Best of PRIDE, and maybe DREAM too

This was an entertaining and controversial end to the Japan vs. Gracie series at Bushido 3. Can't ask for much more than that.

Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa (Bushido 3)

Part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghjz1uwRerY
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP3auG-aqzE

PRIDE 15 had the aforementioned Sakuraba/Rampage fight, and it also had Nogueira's classy debut as he calmy locked a triangle choke on Goodridge for his quick debut victory. Kerr vs Herring was another one of those dull never ending Kerr fights, but the last minute where Herring gets Hogan-level fired up and unleashes his strikes on Kerr was awesome. Watching all these in order really make the eventual Herring and Nogueira title bout feel even more epic and classic. The last two rounds of Matsui vs Braga were kinda fun, so if you dig Matsui you might want to see it. Kendo Kashin had had only one fight before this at PRIDE 10 where he got his face smashed in by Ryan Gracie, so his awesome hype video was of him taking rapid fired shots from Ryan while the word "REVENGE" flashed on the screen!

Igor Vovchanchyn vs Masaaki Satake (Pride 15)

This is a really entertaining brawl, Igor is having his way with him for the most part and rocking him good. But while Satake is clearly losing the fight, he is never really out of it and can still throw some nasty legkicks.

http://z11.invisionfree.com/wrestling_ko/i...2874&st=0&#last

A great fight, win or lose MINOWAMAN is one of my faves!! Also if you pay attention there´s a part in the match where Minowa shouts "Puroresu!!" before unloading a barrage of punches on Ryan...

Ps. And Minowaman vs Baroni I, made me a fan of Minowa for life, he´s that awesome IMO

PRIDE 16 starts of with the weird rematch of Goodridge and Yoshiaki Yatsu, and thankfully it wasn't as ugly was the first fight. Mezger completely gassed out in his fight with Arona, and it's a huge shame since it was a fight he was winning. Schilt destroyed Shoji in memorable fashion, and Yvel vs Frye was an entertaining ugly spectacle full of Yvel's cheating.

Dajiro Matsui vs Murilo "Ninja" Rua (Pride 16)

Matsui never really had enough to put away an opponent but he was always the underdog who somehow found a way to escape impossible situations. Round 1 is a huge example of that as Matsui is able to survive Rua's striking and bad ground positions in exciting fashion. Round 2 and 3 continue to be entertaining, but unfortunately, Matsui endures some brutal punishment from Rua.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Mark Coleman (Pride 16)

This was a year in a half after Coleman's PRIDE GP 2000 victory, and Nogueira quickly showed him that his time as a top heavyweight was up. Awesome striking by Nogueira, really accurate pinpoint punches and great exciting guard work. I got way too much joy out of watching Nogueira make Coleman look outdated and confused. The triangle choke/armbar that had Coleman tapping on the referee's t-shirt was perfect.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x80iie_co...notauro-n_sport

Dajiro Matsui vs Murilo "Ninja" Rua (Pride 16)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1L8IYAD8

Great fight IMO

Thanks butoku!

No prob!!

Takanori Gomi vs. Jean Silva (Bushido 8)

This was a decent Gomi fight that actually went to the ground. Not overly inspiring but worth watching.

Part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGDfcMHTke8
Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mPxX5V6hhU

PRIDE 21 had Anderson Silva's PRIDE debut, and he obliterated Stiebling in the first round. Also had Emelianenko's PRIDE debut, and he went to a lackluster decision with Schilt. I thought Daniel Gracie vs Takashi Sugiura was a pretty decent fight considering they were new to the game.

Jeremy Horn vs Gilbert Yvel (Pride 21)

Started off a bit slow and uneventful, but slowly unfolded into a very good contest. Yvel has some great knees to the body but Horn wins this decision by controlling Yvel on the ground. Yvel had had some boring fights before where he seemed lost on the ground. But at this point, he was able to defend himself more than in previous fights and has a few surprises up his sleeve.

Don Frye vs Yoshihiro Takayama (Pride 21)

Honestly, I'm not as high on this match as a lot of people seem to be. But it's still a memorable slugfest with some exciting moments that have become legendary. So I guess it belongs in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJOV1yY0g7w

Looking back on some of the first page stuff, I didn't include this fight on the list and I think it belongs:

Heath Herring vs. Igor Vovchanchyn (Pride 19)

Here's a video to the previously mentioned Sakuraba vs Silva fight that main evented the PRIDE 17: Championship Chaos show that had Herring vs Nogueira. Of the 3 Silva-Sakuraba fights, it's the most competitive of the bunch and it's a shame that the injury occurred:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xauppw_21...kuraba-ii_sport

Alexander Otsuka vs Anderson Silva (Pride 22)

This was more competitive than one would expect going in and it's probably the best MMA match Otsuka had. Round 1 is pretty cool as Silva shows off his slick jiu jitsu, and Otsuka surprises everyone in the world by escaping triangle chokes and rear naked chokes. One sided as Otsuka's only strength is surviving but not bad at all. This was actually more entertaining now than I remembered it being.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6yg5e_an...ka-part-1_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6ygrn_an...ka-part-2_sport

Quinton Jackson vs Igor Vovchanchyn (Pride 22)

This was Jackson's toughest opponent since his fight with Sakuraba a year earlier. Jackson had looked great in previous fights with lesser fighters (Ishikawa and Satake), but this was an incredible performance. He dominated his way to a victory and gave Igor some vicious slams. I wasn't sure if I wanted to include this on the list, but it's a great one sided bout and very entertaining, so why not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5qGY9NxkUY