he’d fight anyone including the devil, but it was up to promoters to put a deal together and it was left at that. (We wouldn’t get Marco vs. Rickson, but Ruas would still show up to PRIDE 2.)

After Takada lost, fans began chanted loudly Maeda’s name, particularly when both were shown on the large video screen. (Ouch. Yeah these two could have drawn enough money to buy solid gold houses to live in forever if they’d put their egos aside, but that was never going to happen.)

Despite reports and rumors that this show was going to be a financial bomb, the show drew a very healthy crowd, announced as being 46,863 although reports we’ve received indicated the crowd at 35,000 to 37,000, with about 5,000 comps. All of the 4,000 ($35) and 7,000 ($60) tickets which would be the upper deck seats, were sold out, as were the ringside tickets, priced at 100,000 yen ($850), the highest ticket price in the history of pro wrestling if one would classify it in that category since it was something of a shoot show. (Well shit, they should do a second show.)

Overall: Two worked shoots, two fights so bad they could have been worked, plus a fight where the guy didn’t know the rules? Well even dwarves start small. Only Shinjo and Goodridge walked away looking credible but the delightful DVD commentary meant that even the worst stuff was at least enjoyable, so if you do watch this in full make like Bas and don’t take it too seriously.

I’ve been Maffew, let me know if you want more PRIDE.