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2002 in Pride FC

Mixed martial arts events

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
8 min read
Source updated February 23, 2026

The year 2002 was the 6th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2002 had 10 events beginning with, Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 1.

01Title fights

Title fights in 2002
Weight class Method Round Time Event Notes
Middleweight Wanderlei Silva (c) def. Kiyoshi Tamura KO (Punch) 2 2:28 Pride 19: Bad Blood
Middleweight Wanderlei Silva (c) def. Hiromitsu Kanehara TKO (Corner Stoppage) 1 3:40 Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2

02Debut Pride FC fighters

The following fighters fought their first Pride FC fight in 2002:

  • Shinichiro Takamura
  • Sokun Koh
  • Steve White
  • Takahiro Oba
  • Takashi Sugiura
  • Tatsuya Iwasaki
  • Tim Catalfo
  • Togo Togo
  • Tomohiko Hashimoto
  • Xue Do Won
  • Yoshinori Kawakami
  • Yoshinori Sasaki
  • Yuji Hisamatsu
  • Yuki Sasaki
  • Yukiya Naito
  • Yuriy Kochkine
  • Yushin Okami
  • Yusuke Imamura
  • Yutaro Miyamoto

03Events list

# Event Japanese name Date held Venue City Attendance
30 Pride 24 - Cold Fury 3 , N/a December 23, 2002 Marine Messe Fukuoka Fukuoka, Japan , N/a
29 Pride 23 - Championship Chaos 2 , N/a November 24, 2002 Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan 52,228
28 Pride FC - The Best, Vol. 3 , N/a October 20, 2002 Differ Ariake Arena Tokyo, Japan , N/a
27 Pride 22 - Beasts from the East 2 , N/a September 29, 2002 Nagoya Rainbow Hall Nagoya, Japan , N/a
26 Pride FC - Shockwave Dynamite! August 28, 2002 Tokyo National Stadium Tokyo, Japan 91,107
25 Pride FC - The Best, Vol. 2 , N/a July 20, 2002 Differ Ariake Arena Tokyo, Japan , N/a
24 Pride 21 - Demolition , N/a June 23, 2002 Saitama Super Arena Saitama, Japan , N/a
23 Pride 20 - Armed and Ready , N/a April 28, 2002 Yokohama Arena Yokohama, Japan 18,926
22 Pride 19 - Bad Blood , N/a February 24, 2002 Saitama Super Arena Saitama, Japan , N/a
21 Pride FC - The Best, Vol. 1 , N/a February 22, 2002 Korakuen Hall Tokyo, Japan , N/a

04Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 1

Pride: The Best Vol. 1
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateFebruary 22, 2002
VenueKorakuen Hall
CityTokyo
Event chronology
Pride 18 Pride: The Best Vol. 1 Pride 19

Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 1 was an event held on February 22, 2002 at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Yusuke Imamura def. Joe Son TKO (Elbow Injury) 1 0:33
Sokun Koh def. Amir Rahnavardi KO (Punch) 2 1:19
Takayuki Okada def. Soichi Nishida TKO (Punches) 1 2:00
Daiju Takase def. Johil de Oliveira Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Jong Wang Kim def. Yoshinori Sasaki Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1 0:25
Eiji Mitsuoka def. Anthony Macias Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00

05Pride 19: Bad Blood

Pride 19
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateFebruary 24, 2002
VenueSaitama Super Arena
CitySaitama
Event chronology
Pride: The Best Vol. 1 Pride 19 Pride 20

Pride 19: Bad Blood was an event held on February 24, 2002 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Middleweight Wanderlei Silva (c) def. Kiyoshi Tamura KO (Punch) 2 2:28
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Enson Inoue Technical Submission (Triangle Choke) 1 6:17
Don Frye def. Ken Shamrock Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Heath Herring def. Igor Vovchanchyn Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Carlos Newton def. Jose Landi Submission (Armbar) 1 7:16
Rodrigo Gracie def. Daijiro Matsui Submission (Guillotine Choke) 3 0:28
Alex Stiebling def. Wallid Ismail Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Tom Erikson def. Tim Catalfo Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 1 2:35

