Pride FC: Here Today, Gone In May
Posted by RB, 24 Apr 2007
The past few months have been some of the most eventful in MMA history -- with Pride FC's sale to Lorenzo Fertitta overshadowing the wave of recent upsets as something that will play no small part in reshaping the sport's future.
Despite some initial assurances that Pride's tradition would be preserved -- in terms of its cultural influence, production, and generally unique way of presenting the sport -- , the signs so far indicate that Dana White and the UFC will be taking a big hand in the details, big and small, of how Pride is continued. Which means the product losing much of its distinctiveness.
Last week, Dana White dropped hints of some changes coming Pride's way at a pre-UFC 70 teleconference. The fact alone that Dana was the one talking about these changes to the press shows just how 'separate' the two companies will be run (regardless of what was promised when the purchase was announced).
Among the changes mentioned: the super heavyweight division announced earlier this year is to be scrapped, and the mismatches & weight discrepancies Pride has been known for at times are to become a thing of the past. As apparently is Frank Trigg as a ringside commentator, on a side note.
Many fans will like these changes -- although the promise to end 'freak fights' must leave many bemused in Japan -- , but it is a different case with the more drastic changes previously announced bringing Pride rules in line with the UFC. These changes are unwelcome among some fans, as they eliminate parts of Pride that were key to its identity: stomps & soccer kicks, knees on the ground, extra clothing options such as Yoshida's gi or Aoki's latex pants, and the opening ten minute round. All gone.
Some may just breathe a sigh of relief at not having to witness Aoki's skin tight, rainbow adorned pants in the ring again. Others still may focus on positives such as the introduction of drug testing to Pride's Japanese events. Those of us more susceptible to nostalgia, however, will be mourning the passing of 'vale tudo' style MMA in the big promotions -- for it is unlikely to return again on as grand a stage as Pride has given it for the last decade.
Two among the many outspoken fighters against Pride's sale include Don Frye & Josh Barnett. Frye, in his inimitable style, compared the change of ownership to being married to the most beautiful woman in the world then getting drunk and waking up with her fat ugly sister. Barnett views the Pride he has come to love as dead, expecting future events to amount to little more than 'UFC in a ring'.
With few exceptions, in fact, fighters have been outspoken against the change of ownership. For many fighters the combination of the two largest MMA promotions equals the elimination of competition, and thus the elimination of serious bargaining power. A fighter doesn't need to have a personal attachment to the Pride organisation to understand this is a bad thing for them.
Another concern is that if the UFC is now to assume top dog status over Pride when it comes to fighter selections, Pride may be stripped of its talent and effectively run as a B-level promotion. The UFC may simply take talent from Pride as it needs them -- leaving Pride with whatever is left. One need only look at Pride's quickly diminishing heavyweight division, where three of its previous top five under 265 pound heavyweights have already been brought to the UFC (Cro Cop, Nogueira, and Werdum).
At the moment it seems probable that Pride's talent level will take a steady nosedive over the months and years following the Fertitta's purchase.
But deals this big don't only bring rain. Despite the above reservations, good things are certain to come from the meeting of the two organisations, and the straightforward pooling of resources this allows. Cross-promotional mega cards are probably just months away at this point, and the top two fighters in a given division will now be able to meet (for as long as the UFC-led conglomerate can keep hold of them).
And as sad as it is to say goodbye to a rule set many felt better represented and were better suited for the sport, unified rules and weight divisions will be a crucial step towards further establishing the sport's legitimacy.
Long time Pride fans are unlikely to welcome news of its sale with open arms and a loving warm embrace, but in the long run we may come to see it as a necessary step in the sport's ongoing explosion towards mainstream recognition.
