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On This Day: Wanderlei Silva Delivers One of the Most Brutal Knockouts in History Against Kazushi Sakuraba – Aug. 10, 2003

Wanderlei Silva knocks out Kazushi Sakuraba PRIDE 2003 Wanderlei Silvas was in his prime in 2003, and he showed his feared power by brutally knocking out Kazushi…

Wanderlei Silvas was in his prime in 2003, and he showed his feared power by brutally knocking out Kazushi Sakuraba. This was during the Pride Total Elimination 2003, a grand Prix that featured Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Alistair Overeem, and Chuck Liddell, among others.

Wanderlei Silva knocks out Kazushi Sakuraba

Brazil’s Wanderlei Silva was becoming one of the biggest stars in MMA at this time, he was about to become the face of PRIDE FC. A former Vale Tudo striker who was putting Chute Boxe on the map. Already having captured the PRIDE FC championship, he had defeated notable fighters previously such as Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, and Guy Mezger.

The 2003 PRIDE Grand Prix was a stacked tournament that featured major names such as Wanderlei Silva, Alistair Overeem, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, former UFC champion Murilo Bustamante, RINGS legend Kiyoshi Tamura, Olympic Medalist Hidehiko Yoshida, and the UFC entered their biggest name Chuck Liddell into the mix.

Kazushi Sakuraba had made a name for himself in MMA by becoming the Gracie hunter, out-grappling and defeating members of the Gracie family. Sometimes in incredible showcases such as when he faced Royce Gracie for 90 minutes. Later that same night, Sakuraba would compete once against facing the heavy-handed Ukrainian Igor Vovchanchyn.

Japan’s Sakuraba, a noted chain smoker, had a background as a professional wrestler. MMA wasn’t his true aim, but over time he would become a legend in the sport. Today, he would be about the size of a welterweight but at the time he competed against anyone of any size including heavyweights.

On this day, August 10, 2003, The Brazilian Wanderlei Silva had already defeated Sakuraba twice before, both by TKO. So the ending of this match was not a huge surprise, but the brutality of it was. A massive right hook, blistering speed, that looked to decapitate the Japanese grappler and snapped his neck to his shoulder. A cold-blooded knockout from Wanderlei Silva.

In the tournament, ‘Rampage’ Jackson defeated Chuck Liddel to reach the finals. From there, Wanderlei Silva delivered a barrage of knees to leave him slumped in the ropes with an iconic knockout.

Wanderlei Silvas was in his prime in 2003, and he showed his feared power by brutally knocking out Kazushi Sakuraba. This was during the Pride Total Elimination 2003 This was August 10, 2003 @LowKick_MMA @wandfc pic.twitter.com/pesRxuTSiv

— Timothy Wheaton MMA (@TimWheatonMMA) August 10, 2024

Pride FC: Total Elimination 2003

Also featured at the August 10, 2003, Pride FC: Total Elimination 2003 event was heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko knocking out Gary Goodridge. Chuck Liddell knocked out Alistair Overeem, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated UFC champion Ricco Rodriguez, and Mirko Cro Cop knocked out Igor Vovchanchyn with a head kick.

Cro Cop beating Igor, felt like a passing of the torch. There was a new king of violence in town and his name was Mirko Filipovic.https://t.co/HPugyacqV4

— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) August 18, 2022

Shogun Rua reveals scuppered plan for super fight with Fedor Emelianenko: ‘It would have been an honor’

Brazilian veteran, Shogun Rua has revealed that PRIDE FC officials had attempted to book a super fight between himself and fellow former promotional champion, Fedor Emelianenko during their stints with the now-defunct organization, speaking candidly of the missed-out clash. Rua, a former PRIDE FC middleweight Grand Prix victor back in 2005, is set to make […]

Rua, a former PRIDE FC middleweight Grand Prix victor back in 2005, is set to make his expected retirement walk at UFC 283 next month in his native Brazil, taking on light heavyweight prospect, Ihor Potieria.

As for Emelianenko, the former PRIDE FC heavyweight champion and Grand Prix victor, is scheduled to headline Bellator 290 in February in a heavyweight title rematch with champion, Ryan Bader, in a bout which is also expected to serve as Emelianenko’s swansong in professional mixed martial arts.

Shogun Rua reveals plans for made for him to fight Fedor Emelianenko

Sharing a story of how he almost fought both Emelianenko and then compatriot, Wanderlei Silva – whom he described as an “idol” during their PRIDE FC tenures, Rua admitted he would have been honored to have competed against the Russian.

“After I won the light heavyweight [Grand Prix] and he (Fedor Emelianenko) won the heavyweight Grand Prix, the promoters started to talk about a super fight, but it never happened,” Shogun Rua told Sherdog. “Coincidentally, I was probably closer to fighting my idol, Wanderlei (Silva) before he lost to Ricardo Arona in the semi finals.”

“It would have been an honor to fight Fedor when we were both in our primes,” Shogun Rua continued. “In my opinion, Fedor is among the three best pound-for-pound fighters ever.” (Transcribed by MMA Mania)

In 2010, Rua competed for the UFC light heavyweight title in a rematch against compatriot, Lyoto Machida, securing the undisputed crown with a first round knockout win at UFC 113.