06Pride 20: Armed and Ready

Pride 20
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateApril 28, 2002
VenueYokohama Arena
CityYokohama
Attendance18,926
Event chronology
Pride 19 Pride 20 Pride 21

Pride 20: Armed and Ready was an event held on April 28, 2002 at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Wanderlei Silva vs. Mirko Cro Cop Draw 5 3:00
Sanae Kikuta def. Alexander Otsuka Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Murilo Rua def. Mario Sperry Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Ricardo Arona def. Dan Henderson Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Antônio Rogério Nogueira def. Yusuke Imamura Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1 0:35
Quinton Jackson def. Masaaki Satake TKO (Slam) 1 7:07
Bob Sapp def. Yoshihisa Yamamoto TKO (Punches) 1 2:44

07Pride 21: Demolition

Pride 21
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateJune 23, 2002
VenueSaitama Super Arena
CitySaitama
Event chronology
Pride 20 Pride 21 Pride: The Best Vol. 2

Pride 21: Demolition was an event held on June 23, 2002 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. This event featured the PRIDE debut of MMA all-time greats Fedor Emelianenko and Anderson Silva.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Don Frye def. Yoshihiro Takayama TKO (Punches) 1 6:10
Fedor Emelianenko def. Semmy Schilt Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Daniel Gracie def. Takashi Sugiura Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Shungo Oyama def. Renzo Gracie Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Jeremy Horn def. Gilbert Yvel Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Anderson Silva def. Alex Stiebling TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 1 1:23
Gary Goodridge def. Achmed Labasanov Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Bob Sapp def. Kiyoshi Tamura TKO (Punches) 1 0:11

08Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 2

Pride: The Best, Vol. 2
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateJuly 20, 2002
VenueDiffer Ariake Arena
CityTokyo
Event chronology
Pride 21 Pride: The Best, Vol. 2 Pride Shockwave

Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 2 was an event held on July 20, 2002 at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Sokun Koh def. Bob Schrijber Decision (Split) 2 5:00
Antônio Schembri def. Daiju Takase Decision (Split) 2 5:00
Alistair Overeem def. Yusuke Imamura TKO (Knee and Punches) 1 0:44
Takayuki Okada def. Tomohiko Hashimoto KO (Punch) 1 2:10
John Alessio def. Eiji Mitsuoka TKO (Cut) 2 3:13
Fatih Kocamis def. Takahiro Oba Decision (Unanimous) 2 5:00
Daisuke Nakamura def. Shannon Ritch Submission (Armbar) 1 4:28
Jukei Nakajima def. Joe Son TKO (Shoulder Injury) 1 0:54
Yushin Okami def. Hidehisa Matsuda KO (Punches) 1 3:52
Yukiya Naito def. Ken Orihashi Decision (Split) 1 5:00

09Pride FC: Shockwave

Pride Shockwave
PromotionPride Fighting Championships, K-1
DateAugust 28, 2002
VenueTokyo National Stadium
CityTokyo
Attendance91,107
Event chronology
Pride : The Best, Vol. 2 Pride Shockwave Pride 22

Pride FC: Shockwave was an event held on August 28, 2002 at the Tokyo National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. The event was co-promoted by the PRIDE Fighting Championships and K-1

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Mirko Cro Cop def. Kazushi Sakuraba TKO (Eye Injury) 2 5:00
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Bob Sapp Submission (Armbar) 2 4:03
Gary Goodridge def. Lloyd Van Dams TKO (Punches) 1 3:39
Jerrel Venetiaan def. Daijiro Matsui Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Wanderlei Silva def. Tatsuya Iwasaki TKO (Head Kick and Punches) 1 1:16

10Pride 22: Beasts from the East 2

Pride 22
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateSeptember 29, 2002
VenueNagoya Rainbow Hall
CityNagoya
Event chronology
Pride Shockwave Pride 22 Pride: The Best, Vol. 3

