CRO COP VS BARNETT, KHARITONOV VS WERDUM ANNOUNCED FOR PRIDE FIGHTING’S FULLY LOADED

The first is a long-awaited rematch between Croatian Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic and American Josh "The Babyface Assassin" Barnett. The two originally fought back on October 31, 2004 at HIGH OCTANE with Cro Cop taking the win via submission in only 46 seconds. However, the submission came after Barnett sustained a major shoulder injury. Now healthy again, Barnett looks for revenge, while Cro Cop looks to re-establish himself in the heavyweight rankings.

The second bout pits Cro Cop’s teammate, Fabricio Werdum, against rising heavyweight contender Sergei Kharitonov. Undefeated thus far in his mixed martial arts career, Werdum has garnered wins against Roman Zentsov and Tom "Big Cat" Erickson. His opponent, Sergei Kharitonov has been nothing short of impressive in his PRIDE career including destructive victories over Pedro "The Rock" Rizzo and Murilo "Ninja" Rua. In addition, Kharitonov advanced to the semi-finals of the 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, losing only to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a tough decision. Kharitonov now looks to establish himself as the top contender to Fedor Emelianenko’s heavyweight title.

Previously announced matches include the return of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as he takes on Japanese fighter Hirotaka Yokoi and a match up of judo legend against judo legend as Japan’s Makoto Takimoto (Olympic gold medallist) takes on Korea’s Yoon Dong Sik under mixed martial arts rules.

Lee Murray

UFC veteran and British MMA star Lee Murray remains in critical condition after suffering multiple stab wounds following a disturbance late Wednesday night outside a London nightclub. The Metropolitan Police, who are not allowed to name victims, have issued the following statement: