Just rewatched Yoshida/Mark Hunt from the Pride show on 6/20/04.
Hunt gave Yoshi all that he could handle and ended up getting armbarred.
If anyone thinks that the fighter who gets Yoshida in the next Pride round is getting a "free pass," better think again.
I would like to see him matched up with Crocop in particular. Werdum would be interesting as well.
Although it was Hunt's first MMA fight he did show great instincts for MMA, escaping several submissions.
Yoshida is tough and has no quit in him. He has never been an easy fight for anyone and has never been finished in MMA despite fighting Silva twice, Hunt, etc.
"Although it was Hunt's first MMA fight "
umm what??
I must have dreamed that he infact beat V Silva and Crocop.
You're really dreaming if you think that happened before the yoshi fight...
Either that or that happened after his first fight.
Yoshi is definitely not an easy for for anybody.
But if he chooses to use the "gi" against a grappler he will get fucked up.
His best chance right now is against Crocop, Fujita, Barnett and Silva.
Werdum and Nog would fuck him up IMO.
"umm what??
I must have dreamed that he infact beat V Silva and Crocop."
No, but you must have still been asleep when he had his first MMA fight against Yoshida.
"But if he chooses to use the "gi" against a grappler he will get fucked up."
Agreed. Werdum would tool Yoshida if he was stubborn enough to wear a gi. However IMO he probably is that stubborn and will get choked the fuck out with his own gi if he gets matched with Werdum or even Mino. Before anyone says it dont even bother comparing Royce to Werdum. Werdum is in a completely different league.
"umm what??
I must have dreamed that he infact beat V Silva and Crocop."
You weren't dreaming but were obviously asleep during Mark Hunt's first fight, which was against Yoshida.
And if you guys think escaping several submission attempts from a Judo gold medalist, and inflicting severe damage on a seasoned MMA veteran does not show good instincts for MMA for your first fight, then I don't know what to tell you.
Of course he made mistakes, it was his FIRST MMA FIGHT.
Yoshida is one tough dude. In his first fight with vanderlei, he stood with him. That is something rampage and sak, and a lot of other great fighters tried and got KTFO for their efforts.
His best chance, by far, is against Wanderlei, and we should no how that story ends by now. Neither Yoshida or Silva have much chance in this tournament against these HUGE guys.
With his cardio, chin, willpower and the oddity of the gi - he can make any fight go the distance.
I would like to see him vs CroCop also. I think it would be a great matchup.
As for the "HUGE" guys - both Yoshida and Silva will be 220+. Hunt is huge, but most of that is beer belly.
Yoshida is not naturally as big a guy as Hunt, Nog, Fedor, Cro Cop and guys like that. He can bulk up sure but he is still a naturally smaller guy.
I would like to see him vs cro cop because if he gets it on the ground it could be interesting. But he could just as easily get ko'd.