Search - Pride Fighting Championships: Fully Loaded on DVD

Not the best Pride card, but worth a look

Michael J. Farrell | San Diego, CA | 12/07/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe it was because Final Conflict 2005 was so extraordinarily good, but Fully Loaded didn't live up to my expectations. I don't regret purchasing it, but it's not a classic.

Here's a fight by fight without major spoilers.

Mirko CroCop vs. Josh Barnett 8/10

The rematch to a fight that ended with a freak shoulder injury. Mirko is coming off a grueling (but not too damaging) fight at Final Conflict, but appears to have no ill affects from that fight. Likewise, Barnett is ready to go and doesn't show any ring rust. Crocop's takedown defense might be the best in the world (including any wrestlers). However, Barnett came to fight and shows he isn't just a 1-trick pony like Mark Coleman. It's a great fight, and I think we'll see more of both of these guys.

Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Ken Shamrock 0/10
This fight ends due to a premature stoppage. I know that's kind of a spoiler, but you should know that before you pay money for this DVD. What's even more disappointing perhaps is the uncomitting style that Shamrock displays before the fight was stopped. It's "classic" boring Shamrock. It kind of looked like Shamrock/Severn 2. Lots of dancing, almost no fighting, and then a quick stoppage.

Makoto Takimoto vs. Dong Sik Yoon 7/10

Two lighter fighters who fight with a style that would be more common at a Bushido event. Still, they are both pretty well-rounded and there is some good groundwork and surprising standup.

Sergei Kharitonov vs. Fabricio Werdum 6/10

This fight had me so excited in anticipation. Kharitonov is probably ranked 4th in the Pride heavyweight division, and has shown good submission wins, and some punishing knockouts (Ninja Rua, Pedro Rizzo, etc). Werdum is a world champion bjj player who has shown in his short career that he has made a good transition to MMA. He has a couple of really impressive submission wins. The winner of this fight could set himself up for a title shot in the near future. Unfortunately, each fighter respects the strength of the other too much (Kharitonov's striking and Werdum's groundwork). There isn't as much engaging of action, or all-out drama that were in previous fights from these two guys. There is a winner, but I don't think the winner is ready for a title shot just yet.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Hirotaka Yokoi 9/10

Rampage is an exciting fighter whose trademark slams have won him many fights. He has also had a couple of brutal losses at the hands of Vanderlei Silva and Shogun Rua, and a couple of other lackluster performances. Before this fight, he is at a crossroads. Yokoi is also at a crossroads, having lost a few in a row since going toe-to-toe with Nogueira for a round before being submitted in the 2004 heavyweight tournament. Both guys need a win, and after a competitive start, one of them emerges as a fighter with a bright future in Pride.

James Thompson vs. Alexandru Lungu 7/10
James Thomposon is HUGE. Not like that Brazillian basketball player, but huge like Hercules. He's not the slickest fighter in the world, but if you like to watch fighters who look like video game heroes, then you'll like this fight. Lungu is also huge, a world-class wrestler with a gigantic girth. There's no secret these guys aren't going to be able to go the distance and it's a matter of time till one of them gets tagged solid...

Murilo "Ninja" Rua vs. Murad Chunkaiev 8/10
Ninja is in need of a win. After being highly touted early in his career, a failed attempt at the 2004 heavyweight tournament and the emergence of his brother Shogun as the class of the middleweight division have left Ninja in no-man's land. This fight is the best he's looked in a long time.

Wagner da Conceicao Martins vs. Henry "Sentoryu" Miller 1/10

Another early stoppage. A knee lands, the ref stops it, and that's about it. In truth, a couple more knees might have landed if the fight continued, but it was too early of a stoppage for this level of fighting.

All in all, it's a little sub-par for a Pride card. If you don't buy every event, save your money and make sure you have critical countdown 2005 and final conflict 2005."

An interesting video...

rjones2818 | Somewhere in Indiana, United States | 11/20/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In which you get to see Zuluhino vs Henry Miller with a strange finish, Sakaraba vs Ken Shamrock with a controversial finish, Mirko vs Josh in a good fight, Yokoi vs Rampage where Rampage seems to be back to normal, Verdum vs Kharitonov in an interesting fight, and other good matches.

It's not the best Pride show I've seen, but it isn't horrible, save for the Zuluhino match."