Spike TV to Debut PRIDE Weekly Series
by Luke Thomas on Aug 12, 2009 4:24 PM EDT
in News
57 comments
A reader chastises me for not covering this sooner. Hardcore and casual fans (and those new to MMA looking to fill gaps in their knowledge as well as appreciate some of the sport's best and most meaningful action) rejoice:
One of the most popular MMA organizations in the world during its ten years of operation (1997-2007), PRIDE Fighting Championships, based in Japan, featured world class mixed martial arts artists in some of the most dramatic bouts in the early history of the sport. Spike TV will re-broadcast the best of these bouts in "The Best of Pride Fighting Championships," premiering Sunday, January 11, 2010 at 11pm ET/PT.
Hosted by Kenda Perez, the series features past and present UFC® champions among the legendary MMA combatants that includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Hidehiko Yoshida, Akihiro Gono and Takanori Gomi.
"As the destination for the best mixed martial arts on television, Spike TV is always looking for ways to give fight fans more of the incredible action and competition they crave," said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.
Pride held more than 60 mixed martial arts events during decade of operation including the largest live MMA event audience record of over 70,000 people in August 2002. In March 2007, Pride was purchased by the owners of The Ultimate Fighting Championship® brand.
A few names to notice there: Fedor Emelianenko, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Josh Barnett. Could they UFC actually be interested in not only promoting a competitor's top fighter but be willing to stick to historical accuracy? This, the same company that tried to erase Frank Shamrock from the record books?I guess we'll have to see how they handle treatment of the issue, although certainly with so many of PRIDE's top talent making the exodus to the UFC ranks the issue is less about how to handle the outliers than it is to magnify existing UFC stars.
One name missing? Perhaps the most important: Kazushi Sakuraba. Certainly trying to make the case for Sakuraba as being relevant to new fans of MMA is not an easy task, but is it any harder than doing so with other Japanese fighters who haven't fought in the UFC like Yoshida and Gomi (not to mention Sakuraba actually is a UFC veteran)? Yes, Gomi fought Diaz on American soil under the PRIDE banner, but that's a fight hardcores covet and casuals know nothing about.
Ultimately, though, you'll hear no complaints from me. More PRIDE is never a bad thing and it's about time these fights got some coverage beyond sitting on the shelves of your local Best Buy. A move like this can't be that beneficial to the UFC bottomline, so I'm inclined to believe this is the hardcore fan in White and Lorenzo shining through. Color me excited.
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Week 1: Wanderlei Silva head stomping 1
Week 2: Wanderlei Silva head stomping 2
Week 3: Wanderlei Silva head stomping 3
Week 4: Wanderlei Silva head stomping 4
Week 5: Wanderlei Silva head stomping 5
Keep firing Assholes!
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
by Ubernoober on Aug 12, 2009 4:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Week 6: Liddell punching Overeem, Jackson beating Liddell
Week 7: Shogun Rua highlight domination
Week 8: CroCop…
Week 9: Randleman headdropping Fedor, then cutting away without ever seeing who won… CGI Randleman win.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 12, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Im sure
you will see the clip of Fedor getting rocked by Fujita and slammed by Randleman over and over lol and besides that you wont see 1 other clip of him.
by xbuckeyex05 on Aug 12, 2009 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They should put it in the opening montage
by Shaun32887 on Aug 12, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
like the 100 Greatest Fights
where the only time you saw Tito was when he was getting his brains bashed in by Chuck, or his liver exploded by Machida.
by Grappo on Aug 12, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Easily his most entertaining fights.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Aug 12, 2009 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I am not sure the host they picked it going to work well with the show
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 4:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You don’t think sticking a Maxim model out there as the host was a good idea? I’m sure she’s a real expert on MMA history.
by who me on Aug 12, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It will be nostalgic, like watching Kerri Casem host the Ultimate Knockouts videos.
by Steve4192 on Aug 12, 2009 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think so besides she has no hips – too straight and narrow (hard on the eyes)
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Heh… guys don’t care. They love her.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 13, 2009 7:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sweetness!
Glad they’re getting some use out of buying the archive footage (aside from the crappy UFC Vault)
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Aug 12, 2009 4:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Nice. I missed out on a lot of PRIDE. Looking forward to the legendary MW Grand Prix 2003 fights.
'Ello G'vnor!
by IHateMMA on Aug 12, 2009 4:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Fox Sports Net already had the best of PRIDE fights show which they showed almost every day, hosted by Trigg and Glazier. Their deal ran out last year I believe, and FSN signed a deal with KOTC and Affliction to keep pumping their MMA. UFC was waiting for the deal to end with FSN.
With that being said, most of the fights have already been shown on FSN in the past, though, it will be great to add the exposure on Spike TV.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 4:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
what is FSN?