Attempting to snap a two-fight losing skid to both Paul Craig, and Ovince Saint Preux in his Brazil homecoming against Potieria, Rua’s most recent professional win came in the form of a split decision win over Minotouro Nogueira in 2020.

Nate Diaz Sends Message Of Support To Former Foe Anthony Pettis Ahead Of PFL Playoff Bout: ‘Kicka** Tomorrow’

UFC welterweight Nate Diaz has sent a message of support to his former opponent Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis ahead of his upcoming rematch with Stevie Ray at the PFL Playoffs. Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis squared off in the octagon at UFC 241. The bout was Nate Diaz’s first fight since his 2016 rematch with Conor […]

UFC welterweight Nate Diaz has sent a message of support to his former opponent Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis ahead of his upcoming rematch with Stevie Ray at the PFL Playoffs.

Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis squared off in the octagon at UFC 241. The bout was Nate Diaz’s first fight since his 2016 rematch with Conor McGregor whilst Pettis was coming off a spectacular superman punch KO over Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.

The fight was a competitive back and forth, with both men having moments of success. However, Diaz’s pressure-based boxing style was enough to see him pick up the judge’s decision. Diaz has not won a fight since that bout, and is currently set to fight out the last bout on his contract against Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279.

Pettis would compete in the UFC three more times following the loss to Diaz, picking up wins over Alex Morono and Donald Cerrone, as well as coming up short against Carlos Diego Ferreira. Since then, Pettis has switched promotions and now plies his trade in the PFL.

He has had mixed success with the PFL, losing both his fights in the first season with the promotion. However, a first-round triangle submission win over Myles Price ensured he would be a part of the PFL’s 2022 playoffs. Despite this, the former UFC champ still had to compete in the second PFL season bout, where he took on Scotland’s Stevie Ray.

Ray shocked many viewers by locking up a modified twister submission on Pettis in the second round, forcing ‘Showtime’ to tap out. This ensured that not only would Ray become a part of the Playoffs, but he would also immediately rematch Anthony Pettis.

The rematch takes place this Friday, and Nate Diaz has reached out to send a message of support to Pettis, posting the following to his Twitter account: “Good luck to the homie @Showtimepettis kiickass tomorrow at @PFLMMA.”

How do you think Anthony Pettis’s rematch with Stevie Ray will play out? Would you like to see Nate Diaz in the PFL?

Bob Sapp Pulls No Punches In Bashing Mike Tyson: “Tyson Is Very Scared To Fight Me”

Bob Sapp has gone in on Mike Tyson for not fighting him. MMA veteran Bob Sapp made his professional debut in 2002 under Pride before moving on to K-1 where he would enjoy a successful brief run. His career spanned 16 years with his final outings coming in 2018. Although he won his retirement fight […]

Bob Sapp has gone in on Mike Tyson for not fighting him.

MMA veteran Bob Sapp made his professional debut in 2002 under Pride before moving on to K-1 where he would enjoy a successful brief run. His career spanned 16 years with his final outings coming in 2018.

Although he won his retirement fight against Abdelrahman Shalan in September 2018, ‘The Beast’ dropped 17 of his previous 18 outings with 14 of those losses coming in a row including 15 overall defeats by KO or TKO finishes.

Sapp recently made headlines for a video he uploaded online where he took aim at Mike Tyson. The 48-year-old said that he would rip out the boxing Hall of Famer’s heart in hopes of setting up an exhibition bout.

Bob Sapp says he brought Tyson out of retirement

In an interview with MMAnytt.se, Bob Sapp detailed the origins of his beef with Tyson and talked about the potential showdown claiming he brought Tyson out of retirement.

“We first got involved in 2003 in Las Vegas,” Bob Sapp said. “There was some pushing and shoving when I met him at the Bellagio. I am responsible for bringing him out of retirement. It’s impossible for anyone to be a Mike Tyson fan without them being a Bob Sapp fan, because I’m the guy that brought him out of retirement! Nobody would be talking about him at all if it wasn’t for me!”

‘Iron’ Mike marked his return to boxing in an exhibition bout with the former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr in November 2020. Sapp alleged that he was the initial opponent who was supposed to fight Tyson and that Jones was found as a replacement to cut him out of the lucrative deal.

Sapp was supposed to be Tyson’s original opponent when he made his anticipated return. Tyson finally ended up fighting former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020, but according to Sapp, this bout was done to leave him out of the multimillion dollar deal. Sapp partly blames Tyson’s manager and brother-in-law Azheem Spicer but ultimately points a finger at Tyson for being too scared to take the figh

‘The Beast’ claims Mike Tyson is scared of him

Sapp fired shots at Azheem Spicer, Tyson’s manager, and brother-in-law, for giving him the stick but also claimed that Tyson was frightened at the idea of fighting him.

“They decided to draw up some scheme in which they decided to circumvent me because [Tyson] is very scared to fight me,” Sapp said. “I got him from 10 million to 20 million and then the price raised to 50 million, and we ended up selling at 30 million dollars with the PPV that would take it up to 50 million. However, it never worked out because Azheem wanted millions of dollars to go straight to his pocket, and then with Tyson being so scared and all, these price increases came after he saw a picture of what I looked like.

