“Rampage” Jackson. Wanderlei Silva. “Shogun” Rua. While PRIDE‘s heavyweight division was its crown jewel, its middleweight division (205 pounds, which then and now is the light-heavyweight division in the UFC and many other MMA promotions) were the best in the world. Many fans regard their careers highly to this day, but forgotten among them is Ricardo Arona.
Ricardo Arona – Pride Days
Despite being less of a household name among fans, Arona might have one of the group’s most impressive records. He had victories over Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistar Overeem, and Dan Henderson and snapped Wanderlei’s eighteen fight win streak at 205 pounds.