As a fan of MMA, you have to cheer for technique, the game plan and the smaller man.  
 
Shock n Sink

What's HI in the middle and has two fist shaped O's on either side? Kevin Randleman of course, and not only is this a great HI for his "seemingly up n down MMA career," but it is also the HI-est moment of the Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix 2004, thus far. Not only did this OHIO boy disappoint all of Croatia (except the criminals) by giving Mirko a taste of his own medicine, (downward left hook to the chinny chin chin, followed by left hammer chops from the mount) he shocked and sunk one of the biggest money making phenomenon currently in MMA. What was most amazing was that Randleman's right knee wrap seemed to be the primary support of a very stiff joint, not to mention the right arm that Dr. Sakuraba reconstructed last November with an armbar. (hyper extended bicep)

Predictable

Yes folks, but isn't MMA about being multi dimensional rather than one-dimensional? It's about being spontaneous and improvisational, rather than calculated and predictable. Perhaps it's time to rename the Smirjana Security Company and take it to its real end, world conflict security services. It could be renamed "White Grease Security," and could do para-military work in some remote hot spot loaded with natural resources. Randleman on the other hand was a true insurgent, carefully studying his big opponent and realizing a plan, which considered Mirko's left leg pattern; this time it became his main weakness. Coming back from the zone it was Mirko In Wonderland, getting a concerned kiss from Kevin and a "Message Of Love" for the Croatian and world wide fans.

One Plan/The Cheese Trap

By the way, why did so many people believe Mirko would conquer the MMA Monolith? Because they forgot, that once people have seen your game enough, they figure out strategies to overcome you. They also forgot Mirko has one tactic and very limited ring time in MMA. It's like the cheese in the mousetrap; eventually the mouse gets the cheese without getting snagged. His record has been built primarily on B fights, and here he encountered another A fighter whose been in the MMA maze for awhile, but without special rules.
In this particular case, it was Mirko who had more to worry about, while Kevin only had to concern himself primarily with the left high kick. Randleman had more tools in his arsenal. Flexibility, speed, strength, punching power, takedown technique, ground work, all those things grappling entails; especially the instinct towards spontaneity. The fact is that Randleman had everything on his side, what was ingrained as well as a plan.
Immediately Randleman feinted a right and got a feel for Mirko's strength, by pressing him to the corner of the ropes getting a full body lock. Mirko reacted by lowering his hips and then grinding the gloves to the face. He used the leverage from his elbows on Randleman's clavicles, to pry up with his thumbs to the chin, to what almost resembled Homer Simpson choking Bart. He exerted a lot of energy to avoid the take down, and the referee called it a stalemate rather quickly. Most people thought this spelled doom for Randleman.

Forgetting Who You Are

The mere fact that Kevin came into the fight dressed with a more multi dimensional armor, seemed to confused Mirko. He was concerned about the next takedown attempt and forgot the most important factor - who he was, his own game. One of my friends said that Cro Cop was already thinking about his victory speech when he temporarily lost control of his neurological system, twisting to the floor from an eastern bound missile. But I think that it was his inability to impose his game. It was almost tragic the way he buckled to the Buckeye knuckle sandwich, especially when most fans had already sealed Randleman's fate. Cro Cop made the most common mistake of the striker, that of fearing the ground game, instead of becoming familiar with it and embracing his worst fears. He flinched and wound up flashing back to his Michael McDonald experience in K-1.

“Keep Your Friends Close, But Enemies Closer.”

Learn what you don't know, become familiar with it. Particularly if you are a kick boxer, roll around on the ground, top position bottom position, chest to back, back to chest, leg hooks, triangle, kimuras, knee locks, heel hooks, guillotines, wrestling takedowns, Jiu-jitsu takedowns, etc… For Mirko the striking is already ingrained in him, and therefore maybe his concentration should be primarily ground work. After the referee broke them at the corner Mirko seemed slightly light headed, his arms looked numb; it took a lot of energy avoiding the first takedown. Quickly bouncing and circling to the left, the hyper Randleman shot in to a sprawl, and Cro-Cop passed up an opportunity for a left knee. The third time Mirko flinched, the slight lowering of the guard cost him everything, although it was Kevin's full mount and chopping left bombs that detonated his unconscious and left him wondering where the hell he was. Mirko did fall to his guard, but was extremely "Dazed n Confused" from the left hook, although, on the ground, it was the second heavy left forearm that connected to the face, which rendered him unconscious.

