10 Things MMA Fans Should Know About Pride FC

Highlights

PRIDE FC was founded in 1997 as a Japanese-based MMA promotion, attracting more interest in Japan than in most other countries.
PRIDE FC embraced freakshow fights, featuring matches between fighters with significant weight disparities and bringing in non-MMA athletes like boxers and wrestlers.
PRIDE FC had a unique pro wrestling influence, holding fights in a ring rather than a cage and prioritizing entertainment with elaborate opening ceremonies and WWE-esque fighter entrances.

In 2024, the UFC reigns supreme and has no real meaningful competition. While companies such as PFL and ONE Championship have tried to bridge the gap, they've largely failed. However, the lack of competition in the MMA space wasn't always the case. For years, there was PRIDE FC.

The Japanese-based promotion was considered by many to arguably be better than the UFC at the time. Nearly two decades on from the sale of the company, many fans still have great memories of it. With that in mind, let's take a close look back at PRIDE FC, for those who might've not been around to see it.

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10 PRIDE FC Was Founded In 1997

Japan Was Big On MMA In The '90s

Four years after the UFC was founded, PRIDE was born.
The company was founded by Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Japan welcomed the sport of MMA, far more than most countries.

In the United States, the UFC was founded in 1993. The issue is that the company, and MMA as a whole, wouldn't be widely accepted for years. Over in Japan, however, MMA-style shoot fights had been going on for years.

Antonio Inoki famously fought Muhammad Ali in 1976, in one of the more widely publicized examples of this. Furthermore, with companies such as Pancrase and Shooto rising up, Nobuyuki Sakakibara and others sensed an opportunity and founded PRIDE.

9 PRIDE FC Loved Freakshow Fights

These Sorts Of Fights Aren't Seen Often Anymore

PRIDE loved booking freakshow fights.
Everyone from Butterbean to Bob Sapp competed for the company.
Ikuhisa Minowa became a fan favorite for competing in fights like these.

Dana White has repeatedly gone on record saying that the UFC doesn't like to do gimmick fights. While one can debate if that's actually the case, it is true that they didn't do nearly as much crazy stuff as PRIDE did.

Regularly, they would have fights between men who weren't even within 100 pounds of each other. They also loved to bring in boxers like Butterbean, or wrestlers like Giant Silva to compete. With, less than great results.

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8 No Regulation Means No Drug Tests

PRIDE FC Famously Didn't Test For Steroids

Unlike America, Japan had no athletic commission.
As a result, PRIDE instituted its own rules.
Furthermore, they decided not to test for steroids.

One of the reasons why PRIDE was able to do freakshow fights was the lack of a real meaningful sanctioning body in Japan. While the UFC had laws and commissions to deal with, their main competitor could just make their own rules which, they did.

Along with that, came the lack of meaningful drug testing. As several PRIDE veterans have explained, one of the key highlighted terms in their contracts was that they don't test for steroids. Which, led to some pretty insane physiques.

7 PRIDE FC Had Pro Wrestling Influence

Fights Weren't Held In A Cage Like The UFC

PRIDE was heavily influenced by pro wrestling.
They fought in a ring, instead of a cage, for example.
Wrestlers such as Alberto Del Rio and Nathan Jones even fought for PRIDE.

While MMA was on the rise in Japan, pro wrestling still remained king as far as combat sports go. With that in mind, Nobuyuki Sakakibara decided to take a couple of elements from them, including, having several wrestlers on the roster.

Furthermore, they opted to have their MMA fights in a ring, instead of a cage. That was one of the main things that separated them from the UFC.

6 They Had An Incredible Roster Of Fighters

PRIDE Didn't Fail Due To A Lack Of Talent

While PRIDE liked freakshow fights, they had incredible talent.
Their heavyweight division was full of stars, including Fedor Emelianenko.
Lighter weight classes were excellent as well, however, and featured names such as Takanori Gomi.

Look, history is written by the winners. Dana White and the UFC have stated that if you're not in the company, then your legacy isn't important. But, PRIDE FC had some incredible legends on their roster throughout the years.

Obviously, Fedor Emelianenko is widely regarded as the best to come out of PRIDE. However, there were almost too many legends to count that fought there. Everyone from Mirko Cro Cop, to Nick Diaz, to even Anderson Silva, fought in Japan.

5 Opening Ceremonies and Electric Entrances

They Were Focused On Making Every Event A Show

PRIDE started every show with an opening ceremony.
Fighters such as Wanderlei Silva had their own unique entrances.
The entrances typically used pyro and were WWE-esque.

One thing that PRIDE FC absolutely nailed was the entertainment aspect of MMA. While a lot of companies decided to just stand on the athletic aspect of the sport, the Japanese promotion wanted to make every event a show.

Meaning, that every event started with a massive opening ceremony, where all of the fighters would be announced. To go along with that, most fighters had their own unique entrance, complete with pyro. Again, the pro wrestling influence shines through majorly here.

4 One Night Tournaments Were Prevalent

PRIDE Loved Their Grand Prix

The UFC's early events were one-night tournaments.
While the company quickly phased them out, PRIDE held several tournaments.
Names such as Shogun Rua, Mark Coleman, and more, made their name by winning a Grand Prix.

Another key difference between the UFC and PRIDE was the latter really loved tournaments. Yes, it's true that the Dana White-led company initially did multiple one-night tournaments. However, as athletic commissions became involved, they quickly went away.

That wasn't a problem for PRIDE, obviously. They regularly held their Grand Prix tournaments, with fighters sometimes competing up to three times in one night. Furthermore, names such as Shogun Rua rose to fame, largely thanks to these types of tournaments.

3 There Were Major Yakuza Connections To PRIDE

This Largely Killed The Company

In 2006, yakuza connections to PRIDE were revealed.
Quickly, broadcasters and venues cut ties with the MMA company.
By early 2007, the company was knocking on death's door.

Nine years after PRIDE was formed, a report emerged about the Yakuza connection to the company. The evidence was overwhelming, and Japanese broadcasters refused to work with them.

In the years since then, fighters have come forward and alleged that they were told to throw fights, such as Mark Coleman. When things like that are happening, it calls into question your entire company.

2 UFC Buyout Ended PRIDE For Good

In 2007, The Two Companies Merged

In 2007, the UFC's parent company Zuffa bought PRIDE.
The plan was to run both brands as separate entities.
However, due to the Yakuza scandal, no more events were held.

With broadcasters refusing to work with PRIDE, there weren't too many things they could do. A year after their scandal with the Yakuza broke, Nobuyuki Sakakibara decided to sell the company to the UFC.

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The plan was for Dana White and company to run PRIDE as a separate entity, and keep holding events. However, those plans quickly went up in smoke, and their final event was held in April 2007.

1 RIZIN Is PRIDE's Spiritual Successor

The Company Was Founded In 2015

In 2015, the returning Nobuyuki Sakakibara started RIZIN.
Names such as Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop also fought in RIZIN.
As of 2024, the company is still going strong.

Eight years after PRIDE was bought out by the UFC, RIZIN was formed. Led by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, the company functioned much of the same way. Freakshow fights were back, grand entrances were prevalent, and old names such as Fedor Emelianenko returned as well.

Nearly a decade on, the company is still running strong today. While they're not going head-to-head with the UFC like PRIDE did, they're still carving out their own legacy.