Anyone else miss PRIDE FC?

[bebopdobop]

I do!
Since Pride was bought out by the UFC, there has been void in the MMA world. I am interested to see what will happen with the new World Victory Road organization that has recently been started in Japan. Many former Pride fighters are signing there.
Pride put on such amazing shows, full of style and emotion. There is nothing quite like it left.
Just curious if anyone else liked Pride and misses it now that its gone.

 

[Liver Shot]

Same here! Dana White desperately wants a monopoly within the MMA world. After he bought out PRIDE, there are no worldwide organizations to compete with the UFC. There's lots of little organizations popping up, but like small businesses, the majority of them will fizzle out and never go anywhere. Dana doesn't want competition, which is a shame for the fans, because competition is what forces organizations to make better fights and sign better fighters.

Also, am I the only one who has noticed a disturbing amount of seemingly "fixed," fights in the UFC lately? Bisping vs. Hamill (sp?), Bisping vs. Evans (no way that was a split decision... Rashad clearly won) just to name a couple. The UFC is aggressively trying to capture the UK audience, and I think it's painfully obvious they are trying to make sure Bisping wins his fights so fans over there will become loyal fans. Very bad for the sport.

The UFC commentary sucks as well. I mean, Trigg wasn't doing it for me either in the last days of PRIDE, but it was a step above Goldberg and Rogan spewing out nonsense during UFC fights. "He's rocked!"... enough already. The Rutten/Quadros or Rutten/Ranallo days were the best.

As I end my rant, I'd like to say one more thing: I can't STAND when I watch a fight in a bar here (New York) and the ignorant UFC TUF noobs go on about how crappy PRIDE fighters are because they keep losing in the UFC. ALl I keep hearing people talking about is how PRIDE must have sucked because CroCop lost to a couple of nobodies, Shogun got choked out by Griffin, and Big Nog's debut against Herring was lackluster.

I can't wait for Liddell vs. Wanderlei; going to be the best fight of the year, a good way to end 2007.

 

[bebopdobop]

Exactly! Dana White's plan for world domination is so annoying, as is his manner of speaking. Wanderlei is one of my favorite fighters. Definitely looking forward to that fight too. I hope he wins via anything.
Also interested in M1 Global. Fedor is the best! His Japanese fans named him the Last Emperor, he made such an impact in Pride.
Its so sad that they bought Pride just to use footage from the old great fights. Now they can show some of the best fights ever, which just so happened to be in Pride. Prides website is still up, but it displays UFC ads. Ask me if I think thats some bullshido. lol
And no you're not the only one who has noticed the 'fixed' fights. All part of that plan to make the UFC the only game in the world. But I think that plan has somewhat backfired (or at least I hope it does. Dana deserves to have even more evil plans blow up in his face).
Sorry my thoughts are so scattered. There's so much that has happened in world of MMA, its just ridiculous. American UFC fans still call it ultimate fighting, like we invented it or something. Oh well, what can you do.

 

[Liver Shot]

Haha, I hate when people refer to it as "ultimate fighting." I guess I've got to admit, though, that he certainly brought fighting to the (unwashed) masses (in the US). So much so that the average Joe assumes that MMA is a fancy way of saying "UFC-style fighting."

I've never seen M1 fights, but I know Fedor signed with them recently, so I guess that's an organization to watch for. M1 is Russian, as far as I know, and supposedly MMA is very big there right now (anyone in Russia to confirm this?).

A few fighters I really want to see come and kick some *** in the UFC:

1) Sakuraba: guaranteed to be a fun show with Saku around
2) Mark Hunt: American fans love fisticuffs
3) Ricardo Arona: a lot of times he's boring, but I think he'd do well in the Light Heavyweight division
4) Aleksander Emelianenko: not going to happen due to his criminal record, but it'd be nice to see him fight for the UFC. I'd love to see Aleks vs. Tim Sylvia (what a joke this guy is...)

 

[bebopdobop]

M1 is Russian, but some American entrepreneurs have invested in it. I'm not sure when they are having their first event.
I'd also like to see Aleks fight someone. It'd be good to see him beat Tim Silvia. I can't believe he called Fedor a little sh*t. He deserves some kind of payback. He would just be destroyed by Fedor.
Saku would be good to see as well, but I'm sure that he'll stick to a Japanese promotion.
Also Fujita. He sure can take a beating. lol
I really hope that Wanderlei can come and do some damage in the UFC, really turn things around.
What I really appreciated about Pride, was that they brought fighting as culture, not fighting as extreme sport. No way would they play opera in an opening of the UFC. There was just something so unique and special about it, that is now lost to us.

 

[Liver Shot]

Yep, I agree with what you said about PRIDE. It was a real class act.

Good call with Fujita. Maybe they can set up Don Frye vs Takayama part deux! Now that would be awesome.

I feel bad for Rampage if Wanderlei starts to fight in the UFC regularly... he's only had the belt a short while. Wanderlei, given their past, might take it from poor Quinton quickly, haha. Rampage being champ is the best thing the UFC has going for it right now.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

I totally miss Pride FC, a major fight in the UFC these days would have been a mere undercard fight at best under the Pride organization. The showmanship and honour with Pride just isn't there in the UFC. The UFC is really just beefed up version of professional wrestling except the fights are real. But aside from that the same McDonalds porno-style attitude is totally there.

The best fighters in east Asia are nowhere to be found and many of the European fighters are also missing, so the UFC's 'titles' in my opinion are not representative of the best the world has to offer. There are a few fighters in the UFC who I think could compete on the world stage such as GSP and Couture, but most of the world class fighters are people brought over from Pride. I don't care that CroCop is struggling right now, or that Shogun lost, it's an adjustment to go from a proper ring into that stupid cage thing and many forget CroCop recently turned up the heat on his political career and isn't so free to train as much as he wants. I think he's back at UFC 80 anyway.

I'm hoping that M1 takes off and brings many of the best names you guys have mentioned back into the spotlight. Unfortunately some of the classics are stuck with UFC contracts at the moment but if M1 becomes the new Pride I'm sure they'll be back.

 

[bebopdobop]

Haha too true, Rampage better watch out. It seems that some fighters really do have a nemesis, someone that they just can't beat.
Frye/Takayama was one of the best! Don Frye is such a character. He sounds just like McGruff the Crime Dog

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Don Frye recently got into a drunken street fight with the bodyguard of the son of that MadDog bounty hunter guy or whoever he is. Don Frye kicked ***, naturally.

 

[bebopdobop]

Really? I hadn't heard that! Hilarious. Don Frye is the man.

 

[justin]

Since pride went off the air the fights have been kind of weak on the UFC and many of the smaller MMA groups. Thankfully, groups like bodog are picking-up the slack. Seems like there's hope for the future.

 

[Liver Shot]

Don Frye recently got into a drunken street fight with the bodyguard of the son of that MadDog bounty hunter guy or whoever he is. Don Frye kicked ***, naturally.

HAHA that's hilarious, I hadn't heard about this, thanks! Just google'd it to get more info and came up with plenty of links. I read a full story about it via a google search, sounds like this was quite the fight. I found a link to the video, but I'm not allowed to post it here! Just google "Don Frye vs Leland Chapman bodyguard in hotel lobby video" and you should find it.