By Thomas Gerbasi

One of mixed martial arts true superstars, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson first made his name on the international fight scene with his stint in Japan’s PRIDE organization. In honor of Friday night’s premiere of “The Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships” at 10pm ET / PT on Spike TV, we now revisit Jackson’s seven defining PRIDE moments.Watch series preview

Kazushi Sakuraba – July 29, 2001 – PRIDE 15
Result – Sakuraba Wsub1
With just 11 fights under his belt, Quinton Jacksonwas a raw but untested prospect when he was brought to Japan to face PRIDE superstar Kazushi Sakuraba in 2001. In the year leading up to the bout, Sakuraba had faced names like Wanderlei Silva, and Renzo and Ryan Gracie; Jackson was competing against guys like Kenneth Williams, Bryson Haubrick, and Rocko Henderson. It was a huge step up for ‘Rampage’ and he felt the pressure.

“I remember my stomach feeling like I swallowed a brick,” Jackson recalled in 2007. “I still, to this day, think that somebody poisoned my room service or something like that. I was happy that it was my biggest paycheck to date, but I know they brought me there to lose. They made me lose all this weight when PRIDE didn’t even have weight classes. I knew there was no way I could win. But I knew I couldn’t turn back and not fight. I said, ‘I’ve got to go out there and put on the best show possible and do my best so I could at least make a name for myself and PRIDE would have me back.’

Jackson would lose via submission to Sakuraba as expected, but what was surprising was the reaction of the crowd to the California resident, who began a love affair with the Japanese fans that would continue through his 17th and last PRIDE fight five years later.

Yuki Ishikawa – November 3, 2001 – PRIDE 17
Result – Jackson KO1
Less than four months after the loss to Sakuraba, Jackson – complete with his red, white, and blue trunks – was brought back to PRIDE to face debuting local fighter Yuki Ishikawa. Ishikawa was game, rushing Jackson at the bell, but the still raw “Rampage” showed off why he was about to become a major player in the MMA world as he overpowered his opponent with a nearly two-minute blitz that included a slam, a piledriver attempt, knees to the head, ground and pound, and a finishing standup flurry. It was Jackson’s first PRIDE win, and certainly not the last.

Kevin Randleman – March 16, 2003 – PRIDE 25
Result – Jackson TKO1
Though categorized as a wrestler, Jackson’s background on the mat paled in comparison to that of former UFC heavyweight champ Kevin Randleman, and Jackson knew it leading up to their 2003 fight. But Jackson wasn’t intimidated at all, telling me before the fight, “Nothing’s ever been given to me, so I’m used to it. Most fighters have a real strong background. Take Kevin Randleman for instance. He’s got a real strong wrestling background. You take other fighters; one may have a strong kickboxing background while another has a strong jiu-jitsu background. I didn’t have that in anything. I just grew up fighting on the street all my life. I just knew how to fight.”

He showed it on March 16, 2003, and in fact, Jackson even scored the first takedown on the Ohio State standout before a knee to the head followed by a 1-2 sent Randleman to the canvas a little less than seven minutes into the bout. A barrage of ground strikes finished the fight off seconds later, and Jackson had just scored the biggest win of his career.

Chuck Liddell I – November 9, 2003 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2003
Result – Jackson TKO2
By 2003, Jackson was firmly entrenched as one of PRIDE’s top fighters, a fact reinforced by a four bout string that saw him beat Igor Vovchanchyn, Randleman, Mikhail Illoukhine, and Murilo Bustamante in successive bouts. But the fight most MMA fans wanted to see at that point was one between PRIDE’s Wanderlei Silva and the UFC’s Chuck Liddell. Normally, there would be no chance of that happening, but UFC President Dana White agreed to send his fighter to Japan to compete in the organization’s 205-pound tournament, with the ideal outcome being a final fight between Liddell and Silva. Silva did his part, beating Hidehiko Yoshida. Liddell ran into a buzzsaw named Jackson, who took ‘The Iceman’s power shots, brushed them off and kept coming en route to a second round TKO. It was a win that not only solidified Jackson’s place among the worldwide elite, but it also got UFC fans curious about the man who just took out one of the Octagon’s finest.

Wanderlei Silva I – November 9, 2003 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2003
Result – Silva TKO1
For Jackson, there would be no basking in the glory of his win over Liddell, because he had to catch his breath and get right back into the ring at the Tokyo Dome for the final fight of the night – his showdown with Wanderlei Silva. And though Jackson fell short of victory against “The Axe Murderer”, his heart and especially his chin were aspects of his game that few will ever forget witnessing that night.

