The purchase of PrideFC in 2007

[HHJ]

In October it will be 14 years since Pride was purchased and then killed off.

Those of us who were around when PRIDEFC was the clear #1 and UFC #2:

What were your feelings about the purchase of PRIDEFC?

Many were happy to have all the fighters under one roof. Tuf Gnubs rejoiced that some shit they didnt watch was going to close,so they didnt have to look stupid not knowing what was going on. Some thought it deserved to die for not testing for PEDS,or just being too japanese,and all that entails.

On the other side you had fans absolutley aghast (myself included) that this could happen. Their favorite promotion that everyone still wanted to watch snuffed out.

Now there was talk of keeping it running under the Zuffa banner,but obviously Japan was hostile to that idea,and would rather form DREAM than help Zuffa,and the whole thing was RIP dead in the water for good.

If you werent there,how did you feel about PRIDEFC when you first watch it,and what was your impression,of it's history and eventual demise?

 

[rear naked ankle pick]

typical ameriCANS, they buy stuff then they destroy it

 

[HHJ]

typical ameriCANS, they buy stuff then they destroy it

I honesly do believe they tried (because of the potential profit) but the japanese did not want to work with them. They didnt want to trade Yakuza for the Italians lol

Either way the PRIDE we knew would havve been forever changed.

 

[Karl_Hungus]

I was so psyched for this, along with the rest of Sherdog. Little did we know this was all just a pretext for Dana and the Frittata brothers to kill Pride. It really was a magical few months, though. I can't believe it's been this long now. I feel old.

 

[HHJ]

I was so psyched for this, along with the rest of Sherdog. Little did we know this was all just a pretext for Dana and the Frittata brothers to kill Pride. It really was a magical few months, though. I can't believe it's been this long now. I feel old.

I think opinions were QUITE divided at the time,depending on how long you were a fan of PRIDEFC

 

[aichokyu]

In October it will be 14 years since Pride was purchased and then killed off.

Those of us who were around when PRIDEFC was the clear #1 and UFC #2:

What were your feelings about the purchase of PRIDEFC?

Many were happy to have all the fighters under one roof. Tuf Gnubs rejoiced that some shit they didnt watch was going to close,so they didnt have to look stupid not knowing what was going on. Some thought it deserved to die for not testing for PEDS,or just being too japanese,and all that entails.

On the other side you had fans absolutley aghast (myself included) that this could happen. Their favorite promotion that everyone still wanted to watch snuffed out.

Now obviously there was talk of keeping it running under the Zuffa banner,but obviously Japan was hostile to that idea,and would rather form DREAM than help Zuffa,and the whole thing was RIP dead in the water for good.

If you werent there,how did you feel about PRIDEFC when you first watch it,and what was your impression,of it's history and eventual demise?

Pride was the best MMA promotion I've ever seen

 

[DoctorsStoppage]

Pride went down, then sold UFC the fighters contracts for 60 mil. It was a rip off really, cause once Pride went down, the fighters had no other option but to join UFC.
UFC could have had the Pride fighters for 0 pennies.
Pride owners are smart, earned 60 mil baby, for just a few tapes

 

[Karl_Hungus]

I think opinions were QUITE divided at the time,depending on how long you were a fan of PRIDEFC

Sure, some Pride die hards were rankled, but (and maybe my memory is fuzzy) it seemed like everyone was stoked for all the possibilities for matches of favorite stars, finally.

 

[HHJ]

Even the two cards in the US were fuckin AWESOME

 

[metal7555]

First, nice kick in the balls about making me feel old.

I think more than anything it showed "holy shit, PRIDE is legit" to the American audience, because why the fuck else would you buy it out to own it? It's kind of an admission it was a direct threat -- which many new fans/ revisionists don't understand....

It's garbage = BUY IT OUT!!! Makes no sense.... 1997 to 2006ish, before TUF and the Bonnar Griffin, it was the place to be. Once TUF hit, it was kinda game over. I think they lost their TV deal anyways, so MMA shifted completely over to UFC and American promotions.

