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3. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko Filipovic
Pride “Final Conflict 2003”
Nov. 9, 2003 | Tokyo

Considering the resumes they built in Pride, it is amazing to think Nogueira and Filipovic met only once. “Minotauro” had recently surrendered his heavyweight title to Fedor Emelianenko and had set out on a quest to reclaim it. “Cro Cop” was in the way, and two of Pride’s top three heavyweights squared off to see who might challenge Emelianenko next.

Filipovic was brilliant early on, as he crushed the Brazilian’s body with thudding kicks and jarred his head with lefts and rights. Nogueira stayed in the fight, though the Croatian seemed well on his way to picking him apart. Filipovic’s dominance continued until the end of the first round, but by the time the opening 10 minutes had concluded, “Cro Cop” was breathing heavily and the tide had subtly turned in Nogueira’s favor. Early in round two, “Minotauro” executed a takedown on the fatigued Filipovic, rolled into a textbook armbar and forced the tapout, securing yet another superb come-from-behind submission victory.

Number 2 » Sakuraba vs. Gracie