The Legacy of Pride Fighting Championships
The UFC’s first-ever event was in 1993 but at that time it failed to take off from a commercial standpoint, creating a cult following but nothing more it would take years before the average sports fan would have any idea what exactly MMA was.
Pride FC, a rival MMA organisation was the promotion responsible for exposing MMA to a wider audience. Pride 1 was aired in October 1997 by which time UFC had already put on 16 events without capturing the imagination of the general public.
A majority of Pride’s events took place in Japan which was a better market for expansion due to the long history of martial arts in that region. Pride’s roster had variety, the production was elaborate, & the characters were captivating because they felt genuine.
Many of today’s hall of fame calibre fighters rose to fame through Pride, Fedor Emelianenko, Anderson Silva, Rampage Jackson, Shogun Rua, Dan Henderson, & Wanderlei Silva are a handful among many more.
https://youtu.be/mdvQZyKOaNg
Pride Fighting Rules
There was a different rule set used in pride than the one we are accustomed to seeing implemented today. In Pride FC the major differences were:
- Kicks & knees to a downed opponent were allowed.
- Spiking an opponent on their head was allowed.
- Fights were contested in a ring similar boxing rather than a cage.
- The first round was 10 minutes long with a 2 minute rest period followed by two 5 minute rounds which were separated with a 1 minute rest period.
- Fights were judged as a whole rather than using a 10 point must system, the criteria heavily favoured damage over control.
The 10-minute opening round combined with the judging criteria eliminated some stalling we’ve seen employed in modern MMA as a means to take advantage of the scoring criteria in relation to control. The damage emphasis rule set encouraged more consistent action which created an entertainment value, something the UFC hadn’t quite mastered just yet. Pride FC brought the drama that was lacking in the technical style fights the UFC were providing.
Narrowing down a list of the best fights is a difficult task due to the sheer number of great fights Pride FC put on, I’ve selected five of my personal favourites from the archives as a small sample.
Best Pride Fighting Fights
5. Pride FC: Shockwave 2004, Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 3 (Pride Heavyweight Championship).
https://youtu.be/rq3u5zQbBsk
This performance took Fedor’s legend to another level, he captured the Pride Heavyweight title against the odds in their first meeting. Nogueira who was well respected & dangerous especially on the ground was dominated in that contest. The victory was the catalyst for Emelianenko’s illustrious run of victories during his tenure with Pride. Nogueira came better prepared for their final meeting & pushed Fedor all the way till the final bell but could not do enough to beat his rival.
4. Pride FC: Critical Countdown 2005, Mauricio Rua vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Rogerio Nogueira (Twin of heavyweight Nogueira) had put together a string of notable wins in the run-up to the fight, he gave Shogun a lot of problems but ultimately Shogun managed to weather the storm and earn a decision. Shogun was the prodigy of Pride FC, he was only 23 when this Middleweight Grand Prix Quarter Final took place, it served as a valuable learning experience. Shogun went on to win the 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix two months later.
3. Pride 28: Wanderlei Silva vs Quinton Jackson 2.
https://youtu.be/ia0B8pUSGOY
A rematch of the 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix Final which took place a year earlier, the first fight ended halfway through the opening round with Wanderlei landing brutal knees to finish the fight. These two carried a grudge, easily one of the fiercest rivalries in MMA history with one of the most intense staredown’s ever witnessed.
Wanderlei vs Rampage 2 was far more competitive even though it ended in similar fashion. The knockout finish remains one of the most memorable moments of Pride Fighting Championships.
2. Pride 33: Wanderlei Silva vs Dan Henderson 2 (Pride Middleweight Championship).
https://youtu.be/X77p7MkbCBI
Only two Pride events were ever held outside of Japan, this was one of them. Pride 33 ended up being the last truly great card the organisation put together. It was also the penultimate show of the promotion’s history.
Having previously fought 7 years earlier when they were lesser known, by the time the rematch was contested they had become household names in MMA. Wanderlei Silva was the victor in the first fight but it went the full distance. Henderson ended this one in spectacular fashion.
1. Pride FC: Final Conflict 2005, Fedor Emelianenko vs Mirko Cro Crop (Pride Heavyweight Championship).
Considered by many (including Sports Illustrated) the fight of the decade, Emelianenko vs Cro Cop was a meeting of two gigantic stars. Emelianenko was reigning Pride Heavyweight Champion, undefeated in 10 straight having dominated everyone he’d come up against. Cro Cop was undefeated in 7 himself, racking up highlight reel KO after highlight reel KO. No striker was more threatening on the feet than Cro Cop, this was the fight fans most desired because on paper Cro Cop seemed like an ideal stylistic match-up to cause Fedor problems.
The on-paper assessment was right, Cro Cop broke Fedor’s nose early in the first round peppering the champion with body kicks and straight lefts using his movement to neutralise Fedor’s pressure. Fedor managed to get the fight to the ground taking the steam out of Cro Cop, after that moment Cro Cop’s movement wasn’t the same which Fedor took complete advantage of. Any expectations were exceeded & to this day it would be the fight I consider the pinnacle of Pride Fighting Championships.
The Death of the Pride Fighting Championships
By 2007 the UFC had become a major rival promotion. They had eliminated all the negative aspects of their earlier fights with a now much-improved group of athletes. UFC purchased Pride FC eliminating their only real competition in effect merging the best of Pride’s talent (excluding a few names) with the UFC’s own. That was the end of Pride FC, though the UFC is where the future of MMA looks firmly rooted, the Pride era will always bring feelings of glowing nostalgia.