So word is out and UFC is buying PRIDE, I think this will be good in that the big matches will hopefully happen. Overall though I think it’s a bad thing because UFC is starting to look alot like a monopoly in the MMA world. Plus the rule changes will suck and the fact that PRIDES PPV production was out of this world compared to UFC.
If the deal goes through I would not be shocked if UFC sets it sights on IFL, which is decent and on free TV! So only time will tell.
The UFC didn’t buy Pride. The Fertitta brothers bought Pride. The Fertitta bros also own the UFC. Pride will be run separately from the UFC. Having both orgs under one owner will allow for the match-ups people want to see. Right now it seems they will do a once a year champ vs. champ show.
[quote]otoko wrote:
The UFC didn’t buy Pride. The Fertitta brothers bought Pride. The Fertitta bros also own the UFC. Pride will be run separately from the UFC. Having both orgs under one owner will allow for the match-ups people want to see. Right now it seems they will do a once a year champ vs. champ show.
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I could handle it being like that. I think it will only improve the sport on a global scale.
I love both Pride and the UFC and would be sad to see one of them turn into the other. They both have their positive aspects and negative.
UFC and Pride are unifying rules thought, that means no more stomps or soccer kicks. Worst of all knee’s from the ground will be illegal till the NSAC changes their tune.
No more freak show fights either, which is good for the sports legitimacy, I wouldn’t mind seeing an end to the 300lb v 185lb fights. ALthough that too mean guy like mark hunt are gonna have to hit the treadmill a little harder to even be able to fight at super heavy…adios giant silva, and butterbean
[quote]NoseGuard66 wrote:
UFC and Pride are unifying rules thought, that means no more stomps or soccer kicks. Worst of all knee’s from the ground will be illegal till the NSAC changes their tune.
No more freak show fights either, which is good for the sports legitimacy, I wouldn’t mind seeing an end to the 300lb v 185lb fights. ALthough that too mean guy like mark hunt are gonna have to hit the treadmill a little harder to even be able to fight at super heavy…adios giant silva, and butterbean[/quote]
SHW is over 265 lbs, and though the UFC will not have that division (Dana hates it) Pride will still have SHW fights. It’s what the Japanese want and the Fertitas won’t fuck with it too much. Hunt needs to get on a treadmill though because there are a lot of good fights for him in the UFC.
[quote]otoko wrote:
The UFC didn’t buy Pride. The Fertitta brothers bought Pride. The Fertitta bros also own the UFC. Pride will be run separately from the UFC. Having both orgs under one owner will allow for the match-ups people want to see. Right now it seems they will do a once a year champ vs. champ show.[/quote]
Hopefully they will stick to this plan, because it’s what’s best for the sport. I think if the Fertitta’s had tried to just dissolve PRIDE and bring the fighters over under the UFC banner it wouldn’t have worked as well.
The big thing is getting PRIDE a television deal in Japan and then, hopefully, coming up with a new show for the US market.
[quote]Djwlfpack wrote:
otoko wrote:
The UFC didn’t buy Pride. The Fertitta brothers bought Pride. The Fertitta bros also own the UFC. Pride will be run separately from the UFC. Having both orgs under one owner will allow for the match-ups people want to see. Right now it seems they will do a once a year champ vs. champ show.
Hopefully they will stick to this plan, because it’s what’s best for the sport. I think if the Fertitta’s had tried to just dissolve PRIDE and bring the fighters over under the UFC banner it wouldn’t have worked as well.
The big thing is getting PRIDE a television deal in Japan and then, hopefully, coming up with a new show for the US market.[/quote]
Supposedly the new CEO of Pride will be an executive from the FujiTV company, and Pride is expected to be back on Japan’s biggest broadcaster in June. The Fertittas get shit done.
Ive always thought that one big league would be better in any combat sport like mma or boxing. Think about it. We have the NBA, NFL, MLB, PGA, and all other major sports leagues, but why is there 10 or so major boxing federations, and however many MMA cagefighting organizations? One big league in boxing and mma would make them much more organized.
[quote]titopuente wrote:
Ive always thought that one big league would be better in any combat sport like mma or boxing. Think about it. We have the NBA, NFL, MLB, PGA, and all other major sports leagues, but why is there 10 or so major boxing federations, and however many MMA cagefighting organizations? One big league in boxing and mma would make them much more organized.[/quote]
You make a good point with the boxing. I can’t keep track of who has which title and so on.
I just liked Pride because it wasn’t from the US. I’m a huge UFC fan but I like the fact that there is a major competition outside the US.
[quote]Man O’ War wrote:
I just liked Pride because it wasn’t from the US. I’m a huge UFC fan but I like the fact that there is a major competition outside the US. [/quote]
Once again I ask, how was it competition? When did either league so much as make a scratch in the other’s market share? Other than Chuck and Ricco fighting in some grand prix’s several years ago the two organizations have existed in their own separate bubbles. Too many fights should have happened but didn’t because of their isolation, now that has changed and all for the better.
[quote]titopuente wrote:
Ive always thought that one big league would be better in any combat sport like mma or boxing. Think about it. We have the NBA, NFL, MLB, PGA, and all other major sports leagues, but why is there 10 or so major boxing federations, and however many MMA cagefighting organizations? One big league in boxing and mma would make them much more organized.[/quote]
The NFL, MLB, NBA, PGA are all American sports leagues. They don’t run an international league with games around the planet. That is fine because those sports have a long tradition in North America, and can be said to be North American sports. Also leagues in other countries adopted the sports and do not do them at the level that exists in the states.
