SOKOUDJOU-NOG FOR PRIDE 33

By Aaron Crecy

Team Quest 205-pound fighter Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou recently signed a multi-fight contract with the PRIDE Fighting Championships. The 23-year-old newcomer is scheduled to make his debut at PRIDE 33 on February 24 in Las Vegas, where he will face Brazilian Top Team’s Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (12-2) in a middleweight (under 205 lbs.) match-up.

Sokoudjou, (2-1), moved to the United States from his native Cameroon six years ago to pursue his Olympic aspirations in Judo. He won the 2001 U.S. Open Judo Championship in the open weight division and earned a bronze medal in 2003.

Also in 2003, Sokoudjou defeated two-time World Champion and Olympic sliver medalist Shinichi Shinohara. Due to visa complications, he was unable to compete in the Olympic Trials and turned his focus to the sport of mixed martial arts. He trains with PRIDE welterweight champion Dan Henderson at the Team Quest MMA Fitness Center in Murrieta, Calif.

Source: The Fight Network