This Day in MMA History: Oct. 23 (Pride 30)

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On Oct. 23, 2005, Pride Fighting Championships was in Osaka for Pride 30.

In the main event, Mirko Filipovic took on Josh Barnett in a bout that served as a continuation of their original match-up at Pride 28 where Barnett suffered a freak shoulder injury less than a minute into the match. On this night, “Cro Cop” earned a proper victory over Barnett with a unanimous decision.

Additionally, Pride 30 featured the return to the promotion of Ken Shamrock, who suffered a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of Kazushi Sakuraba. Sergei Kharitonov also edged out a split decision over Fabricio Werdum, Quinton Jackson TKOd Hirotaka Yokoi, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua submitted Murad Chunkaiev.

Continued Reading » Original Recap: Competitive Bouts, Early Stoppages Mark Pride 30