From Dream Stage Entertainment

TOKYO, Japan – Eight of the sixteen participants have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix … TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005.

Included is defending Grand Prix Champion (2003) Wanderlei Silva, the Brazilian Top Team’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Grand Prix Finalist (2000) Igor Vovchanchyn, Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba, Chute Boxe’s rising star Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Pancrase star Yuki Kondo, Grand Prix Semi-Finalist (2003) Hidehiko Yoshida, and Yoshida protégé Kazuhiro Nakamura.

Additional tournament participants will be announced soon.

PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament will span three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and Finals). Dates for the latter two events will be announced soon.

TOTAL ELIMINATION 2005 takes place on April 23rd, 2005 from the Osaka Dome in Japan and premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice Canada on April 23rd at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST (including a countdown show at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST). For additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Wand vs Igor or Rampage in the finals.

So, we are going to have a GP every year? I am sorry, but thats just too many. A GP should be yelled every two years. That works for me.

I want to see Vanderlei vs. Igor, man, its gonna be a good tournament...

No Rampage or Henderson?

So, we are going to have a GP every year? I am sorry, but thats just too many. A GP should be yelled every two years. That works for me.
at least its not the same weightclass, even thought it appears the LHW's are gonna cut down and still dominate this now.

Silva, Igor, Rampage...agreed.
They should make it so if you were in the LHW GP you can not enter this one, cause the same people are going to likely excel in this one.

what weight do they have to make? i thought it was just another 205

This is a 205lbs tournament... Rumor is that Henderson, Arona, Rampage and Belfort are about to sign up for this one.

shogun, nakamura and kondo are hosses, but i think argona/rampage/henderson would be more appropriate.

Igor going heads up against Silva would be a sight to see.

By the way, Yoshida and Nakamura in the same tourney?

ok well thats stupid.

a light heavyweight tourney at 205, and now middleweight tourney.....again at 205?


weak.

Igor going heads up against Silva would be a sight to see.

By the way, Yoshida and Nakamura in the same tourney?

Shogun and Vanderlei are in the tourny too. Shogun said if they have to fight they will fight for real...

as long as rafferty doesn't have to fight florian, it'll be all good :)

I'd like to see Shogun/Silva too, but I bet they make the brackets to where if they met at all it would have to be the finals and I doubt Shogun could make it that far.

Nice to see Sak back in action, at least this way he gets his chance to fight Wanderlei without having a card specifically designed for them.

saku vs shogun would be hoss

onde está ricardo ARONA??

Looks like Silva will be fighting Yoshida in the first round. Should be interesting but I have a feeling Silva will finish this one.

O ya, I guy's, I'm new here.