PRIDE
« Previous EntriesA generation after PRIDE’s death, Japan remains the elusive golden goose of MMA
Tuesday, September 29th, 2020After the death of PRIDE and failure of UFC to capitalize on the MMA vacuum in Japan, is there any hope of rekindling the old magic on the island?
How do you write about the history of Japanese MMA and PRIDE? Now is your chance to help finance and promote this effort
Saturday, August 25th, 2018Irish MMA author Lee Daly tackled the incredibly large, unwieldy topic of the history of Japanese MMA. Not only did Lee do it right, he assumed a lot of risk in the process.
UFC had 10 years after PRIDE’s death to make Floyd Mayweather-level money in Japan and blew it
Monday, September 25th, 2017Just realized this is the 10th anniversary of the Oh Delicious! UFC-PRIDE manga pic.twitter.com/iUfeBnRRRy — smoogy (@smoogymma) September 23, 2017 There is no stronger cultural stereotype in Japan than that of a mercenary, invading foreigner taking over a business or institution that has no respect for core societal values. The collapse of PRIDE in 2007 […]
Fundraising begins for paralyzed Japanese MMA & professional wrestling legend Yoshihiro Takayama
Tuesday, September 5th, 2017Japanese MMA and professional wrestling legend icon Yoshihiro Takayama is paralyzed from the neck down after an in-ring accident in May.
Validation: “the truth” about PRIDE was really “the truth” as you (and UFC) suspected
Friday, April 15th, 2016Paul Gift at Bloody Elbow has opened a huge can of worms regarding what UFC discovered about both PRIDE & Nobuyuki Sakakibara during their “due diligence” investigation with Spectrum Gaming.
The chicken & the egg: UFC’s Japanese TV deal with WOWOW was never going to work
Wednesday, April 6th, 2016The marriage between Japanese pay TV channel WOWOW & UFC was destined to fail. A foreign company with few strong Japanese MMA stars was simply going to be too expensive a proposition.
A piece of MMA’s soul and history just died with Kevin Randleman’s passing
Thursday, February 11th, 2016One of MMA’s true pioneers, Kevin Randleman, has died. He was one of the true characters that made MMA so fun.
Rizin from the graveyard of golden oldies
Thursday, November 5th, 2015The old front man of PRIDE is back in front of the cameras, trying to launch an MMA revival in Japan. He has his work cut out for him in more than one way.
PRIDE never die: Fabricio Werdum becomes MMA royalty by submitting Fedor, Cain, and Nogueira
Saturday, June 13th, 2015In the time span of a decade, Fabricio Werdum has beaten the odds to become MMA royalty by becoming UFC Heavyweight champion. And in the process, he submitted Fedor, Cain, and Nogueira to become the king.
The fishing expedition that could scare potential business clients away from UFC
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014UFC was sued on Tuesday in San Jose (Northern District of California federal court) over alleged anti-trust violations. Even if the plaintiffs don’t win, they may be greasing the skids for future lawsuits against Zuffa.
Fight Opinion Radio: The Mastodon of Verbosity, Mauro Ranallo, on the future of big fights on PPV
Monday, March 17th, 2014We recently sat down with Showtime play-by-play man Mauro Ranallo to talk turkey about PRIDE’s past and about the future of combat sports on PPV. Plus: Should the UFC consider starting their own minor-league promotion?
The brutal truth: Can Japan become a major player again in the MMA scene?
Thursday, January 2nd, 2014Unless there are dramatic changes to the current business environment in which the Japanese combat sport scene is promoted around, no new major players will rise to the occasion.
In response to former manager, Mirko Cro Cop digs a deeper hole
Sunday, March 3rd, 2013The battle of words between Mirko Cro Cop and his former manager, Miro Mijatovic, is escalating.
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