LOS ANGELES, California – Three more matches are official for PRIDE FC’s SHOCKWAVE 2003 show, scheduled for December 31, 2003 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
In his farewell match, PRIDE FC star Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge will face career nemesis Don “The Predator” Frye. This will be the final mixed martial arts bout for the veteran Goodridge who is announcing his retirement from the sport. The 6’3”, 260-pound Goodridge was given the option of selecting the opponent for his farewell match … he chose Don Frye, one of the main rivals of his career. Frye dealt Goodridge two losses early in his career: the first a submission loss via punches at UFC 8: David vs. Goliath and the second a submission loss via exhaustion at UFC Ultimate Ultimate 1996. As the final match of his MMA career, Goodridge will have a chance to avenge both of those losses. “Big Daddy” is coming off a very quick TKO win at FINAL CONFLICT versus Dan “The Bull” Bobish and Frye is coming off a decision loss to Mark “The Hammer Coleman” at BAD TO THE BONE.
In the second announced bout, Grand Prix Finalist and top ranked middleweight contender, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, will face Japanese fighter Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa. This match pits the powerful wrestling and striking attack of Jackson against the submission skills of the veteran Minowa. Jackson’s impressive journey to the PRIDE FC middleweight tournament finals this past Fall garnered him victories over both Murilo Bustamante and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. “Rampage” was defeated in the tournament finals by PRIDE FC champion Wanderlei Silva, but remains the top contender for Silva’s belt in the middleweight rankings. A native of Gifu, Japan, Minowa is a veteran of both Pancrase and the UFC and is currently a member of the Brazilian Top Team. This will be his PRIDE FC debut.
In the third announced match, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend, Mario “The Zen Master” Sperry will take on Pancrase star Yuki Kondo. A prodigy of the legendary Carlson Gracie, Sperry is an accomplished master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. During the late 1990s, he won numerous awards in the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships, including the heavyweight and absolute divisions in 1997. This member of the Brazilian Top Team is coming off a win against Russian fighter Andrei Kopylov at BEASTS FROM THE EAST 2. Sperry’s opponent, Yuki Kondo, is a veteran of both the UFC and Pancrase and has held the prestigious title of “King of Pancrase.” His illustrious Pancrase career has included victories over Semmy Schilt, Frank Shamrock and Guy Mezger. This will be his debut in PRIDE FC.
Headlining the fight card will be the long-awaited rematch between Royce Gracie and Hidehiko Yoshida. These two submission artists battled at SHOCKWAVE 2002 and the result was the controversial finish in which Yoshida was victorious via gi choke, though Gracie protested that he did not tap and was not unconscious. This rematch continues the epic rivalry between Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Japanese Judo, which began over 50 years ago when Helio Gracie fought Masahiko Kimura in a match to prove who had the superior fighting style.
SHOCKWAVE 2003 Fight Card:
- Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Royce Gracie
- Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge vs. Don “The Predator” Frye
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa
- Yuki Kondo vs. Mario “The Zen Master” Sperry
- Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Daiju Takase
- Wataru Sakata vs. Ryan Gracie
(Fight Card Subject to Change)
More matches to be announced soon!
