Pride 25 Body Blow
March 16, 2003
Yokohama, Japan at Yokohama Arena
Alexander Otsuka vs. Kenichi Yamamoto
This fight was basically a bonus fight for the fans at the Yokohama Arena that night. Neither man was particularly successful and simply added to the card to add a little excitement for the fans in attendance. The fight failed to live up to expectations and nothing much really became of either participant afterwards aside from a few pro wrestling matches in Japan.
THE FIGHT
Round 1: Both men trade jabs but remain tentative. Otsuka lands a left uppercut followed by a right straight and initiates a clinch. Alexander picks up Kenichi and slams him down hard on the mat and backs away. Otsuka Runs in and looks to dive over the guard of Yamamoto, but ends up in guard. Alexander works for a can opener, but gets nowhere. Yamamoto looks for an armbar but Otsuka evades. Yamamoto reverses and lands in Alexander's butterfly guard. Yamamoto passes to half guard and the action slows as both men trade weak shots on the ground. The ref repositions both men in the middle of the ring, which is the most action we've seen in the past two minutes. Yamamoto finally spins around and looks for a kneebar, but Otsuka defends well and ands up in Yamamoto's half guard. Otsuka passes and executes a front face lock which he turns into a body lock and slams Yamamoto head first into the canvas. That was an exciting looking maneuver, but didn't seem to faze Kenichi. Otsuka back in guard now and the ref repositions them in the middle of the ring once more. The action slows again as the ref calls for action. They trade weak punches again on the ground as Stephen Quadros remarks, “This is almost like a mixed martial arts sparring match.” The round finally ends as both men seem content to remain inactive.
Round 2: Both men come out swinging as Yamamoto ducks under a fury of punches and gets pushed to the ground with Otsuka in pursuit. Yamamoto looks for a leg lock as Otsuka lands a few punches before getting on the canvas. Alexander back in guard now and the slow action resumes. The ref repositions both men again and Otsuka passes to side control and looks to land a few knees. One such knee lands and Otsuka ends up in the north south position. Yamamoto spins out and ends up in the turtle position. Otsuka looks for a suplex, but Kenichi evades. Back on their feet now and Yamamoto works a few leg kicks. Both men throw leather now but nothing of much substance lands. Otsuka rushes in for a clinch and gets it. Alexander gets the takedown and lands in half guard. Weak punches from the ground end the round.
Round 3: Yamamoto lands a hard outside leg kick and throws a left hook, but Otsuka ducks under and gets a takedown. The predictable pattern continues as neither man is well versed in submissions it seems. Yamamoto executes a nice reversal and lands in full mount. Otsuka bridges up and looks for a leg lock, but gets nothing. Yamamoto lands in half guard after the sequence ends. More weak punches on the ground now and the ref just stands by as the action slows again. The ref finally issues a yellow card to both men and restarts the action on their feet. Both men are really tentative now and trade leg kicks as Otsuka looks for a diving kick but hits the canvas and Yamamoto dives immediately into his guard. Otsuka tries to get rubber guard, but fails. The round ends with more Yamamoto working some ground and pound.
Alexander Otsuka: Otsuka was a veteran of Pride and became somewhat famous to Japanese fans for his entertaining taunts and pro wrestling style moves during his fights. Coming into this scrap, he was on a seven fight losing streak, but he had been in the ring with some of Pride's biggest stars. He suffered losses, mainly via decision or TKO, to Renzo Gracie, Igor Vovchanchyn, Ken Shamrock, Guy Mezger (2), Quinton Jackson, Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, and more recently, Murilo Rua. Otsuka's biggest win ever came against the legendary former UFC tournament champion, Marco Ruas at Pride 4. Alexander was never considered a serious threat to most of his opponents, but the man could take a vicious beating and keep coming back for more. This fight was his second to last in a Pride ring, and he never made much of an impact at all outside of Japan. He was simply a competitor that could take a beating and entertain a crowd when he was called upon.
Kenichi Yamamoto: This was Yamamoto's second fight in Pride after suffering a devastating knockout at the hands of Kevin Randleman. The Randleman fight was particularly brutal as Kenichi suffered a succession of knees to the head and face as Kevin held him in a north south position. Yamamoto would go on to taste defeat again at Bushido 4 in a fight against Minoaman before leaving Pride for good. Yamamoto won two fights early on in his career in the UFC at UFC 23, but his career stalled after that. He hasn't made much of an impact anywhere he fought and this fight really served no purpose whatsoever. Yamamoto came, lost, and left. It's as simple as that.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Packaging: This event comes with one disc and a few extra features. The extras basically include a brief backstage clip and some pictures and biographies of each fighter. Nothing special there. The main reason to buy this DVD is for the main event and the other knockouts contained on the card. I consider this event one of the top ten pride events ever and you should definitely look into it. Amazon is listed as out of stock, but you can click the new, or used links and purchase this event from private sellers for around 8 bucks plus shipping. As always, Ebay may also be another avenue to pursue if Amazon doesn't work out for you. Definitely do not miss this one folks.
Check back tomorrow for the start of another DVD review series. Again, please contact me at bs2647@gmail.com if you have a specific event in mind for me to review. Chances are good that I either own or have access to it. Until next time.
