Pride Unbreakable 31 February 26th

On February 26th, the day after my birthday, Pride will deliver one of their weakest PPV's to date. I'm not sure why, since they have had two months since their last show, but anyway, here we go with the breakdown.

Antonio "Minotauro" Rodrigo Noguiera 25-3-1 vs Kyoshi Tamura 13-8:Winner-Noguiera Antonio is the master submission specialist in heavyweight MMA. He has fought almost everbody with a victory, save the champ Fedor. Tamura is a very tough fighter who wins through decision most of the time, unable to finish off opponents. Antonio cannot be KO'd anyway, but Tamura doesn't pose KO power anyway. This fight will be on the mat most of the time and, as always, Noguiera will win via submission, and move on to the No-Limit tournament later this summer.

Josh "Babyface Assassin" Barnett 15-3 vs Kazuhiro Nakamura 8-4:Winner-Barnett Kazuhiro is coming off big wins against Vovchanchyn and Yuki Kondo. Barnett has only lost against Cro Cop and Noguiera in his career (no shame there). Both men have seemed to falter in this careers when faced with a big time opponent. Barnett does have quality wins over Randy Couture, Yuki Kondo, and Dan Severn. Barnett should win with a submission against an opponent that usually leaves the fight in the hands of the judges.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 23-6 vs Don Sik Yoon 0-2: Winner-Rampage Seriously, is there any doubt with this one? Yoon has only two pro fights which he lost! Rampage loves the slam and TKO's. This is a gimme match to make Jackson look good for his last contracted fight with Pride. Pride has no desire to lose Quinton to UFC. They will resign him and he'll probable be in the No-Limit Grand Prix later in the summer.

John Olav Einemo 5-0 vs Fabricio Werdum 6-1: Winner- Werdum Both of these fighters are trying to make their names in the heavyweight division. Werdum trains with Cro Cop's crew, but lost his last fight against Kharitonov. He has fought 3 times in Pride, while this will be Einemo's debut. Einemo is 6'6 with long legs, that kick with the skill of all Holland fighters. Both men know submissions and this should be a real close fight.

Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo 14-6 vs Roman Zentsov 10-10: Winner-Rizzo Its make or break time for both of these fighters. The Rock used to be a #1 contender in the heavyweight division before he lost confidence and wasn't sure he ever wanted to fight again. Zentsov is a member of Fedor's Red Devil Fight Club in Russia. Both men should throw a lot of leather since they both prefer standing. If Rizzo cannot win this, his career is over. If Zentsov wins, he still sucks. This fight will finally tell us if Pedro has finally got his head together.

Sergey Kharitonov 13-1 vs Alistair "Demolition Man" Overeem 21-6: Winner-Kharitonov Sergey is on the cusp of being a #1 contender in the heavyweight division. This will be Alistair's first forray into the heavyweight division. Sergey's only loss came to Noguiera, and since he has been on a tear throughout Pride. Alistair wasn't considered a top contender in the light heavyweight division until he shocked people in last year's Grand Prix by looking great. Could be a show stealer but Sergey will find the way to win and look for a title shot against Fedor.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua 13-1 vs Mark "The Hammer" Coleman 14-7: Winner-Rua This is a dangerous fight for Rua, who is making his debut as a heavyweight. Coleman, though not liked in most MMA circles, is a former UFC champion who held his own against Fedor before he was defeated. A very strong wrestler, Coleman is great with the ground and pound style, and knows submissions. Rua is coming off his winning streak at last year's Grand Prix. A KO specialist from Wanderlei's Chute Box Academy. This fight must stay on the feet, but I believe Rua will win.

Mark Hunt 3-1 vs Nishijma Yousuke 0-0: Winner-Hunt Mark is a K-1 veteran and former champion. The other guy is debuting and should be fighting a weight class below this one. This is simply Pride trying to build Hunt's resume.

Tsuyoshi "TK" 18-10-1 Kosaka vs Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry 11-3: Winner-Sperry In a real battle of who cares, Sperry wins and no one cares why.

Weak PPV where Pride is trying to build up the records of their fighters. I expect much more when the No Limit Grand Prix rolls around this summer.