“The guy is truly truly truly scared. We understand that he is scared because of how I look and how big I am. That’s kind of fucked up, but I understand that because all of these other guys are also scared.”

Sapp wants the bout to be in Thailand

‘The Beast’ lives up to his moniker maintaining an impressive physique, especially for his age, and receives plenty of attention for it. Sapp talked further about matching up against the other well-known behemoths in the entertainment industry for a similar showcase.

“Let’s talk about all the pros that have called me out, ones that are scared: Mike Tyson, Thor from Game of Thrones, Shaquille O’Neal, and Evander Holyfield. But we couldn’t understand what [Holyfield] was saying because he is punch drunk and is mumbling all the time. We don’t know if he accepted the offer or denied it because we couldn’t understand what he was saying! It was too dangerous to bring him into the ring because he is too punch drunk!”

Despite the other offers that may be on the table, Sapp is only looking to secure an outing with Tyson. He hinted at a plan to host the potential event in Thailand together with his close friend Samer Suojhayer, CEO of Yuth Sport Gear.

“We have gotten so many offers it is ridiculous. We are discussing how big this is gonna get! Bob Sapp vs Mike Tyson here in Thailand – Let’s go!”

Fedor Emelianenko Hospitalized With COVID-19

One of the pioneers of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko has been hospitalized after testing positive with Covid-19. According to RT Sport, Fedor posted the following on Thursday: “Thanks to all who are genuinely concerned for my health, I feel fine. I am going into recovery. I’m grateful to the doctors and medical staff for their care and […]

One of the pioneers of MMA, Fedor Emelianenko has been hospitalized after testing positive with Covid-19. According to RT Sport, Fedor posted the following on Thursday:

“Thanks to all who are genuinely concerned for my health, I feel fine. I am going into recovery. I’m grateful to the doctors and medical staff for their care and hard work” (H/T MMA Junkie).

RT Sport also reported that Emelianenko is currently in a specialist Covid-19 hospital, situated in Moscow. The Heavyweight legend was supposedly set to headline Bellators first ever even in Russia had Covid not struck. According to Scott Coker the event would have served as Fedor’s retirement bout. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Coker stated the following:

“I really wanted Fedor to fight his retirement fight not in front of just the officials and have the staff and be on a closed environment in a bubble. I really want Fedor to finish his career in front of 30,000 people in Moscow, to be honest, Bellator MMA’s first fight in Russia.”

“Do a fight in Moscow. For him, the prodigal son has returned. Fedor is the greatest fighter of all-time, and he’s now coming home to retire and put his gloves up and hang it up to retire.”

In the same interview, Coker also said that he still hoped to hold the event, once Covid had been contained.

“I’m hoping that the vaccine will start fixing the situation and we can start bringing in crowds,” Coker said. “But to me, I feel we’ve waited so long for Fedor to fight, hoping that the pandemic would thin out, and now that it’s getting close and I can see light at the end of the tunnel for the pandemic to go away, I really want to wait and to do these fights in a proper stadium, especially the one we do in Moscow.

“I want to do something very big for him, because to me, it’s like he’s the king, and the king is returning from the battlefield.”

This likely the last thing Fedor Emelianenko is currently thinking about, and there is a strong possibility that we may never see the Last Emperor grace the sport of MMA again.

PRIDE, Combate Americas Alum Alberto Del Rio Charged With Sexual Assault, Aggravated Kidnapping

Former PRIDE Fighting Championships and Combate Americas feature, José Alberto Rodríguez Chacaun, better known as Alberto Del Rio has been charged with four counts of sexual assault and a count of aggravated kidnapping in relation to an incident involving his ex-girlfriend in San Antonio, Texas in May of this year, according to a report from TMZ […]

The 43-year-old San Luis Potosí, Mexico native is alleged to have sexually assaulted his former partner as well as caused bodily harm, after accusing her of infidelity – with the police report detailing how the alleged victim had lacerations, bruises on her face, as well as scratch marks on her neck and body. Del Rio’s ex-partner also alleged he had destroyed both her phone and laptop, before attempting to burn her passport.

Del Rio is alleged to have forced a sock into the victim’s mouth to “keep her quiet“, as well as punching her in the face multiple times and choking her during the alleged sexual assault. With a warrant served and executed, Del Rio was arrested and charged with the above-noted charges, before he was released from Bexar County jail on a $50,000 bail on May 10.

If convicted, Del Rio faces a maximum prison sentence of ninety-nine years for the alleged felony aggravated assaults. For the four sexual assault charges, they carry a maximum sentence of twenty years each.

A fifteen fight mixed martial arts veteran, Del Rio spent a two-fight stint under the PRIDE Fighting Championships banner between 2003 and 2004 – dropping defeats to Mirko Cro Cop, and Kazuhiro Nakamura.

In his most recent professional appearance, the 43-year-old dropped his sixth professional loss with a submission defeat to former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in December of last year.

During his time under the World Wrestling Entertainment banner, Del Rio claimed the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions.