KURTANIDZE Pride vapaaottelussa

Kiinnostuneille selostusta ennakkotunnelmista ym:

"Fujita vs. Bronze Medallist:

A former national wrestling champion turned pro-wrestler / MMA fighter Kazuyuki Fujita is taking oanother on a freestyle wrestler from the country of Gerogia. His name is Eladari Kurtanidze. He is a bronze medal winner of both the Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games. He also conquered the European Championship six times and the World Championship twice. He stands at five feet eight, weighs around at 233 lbs. He is 34-year old, making his MMA debut. Taritaze sent a comment via DSE office, 'I am very happy to be able to compete in PRIDE, a big stage in the MMA world. Georgia is a country full of talented wrestlers and now MMA is beginning to become very popular. More fighters would come out of this country in the future. So please have a high expectation for fighters from Georgia. I heard Mr. Fujita is a very strong fighter. However, unfortunately, he will have to be my stepping stone. I would like to show the Japanese fans that there is a wilder beast out there in the world. For the honor of Georgia, I will, for sure, win this fight.' The last time Fujita fought on New Year's Eve, it was in the 2004 Dynamite!! and he KO'd an Olympic gold medallist Karim Ibrahim from Egypt. This will be his first PRIDE appearance since his KO loss to Wanderlei Silva in the PRIDE GP this summer."

Lopputuloksena oli Eldari Kurtanidzelle valitettavasti tappio TKO tuomiolla (striking)