Pride 25 Body Blow
March 16, 2003
Yokohama, Japan at Yokohama Arena
Kevin "The Monster" Randleman vs. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
Coming into this fight, it was clear that both men were very powerful and looking to inflict some serious damage on the other. Randleman had some great wrestling skills, and was looking incredible thus far in Pride. He was riding a five fight winning streak including a victory over the very tough UFC standout Renato "Babalu" Sobral back at UFC 35. Randleman is a former UFC heavyweight champion and had a wealth of international experience. The fact that Kevin had a chance to become the first man to win a championship in the UFC and Pride, he had a lot to lose. This fight would have given either man a great case for number one contender status for Wanderlei Silva's Pride middleweight championship. Randleman was very hungry and seemed rejuvenated since his UFC days coming in; this made for one dangerous man.
Jackson came into Pride relatively unknown. All that changed however, after his Pride debut against Kazushi Sakuraba. Jackson manhandled the MMA legend with vicious slams the likes of which were never before seen in a Pride ring. Although Sakuraba managed to submit Jackson via rear naked choke, Jackson's impressive performance earned him another shot in the organization. Following the Sakuraba loss, Jackson tore through his next five opponents, except for a disappointing disqualification loss to lightly regarded Daijiro Matsui. Prior to the Randleman fight, Jackson demolished the feared striker, Igor Vovchanchyn en route to an injury related TKO win. Rampage was in a good position for a shot at Wanderlei's championship and Kevin Randleman was the only person standing in his way. Let's go to the video tape… er, DVD and bear witness to an intriguing matchup.
THE FIGHT
Round 1: Randleman comes charging out and quickly throws a left hook lead, but Jackson ducks under and gets a single leg takedown. They both get up quickly and a clinch war ensues as Randleman backs Quinton into the corner. Jackson is showing some good takedown defense here and lands a few knees to Kevin's midsection. Referee Yuji Shimada breaks them up as neither man can claim an advantage. Randleman throws a few punches and Jackson initiates another clinch. Again Randleman works toward the corner and both men jockey for a better position. More clinching now as Jackson works some more knees into the stomach of Randleman. They work free of the clinch and Jackson lands a good knee and right cross to the face of Randleman as he backs straight up. Jackson charges in to dish out more punishment but is met by a hard left thrown by Randleman that barely misses. Randleman shoots in for a takedown but Jackson defends brilliantly as they move back towards a corner again. The ref breaks up the action again and they reset in their feet. Jackson shoots yet again but is denied. Back in the corner again now and it prompts referee Shimada to issues a yellow card to both fighters. Jackson is not happy and voices his displeasure to the ref. They both land nice stiff jabs and back away from each other. Randleman shoots one more time but Jackson evades and quickly grabs a muay thai plum and delivers a hard knee to the face of the Monster that stuns him. Jackson follows up with a right uppercut and left hook that sends Randleman reeling to the canvas. Quinton rushes in, gets the mount, and pounds out the victory on Kevin's face.
After the fight concludes, Jackson grabs the microphone, points toward Wanderlei Silva, and proclaims “I want you boy. It's gonna be me and you.” This prompts Silva to enter the ring as Jackson continues, “That's my belt you got.” Wanderlei is not impressed and shoves Jackson hard. In true Pride style, both men charge at each other but the action is broken up by a sea of referees and other Pride representatives. Good stuff here.
THE AFTERMATH
Kevin "The Monster" Randleman: Kevin Randleman has always proved to be a very dangerous opponent for everyone he faced. However, the same success he achieved in the UFC has eluded him elsewhere. After the Jackson loss, he would lose again to MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba at Pride Final Conflict 2003. He rebounded in a huge way from the Sakuraba fight with one of the biggest upset wins in MMA history. Randleman knocked out Mirko Cro Cop with a huge left hook followed by a vicious array of forearm smashes in the opening round of the 2004 Pride Heavyweight Grand Prix. That win is still considered one of the biggest upsets of all time because Cro Cop was considered a favorite to win the whole tournament. The Cro Cop fight earned Kevin a shot at Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in a scrap that is famous for an incredible suplex which nearly broke the neck of the pound for pound kingpin. Although Randleman lost to fedor via kimura, he delivered an explosive performance and came very close to winning. Three more losses in a row followed before Randleman picked up his next win. His next big fight was a submission loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at Pride's first event held on U.S. soil at Pride 32. Kevin always brings the fight to his opponents and never backs away in a brawl, which makes for an entertaining fight. He is one of those guys who may have come into the sport a little too early. Although his success in the UFC would never be duplicated elsewhere, nobody can argue that Randleman did not give his very best in every fight. In my book, Kevin Randleman is a true legend in this sport.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson: Quinton Jackson would go on to win three more fights in a row, including a great performance in a corner stoppage victory over Chuck Liddell. Up next, Jackson would finally meet Wanderlei Silva in the finals of the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. Although Rampage lost the Silva fight, there remained bad blood between the two and both men seemed destined to meet again at a future date. After the first Silva loss, Rampage participated in one of the most iconic moments in all of MMA when he powerbombed Ricardo Arona en route to a knockout victory at Pride Critical Countdown 2004. Jackson was making a huge name for himself in Japan and become known for his trademark slams performed in many of his fights at this time. Jackson and Silva would finally meet again in a Pride ring, this time for the middleweight championship at pride 28. What ensued is generally considered one of the top fights to ever occur in a Pride ring as Wanderlei and Jackson engaged in an all out war with no clear victor in sight until early in the second round. Wanderlei managed to deliver a succession of massive knees in the thai clinch, several of which found their mark and rendered Jackson motionless, bloodied, and hanging in between the ring ropes.
The Silva loss did not deter Jackson as he remained a force to be reckoned with in Pride. He earned a disputed win over Murilo "Ninja" Rua before losing via TKO to Murilo's brother, Shogun, in the opening round of the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix. Jackson picked up two more wins before leaving Japan and joining the World Fighting Alliance. Shortly thereafter, Jackson picked up a hard fought win over matt Lindland before getting signed by the UFC and going on to make his mark in the history books. Jackson has lost only once in his last six fights, which was a disputed decision loss that cost him his UFC light heavyweight championship to Forrest Griffin. Jackson became the first man to stop Chuck Liddell in nearly three and a half years, when Quinton won the UFC championship. He has entertained UFC audiences for the past three years and has made a foray into acting as of late. While he may not be the most popular fighter in history, everyone must agree that Jackson has made his mark on the sport. He will forever be remembered for his slams, personality, and incredible punching power.
[Rampage Jackson art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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