Rubber Band Man

It's interesting to contrast how the instinct of a fighter takes over, when reacting in a dangerous situation. We saw a similar phenomenon previously when Fedor fought Nogueira. Fedor stunned Nogueira with a huge fist that Nogueira did not even remember after the fight. As a matter of fact, Minotauro could not even remember the fight. Yet the Jiu-jitsu ingrained in Nogueira enabled him to go the twenty-minute distance after suffering a "concussion." Nogueira's hands knew how to defend from the guard. He systematically controlled the wrists and arms, eventually surviving a nuclear attack by the Russian. He eventually attempted various submissions, and might have won in unlimited time. In Hideto Ida's interview about Nogueira in Number (the top Japanese Sports Magazine) he talks to Pride's doctors, who expressed the fact that Nogueira has an incredible will and mental toughness like no other fighter.

Left Striking Grapplers

As far as sheer mass, K-1 fighters are usually bigger than MMA fighters. But the two big boys from K-1 on this particular night wound up getting floored by left hooks early on in each of their matches. In Leko's case, it is understandable; it was his MMA debut and Ogawa's height and reach advantage was obvious. But, he like Cro Cop was perhaps too focused on the possibility of the takedown, and both got cocked on the right side of the head. For Leko it was a counter straight to the temple, and for Cro Cop a hook to the chin. I suppose that it was Kevin's superb aim, or where the fist lands due to height, 5'10". The left hook had a definite southeastern motion upon contact with the minute Croat chin.
Cro Cop's error was being too cautious, instead of going forward and landing immediately, a leg or a straight punch. If you are a kick boxer stepping into a grapplers’ world you need to establish your game and not be preoccupied with the ground, by studying escapes, and defenses.

Counter Striker

There is indeed a problem with the counter striker's game in both MMA and MA. Sometimes if you take too long to come off the blocks, you may never get the chance to run your race. A perfect example is when Gilbert Yvel KO'd Gary Goodridge in Pride, with a round house worthy of a Kurosawa sequence; it was the only strike thrown in the match. If Mirko is the superior striker, and is taller, why hesitate to wind up tasting your own medicine? For both K-1 fighters, high or low kicks would have been effective, and even though there is the risk of the takedown that is the necessary gamble. Utilizing knees to counter take down attempts is only effective if the opponent shoots in, so why not fly in with them instead of waiting, or land from a Muay Thai clinch? Leko started measuring things out with a couple of low inside kicks, and immediately exchanged with Ogawa, but just like Mirko, the initial left had blurred the initial moments on the ground and he was overwhelmed by Ogawa's Judo shoulder lock. Interestingly enough, Leko was the only one of three Golden Glory fighters not to advance. So obviously we won’t see Semmy facing Heath in the next round.

Left Hooked Again

The biggest left hook of the night was delivered by the Darkest Horse, Sergey Kharitonov, who finished off Murillo Ninja in what was a punishing fight for both warriors. Murillo initiated with a left inside low kick followed by a right hook. He then landed a left to the chin and then cocked Sergey hard with another hard left early on in the only period. I think light-heavy Ninja realized that his only shot at victory was to keep swinging and hope to land a bomb. The thicker and visibly larger frame of the Russian could also be seen in the size of the hands and jaw. Ninja looked a bit chubbier than usual, (gained 20 lbs for GP) and seemed to loose stamina from the constant movement, which is the Chute Boxe philosophy. I think Ninja had the biggest balls in this tournament, for gambling with his fists against a solid wall that was one head taller and outweighed him in solid mass. After a Judo sweep and a knee lock attempt by Ninja, once on their feet again, the Russian's heavier fists finished the job. After a couple body shots, it was a couple rights that left Ninja dangling vulnerably against the ropes. Although Kharitonov bled first, it was Ninja who suffered the most devastating beating of his career, being taken out for the first time. Kharitonov seemed to realize that his awesome frame could withstand the punishment the Brazilian would deliver on his feet, and tested his heavy hands without relying on his Sambo (a.k.a. Commando Sambo) and ground skills.

