Earlier today, Mirko Cro Cop took home his best birthday present ever - the 2006 PRIDE Grand Prix Open-weight championship. Cro Cop earned his first PRIDE title in dominant fashion against Wanderlei Silva and Josh Barnett at the Saitama Super Arena. Cro Cop knocked out Silva with a devastating high left kick in the semifinals and then proceeded to force Barnett to tap out from strikes in the finals.
Cro Cop joins Mark Coleman (2000 GP), Wanderlei Silva (2003 Middleweight), Fedor Emelianenko (2004 Heavyweight), and Mauricio Shogun Rua (2005 Middleweight) as PRIDE Grand Prix champions.
PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute 2006 premieres on North American pay per view tonight at 9pm ET. The countdown show begins at 8:30pm ET.
1. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos def. Yosuke Nishijima via rear naked choke in the first round.
2. Semifinals: Mirko Cro Cop def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (high left kick) in the first round. (Picture)
3. Semifinals: Josh Barnett def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via split decision.
4. Reserve Match: Aleksander Emelianenko def. Sergei Kharitonov via referee stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
5. Ricardo Morais def. Lee Tae Hyun via doctor stoppage in the first round.
6. Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao via unanimous decision.
7. Mauricio Shogun def. Cyrille "The Snake" Diabate via referee stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
8. Ricardo Arona def. Allistair Overeem via submission (strikes) in the first round.
9. Finals: Mirko Cro Cop def. Josh Barnett via via submission (strikes) in the first round.
Cro Cop joins Mark Coleman (2000 GP), Wanderlei Silva (2003 Middleweight), Fedor Emelianenko (2004 Heavyweight), and Mauricio Shogun Rua (2005 Middleweight) as PRIDE Grand Prix champions.
PRIDE Final Conflict Absolute 2006 premieres on North American pay per view tonight at 9pm ET. The countdown show begins at 8:30pm ET.
1. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos def. Yosuke Nishijima via rear naked choke in the first round.
2. Semifinals: Mirko Cro Cop def. Wanderlei Silva via KO (high left kick) in the first round. (Picture)
3. Semifinals: Josh Barnett def. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira via split decision.
4. Reserve Match: Aleksander Emelianenko def. Sergei Kharitonov via referee stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
5. Ricardo Morais def. Lee Tae Hyun via doctor stoppage in the first round.
6. Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Yoshihiro "Kiss" Nakao via unanimous decision.
7. Mauricio Shogun def. Cyrille "The Snake" Diabate via referee stoppage (strikes) in the first round.
8. Ricardo Arona def. Allistair Overeem via submission (strikes) in the first round.
9. Finals: Mirko Cro Cop def. Josh Barnett via via submission (strikes) in the first round.