Pride 22: Beasts from the East 2 was an event held on September 29, 2002 at the Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, Japan. It featured the Pride debut of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Ryan Gracie def. Shungo Oyama Technical Submission (Armbar) 1 1:37
Quinton Jackson def. Igor Vovchanchyn TKO (Injury) 1 7:17
Mario Sperry def. Andrei Kopylov TKO (Cut) 1 6:02
Heath Herring def. Yuriy Kochkine TKO (Knees) 1 7:31
Paulo Filho def. Akira Shoji Submission (Armbar) 1 2:48
Anderson Silva def. Alexander Otsuka Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Guy Mezger def. Yoshihisa Yamamoto Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Kevin Randleman def. Michiyoshi Ohara Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00

11Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 3

Pride: The Best, Vol. 3
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateOctober 20, 2002
VenueDiffer Ariake Arena
CityTokyo
Event chronology
Pride 22 Pride: The Best, Vol. 3 Pride 23

Pride FC: The Best, Vol. 3 was an event held on October 20, 2002 at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Daijiro Matsui def. Rory Singer Decision (Unanimous) 2 5:00
Yuji Hisamatsu def. Demetrius Gioulacos Decision (Unanimous) 2 5:00
Eiji Mitsuoka def. Scott Bills Decision (Unanimous) 2 5:00
Yushin Okami def. Steve White TKO (Submission to Punches) 2 3:25
Kestutis Smirnovas def. Takahiro Oba Submission (Armbar) 1 0:55
Yusuke Imamura def. Han Ten Yun Submission (Guillotine Choke) 1 2:15
Aji Susilo def. Xue Do Won Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) 2 0:42
Takayuki Okada def. Jong Wang Kim TKO (Broken Hand) 1 0:24
Kyosuke Sasaki def. Akira Nitagai Submission (Armbar) 1 4:35
Yutaro Miyamoto def. Yoshinori Kawakami Decision (Unanimous) 1 5:00
Shinichiro Takamura def. Togo Togo KO (Punches) 1 4:59

12Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2

Pride 23
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateNovember 24, 2002
VenueTokyo Dome
CityTokyo, Japan
Attendance52,228
Event chronology
Pride: The Best, Vol. 3 Pride 23 Pride 24

Pride 23: Championship Chaos 2 was an event held on November 24, 2002 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Kazushi Sakuraba def. Gilles Arsene Submission (Armbar) 3 2:08
Kiyoshi Tamura def. Nobuhiko Takada KO (Punch) 2 1:00
Hidehiko Yoshida def. Don Frye Technical Submission (Armbar) 1 5:32
Middleweight Wanderlei Silva (c) def. Hiromitsu Kanehara TKO (Corner Stoppage) 1 3:40
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Semmy Schilt Submission (Triangle Choke) 1 6:36
Fedor Emelianenko def. Heath Herring TKO (Doctor Stoppage) 1 10:00
Ricardo Arona def. Murilo Rua Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Kevin Randleman def. Kenichi Yamamoto TKO (Knees) 3 1:16
Hirotaka Yokoi def. Jerrel Venetiaan Submission (Armbar) 2 3:29

13Pride 24: Cold Fury 3

Pride 24
PromotionPride Fighting Championships
DateDecember 23, 2002
VenueMarine Messe Fukuoka
CityFukuoka
Event chronology
Pride 23 Pride 24 Pride 25

Pride 24: Cold Fury 3 was an event held on December 23, 2002 at the Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan.

Results

Main Card
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Dan Henderson Submission (Armbar) 3 1:49
Kevin Randleman def. Murilo Rua TKO (Cut) 3 0:20
Alistair Overeem def. Bazigit Atajev TKO (Knee to the Body) 2 4:59
Yoshihisa Yamamoto def. Alexander Otsuka TKO (Leg Injury) 2 5:00
Rodrigo Gracie def. Yuki Sasaki Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
Ron Waterman def. Valentijn Overeem Submission (Keylock) 1 2:18
Antônio Rogério Nogueira def. Guy Mezger Decision (Split) 3 5:00
Daijiro Matsui def. Kazuki Okubo Decision (Unanimous) 3 5:00
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “2002 in Pride FC”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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PRIDE Fighting Championships was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997.

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