Brazilian Art

Nogueira's opponent was no pushover; he originally came from Rings (Fedor, Nogueira, Henderson, Arona, Tamura, Namekawa, etc) and was undefeated in MMA. (10-0) Of all the fighters in this tournament, I especially enjoyed watching Nogueira apply his will and work his techniques overcoming a bigger more powerful opponent, and he's the skinniest and lightest man left in this tournament. Although Nogueira started out aggressively and initiated the first takedown with a leg sweep, he found out that it wasn't easy keeping the Judo-ka (and a former Sumo wrestler) on the ground. Like most Judo-kas, Yokoi seemed to prefer the half guard, but ate a lot of punches, but of course Nogueira was softening him up constantly trying to set something up. Eventually, quickly and agilely Yokoi got back on his feet, and displayed his power by striking and throwing Nogueira.

Just as when Rogeiro Nogueira fought "TK" Tsuyoshi Kosaka in DEEP, Rodrigo had to duke it out and impose the fists to avoid the Judo-kas grip and grappling power. In both fights the Nogueira's got hip tossed with a standing wizard by the extremely powerful Judo-kas, who in both situations were also heavier. Minotauro eventually sealed Hirotaka Yokoi's air passages after a back n forth tossing grappling n striking salad with a rarely seen but beautifully executed spinning choke at 1:25 of the second round. Rogeiro, on the other hand, won by unanimous decision because of the various times he landed with his punching power. As in most of his fights, Nogueira displayed his all around skills, showing that he is confident in any place or situation. I would have to say that Nogueira arguably has the best rounded skills of all the fighters in this tournament along with Fedor and questionably so Ogawa.

Physical Vulnerabilty/Steel Trap Mind

It is almost as if you can feel that there is a vulnerability in Nogueira, which is perhaps due to his slender and light frame, therefore you have to cheer for technique and the mental heart of the smaller man. He's also not afraid to show his newly found Cuban blood by way of punching power and footwork displays. Yokoi was much more powerful and is a former Sumo and Judo champion; he was indeed a reputable Japanese secret weapon if there ever was one.
Nogueira's comments after the fight confirmed the fact that he needs to put on some mass on his frame. Perhaps it's the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which led to Minotauro’s weight diminishing after being there for three months training with the always ass kicking national boxing team, not to mention Cuba's wrestling power.

Big Heart But Too Small

Unfortunately Yoshiki Takahashi from Pancrase was simply too small to hold on and avoid Heath Herring's bombs for the entire very long ten minutes. On his feet Yoshiki had a southpaw stance and unloaded a couple of big fists against the taller Herring. Although this Pancrase veteran took the initial control and initiative against the Texas Crazy Horse, he didn't take advantage of delivering harder knees when he had Herring locked up from the front. Herring felt his own power, reversing the situation and putting on the finishing show with no problem for his Japanese fans, knocking out Takahashi at 4:53 of the first round in a similar fashion as Randleman finished Cro Cop. To Takahashi's credit, he lasted longer than Mirko against a bigger fighter, and was much more agressive.

Golden Chicken

You can't have a bullfight without a cash cow and in this case it's a "Golden Chicken." It's difficult to picture Minotauro against Ogawa, primarily because of the thickness, length and weight superiority of the Judo-ka Olympic Silver medallist, he will be a difficult adversary for a Jiu-jitsu man. His limbs are longer, he's very experienced on the ground, and he will be difficult to control because of his grappling skills. But "Chicken" could be vulnerable due to the fact that he, like Cro Cop, has mostly B victories in MMA. Maybe that's what worried Mirko against Randleman, as he flinched he might have suddenly realized that this dude was his size, no pushover, and a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.

Bad Reputation/ A Different Era Of Fans And The Meaning Of Honor

Ogawa's entry into real fighting was diametrically opposed to the philosophy of Judo, and he violated the code of honor in pro-wrestling as well. This was during a wrestling show fight, where he went off on an unsuspecting Shinya Hashimoto. Ogawa is the anti-hero, and deservingly so. He was mistreated and neglected by the Judo establishment, and now it was his turn to become an even bigger asshole.
Just as Rikidozan betrayed Judo Master extraordinaire, Masahiko Kimura, who had been forced into the pro wrestling game due to his wife's illness, Ogawa the Judo-ka, betrayed Hashimoto in the same manner in a worked match, which occurred almost forty years later. Rikidozan chopped, punched kicked Kimura's head soccer style while he was on the ground. This is a huge 'NO NO'" in pro-wrestling. The same way that Kimura felt a real roundhouse kick to the nape of the neck and head, Hashimoto felt Ogawa's real fists raining down on him and he was both baffled and stunned.
In Kimura's case, this Judo-ka lived in a life of shame and self-exile because of this "apparent real fight" defeat. He broke the silence thirty years later to a local television station in the Kyushu prefecture, finally clearing the air about the real circumstances, which had occurred in that particular scenario in Kuramae Sumo Arena. He revealed that Rikidozan had indeed violated the "Pro-Wrestling Code of Honor," but even after feeling the kick land and stun him, followed by others, he didn't fight back because it was supposed to be a worked fight.
I believe another generation of Japanese fans would cringe at the fact that Ogawa has now become the hope of Japan. Why embrace a symbol out of pure nationalism, when you can choose any underdog?

