[mma] anybody miss pridefc?

[partlycloudy]

it's been awhile since the buyout and now it looks like it might be done for.


The misty veil surrounding the future of PRIDE Fighting Championships was lifted Saturday during a post-fight press conference for UFC 74 “Respect” in Las Vegas, Nev.

An under-the-weather UFC president Dana White hoarsely announced that his Las Vegas-based company has been unable to secure a television deal for the once-great promotion, revered for its riveting production value and sometimes stellar cards, since it was purchased by Zuffa LLC five months ago.

The sober news foreshadowed a realization many hardcore PRIDE fans have suspected – that the promotion will likely not return any time soon or ever to the mixed martial arts market.

“I’ve pulled everything out of the trick box that I can and I can’t get a TV deal over there with PRIDE. I don’t think they want us there,” said White. “I don’t think they want me there.”

Since its March 28 purchase for an undisclosed figure, White said PRIDE’s Japanese offices had been kept open and staffed to work through a host of problems he says plagued the group. White did not clarify if the offices have now been closed, though he said numerous PRIDE contracted fighters have been added to the UFC ranks in recent months because progress had not been achieved.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Wanderlei Silva are two recent PRIDE stars to enter the UFC light heavyweight ranks.

“PRIDE is a very powerful brand, and we want to keep it alive, but I’ll tell you what, the brand is very tainted, not only over there but over here,” said White.

White intonated efforts to bring the PRIDE event to the U.S. wouldn’t make good business sense. “The problem is PRIDE was never a big company in the United States, and I'm not going to drop another $44 million to try and straighten it out,” he said.

Owned previously by the Japanese-based Dream Stage Entertainment, PRIDE lost a lucrative prime time slot on Fuji TV in the summer of 2006 amidst claims the promotion had ties to the Yakuza organized crime circuit. Long thought a cornerstone of the promotion’s success and world-breaking live gates of 50,000 spectators or more, the loss of television exposure proved a catalyst for the promotion’s eventual demise.


http://www.thefightnetwork.com/news_detail.php?nid=4671

[Gouki]

I thought that pride had better fighters but now that both UFC and Pride are combined we should see who are "truly" the best MMA fighters in the world, Dana White seems like he really is trying everything in his power to bring the sport mainstream and I hope he succeeds

the Jackson vs Henderson fight should be a good one

[Reddman]

Yeah i do miss it. It was an all together unique promotion in many ways than the UFC. Zuffa and Dana White have also snatched up promotions like WEC and rebuild it as a farm team and to focus on the lighter weight classes. Yet with the WFA they basically raided it for talent much like the game plan for the Pride deal. I don't think they ever had any intentions to rebuild the promotion. Great for the fights we are now seeing and about to see but i still would have like Pride has a separate entity.