411 MMA Smacktalk 07.02.07: You Can’t Take Our Pride
Posted by Damian Sarcuni on 07.02.2007
With no news to start the week, we take a look at the Pride/Zuffa situation.
Welcome to Smacktalk, the column usually filled with MMA news and rumors from around the net. I am Damian Sarcuni and with me as always is Jose Chavez.
With today being the slowest news day in the history of Smacktalk, Jose and I decided to take an in depth look at the only news item available. For the sake of tradition, here's that item printed out in nice italicized font:
Last week a rumor began circulating throughout Japanese media outlets stating that Pride FC would run a new show on August 18th at the Saitama Arena (marking the promotion's 10 year anniversary). Following this, Nobuhiko Takada announced that a Pride show would be held on October 11th, not on the 18th of August as originally reported (although Takada's pro-wrestling promotion HUSTLE will run a show on August 18th). Lastly, UFC president Dana White made an announcement which squashed both rumors, stating that Pride FC is not ready to begin running shows again.
Impressive, eh? Anyway, by "in depth look" Jose and I of course mean just giving our opinions on the situation, since this is one news story that seems to have been repeatedly popping up throughout our articles each week. Quoted opinions on the subject are probably the most mixed of all. There are those who are still upset that Zuffa Inc. have purchased Pride and have lost interest in the promotion altogether, those who are excited and feel the promotion will do great things once it is off the ground, and those who dislike Pride completely and simply want the UFC to take all of its top fighters. And while these three opinions battle for domination in various arguments and forums online, the reality is that no one knows anything about Pride's future and no one can predict just what will happen to it.
With all of that said, here are our personal opinions on the Pride FC fiasco, one of the most frustrating and ignorant milestones in the history of mixed martial arts.
Damian: I was introduced to MMA about three years ago, just before the big boom of mixed martial arts fanaticism hit the mainstream media. This was long before I was a writer here at 411, and long before Zuffa Inc. even had the resources to purchase any MMA org, much less Pride. The first match I watched was Fedor Emelianenko VS Mark Coleman (although Jose will try to tell you he showed me Jackson VS Sakuraba before that) and like any new fan I met the sport with a certain amount of confusion. I had watched plenty of pro wrestling and boxing up until that point, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out why one guy was submitting in a championship match simply because of a silly little hold like an armbar. I thought those things happened all the time, and I was pretty sure he could have broken out of it if he tried hard enough.
Fast forward a few months, and after watching Pride's Shockwave 2004 event, I had become completely convinced that the Japanese organization would be the one leading the charge to bring mixed martial arts into the mainstream. Sure, I had watched UFC and certainly enjoyed their product, but the rules they used didn't appeal to me and several of their match ups just didn't seem all that appealing, not when compared to the epic, dramatic tournaments that Pride was holding. I had become an MMA fan, but I was a Pride fanatic.
Going ahead even further, just a few short weeks after I began writing MMA articles for 411 in addition to my work in the games section, rumors began circulating that Pride was for sale and that the UFC was looking to buy. My mind went into a panic at that thought, as being a pro wrestling fan, I knew exactly what that meant. People can go on forever listing the differences between pro wrestling and MMA, and obviously those differences are clear and defined. But one thing about the two is strikingly similar: these are both capitalist run businesses, dominated by rich, powerful men. When these men conquer their competition, they lose the one principle of capitalism that has allowed them to reach the top in the first place: Competition.
Powerful business owners try the same trick every time. They need competition in order to thrive, so they compete against themselves. The WWE conquered WCW and recreated ECW. Toyota created Lexus and Scion. Hell, even Kraft foods couldn't handle having the cheesiest mac n' cheese available, they bought out Velveeta and now they own the creamiest too.
The point is simply this; no matter what big surprise the UFC is planning, no matter how many lawyers or contracts they put into place, no matter how much marketing they do, a conglomerate company simply cannot compete against itself. That is why the Zuffa can't get Pride off the ground. They may believe that being the only show in town gives them advantage, but the reality is that they will wind up breaking more deals than they could ever make. If Pride ever does see another event, it won't draw what Zuffa Inc. is expecting and will inevitably fail. The rumors that persist and haunt former Pride fans only serve to drive us crazy and add to our distaste for the eventual product Zuffa creates. People are so sick of hearing about Pride now, they'd rather it just died altogether and some other company (Bodogfight or another Japanese promotion) showed up to carry on the fight.
Will it happen? Who can say, but WWE has it's TNA competitor and every so often people buy Stoffer's instead of Kraft. Just like in fighting, success depends on creating a proper game plan within a given set of rules, and executing that game plan properly. For all their talk, Zuffa has thus far been unable to do it, and I personally doubt they will at all.
Jose: I had first seen PRIDE 10,which was one of their best cards. It got me interested to see more. Somehow I managed also to catch Pride Final Conflict 2003, which was even better. Some guy named Nogueira had triumphed through insurmountable punishment to somehow catch the deadly Mirko Filipovic in an armbar and sitting ringside was a quiet Russian man who was the champion of the organization. It made me think, "WOW if the guys in the ring could put on such a display of skill, what could this guy do…" The initial mystery behind this man was one of the key factors in getting me obsessed with all things Pride but also the RESPECT that it showed for fighting. It was treated not just like a sport but a spectacle. Pride shows were always like it was the last show on earth, some kind of intergalactic super event. I fell in love with this style, and my interest in MMA went into full throttle. I spent all the money I got on Pride DVDs and PPVs, and spent many hours scouring the Sherdog forum archives trying to find info on my favorite fighters. Following the 2004 HW tournament was one of the best and most exciting experiences I've ever had.
Seeing Pride come to an end was absolutely crushing for me It didn't really go out with a bang in its final card, although I would not call it a whimper either. There were many people enthusiastic about this Zuffa purchase because they thought they'd finally get to see these inter-promotional "dream match ups". I think they've lost sight of what's happened here .The once inexorable Pride machine has been brought to a halt, several key fighters are now in the UFC, and worst of all they are trying to sign The Pride World Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko to the UFC as well. I can't understand why so many think this is a positive thing. The Pride HW championship belt around Fedor's waist is the most important title in the world, because of the man holding it. He defeated Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for it, and has put down all world class challengers. What does it mean if he and other Pride champions come to the UFC now? A belt unification wouldn't mean anything if the other Promotion doesn't even exist anymore. Pride MW and WW champion Dan Henderson is supposed to be fighting UFC LHW champion, and former Pride star Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in the near future. What is to be done if Jackson wins? It seems like the very real legacy of Pride is being treated like its nothing right now, even if Pride is to return eventually. Things are off to a bad start already. Don't get me wrong I love the UFC and respect it, but Pride and the UFC were two different things, and that's what was so great about it: The competition, the diversity. It's interesting that we might get to see Fedor fight Randy Couture, but if completely devaluing Pride's history and legacy is the price, then it isn't worth it for me. I really don't know what Zuffa can do with the Pride brand, or if they will do anything at all. I just think the Pride I knew and loved is dead, and this is a sad thing for MMA fans whether they acknowledge it or not.
Thanks for reading our gripes and complaints about this long running story. Stay tuned to the 411mania MMA section for when more news does pop up, including our coverage of the upcoming Bodog Fight event on July 14th.
