Which Fighters are better, Pride or UFC?

[Dragon Fist]

If these two Organizations went head to head, which one do you guy’s thing will come up the winner in each weight class?



Heavyweight - Frank Mir or Andrei Arlovski (UFC) vs. Fedor Emelianenko (Pride)

Light Heaveyweight - Randy Couture (UFC) vs. Pride Champion
Middleweight - Evan Tanner (UFC) vs. Wanderlei Silva (Pride)
Welterweight - Matt Hughes (UFC) vs. Pride Champion

 

[WilliamJ]

First, Silva is a 205 so in UFC terms he's a LHW. Pride has less weight divisions than UFC.

Overall talent and depth Pride owns UFC. Randy and Lidell could hang with their Pride counterparts but other than them and maybe Hughes it's not very close. And in the HW division it's just ridiculous. CroCop, Nog, Fedor vs Arlovski, Mir and Syliva?

 

[RSJ]

PRIDE fighters are better by miles, with the exception of Couture. Fedor, Nog, Cro Cop at HW are all about 6x better than Arlovski or Mir, as much as I like Arlovski. At MW (205 or less) Silva, Henderson, Sakuraba, Arona, Rampage and Igor Vov are better than Belfort, Tito, Liddel or any other LHW excluding Couture. The UFC talks a lot of trash about how it's the best, talent-wise. 'Best fighters in the world' ? No.

 

[JKogas]

Wow! I don't know about Arlovski as not being as talented as some of the Pride guys....

That guy is really showing me something. Especially with the relative ease with which he handled Silvia. I'd like to see him actually matched up with some Pride guys before writing him off.

-John

 

[JDenz]

Ya I think Pride has heavyweight no doubt. Arlovski is the only one close in the UFC heavys. I think Light heavy weight is pretty even there are alot of arguements to be made at that level. That is all Pride really has so I would say that UFC owns everything lighter.

 

[Semaj]

Didnt Jackson pretty convincingly beat Liddell when they fought in pride? I'd be afraid to watch either get in with Silva...

 

[JDenz]

diffrent styles = diffrent fight

 

[upstanding_dragon]

Hi all,

I don't think Fedor would have any problems with any of the UFC heavyweights, Arlovski being the only one that would be a decent match up.

I think Randy might have a chance against Wanderlei so long as he doesn't go toe to toe, and use his wrestling and ground control, but I think Wanderlei is in a league of his own, when it comes to UFC vs Pride.

I'd like to see Chuck in Pride again, thats what he wants, but he didn't do too well last time, Overeem rocked him loads of times, and of course Quinton Jackson put him away, would be interesting to see him fight Wanderlei, but Chuck gets caught with too many punches in most of his fights, and he can't afford to take any if fighting Wanderlei.

Stefan

http://www.networkofmartialarts.co.uk

 

[sgtmac_46]

Hi all,

I don't think Fedor would have any problems with any of the UFC heavyweights, Arlovski being the only one that would be a decent match up.

I think Randy might have a chance against Wanderlei so long as he doesn't go toe to toe, and use his wrestling and ground control, but I think Wanderlei is in a league of his own, when it comes to UFC vs Pride.

I'd like to see Chuck in Pride again, thats what he wants, but he didn't do too well last time, Overeem rocked him loads of times, and of course Quinton Jackson put him away, would be interesting to see him fight Wanderlei, but Chuck gets caught with too many punches in most of his fights, and he can't afford to take any if fighting Wanderlei.

Stefan

http://www.networkofmartialarts.co.uk

Lets see if Chuck gets his shot. I seem to remember everyone predicting another Couture victory. The proof will be in the ring. Lets see if Pride is willing to put up.

 

[Semaj]

I cant imagien they wouldnt be.

Chucks main chance is a punchers chance as in any fight , but the top guys in Pride are just ridiculously good. he's going to need to be in better shape and better trained than ever, Silva is just that ridiculously good. Although he does tend to enjoy trading more than he should.

