a mixed martial arts event held by the Pride Fighting Championships. This event was the first round of Pride's 2006 open-weight tournament. It took place at the Osaka Dome in Osaka, Japan on May 5, 2006. Seven tournament matches were held along with one alternate match. The seven winning participants advanced to the second round, Pride Critical Countdown Absolute. The winner of the alternate bout will take the place of any fighter who is unable to participate in subsequent matches. Wanderlei Silva, current Pride middleweight champion, will get a bye into the second round. Current Pride Heavyweight Champion and 2004 Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Fedor Emelianenko was originally set to enter the tournament with a first round bye, but a hand injury prevented him from participating.