木村政彦
Yoshida had his first appearance in Pride in a special grappling match against UFC pioneer Royce Gracie at PRIDE Shockwave. The rules of the match would feature limited striking to the body while standing and no judges decision, and would require both to use a gi. This ruleset had been proposed by Royce due to the 50th anniversary of the Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie fight, and as such the bout was touted as another "judo vs. Brazilian jiu-jitsu" contest. As Yoshida wasn't a ne-waza expert, he prepared his submission skills with close friend and fellow judoka Tsuyoshi Kohsaka. Odds were stacked against him in popular perception, and Mário Sperry predicted Royce would not have a problem with Yoshida on the ground.