“Big Daddy” Farewell Match Versus “The Predator”  

Scheduled For PRIDE FC Shockwave

LOS ANGELES – Three more matches are official for PRIDE FC’s SHOCKWAVE 2003 show, scheduled for

December 31, 2003 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

In his farewell match, PRIDE FC star Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge will face career nemesis Don “The

Predator” Frye.  This will be the final mixed martial arts bout for the veteran Goodridge who is announcing

his retirement from the sport.  The 6’3”, 260-pound Goodridge was given the option of selecting the opponent

for his farewell match … he chose Don Frye, one of the main rivals of his career.  Frye dealt Goodridge two

losses early in his career: the first a submission loss via punches at UFC 8: David vs. Goliath and the

second a submission loss via exhaustion at UFC: Ultimate Ultimate 1996.  As the final match of his MMA

career, Goodridge will have a chance to avenge both of those losses.  “Big Daddy” is coming off a very quick

TKO win at FINAL CONFLICT versus Dan “The Bull” Bobish and Frye is coming off a decision loss to

Mark “The Hammer" Coleman at BAD TO THE BONE.      

In the second announced bout, Grand Prix Finalist and top ranked middleweight contender, Quinton

“Rampage” Jackson, will face Japanese fighter Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa.  This match pits the

powerful wrestling and striking attack of Jackson against the submission skills of the veteran Minowa. 

Jackson’s impressive journey to the PRIDE FC middleweight tournament finals this past Fall garnered him

victories over both Murilo Bustamante and Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.  “Rampage” was defeated in

the tournament finals by PRIDE FC champion Wanderlei Silva, but remains the top contender for Silva’s

belt in the middleweight rankings.  A native of Gifu, Japan, Minowa is a veteran of both Pancrase and the

UFC and is currently a member of the Brazilian Top Team.  This will be his PRIDE FC debut.

In the third announced match, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend, Mario “The Zen Master” Sperry will take on

Pancrase star Yuki Kondo.  A prodigy of the legendary Carlson Gracie, Sperry is an accomplished

master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  During the late 1990s, he won numerous awards in the Abu Dhabi Submission

Wrestling Championships, including the heavyweight and absolute divisions in 1997.  This member of the

Brazilian Top Team is coming off a win against Russian fighter Andrei Kopylov at BEASTS FROM THE

EAST 2.  Sperry’s opponent, Yuki Kondo, is a veteran of both the UFC and Pancrase and has held the

prestigious title of “King of Pancrase.”  His illustrious Pancrase career has included victories over Semmy

Schilt, Frank Shamrock and Guy Mezger.  This will be his debut in PRIDE FC.

Headlining the fight card will be the long-awaited rematch between Royce Gracie and Hidehiko Yoshida. 

These two submission artists battled at SHOCKWAVE 2002 and the result was the controversial finish in

which Yoshida was victorious via gi choke, though Gracie protested that he did not tap and was not

unconscious.  This rematch continues the epic rivalry between Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Japanese Judo, which

began over 50 years ago when Helio Gracie fought Masahiko Kimura in a match to prove who had the

superior fighting style. 

SHOCKWAVE 2003 Fight Card:

Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Royce Gracie

Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge vs. Don “The Predator” Frye

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa

Yuki Kondo vs. Mario “The Zen Master” Sperry

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Daiju Takase

Wataru Sakata vs. Ryan Gracie

(Fight Card Subject to Change)

More matches to be announced soon!

Though SHOCKWAVE 2003 will not be available in North America via pay per view, travel packages are

available on pridefc.com and a DVD of the event will follow in the first quarter of 2004.

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

- From Dream Stage Entertainment (with a little editing from us - color, highlights, etc...)

(12/23/03)