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
got it – I missed it in the first sentence
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 4:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
PRIDE FSN Announcement - 12/23/2005
A new episode of PRIDE FIGHTING’S FSN series will premiere this Monday, December 26 th at 9:00 pm local time. Hosted by Jay Glazer and Frank Trigg, “The PRIDE Fighting Championships” program looks back at some of the most exciting fights in PRIDE’S history. Included in this upcoming episode:
Hayato “Mach” Sakurai vs. Brady Fink
Takanori Gomi vs. Jens “Little Evil” Pulver
Dan Henderson vs. Murilo Bustamante
Ricardo Arona vs. Sergei Ignatov
Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge vs. Gilbert Yvel
Wanderlei Silva vs. Guy Mezger
Mirko Cro Cop vs. Heath Herring
These are the world’s elite mixed martial artists squaring off in the PRIDE ring exclusively on FSN!
http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/index.php?mainpage=news&news_id=497
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Most of the FSN Pride shows were edited beyond belief though.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
by Mike Fagan on Aug 12, 2009 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, entire rounds edited out. With the same filler clips. Dudes throwing their hands up in crowd, and Herschell Walker.
Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
by Leland Roling on Aug 12, 2009 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The question is if Spike will edit them as well, and if so, how much.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I saw more Hershell Walker watching Pride on FSN than I did following his career as a Cowboy.
by Cannon Jacques on Aug 12, 2009 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I saw a lot of the blonde chick giving thumbs up
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Aug 12, 2009 5:30 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
luke: i think some of your post is missing
paragraph after the quote seems to end abruptly. “less about how to handle the…”
maybe it’s just my browser or somethin’
by woooburn on Aug 12, 2009 4:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
finally UFC using why it bought PRIDE
for the footage, not to run shows
by RipeTide on Aug 12, 2009 4:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They wanted to put on shows, but couldn’t, so they resort to plan B.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll never buy it
it was a well known fact before Zuffa ever bought Pride that is was fishy with the money, had fixed fights (oh yeah that’s something Dana wants to have something to do with), and would never sell in the states.
Footage, copyrights, logos. The End.
by RipeTide on Aug 12, 2009 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no they wanted to run Pride in Japan still...
but Pride’s previous owners, and the Yakuza ruined the relationships with the TV stations, etc… at least I think that’s what happened.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
by Loot on Aug 12, 2009 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's what Dana said after the fact...
…but it always came off to me as “well we got what we wanted, not let’s see how far we can take it”.
by RipeTide on Aug 12, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You know there is a lawsuit between Zuffa and DSE still trying to sort that mess right? Zuffa wanted to keep running PRIDE in Japan.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yep, they thought they were buying a prepackaged brand ready to run in Japan but they got taken to the cleaners by DSE. Zuffa has been itching to get a piece of that market for years now but Japan is a real hard nut to crack.
by who me on Aug 12, 2009 6:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They’ll put Saku in there… they have to.
by VegasBatman on Aug 12, 2009 5:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They will show saku get demolished by wandy
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Aug 12, 2009 5:29 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
No mention of Rampage either
Sakuraba/Jackson is one of my favorite fights, hope they show it.
by Shaun32887 on Aug 12, 2009 5:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
No Fedor… No Barnett (unless he’s getting his ass kicked) and that goes for pretty much anybody else currently active but not in the UFC.
Personally I am not a fan of this from a business perspective because you’re conditioning fans to enjoy a different kind of MMA when so much has been spent on conditioning them to only enjoy UFC MMA.
Right now if you take a UFC fan and sit them in front of a pride, affliction or strikeforce show they are not comfortable for the most part which is the ideal scenario… it’s not what they’re used to.
It’s like the guys who’ve had one pussy all their lives – they never cheat. As soon as a guy tastes a 2nd within 5 years of tasting the first it’s almost guaranteed he’ll want to taste a 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc…
This shit opens up a can of worms.
by mmalogic on Aug 12, 2009 5:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You know what I love about you logic? You’re always straight and to the point, never beat around the bush.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
by ufc4 on Aug 12, 2009 6:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was totally with you till the end where it got a little weird
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who
by thetakeover on Aug 12, 2009 6:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Ha.
Disintegration -- I'm taking it in stride.
by Eugene Schelfaut on Aug 12, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
The UFC is unquestionable the premier MMA promotional organization in North America, and essentially the world over. Increasing enthusiasm for MMA does nothing so much as benefit the UFC.
In fact, I put it to you that if Strikeforce were to somehow put on the best MMA card ever, even that would benefit the UFC as much or more than Strikeforce.
Boosting the bottom line by increasing the ranks of people who love the UFC but don’t care for MMA is shortsighted at best.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Aug 12, 2009 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You’re missing a big piece of the puzzle. Strikeforce on Spike doesnt help Zuffa… If the pride content was on a different channel/network and was reaching fresh eyeballs that would be of benefit.
I made this argument before Elite was on CBS stating it would benefit Zuffa more than Elite even if they stayed in business.