 

[JDenz]

Liddell matches up alot better agianst Silva then he does agianst rampage. He is a counter puncher that could very easily drop him. It would be an all out war, I hope Danna White makes it happen. The only way Randy beats SIlva is in the cage.

 

[Andrew Green]

I think Pride fans tend to write off UFC fighters a little too quickly.

Yes, Chuck lost. But that is the way the sport is, in any fight either fighter has a chance.

Silva got blasted bad by Vitor, dominated by Tito, yet he is considered the better fighter. In Pride he is in a land of his own, but I do think that Randy and Chuck both have a shoot at beating him. Just depends on who the card favour on that day.

Where they fight will also make a difference. Ring vs Cage is not the only rule change, and the rules are important in determining who will take it. In Pride the Pride fighter has an advantage, in UFC the UFC fighter has the advantage.

Liddell vs Silva would be a great fight, no matter where it happens. Not one I would want to put money on either way. But Liddell has to get credit for being willing to do it, and not only that, wanting to do it on their turf under their rules.

Lets just hope that if it ever does happen, in either UFC or Pride it is a clear decission that doesn't end too quick. If the home fighter wins a close decission it will be "biased judging" if it ends to quick it will be a work... etc...

How are we going to end up with a mainstream sport if all the hardcore fans are screaming about works and unfair judging every time their guy loses?

 

[JDenz]

That is the problem with Pride that they do have works and have had them in the past. Even UFC is not immune to having works in the past. Guys that have been following since the beginning know that there have been works in the past. You are right on the any given day thought though. I really think without the elbows and stuffing agianst the cage there is no way that Couture could beat Silva.

 

[Andrew Green]

I really think without the elbows and stuffing agianst the cage there is no way that Couture could beat Silva.

And with that Silva would have a rough time, especially considering he's not had to deal with that over in Pride...

 

[JDenz]

not only that I think that Randy would have a hard time dealing with the down kicks and knees on the ground.

 

[upstanding_dragon]

In regards to Wanderlei's defeats by Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort, I don't think either would have a chance against him now, he's improved himself so much since then.

Tito almost got knocked out by him, he beat with with his usual style, takedown, controlling, ground/pound, I think Wanderlei's ground game has increased a great deal now, and also his takedown defense.



The Vitor Belfort fight, great one, hats off to him, not to take anything away from him, he just flurried, and Silva was blinded and beaten, 27 seconds, thats fantastic, but I don't think he could repeat that.

Stefan

http://www.networkofmartialarts.co.uk

 

[JDenz]

I pretty much agree in a ring wanderla would beat them both but in a cage tito might still beat him. Also I think that Belfort is on top of his game he may still be able to beat Belfort.

 

[Semaj]

I definately agree that lidell stacks up _MUCH_ better with silva. Silva has a real tendency to trade, and get seriously caught, and that just begs to be knocked out from a Lidell. Still, Silva has been hit by a lot of good clean shots from top guys and not dropped yet.

Yet, Silva's ground game has improved leaps and bounds from where it was. To think he is the same fighter he was back then is just silly. Much like to assume Kosaka (Please be right on this one krollage) is a better fighter than Fedor because he beat him once back in the days.

 

[JDenz]

it was Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, and Fedor just pounded him in the last Pride avenging his only loss. Same thing with Couture, he had been in there with some serious Heavys and didn't get knocked out

 

[Shogun]

I agree, wandy does like to trade. Mark Hunt, Kazushi Sakuraba, Yuki kondo, and others have caught him with good punches while trading. But, none of those guys are on par with Chuck's striking abilities. Chuck has KO'ed Ortiz, Sobral, white, Randelman, metzger, and couture. those are all standing KO's. those are the toughest Sumbitches there is! If he beat Wandy, there would be a great Triangle in that Quinton TKO'ed Chuck, but lost to Wanderlei.



KE