Match-ups Announced For PRIDE Fighting's

Critical Countdown 2005

June 26, 2005

Saitama Super Arena

Saitama, Japan

TOKYO, Japan –

The match ups have been announced for the second round and second event of PRIDE FIGHTING’S 16-Man

Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament, CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005.

Tournament Matches:

Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)

Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Brazil) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil)

Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)

Additional non-tournament match ups to be announced soon.

(Participants and Matches Subject to Change)

Defending tournament champion, Wanderlei Silva, reached the second round of the tournament after a hard-

fought split decision victory over Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida’s protégé, Kazuhiro Nakamura, considered an

underdog by many in the first round, advanced by defeating American Kevin Randleman by unanimous

decision. Japanese fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, advanced via a thirty-eight second first round KO of Korean

judoka Yoon Dong Sik. Ricardo Arona advanced after winning a unanimous decision over Dean Lister.

Chute Boxe’s rising star, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, reached the second round by knocking out 2003

tournament finalist, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in the first round. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of the

Brazilian Top Team advanced by submitting Team Quest’s Dan Henderson via armbar. Igor Vovchanchyn

advanced by winning a unanimous decision over Japanese Yuki Kondo. Golden Glory fighter Alistair

Overeem advanced by submitting UFC tournament representative Vitor Belfort via guillotine.

PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament spans three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION

(opening round), CRITICAL COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and Finals).

The date for FINAL CONFLICT will be announced soon.

CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH

NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice Canada on July 1st 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.

For more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!

(5/12/05)