Ricardo Arona – June 20, 2004 – PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004
Result – Jackson KO1
To get back to ‘The Axe Murderer’, Jackson had to beat highly-regarded Ricardo Arona, and he did, scoring one of the great knockouts in MMA history. This finish crystallized the fact that while Jackson is one of the most affable fighters in the game outside the ring, inside of it, he’s looking to take you out. His ring-shaking slam out of Arona’s triangle choke (which KOed the Brazilian) was a frightening reminder of what you can expect from ‘Rampage’ when the bell rings.

Wanderlei Silva II – October 31, 2004 – PRIDE 28 
Result – Silva KO2
Four months removed from the win over Arona, and with a full training camp under his belt, Jackson was confident going into the rematch with Silva, and he showed the improvement in his game during an impressive first round. But in the second, Jackson – who had fasted for three days prior to the fight after converting to Christianity – started to run low on gas, and Silva made him pay, dazing him with a punch and then finishing him off with a vicious series of knees. It’s a loss that’s still a sore point with Jackson, who had to wait until 2008 to get another crack at the Brazilian. And he got a measure of revenge that night by knocking Silva out in their UFC 92 bout.

By Thomas Gerbasi

Over the course of Spike TV’s “The Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships” series, which premieres Friday night at 10pm ET / PT, you can expect to see plenty of “Minotauro” Nogueira, the only man to hold the heavyweight title both in the UFC and PRIDE. Why is that, you may ask? Well, just read on for Nogueira’s seven defining PRIDE moments and you’ll see why. Watch series preview.

Heath Herring I – November 3, 2001 – PRIDE 17
Result – Nogueira W3
With Nogueira 13-1-1 as a pro, his reputation was growing after PRIDE wins over Gary Goodridge and Mark Coleman. But it wasn’t until his three round win over Herring that the entire fight world got tuned in to what Nogueira was all about. Fighting in PRIDE’s first heavyweight championship bout, Nogueira showed that he wasn’t just a jiu-jitsu player as he rocked Herring standing and freely exchanged with him throughout the bout. But what got Nogueira the win was his spectacular ground work, which kept Herring guessing throughout the three rounder that former UFC heavyweight champ and color commentator Bas Rutten called “The best heavyweight fight I’ve ever seen and the most technical.”

Enson Inoue – February 24, 2002 – PRIDE 19
Result – Nogueira Wsub1
Three months after winning the title, Nogueira was brought back with what most considered was a gimme defense against the game but outgunned Inoue. And if you look at the final result, you would say that everything went according to plan. But what made this fight special was Nogueira’s rapid fire submission attack that left Inoue helpless and eventually put him to sleep. From a kimura and guillotine to a shoulder lock and the finishing triangle choke, this was a master submission class from a master of the game.

Bob Sapp – August 28, 2002 – PRIDE Shockwave
Result – Nogueira Wsub2
Bob Sapp would never be seen as a technical wizard, but at 6-5, 350 pounds, he certainly was a powerful handful for anyone he stepped into the ring with. That was the case when he took on Nogueira, picked him up moments into the bout and sent him to the canvas repeatedly with piledrivers. Some feared for Nogueira’s safety, but as “Minotauro” told me later, he was just biding his time, waiting for Sapp to get tired. By round two, the big man was exhausted and Nogueira put him away with an armbar, and it was here where the legend began.

Fedor Emelianenko I – March 16, 2003 – PRIDE 25
Result – Emelianenko W3
From 2000 to 2003, a span of 14 fights, Nogueira was unbeaten and considered to be one of the best heavyweights in the game. But no one stays on top forever, and after an exhaustive 2002 that saw him fight five times, he met his match in Russia’s Fedor Emelianenko. Yet despite a broken nose suffered early in the bout, Nogueira wouldn’t be put away by Emelianenko’s ground and pound attack, as he went on to lose a three round decision.

Mirko Cro Cop – November 9, 2003 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2003
Result – Nogueira Wsub2
After a controversial win over former UFC heavyweight champ Ricco Rodriguez, Nogueira was tabbed to take on feared Croatian striker Mirko Cro Cop for the interim PRIDE belt, which was in limbo due to an Emelianenko injury. And throughout the first round, Nogueira was on the receiving end of everything Cro Cop threw at him. An ugly defeat seemed to be in the cards for the Brazilian, but like a character in a monster movie, he just wouldn’t go away, and in the second round he was able to get Cro Cop to the mat. Moments later, he armbarred his opponent and wore the PRIDE championship belt once again.

