Pride FC 20: A Look Back at the Iconic Main Event and More
Pride 20: Armed and Ready took place on April 28, 2002, at Yokohama Arena in Japan. Wanderlei Silva and Mirko Cro Cop fought to a draw after the five-round time limit in the main event. Murilo Rua defeated Mario Sperry by unanimous decision, and Ricardo Arona defeated Dan Henderson by split decision.
PRIDE 20: the Silva–Cro Cop draw
The headline contest is recorded as a time-limit draw after five three-minute rounds. That result is distinct from a judges’ decision: the event record does not award either Silva or Cro Cop a victory.
Supporting card results
Sanae Kikuta defeated Alexander Otsuka by unanimous decision over three rounds. Murilo “Ninja” Rua also completed three rounds before receiving the unanimous verdict against Sperry. Arona’s contest with Henderson went the distance as well, but its split result reflected disagreement among the judges.
Antonio Rogério Nogueira supplied the quickest finish, submitting Yusuke Imamura with a guillotine choke after 35 seconds of round one. Quinton Jackson stopped Masaaki Satake with a slam at 7:07, while Bob Sapp knocked out Yoshihisa Yamamoto with punches at 2:44.
The seven-bout card therefore included three finishes, three decisions and the main-event draw. All of the finishes occurred in the first round. Two of the decisions were unanimous, with Arona against Henderson providing the lone split verdict.
Those results give the event a clear structure beyond its headline matchup. The early stoppages contrast with three completed supporting fights and a main event that ended without a winner, preserving the different outcomes across the full card.
Selected Bout Results
- Wanderlei Silva vs. Mirko Filipovic: Draw (Time Limit); round 5, 3:00.
- Sanae Kikuta defeated Alexander Otsuka by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
- Murilo Rua defeated Mario Sperry by Decision (Unanimous); round 3, 5:00.
- Ricardo Arona defeated Dan Henderson by Decision (Split); round 3, 5:00.
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeated Yusuke Imamura by Submission (Guillotine Choke); round 1, 0:35.
- Quinton Jackson defeated Masaaki Satake by TKO (Slam); round 1, 7:07.
- Bob Sapp defeated Yoshihisa Yamamoto by KO (Punches); round 1, 2:44.
Sources
Article Tags
Pride FC 20, Pride FC, Mixed Martial Arts, Event Results