Patience And Semmy

I don't want to say that I told you so, but I called this one in my "K-1 MMA Inspection & PRIDE GP Preview article: The Great Divide," that is the deserving entrance into the tournament of Semmy Schilt. In this one, the stand-up fighter switched roles with the grappler, as Semmy led in with a straight left and got tied up and taken down immediately into a side mount. Schilt with an extremely long and strong embrace withstood McGee's attack even when he got a full mount. The Dutchman began landing from the bottom cutting Gan and then almost removing his head with a leg sweep from the Inoki-Ali position. McGee got back on top of Semmy and bled on him, Gan was ineffectively trying to land strikes from the mount and eventually lost his patience and got tired of getting hit from below. He sat back for an ankle hook, which Semmy simply kneeled into, slowly but surely setting up a triangle, inevitably finishing with McGee tapping. Although McGee is a wrestler first, he usually fights standing up, but perhaps he should have trained harder on his rudiments, the ground game. He obviously wasn't going to out-strike a kick boxer, but grappling requires a different type of stamina, cardiovascular tangling versus the aerobic dance.

Shock Treatment

It was definitely ironic that Mirko got beaten at his own game, cracking the right side of the chin with a loaded left hook that changed and twisted the Croats face, as if he had bit a super tart lemon peel. I suppose it is poetic justice that the grappler would move on in this dynamically evolving chess game of MMA. Kevin, armed with raslin' took the strikers gamble, and doubled up his game. He played a new style of Russian Roulette, where you fire that single bullet at the opponent; and the risk pays off. But first he felt out the situation, he tested Mirko's strength by pinning him to the corner and let him know he could catch him. He reassured himself that he could rely on his wrestling skills, and then deceived the law as his left hip dropped ying-yang with his right arm, allowing Kevin to win in a devastating fashion.

Swindled/Finishing School

Unfortuantely for his coach and mentor, fellow Buckeye Mark Coleman, the wrestling initiative did not pay off with the expected dividends. Although The Hammer invested all his assets into what seemed a secure plan, the savvy and intelligent Belorussian swindled him for all he had, including and arm. Coleman showed remarkable poise and instinctual drive, immediately out powering and controlling the super man. He also took him to a corner and managed to land a couple strikes, but Fedor is more educated and refined as far as Finishing School goes. He kept his cool, let Coleman do most of the work, and with incredible speed and agility, retired the 2000 GP veteran, who seemed truly devastated by the defeat Emilianenko is truly a force to be reckoned with, and I believe most fans are looking forward to another encounter between him and Minotauro. These two fighters seem to exceed everyone in the skills department.

OHIO-Gozaimas

When Kevin "Goes Back To Ohio, although all his favorite places may be gone and filled shopping malls," his new favorite place is in OHIO-gozaimas land, Japan. Yes folks, Kevin is "turning Japanese, I really think so." It seems that his heart is now an island surrounded by the Pacific Ocean instead of a land locked stripped mined rural industrial suburban world. Perhaps he has found true passion in Tokyo's huge embrace.

He has proven to the MMA world that he is still a force to be reckoned with among the heavies, although he is the lightest man left in the tournament besides the one and only RAN Rodrigo Antonio Nogueira. Not only has Kevin proven his own growth and development as a Mixed Martial Artist, but he has also proven the power of raslin’.

