Just recently watched Pride 31, first Pride show I have ever watched. It was much more exciting than any UFC show I've ever seen. I know some of the out of ring situations may be staged but the action itself was much better imo and on the show I watched there was loads of fighters who have done well in the UFC too like Shogun Rua, Mark Coleman, Rampage, Nougera, Overeem and guys like Henderson and Liddell have competed on that format as well.
Pride at its best was the best. These are obviously personal opinions, I felt there was more novelty to Pride. I felt there was a lot about Pride that focused around appreciating the fight game which imparted a different kind of respect for the fighters in general. The UFC ushered in 'bro' to MMA mainstream which I feel more resembles the WWE than something original which might impart it's own novelty to the UFC and what it represents. Right now it's as if Dana White is the center of attention similar to something I remember as a kid, when Vince McMahon would up and take part in the middle of the Drama. Just saying, I love MMA, I love the UFC but it feels like so much of the attention is taken away from the fighters and the fight itself. Dana White is like 'big bro' and people rarely hold him accountable for things he says in public, on twitter etc. As a hype man he just acts opposite of what I would like. IMO he is the guy a lot of people look up to, maybe its him that makes 'bro's' act the way they do, or maybe it's vice versa. All I know is there are a lot of obnoxious fans that came with the UFC's popularity. Fighters range from super mellow to drama queens like everyone, but there's like a specific breed of fan. That being said, the UFC has helped MMA along the way. What I like is that Dana White himself is interested in changing rules, so yeah that man that annoys me so much who I think should just be quiet sometimes is, and has done some great things for MMA and its exposure, popularity. It came at the expense of the rules Pride had, but the rules had to change to keep this idea of MMA alive and legitimize it. He is the ****ing man for doing it. I know I sound hypocritical but it is what it is.
They're different. Not only do Pride rules and the ring give the action a different rhythm, the guys at the top end were often innovators and often in with one dimensional fighters. You could say that made them look better, you could also look at the sheer number of quality Pride fights to say it evened itself up and those fighters were still incredible (that's how I roll anyway) So yeah, there were freak show fights (riveting at the time if easy to dismiss with hindsight) but there were also brilliant rounded fighters just like we see today. Obviously soccer kicks and head stomps are amazing as well. With the UFC, for quite a while they had the lesser talent. I like their business model, and their acquisition of (the already dead) Pride, it's aims to grow the sport and it's final re-moulding into making the ebb and flow more satisfying to a mainstream audience (in the cage, the theatrics the Jap's put on in terms of production garnered higher TV ratings and gates then Zuffa will ever likely see) makes it a slightly different fight product to Pride, even if the sport is the same. It's like comparing pre-Walker Law boxing with it's 20s counterpart IMO. Tunney, Walker and Loughran may have furthered the art of pugilism with stricter ruleset but it doesn't mean the likes of Johnson, Fitzsimmons and Labgford weren't immensely skilled, tough and fun to watch. Zuffa will do what boxing did post-Walker Law: take it further until everyone gets greedy and it implodes. I think they've got a while yet though, and it gonna' be a fun ride. As for Dana, I respect him. He's not perfect, but he's passionate, knows about his stable and strives to give us the big fights. I also love how he tries to get people watching the big boxing fights, you can tell he'd genuinely love that sport to set itself out as a fan first and foremost. I can see why he winds people up, he's arrogant, abrasive and has a potty mouth, but I also disagree that he's not paying fighters enough. If anything, I struggle more to figure out why Floyd and Manny can make $30million for fighting an Ortiz or Mosley.
Japan and The United States are two different worlds. We don't bow, and sit quiet like mice during fights. This is America, they don't have WWE, twitter and all that other ****. Born and bred, you can't hate on Dana for being who he is. TUF is all about the fighters, and Dana runs the whole thing.. Don't give us that ****. We never had it so good. Pride came and went. Some great fights, a part of history. One or two fixed fights, but nobody can confirm what's real and what's not. It takes no practice to soccer kick or stomp your opponent, but they call fans of The UFC bloodthirsty. The sport will continue to evolve as it has for the past 20 years under The UFC banner. The current roster with it's weight classes shits on anything Pride related.
As a PRIDE fan before i was a UFC fan i think I'm one of the minority that just preferred the UFC model I was never sold on the PRIDE rules , i don't like the ring , absolutely detest soccer kicks and stomps , don't like the subdued Japanese crowd and really have absolutely no time for PED's and mis matches Along came the UFC , and we had the making of a more fluent , structured clean sport , over time it grew and grew into what it is today , it is the elite of MMA , you have to overlook the WWE style PR machine and look at the men in the cage , they are the best fighters in the world :deal , and that for me is whats most important and credible . There is some things to dis like about the UFC , by and large i do not like Dana White , but i respect his vision , he truly delivered his idea and made the UFC what it is today , that cannot be taken away from the man , but down the line he's lost sight on what he set out to do , he hasn't delivered on fighter wages , he hasn't delivered on " super fights " involving fighters from different weight classes , they are my main gripes with Dana , and unfortunately i can't seem to see past them these days to give him that much credit . In summary the UFC IMO is a more truthful account of what a mixed martial arts contest should be , there is no hiding between the ropes or enhancing your performance with steroids and there certainly isn't any gimmie's opponents wise . As a UFC fan the one thing i will concede is that the PRIDE HW days will never again be repeated , the UFC model will never re live the nights in PRIDE pitting the best HW's in the world against each other , there was just a magical aura about them fights that will never again be see due to the dominance of the UFC in the MMA landscape , which i suppose has PRIDE forever " holding one over " the UFC on that particular note . Some of the things mentioned above about PRIDE i just never got over , and if the UFC never came along i would still be an avid fan of PRIDE with a couple of small grudges to bear , but they did , and they provided the truth in MMA , i suppose thats just my stance on the UFC vs PRIDE debate .
Loved PRIDE, and I like the UFC. PRIDE is gone though. I can still go back and watch those events to death. Can't really do that with the UFC. One view is usually when I get the best out of it. Exceptions exist of course. Diaz vs Parisyan for some reason is a fight I can still go back and watch like crazy. Out of the two, I greatly prefer PRIDE, not really even that close. But it failed and so the UFC is plenty good for the moment. Not to mention Bellator is pretty awesome and will receive a gigantic boost when it hits spike in 2013.
They don't have WWE and Twitter? Really? Pro Wrestling is still big in Japan, and they indeed do have twitter. Some articles even claim Tokyo is the #1 twitter city in the world. I don't have Dana White for who he is. He was perfect for the UFC when it was dying. He brought in the teenage and meathead audience that allowed the UFC to grow. They don't need that anymore. They have a mature and working class audience now that doesn't need to be patronized. The sport needs a professional imagine and Dana can't give that to him. His stupid comments about soccer are proof of that. As long as he is the face of the UFC, there are entire demographics that just won't take it seriously.