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Eddie Bravo Talks Pride Bushido and High Octane
Reported By: Boxing Insider - 02/01/2005 06:26 PM
By Ken Pishna, BoxingInsider.com
BoxingInsider.com: : There aren’t too many fighters on the Bushido card that many fans outside of Japan know much about, but let’s go ahead and break down a couple of the key fights that fans should be excited about.
Eddie Bravo: Let’s do it.
BoxingInsider.com: What do you know about Crosley Gracie?
Eddie Bravo: He’s one of the new breed of the Gracies. He just got his black belt and I think he’s fought just one time. And now he’s stepping up against Sakurai, who’s got a crazy amount of experience. He’s a dangerous striker he’s decent on the ground. He might just be good enough on the ground to defend everything that Gracie is able to throw at him. I’d give the edge seriously to Sakurai just because of the experience factor.
BoxingInsider.com: And that experience really counts for a lot because MMA and jiujitsu or two wholly different entities.
Eddie Bravo: Exactly. I mean he might not be able to take Sakurai down. Sakurai is not easy to take down. So, I give the edge to Sakurai based on his experience.
BoxingInsider.com: You know quite a bit about the main event at Bushido, Takanori Gomi and “Crazy Horse” Bennett. You used to commentate on Bennett’s fights in King of the Cage right?
Eddie Bravo: Yeah. “Crazy Horse” Bennett is like the mini Quinton Rampage. He’s picking people up and slamming them down. He is super explosive. If he gets a rhythm going, he doesn’t stop punching. He fought a professional Muay Thai kickboxer named William Syrapi and he tried to take “Crazy Horse” down. That’s how wild “Crazy Horse” is. But if Gomi can survive that initial onslaught… “Crazy Horse” Bennett isn’t really known for his cardio, he’s actually gassed in a few of his fights. I’m going to go with Gomi on this one based on his experience, his toughness, and his wrestling ability… He can take a lot of shots, so he just might be able to weather “Crazy Horse’s” early flurries.
BoxingInsider.com:Do you feel that Gomi and Bennett are worthy of main event status on a show like Bushido?
Eddie Bravo: To me it is. You couldn’t put that as the main event for a UFC or Pride. They’re not that well known. But that’s a perfect headliner for a Bushido show because the Bushido show is made for the smaller fighters.
BoxingInsider.com: Do you feel that the top smaller guys like Gomi can make an impact on the regular Pride show?
Eddie Bravo: Definitely. If you take the top lighter weight guys like Gomi, you pump them up, you could do a lightweight championship at a regular Pride show and people will watch.
BoxingInsider.com:Speaking of the Pride show, let’s talk a little bit about High Octane. One of the few officially announced bouts is Kazuhiro Nakamura versus Dan Henderson with the winner moving on to next year’s Grand Prix. Henderson is probably the more highly regarded of the two, do you feel he’s that much better that he can handle Nakamura easily?
Eddie Bravo: I think so. I think Dan Henderson is one of the tougher guys to beat under 205 pounds. The guy has got a serious right hand. He can knock out anybody. And he’s got great wrestling. Mentally, he is tough. You’ve got to make Dan Henderson the favorite; he’s got so much experience. Nakamura, he’s tough, he’s got good judo, his submissions are okay; there are just too many things that Dan Henderson’s better at. I don’t think Nakamura will be able to take Henderson down and if he does, he’s not going to finish Dan Henderson. I see a knockout standing. I see Nakamura getting knocked out.
BoxingInsider.com: Next up is one that has everybody talking, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic versus Josh Barnett. Do you think that Cro Cop will be able to keep Barnett in his world on the feet or do you think Barnett will take him down to his world?
Eddie Bravo: I don’t know what’s going to happen here. I mean can Josh Barnett take Cro Cop down without getting bombed on and hurt? He might not even be able to take Cro Cop down, but maybe he does. Can Josh Barnett pass his guard and finish him on the ground? I think that if he can take him to the ground, there’s a good chance that Barnett can finish Cro Cop. Cro Cop’s take down defense is getting pretty good. He’s so fast and strong. Then on the other hand, Barnett might have the chin to whether the storm and get Cro Cop down like Nogueira did. You definitely have to be able to take some punishment because Cro Cop’s definitely going to dish some out.
BoxingInsider.com: Do you think that Barnett has what it takes to hang with Cro Cop on his feet at all?
Eddie Bravo: I don’t think so. I mean, he stood up for a while with Pedro Rizzo, but Pedro Rizzo is kind of cautious and doesn’t throw much. So, I think that’s part of the reason that he was able to last so long. Cro Cop’s going to unload; he doesn’t just sit there and be cautious. I think it would be suicide for Josh Barnett to stand with Cro Cop.
BoxingInsider.com: The main event is another big one that fight fans are looking forward too, Wanderlei Silva and Quinton Jackson. Do you see this fight going any differently now that they’re both coming in fresh as opposed to coming in tired as they both did in the Grand Prix?
Eddie Bravo: I think it’s definitely going to be different. Before hearing the Quinton Jackson found Jesus, I was actually picking Rampage to win if they were both fresh. I don’t know if finding Jesus is going to make Quinton Jackson a better fighter or is it going to make him a worse fighter. I don’t know it might make him better. The power of the Lord might boost his fighting spirit. Or maybe it makes him less aggressive. I’m not really sure.
BoxingInsider.com: That’s the big question. Is finding Jesus going to mellow Jackson out or what? I mean, he’s known for being a really aggressive fighter in the ring, very violent looking.
Eddie Bravo: History has proven that you can be really violent for Jesus. [laughs] Just look at the Romans. If you can find Jesus, you can kill people. It could make him better. I’m not sure how that’s going to affect him. Because I’m not sure, I’m going to have to pick Wanderlei. I know for sure that Wanderlei is going to show up as aggressive as ever. He’s going to be that mad dog that he always is. I just don’t know how Quinton’s going to show up.
BoxingInsider.com: That’s the big question, “Is finding Jesus going to help Quinton?”
Eddie Bravo: Yeah. I don’t know. Maybe finding Jesus will make him good enough to beat Fedor.
Eddie Bravo is a regular contributor to BoxingInsider.com. You can check out his web site and order his DVD at www.thetwister.tv.
Ken Pishna is a regular contributor to BoxingInsider.com and a senior writer and editor at MMAWeekly.com. He can be contacted via email at KenPishna@MMAWeekly.com.
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