Showtime MMA benefits Zuffa more than strikeforce. Reason: 90% plus of the fans created by a non Zuffa org ends up being a UFC fan… revenue straight to the bottom line with zero cost.
Conversely less than 10% of the fans UFC creates become “MMA” fans. This is the part of the equation that is at risk by introducing this new “conditioning”.
MY POINT IS: Zuffa conditioning its fanbase to be fickle versus Zuffa conditioning its fanbase to be Loyal… that’s the point.
Introducing Pride, the Ring, etc Waters down the UFC brand.
Now there will be a time where this wont matter but that point is not here yet… the ceiling is yet to be reached and new fans entering the funnel hasn’t plateaued yet.
Right now the “conditioning” in place makes it impossible for any promotion to make any headway because all their efforts benefit Zuffa but imagine if more and more percentage of fans that Zuffa creates become “MMA” fans.
All you’re calculating is “market”… If the fan base becomes fickle then “talent” competition will become very real and guys like affliction could come in and simply buy talent and get “Market”.
If the equation changes the competition wont need to create new fans to compete but simply get fighters… and everything will erode to the boxing model where nobody wants to invest in building new stars and everyone is just poaching from the top.
So what you think is short sighted is very long term thinking.
by mmalogic on Aug 12, 2009 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
The key difference is that I’m looking at it as a fan and an observer of the sport, not exclusively as a fan and an observer of the UFC. If for some reason Zuffa was no longer putting on the best product, then I would no longer consider the UFC to be the most interesting promotion. If Zuffa continues to provide the best product, then an increase in fans is good for Zuffa.
You seem concerned that fans are dumb enough to be “uncomfortable” with MMA under different promotional letters, yet savy enough to know which promotions have the best talent. This might be true, but that doesn’t confront me. If Zuffa sticks to what got them this far—i.e. attempting to put on the best product they can (within obvious economic constraints) and growing the sport as best as they can (within similar constraints)—they won’t have much to worry about.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Aug 12, 2009 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s why I said from a “business perspective”…
It has nothing to do with fans being “dumb” or "savvy… it has everything to do with “conditioning”.
by mmalogic on Aug 12, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I understand your perspective, it’s always been up front and clear. In fact I’m generally sympathetic to your perspective, as the UFC is a business and is certainly under no obligations to act otherwise. I don’t think that it’s incorrect or uninsightful to consider their actions from a business perspective—however it’s simply not the only framework from which to assess a given situation.
You might not be necessarily be concerned with whether fans are dumb or savy (They don’t seem to be much dumber in the aggregate than fans of any other sport, which is to say that by and large they are dumb as hell.), but I’m not necessarily concerned with the level of Zuffa “conditioning.”
The only thing I do disagree on is the extent to which airing Pride highlights will impair Zuffa’s hard-earned brand worth. You know more about these matters than I do, so perhaps my view that this will probably be a net benefit to Zuffa is incorrect. On the other hand, they are nonetheless planning to air the fights.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Aug 12, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Given the state of MMA today maybe all that money for a video library wasn't all bad....
This could really help to build the Pride guys up in the casual fans mind. I’m excited.
by Dexerion on Aug 12, 2009 6:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Except all PRIDE guys are not in the UFC, which makes it difficult for them to show a lot of PRIDE classics like Fedor vs Nog, Cro Cop, Gomi, Arona, etc, unless they are losing of course. =)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 12, 2009 6:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
There were a ton of Pride fights and I’m sure there are only a couple of guys they would prefer to gloss over, heck the only person on your list there I see them skipping is Fedor. Guys like Gomi and Arona aren’t really doing much in the US anyway(besides there is no way they are not going to show Arona getting slammed by Rampage) so there is no reason to gloss over them. For that matter I don’t think Barnett is going to be doing much of anything in the US for the foreseeable future so there isn’t much of a reason to skip over him either. It really just comes down to this being Pride minus Fedor in the end.
by who me on Aug 12, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Surely they will show some Sak fights at some point—even people who think he was overrated (not an opinion I share) seem to be able to agree that he was entertaining.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
by capital L on Aug 12, 2009 6:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
What’s the odds that she does a better job than Frank Trigg did?
by who me on Aug 12, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
She already has.
Keep firing Assholes!
Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
by Ubernoober on Aug 12, 2009 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm a bit concerned.
I’m not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but while I enjoyed Pride, I can see the airing of Pride competition being counter productive to some of the goals of the UFC in the U.S., in particular the opening of states like NY to MMA.
Lets face it, the rules in Pride did not put fighter safety first. I’m afraid tactics that were legal in Pride back then, like soccer kicks and head stomping, will only serve to reinforce or entrench the narrow minded opponents to MMA.
I hope I’m wrong, but I know I’ve seena few Pride fights that left me cringing at the outcome when an opponent is laying in the corner and on the recieving end of kicks to the face, etc…
by Razreshat on Aug 13, 2009 9:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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