Josh Barnett I – September 10, 2006 – PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute
Result – Barnett W2
From the time of the Cro Cop fight to his last bout in PRIDE, Nogueira would post an impressive 8-2, 1 NC record, an amazing feat any way you slice it. But the most memorable bout of that string wasn’t any of the eight victories, but a split decision loss to former UFC heavyweight champ Barnett, who went back and forth with Nogueira for two hard-fought rounds before being judged the victor in a fight many thought could have gone the other way.

Josh Barnett II –– December 31, 2006 – PRIDE Shockwave 2006 
Result – Nogueira W3
In what ultimately turned out to be ‘Minotauro’s last PRIDE fight, he went out with a bang on the traditional New Year’s Eve show by avenging his loss to Barnett. Again, it was a closely contested battle, but with the extra third round to use to his advantage, the tireless Nogueira pulled away in the final frame, avoiding a Barnett submission attempt to pound out a unanimous decision win.

By Thomas Gerbasi

This Friday night on Spike TV, PRIDE lives again with the premiere of “The Best of PRIDE Fighting Championships” at 10pm ET / PT. Watch series preview.

Featured on this first episode in a man long considered to be one of the top light heavyweights in the game, Brazil’s Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, who takes on former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman in a 2006 showdown. The fight was just one of many defining PRIDE moments for Rua, seven of which we detail here.

Akira Shoji – October 5, 2003 – PRIDE Bushido 1
Result – Rua KO1
4-1 in his mixed martial arts career, 21-year old Mauricio Rua made his PRIDE debut against the man many of the Japanese organization’s big names made their bones against – veteran gatekeeper Akira Shoji. And despite the fact that Shoji had been on the losing end of his PRIDE bouts more often than not, he was never one to go away quietly, and he actually came into the Rua bout with a two-fight winning streak, his first in three years. And while obviously raw technique wise, there was no disputing the athleticism and potential of the youngster from Curitiba, who rebounded from a slow start that saw him taken down and almost caught in a heel hook to stop Shoji with a series of flush shots to the head at the 3:47 mark. The win began a streak that lasted nearly two and a half years and built Rua from unknown to superstar.

Quinton Jackson – April 23, 2005 – PRIDE Total Elimination 2005
Result – Rua TKO1
Following the win over Shoji, Rua stopped Akihiro Gono and Yasuhito Namekawa in Bushido bouts before moving to the big show with a February 2005 win over Hiromitsu Kanehara at PRIDE 29. Next up for ‘Shogun’ was established star Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, who had just rebounded from his second loss to Wanderlei Silva by winning a split decision over Rua’s brother Murilo. With this added incentive, Rua stepped into the Osaka Dome ring not only looking to establish himself as one of the game’s top young stars, but to avenge his brother. As he told me in 2007, “He (Jackson) was the star in PRIDE, and I was the new guy from Brazil. I knew that the fight would be difficult, he beat Ninja (Rua’s brother Murilo) before in a very controversial result, and this was my opportunity to avenge my brother. At the end, the fight was easier than everyone could imagine.” I don’t know about easy, but it was certainly impressive, and perhaps Rua’s most spectacular victory, as he tore through Jackson en route to a first round TKO that put him on the international map. ‘Shogun’ was for real.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – June 26, 2005 – PRIDE Critical Countdown 2005
Result – Rua W3
Just two months after his career defining win over Jackson, Rua was called back into action to face countryman Antonio Rogerio ‘Minotoro’ Nogueira in the quarterfinals of the PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix. Combined, the two owned a 12-0 PRIDE record, and they fought hard to keep that zero, with the resulting bout gaining much fan support as one of the best in the organization’s history. And that’s no surprise considering the back and forth nature of the fight as well as the high-level striking and groundwork from both men. When it was over, Rua had pounded out a unanimous decision win, but there were some who believed ‘Lil’ Nog’ deserved the nod. With both fighters now in the UFC, what better way to settle things than to do it one more time?

Ricardo Arona – August 28, 2005 – PRIDE Final Conflict 2005
Result – Rua KO1
With two huge wins under his belt in the 2005 Grand Prix tournament, Rua made it three in a row with a semifinal stoppage of Alistair Overeem, setting up his final match against Ricardo Arona in August of 2005. It was both fighters’ fourth match in four months against world-class competition (Arona defeated Dean Lister, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Wanderlei Silva to make it to the final), and the question of burnout had to be considered. But once the bell rang, it was clear that Rua was only getting warmed up, and he broke open the fight and ended it suddenly at the 2:54 mark with a stomp and a series of follow-up hammerfists that put Arona out and gave ‘Shogun’ the 2005 PRIDE middleweight Grand Prix title. Pound for pound? He was certainly in the conversation.

