Yeah, this absolutely blew me away. I'm a late bloomer too, at least as an actual fan. I got the same chills watching it as I do watching an event live on TV.

The reasons I've heard are:
Rumours about Yakuza being involved with PRIDE => TV stations don't wanna touch PRIDE => PRIDE busto => Zuffa buys PRIDE for $70m, but can't get a new TV deal because of Yakuza rumours => Zuffa shuts down PRIDE

Pride organization was run terribly, mainly because they would treat their fighters like meat and not protect them in any way. Their biggest Japanese fighter would be thrown up against all other top fighters, all in a row. He became famous from beating the Gracie clan and then was thrown to the wolves of Wanderlei Silva. And then Wanderlei was ruined by throwing him to Cro Cop. And Cro Cop was ruined by throwing him to Fedor.

The UFC would be doing the same thing if they put Anderson Silva against Rampage and then Rashad and then Machida and if he beats them, Brock Lesnar. Just run him into the ground until he either proves he's a god or gets beaten so badly that he's not as much of a star anymore.

Anyway, this is how Dana White described Pride's demise--that they ruined their fighters. Contrast that to Dana, who hates Tito, protecting Tito as long as he could until he HAD to fight Chuck, and Dana knew Tito's star was up after that. He preserved Tito for as long as possible because they were making money off him.

It's an entertainment business just as much as a competitive sport. Dana and Joe Silva know how to run it, Pride did not. No other organization does, either. I'm very nervous about Fedor-Barnett because I would have liked to see Fedor undefeated in the UFC.

M

The Sambo thing is why Fedor held out. The UFC held out because Fedor was attached to another organization who wanted to retain rights to him, which is silly for the monopoly of the UFC to consider. The UFC is bigger than any 1 fighter, even the Michael Jordan of MMA.

M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n5Hq6ofM8M
oh frank

I'm over having Fedor in the UFC now. Fight one more card in Affliction before it goes under, ruin your chance at an untouchable legacy, whatever.

So good.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...l-Bisping.html

From that link I see a new octogon girl who's unbelievably smokin. Looks like Marrissa Miller.

In his latest interview with Bas, he tells Bas he doesn't care whatsoever about a legacy or any of that. You think he would but hes a odd one.

Even if Fedor looses to Brock (or whomever is holding the belt at the time), there still are plenty of fights they could promote for him. Randy, Carwin, Valasquez, and Gonzaga all spring to mind.

No way they dump him on his ass after one loss.

I feel like this is an ignorant question, but.. why can't Fedor vs Brock be a non-title fight?

AZ has a local circuit called Rage in The Cage. I just saw this in the fight card for this weekend's event:

Ray Romano ( 165 ) vs Brandon Spencer ( 165 )

Photoshop opportunity imo.

There's no reason it can't be, but Zuffa wouldn't want to try to explain the situation to the casual fan.

"Exhibition fight!"

*shrug* :/

this is almost right. It was a dirty secret that the yakuza were behind PRIDE and it was one of those things that it was known, but it just wasn't outright said. PRIDE had been having money and tax problems for a while as the DSE president had hung himself back in 03, and what DSE had done was put on an illusion that things were great as they were leaking money for several years. It then got fully revealed that they were a front for the Yakuza, and that was a death blow for them, especially when the most powerful TV station withdrew their support as japan doesn't really do the PPV system the way we do.

Zuffa didn't shut down PRIDE because of the scandal, they shut it down because they couldn't get any TV contracts with either NTV or The Fuji Network as the networks weren't going to really have PRIDE owned by Gaijins

It'd be a PR nightmare for them if Brock lost in a non-title fight to a one-off contracted fighter in a fight promoted by them. At least when Ricco Rodriguez lost to Nog, they were able to spin it that it was under PRIDE rules. It also helped that they were nowhere near as big as they are now. I'd be willing to bet if UFC was as big as it is now back in 03 when Rodriguez and Chuck fought in PRIDE, they wouldn't have them fight in PRIDE, there's too much for them to lose at this point

special one time fighter!

am i ignorant to think that boxers fight in different circuits and leagues? like don't boxing champions sometimes hold multiple belts for different commissions, or something like that?

As a business decision, the Pride concept of testing people against the best until they fail is perhaps not wise. Although, we would have never known that Fedor is Fedor if they had not. Besides, the Japanese do not see losing as a problem at all if an exceptional effort is made particularly, the public opinion may actually be improved with a loss.

Fedor wants to fight the best in Sambo in the future for the same reason he would want to fight Lesnar when it would not be financially best for either to do so. He wants to test his skill against the best and see what he can learn. Full stop. Period.

All those that had a problem with Lesnar's attitude after the fight should watch that video with the arrogance and contempt that Mir was showing. It was not best, but it was understandable that he acted that way.

Boxing is and always has been pretty gross. Yes, organizations have bled money from fighters, been dirty, and kept this fighter from that one. They have said this tomato can or the other is a "mandatory challenger" so they can make money...all true.

We just don't need to let the UFC have a monopoly. Do you think the UFC would be putting on such good fights if they were not afraid that Affliction could take off? I doubt it. I applaud Randy, Fedor, and others for not just laying down and taking whatever they are offered no matter how ugly the deal.

this is really the key here. As a whole in america we have a must win attitude, which can lead to some boring/safe fights. While those fighters sometimes get hurt by the win, I really can't fully recall that many guys in UFC being propelled by a great fight loss. Stephan Bonner got a contract because of his loss, but at the same time, he wasn't propelled by it outside of the contract. One could say that clay guida is this kind of guy in the UFC, but if he suffered 3 losses in a row, he'd be dropped whereas PRIDE did keep some jobbers around because the fans liked their fighting spirit(daijiro matsui immeaditely comes to mind)

Think about all the epic fights that never happened because the fights were not put together. Bowe-Lewis would have been epic in 1992, they HATED each other for real, never happened. Marciano-Ali would have been amazing. Granted it would not have been the best Marciano and he would have been hard to talk into it, but that is another. Some of that is down to organizations. Some of it is down to the marketability of fighters that get losses. Some of it is down to fighters that are pragmatic.
If you remember how Oscar De LaHoya was crapped on by boxing fans for not being an idiot in fights you can see how fighters got that way. Oscar always fought everybody, no matter how tough the challenge, everybody. He was ahead at the end of the fight with Trinidad, with a comfortable lead and he logically got on his bike and boxed, an moronic fans called him "De La Chicken" and worse. The only way to win is to only accept fights that you can dominate and angle for huge paydays that you take some risks on. You know like Roy Jones Jr., he was foolish for refusing to adapt his tactics to becoming slower as well, but that is another rant. : )

and of course, with all of those fights that you mentioned that didn't happen, could you imagine the business that they would've done if they had just gone ahead and did the fights?

Bowe-Lewis would've quite possibly gotten close to 1m buys back in 92 which would've been utterly massive

marciano-Ali could've easily have been done at the Rose Bowl, sold out the Rose Bowl and have probably done big business on CCTV

De La Hoya has made a fortune because he's been willing to do those fights, and he's been able to get people buzzing

Good point that it would have been better for the business, better for the fans, better for the fighters. It often is about people getting the short end money. Like the "I coulda been a contenda" speech that Brando did.

De La Hoya finally, I think, has won pretty much everyone over since he fought absolutely everyone. It is sad that it was necessary to do so much to win over boxing fans though. As late as 1999 people were saying that he was a coward and that if you are a talented boxer it mean you are not a man. Moronic. I am glad Oscar has done so well in business. I hope he gets more involved in promoting MMA!

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