Two years after, Ogawa took part in the PRIDE Grand Prix tournament as a representative of his home pro wrestling promotion HUSTLE. His first opponent was K-1 veteran and MMA debutant Stefan Leko, whom Naoya shockingly knocked down with a punch before submitting him to an arm triangle choke. Ogawa's next match was against fellow HUSTLE wrestler Giant Silva, who outweighed him by 130 pounds, but the judoka took him down and rained ground and pound for the referee stoppage. His last match in the tournament, a matchup decided by fan voting, was against then PRIDE World Heavyweight Champion and eventual tournament winner Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor overpowered Ogawa and submitted him by armbar in just 54 seconds, giving him his first MMA loss.