Mark Coleman – February 26, 2006 – PRIDE 31 
Result – Coleman TKO1
Following his defeat of Arona, the only thing left for Rua to accomplish was to add a legend to his resume. Mark Coleman was designated to be that legend, but what was shaping up to be an interesting contest instead ended abruptly when a Coleman takedown dislocated Rua’s elbow, forcing an immediate halt to the bout. And what was even more interesting than the bout itself was the post-fight melee in the ring that included Wanderlei Silva and Phil Baroni. Time healed the bad blood between the two, but they would meet again nearly three years later in the UFC, with Rua scoring a third round TKO win.

Cyrille Diabate – September 10, 2006 – PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute
Result – Rua TKO1
In his first fight following the injury suffered in the Coleman loss, Rua was matched with kickboxing standout Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate, who many UFC fans will remember as an assistant coach for Team USA on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Diabate may have been the best pure technical striker Rua had ever faced, and his prowess was evident early. In response, Rua did what all smart fighters do – he took the fight to his side of the playing field, and for him that was to the canvas. Rua dominated on the ground, but then finished things off with the stomps that are not legal here in the UFC. Rua was back.

Kevin Randleman – October 21, 2006 – PRIDE 32
Result – Rua Wsub1
As one of the featured fighters on PRIDE’s first United States show, Rua wanted to leave an impression on Stateside fans, and what better way to do it than to beat the Hammer House teammate of Coleman, former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman? Plus, like Quinton Jackson, Randleman held a win over Rua’s brother Murilo, so that added to Shogun’s incentive. “The Monster” tore after Rua at the opening bell, but the poised Brazilian weathered the storm and submitted Randleman. Following two more PRIDE fights, Rua was in the UFC.

By Michael DiSanto

Gray Maynard’s close decision win over former conqueror Nate Diaz wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy. The real question following Monday night’s fight, though, was whether it was enough to earn the former Michigan State University wrestler a shot at the division’s ultimate prize—BJ Penn’s lightweight crown.

It is the general consensus among fight cognoscenti that Maynard and fellow wrestler-turned-MMA-fighter FrankieEdgar are at the forefront of the contender’s queue. Each man can plead a plausible case as the number one contender, but it appears that Edgar has taken the lead.UFC Fight Night: Order the replay and unaired prelims

Who’s Next for Penn?
Maynard’s case is a simple one. He wins, period. He has yet to be defeated in eight trips to the Octagon. That stretch started with a dubious double knockout when he shockingly rendered himself unconscious executing a fight-ending suplex against Rob Emerson in a fight that he was handily winning, leading to a no contest as the official result. Seven consecutive wins later, Maynard finds himself atop the division after avenging his lone career defeat—an Ultimate Fighter 5 bout dropped to Monday night’s conquered foe, Nate Diaz.

Critics will point to the fact that Maynard has yet to learn how to finish his opponents, despite his winning ways. His last six bouts have gone to the judges’ cards, with the most recent two resulting in close, and some would say disputed decisions. Maynard is winning, but he isn’t necessarily doing so in spectacular, dominant fashion.

Like Maynard, Edgar has but one blemish on his professional record, UFC or otherwise. His UFC record stands at an impressive 6-1 with three consecutive wins. His list of fallen foes is a veritable who’s who of the division, including former champion Sean Sherk, former title challenger Hermes Franca, top contender Tyson Griffin and the always exciting Spencer Fisher. And unlike Maynard, Edgar has finished two of his seven opponents.

Hear what Dana White told MMA Fighting about Penn’s next fight

Of course, the big criticism hanging over Edgar’s head is that his lone defeat came at the hands of Maynard. His critics will argue, therefore, that he should stand one space behindThe Ultimate Fighter alumnus. But given his recent form and Maynard’s razor-thin win over Diaz, UFC President Dana White has informed a number of media outlets that Edgar is going to be “The Answer” to the “Who’s Next for Penn?” question.