 

[HHJ]

Pride went down, then sold UFC the fighters contracts for 60 mil. It was a rip off really, cause once Pride went down, the fighters had no other option but to join UFC.
UFC could have had the Pride fighters for 0 pennies.
Pride owners are smart, earned 60 mil baby, for just a few tapes

I remember some fighters like Kharitonov and Joachim Hansen adamant about not going there.

 

[moreorless87]

I honesly do believe they tried (because of the potential profit) but the japanese did not want to work with them. They didnt want to trade Yakuza for the Italians lol

Either way the PRIDE we knew would havve been forever changed.

I'v always had a feeling that the whole Yakuza story might have been a fued between FEG and DSE, seems a little coindicential that it blew up very shortly after Pride beat K-1 Dynamite in the NYE ratings for the first time(the Yoshida/Ogawa match). It was one publication that really ran with the story constantly so I'm wondering if FEG might not have been behind that? potentially paying them or paying that Croat dodgy agent who was largely the source of it. The idea might have been to force DSE to sell Pride to FEG were it could be rebranded, I mean we essentially saw that happen with Dream a bit latter as soon as the co compete clause of the UFC buyout was over.

Supposidly a big factor as well though was politics within Fuji TV, really Pride was as much them as it was DSE running it and I seem to remeber stories of there being changes at the top of the company and new execs wanting to spend money on different areas.

 

[DoctorsStoppage]

I remember some fighters like Kharitonov and Joachim Hansen adamant about not going there.

I don't recall what Sergei's problem was back at the day, or why he didn't go to da ufc, probably ufc was too cheap back then, if they paid GSP 9k, maybe they offered Sergei even less. Alex couldn't get the entry because Hep B/C.

 

[HHJ]

 

[HHJ]

I don't recall what Sergei's problem was back at the day, or why he didn't go to da ufc. Alex couldn't get the entry because Hep B/C.

I think it was because he wanted to be able to kickbox also. UFC wouldnt let him. Similar to Fedor and Sambo.

Aleks never was gonna go even if he could,probably. He was trying to fight for Affliction at the time he lost his liscense to fight anywhere other than E. Europe.

 

[Kenny Powerth]

I thought Rizin would eventually take its place, not as big as the UFC but a major organization worldwide, not just Japan.

They are big but kind of plateauing imo

 

[HHJ]

I thought Rizin would eventually take its place, not as big as the UFC but a major organization worldwide, not just Japan.

They are big but kind of plateauing imo

They got even less talent than DREAM had.

 

[DoctorsStoppage]

I think it was because he wanted to be able to kickbox also. UFC wouldnt let him. Similar to Fedor and Sambo.

Aleks never was gonna go even if he could,probably. He was trying to fight for Affliction at the time he lost his liscense to fight anywhere other than E. Europe.

Alex and Serghei are two most promising HWs that were never champs (wasted talents). Their boxing skills, hand speed, height and weight, chins are excellent for the HW division. They lacked discipline, tdd, grappling and cardio. The word is Sergei hasn't been training seriously/at all for more than a decade, still wins fights.

 

[HHJ]

Alex and Serghei are two most promising HWs that were never champs (wasted talents). Their boxing skills, hand speed, height and weight, chins are excellent for the HW division. They lacked discipline, tdd, grappling and cardio. The word is Sergei hasn't been training seriously/at all for more than a decade, still wins fights.

Yeah,he's just one of those guys that can do that,but if you watched him in 2004 - 2006,he seemed like an eventual challenge for Fedor's crown,instead of just a dangerous journeyman.

 

[DoctorsStoppage]

Yeah,he's just one of those guys that can do that,but if you watched him in 2004 - 2006,he seemed like an eventual challenge for Fedor's crown,instead of just a dangerous journeyman.

Sergei was scary back in the day. Alex pummeled him with knees to the head, rearranging his face and he opposed the stoppage.
His boxing is still very efficient, I'd say he had the best pure boxing in the sport.