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Three More Matches Announced

December 31, 2004

Saitama Super Arena

Saitama, Japan

PRIDE has announced three more matches for their December 31st card. First up, PRIDE middleweight

champion Wanderlei Silva will face Kazushi Sakuraba for the fourth time - Saku will be looking for his first

victory against Silva. Saku had stated that besides Silva, he would have liked to have fought Kiyoshi

Tamura on the December 31st card and PRIDE announced, according to Sportsnavi, that it has not given up

on trying to pair Saku and Tamura and hopes to be able to sign the match for the opening round of their

middleweight Grand Prix in April of 2005. Next, PRIDE Bushido stand-out Takanori Gomi will be taking on

former UFC champion Jens Pulver. And King of Pancrase light heavyweight champion Yuki Kondo will be

going up against Team Quest's Dan Henderson.

The card already features 2000 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling Gold medalist Rulon Garner's MMA debut

against fellow Olympic gold medalist (Judo) Hidehiko Yoshida.  And Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and

Fedor Emelianenko will battle once more to conclude the heavyweight Grand Prix tournament that was

postponed from August 15th when the original final was ruled a no-contest due a head butt that caused a

deep cut on Fedor.

Line-up (not in fight order):

Fight 1 - Heavyweight Grand Prix Final

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko 

Fight 2 - Heavyweight Bout (Olympic Gold Medalist collide)

Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

Fight 3 - Middleweight Bout (non title) - added

Wanderlei Silva vs.  Kazushi Sakuraba

Fight 4 - (weight undecided) - added

Takanori Gomi vs. Jens Pulver

Fight 5 - Middleweight Bout - added

Yuki Kondo vs. Dan Henderson

Also expected to participate:

Mark Hunt, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Sentoryu and Giant Silva

Card subject to change

(11/30/04)