That doesn’t mean Maynard is out of the picture though, and you can expect that he will be eagerly awaiting the winner later in 2010. For now though, the classy Maynard sent the following message out via Twitter: “Just want to say congrats to Frankie Edgar, I think he’s a great opponent for BJ. I wish them both the best of luck on their upcoming fight!”  Watch Maynard’s post-win interview

Escudero vs. Dunham: No Shame in Submitting
The fight was over the moment Evan Dunhamsecured the armbar midway through the final round of what had been a very close fight up until that point. Efrain Escudero knew that there was no escaping the hold. His fate was sealed. It was just a matter of time and his threshold for pain before Escudero received the first blemish on his perfect professional record.

Yet, the proud Mexican-American warrior initially refused to tap out, sitting in a fully extended armbar for nearly 20 seconds.

It was an impressive display of heart and courage, but it was also a foolish decision by a young fighter. Veteran fighters know that there is no shame in submitting when placed in MMA’s version of checkmate. It is nothing more than accepting the reality of the moment.

According to a post on his Twitter account, Escudero didn’t break his arm, so it’s possible that he can fight again in a few months. That was the best possible news for him, because if he suffered a broken arm or elbow or torn ligaments in his elbow or shoulder, he would have been out of action for an extended time at best and could have never fully recovered at worst.

Whatever the case, there was no reason for Escudero to risk suffering significant additional injury and an extended absence from action by hanging on once Dunham fully extended the armbar. Watch Dunham’s post-win interview

‘Atta Boy, Evan
We would be remiss to discuss Escudero-Dunham without giving the victor his just due. In a bout of two undefeated lightweight prospects, someone’s ‘0’ had to go. Fortunately for the Xtreme Couture pupil, it wasn’t his as he improved his career record to 10-0, including two wins inside the Octagon. What made the win particularly impressive was the way that Dunham weathered Escudero’s early firestorm, surviving a first-round knockdown to eventually submit the former TUF winner. The bout was a thrilling affair for all to witness and Dunham’s slick submission win earned him an additional $30,000 as the Submission of the Night. Not a bad bonus check.

Lawlor vs. Simpson: Win-Win Despite Decision
Talk about impressive comebacks. Aaron Simpson looked completely overwhelmed by fellow middleweight prospect Tom Lawlor in the first round of their three round barnburner. Simpson had to survive numerous bombs on the chin from his attacker just to make it out of the first round. But like Dunham, Simpson refused to be denied and continued to fight through the adversity to improve the perfect start to his career with his seventh victory in as many professional bouts.

The fans, who were firmly entrenched in Lawlor’s corner from the moment the fan favorite made his entertaining walk to the cage, were understandably disappointed in the decision. Nevertheless, this was very reminiscent of the entertaining war between Alan Belcher and Yoshihiro Akiyama. Belcher lost that night, also by split decision, but the rising star clearly endeared himself to the fans, arguably walking away as much a winner in the court of public opinion as his conqueror. Lawlor has to feel the same way right about now.

They both earned a $30,000 Fight of the Night bonus. Watch Simpson’s post-win interview

Sadollah vs. Blackburn: Amir No Mere Flash in the Pan
I’ll be the first to admit that I was more than a bit skeptical about Amir Sadollah’s future in the UFC when he first rose to fighting prominence by winning the seventh installment of TUF. The UFC has its share of guys who cut their fighting teeth inside the Octagon with tremendous success, including reigning heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. The common thread among them, however, is an elite wrestling pedigree, which seems to be the ultimate equalizer for green fighters. A tremendous wrestling base often allows inexperienced fighters to dictate where the fight unfolds and control an opponent, even when they aren’t exactly sure how to finish off an injured foe.

Sadollah, of course, does not have an impressive wrestling pedigree. He is a Muay Thai fighter with very good submissions. Thus, when it became clear that he would be forced to learn his trade swimming among the sharks of the UFC’s welterweight division, possibly the most talent-laden group in the promotion, I had serious reservations about his chances.

Sadollah compounded those concerns when he got blitzed by Johny Hendricks in 29 seconds at UFC 101. Then, when I first learned that he would make his return to action against knockout artist Phil Baroni, I was more than sure that Sadollah was headed for a stint on the local fight circuit to hone his craft.

Whoops.

Sadollah’s masterful performance against Baroni announced his arrival as a legitimate prospect. Monday night’s impressive win over tough veteran “Bad” Brad Blackburn further cemented his position.

The TUF winner displayed very crisp technical striking in both of those bouts. He remained calm in the face of adversity and relied on his technique to carry the day much like a grizzled veteran, rather than responding with rage and aggression—a mistake commonly made by young fighters.

I don’t know if he will top the Baroni performance in the near future. I do know one thing, though. I am not going to count out Sadollah again anytime soon. Watch Sadollah’s post-win interview