Hey Hey My My

Mirko already fought for cards to the next two Bushido events, and is demanding a shot as an alternate in the final rounds of the GP. Maybe, just like what Hiromitsu Kanehara, his opponent in next Bushido, has said in the press conference, Mirko should take some time off and regroup? Learn some other techniques perhaps? Study a well-rounded fighter like Yuki Kondo or Wanderlei Silva? My prediction for the GP is that Pride will have to find a reason to put Cro Cop back in the tournament. Wouldn't that be scary for the sport? Or will he simply be forgotten, now that he has exhausted his very calculated image in MMA? But then again, he is an extremely valuable commodity for this sport, and its promoters' hot tub and hostess expenses. Now it's up to Kanehara another former Rings & UWF International fighter who is set to take on Mirko. By the way, Mirko, from a recommendation by Andy Hug’s wife Ilona Hug, has employed a new secret weapon. It is a specially designed mouth guard, which has little breathing holes built into it. After Andy had a loosing streak back in the days, he got one of these special gadgets, and turned his luck around, as he seemed to breathe easier. It is indeed different grappling with a mouth guard on, rather than being able to breathe normally. If you look at footage of Bas Rutten, he always tossed the mouth guard when he got fatigued defending from the guard. Somehow, I think this Japanese fighter will prove to Mirko that it has to do with more essential things, such as grappling technique, period! Now it’s up to Kanehara another former Rings & UWF International fighter who is set to take on the stubborn Croatian.

Pull Out the Red Carpet

"I became a K-1 Champion and now I want to be an MMA Champion. Which ring should I fight in?" he asked the fans. As merely Mirko got swept under the carpet, hail the former K-1 GP King, New Zealander Mr. Mark Hunt. Pride, thinking ahead has already lured a Ma¯ori Leviathan as a back up plan to the fallen cop. After all, Mirko never did conquer the K-1 crown, so here is a new commodity for MMA. And Mr. Hunt did indeed announce his upcoming debut in June (PRIDE GP 2004: Critical Elimination) for his new MMA fans. Lets see what happens with this very thick K-1 powerhouse. Will a K-1 champion make a bigger impact than a "never yet been champ?" After all, he is a huge striking specimen weighing in at nearly 300 lbs.

Yuki Kondo

One of the most exciting moments of this GP opening round outside of the fights themselves was the confirmation of Yuki Kondo facing Wanderlei Silva, although now we will have to wait until August in the final rounds. It is now official, and the humble Kondo seems steel sharp and focused enough to pull a huge upset in MMA. When we spoke with Kondo a couple of months ago, he expressed his great desire to fight Silva. He has been waiting a long time for this, and he feels he has reached a new realm as a fighter, but he is still extremely underrated. This will be his proving ground, although he hasn't been given a shot at the championship by Pride. Perhaps they are a little nervous of a Pancrase King conquering their dream stage? Of course Wanderlei, replete with hippie hair, acted outraged that anyone would challenge his belt. Yuki, already measuring the stoic Silva with a passionate gaze, asked the fans for their support and said that he will do his best, unwavering before God's Man From Brazil.
In keeping with Kondo's fighting spirit, he's been talking about Cro Cop since Wanderlei's delays.

Wrap Up

Although Nogueira has proven himself more than any MMA fighter currently in this sport, he will have the toughest obstacles in this tournament, especially due to the fact that Kharitonov and Fedor will be seated apart due to the conflict of being teammates; the same is true for Herring and Schilt. Then there is the taller, thicker framed and heavier Judo Champ Ogawa, whose next encounter will most likely be guarded, since the Japanese tend to protect they’re only hopes.
Ogawa most likely will be put against Nogueira and Fedor only in the finals if possible, or semis if inevitable. The fourth man to watch out for will be Kharitonov, as he is still a mystery to most just as Ogawa.
What will really affect things in this tournament will be the fans input for the next round. We could have the championship in the quarterfinals or the semifinals even, as happened in the Pride 2000 GP, when Royce and Sakuraba stole the show and diverted the true meaning of the belt.
Everyone already knows who the two top fighters are in this GP; it’s the third and fourth men, Ogawa and Kharitonov who hold the real keys to unraveling the mystery. These are all grapplers who have proven their striking power, and interestingly enough, Ichiban and Niban both finished with beautiful submissions. While in Pride, only Nogueira has been able to go past the first round against Fedor, who is a stealthily loaded punching and submission machine. If nothing else, us beer drinking Homer Simpson's might relate to Fedor's belly. Of these four, Nogueira is definitely Beneath The Underdog. He is extremely light, and has to contend with some heavier hitters, but then again, no one else has taken out Bob Sapp in MMA, yet!