MMA isn’t distinctly American.
It also doesn’t have a longer history in the states than other countries. Also America doesn’t do mma at a higher level than any other country.
In Japan the word sougou-kakutougi has existed for a very long time. It would be translated today as MMA. Kakatougi means combat sports and would be placed under the Bujutsu(martial arts) category which has a long tradition.
There are alot of Japanese people who feel that Pride, Shooto represent Sougoukakutougi in Japan, and they can be considered to be a part of culture here. Dana White doesn’t understand this when he says that anything that doesn’t use unified rules is not mma. I think the Fertitta brothers understand the dynamics at work in Japan.
I personally don’t believe in unified rules. The unified rules and UFC rules have been decided by some state athletic commisions. Those ACs shouldn’t be able to decide the path of combat sports in Japan. Many of the people involved in those decisions have no experience with mma. Their arguments for and against certain rules where arbitrary, backed with no hard evidence.
I don’t see how one big league makes anything more organized.
Shooto is run very very well. One big leaugue makes match-ups possible. Being under the same umbrella does the same thing without taking away the distinct flavor of mma in each country. I think Pride has the superior rule set. They do not have the best judging system. The UFC’s system doesn’t seem optimal either. I think they can learn from each other.
[quote]otoko wrote:
… Dana White doesn’t understand this when he says that anything that doesn’t use unified rules is not mma. I think the Fertitta brothers understand the dynamics at work in Japan…
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I’m not really a big Dana fan, but I’ll give him credit where credit is due. He was likely the best man for the job in North America for the UFC. He understands the market and did a good job of growing the sport.
However, I agree with you otoko, he has tunnel vision and only sees MMA one dimensionally. I was disappointed to see Dana was given speaking time at the press conference. Hopefully the Fertitta brothers keep him away from Pride.
The only thing I think about this is I like the Pride rules better. I don’t want to see some guys stay on the floor for too long. In Pride they make them get up after a short time. I like that.
My ideal fights would be unified rules+knees on the ground in a ring. If they get knees legalized I’ll take a cage though. It’s painful to watch sloppy shots go unpunished. Knees are so important.
Here in the states they will not allow the fun stuff they can do in pride, i.e. head stumps, soccer kicks to the head, you get the idea.
The more I think about it the more I feel that dana white is the vince mchannon (spelling) of the US MMA world, you look at the way he acts and so fourth and I find it funny, I mean I can understande playing the angles to get more viewers for the UFC and so fourth.
BUT the way the UFC is buying up the rival organizations reminds of WWE buying up all its competitors, dumb analogy but food for thought.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
My ideal fights would be unified rules+knees on the ground in a ring. If they get knees legalized I’ll take a cage though. It’s painful to watch sloppy shots go unpunished. Knees are so important.[/quote]
Cages are good unless you’re at the event live…if you happened to catch ICON Sports last night and saw Jeremy Williams triangle a guy only to have him fall out of the ring you’d have some solid evidence for cage over ring.
[quote]slimjim wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
My ideal fights would be unified rules+knees on the ground in a ring. If they get knees legalized I’ll take a cage though. It’s painful to watch sloppy shots go unpunished. Knees are so important.
Cages are good unless you’re at the event live…if you happened to catch ICON Sports last night and saw Jeremy Williams triangle a guy only to have him fall out of the ring you’d have some solid evidence for cage over ring. [/quote]
I just watched it, and yeah that was bullshit. It even looked like Jones was tapping on his chest when Yuji broke it up. The resets really suck with the ring. I remember Heath Herring rolling out the ring to avoid Fedor’s GNP as well as an example of how the ring can suck.
[quote]Donut62 wrote:
I remember Heath Herring rolling out the ring to avoid Fedor’s GNP as well as an example of how the ring can suck.
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I just an IFL match a couple of weeks ago where a guy weaseled his way out of a gullitine but getting himself out of the ring.
Why do you prefer the ring? As a matter of sport and entertainment, I enjoy the “no way out” aspect of the cage.
[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:
Donut62 wrote:
I remember Heath Herring rolling out the ring to avoid Fedor’s GNP as well as an example of how the ring can suck.
I just an IFL match a couple of weeks ago where a guy weaseled his way out of a gullitine but getting himself out of the ring.
Why do you prefer the ring? As a matter of sport and entertainment, I enjoy the “no way out” aspect of the cage. [/quote]
I think it looks more professional. I was raised with the sport of boxing and will always have an affinity for the look of the ring. Watching a fight live with a cage sucks, you can hardly see anything and when you can you get a fat ass guy swooping down in front of you on his camera lift. I guess this is partly the reason the UFC has continued with the cage, they live off the PPV, while Pride FC which was built on huge live gates stuck with the ring.
Putting aside my personal preference, I think the cage is the better way to go. Rather than imitate boxing MMA should really stand out as it’s own and the cage helps in that regard.
Recently I have been thinking neither a ring or cage. How about something else? Like a pit? large open area which gently slopes(like 15-20 degrees)? It would be easier to see the action live. Nobody would fall out and wrestlers couldn’t just stuff people against the cage. NO ropes or cage to grab.
I guess since mma has always been in a ring or cage people will resist this idea.