http://www.fightopinion.com/2007/10/04/pride-office-in-tokyo-shut-down-all-workers-fired/ Sports Navigator (Yahoo Japan) is reporting tonight (Thursday night Japanese time) that Jamie Pollack, the Zuffa-appointed legal advisor who went to Japan shortly after Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the assets of PRIDE from Dream Stage Entertainment, has shut down the PRIDE FC Worldwide office in Tokyo. Furthermore, the report claims that Pollack fired all PRIDE WW employees with a telephone call. PRIDE public relations boss Mr. Sasahara (who is/was close to Hustle and Nobuyuki Sakakibara) issued a public apology to the fans. Sasahara said that the PRIDE staffers are confused and bewildered by the sudden closing of the office, further adding that he feels resentment towards the way the American owners betrayed the people who supported PRIDE. Sasahara reiterated that he believed what Lorenzo Fertitta had initially stated about the future of PRIDE, but now the operation is finished and staffers couldn’t access or get to cell phones or personal computers. Personal reaction: Naturally, the Japanese media and MMA insiders will use this story to portray Zuffa as a bunch of cold, calculated gaijin invaders who officially destroyed PRIDE. The image of UFC and its parents owners in Japan has been tarnished by the way the PRIDE situation has been handled. Is UFC’s entry into the Japanese marketplace permanently damaged? As for Pollack firing the PRIDE employees by telephone… at least he or his family members won’t be physically harmed. Somehow, I don’t think the firings on a face-to-face basis would have turned out so well.
PRIDE office in Tokyo shut down, all workers fired
ttt 4 later
this is terrible
yikes
For a company that was making a TON of cash, it's strange that they didn't have enough $ to keep going and sold for so little. I used to hear numbers like $5 million gates and $3 million in merchandise at the shows, etc etc etc. So I wonder who was taking all the money...hmmm....
WTF is Dana Zuffa thinking? Burning thier bridges in the most lucrative mma market?
Like Dana has said, Pride was a fucking disaster. Why try to salvage something that can't be salvaged?
wow...people losing jobs is never a good thing.
I wonder if they are planning on opening a UFC Japan office or something?
"most lucrative mma market?"
Japan is not the most lucrative mma market and it hasn't been for awhile. Attendance and ratings in Japan have been trending down for a long time now and will continue to do so.
I don't think the firings on a face-to-face basis would have turned out so well.
it because they all know karate
Sad day for MMA.
It was sad when UFC purchased it, and sad when they closed it.
Oh Delicious!
"For a company that was making a TON of cash, it's strange that they didn't have enough $ to keep going and sold for so little. I used to hear numbers like $5 million gates and $3 million in merchandise at the shows, etc etc etc. So I wonder who was taking all the money...hmmm.... "
exactly
Pride was the finest MMA organization ever.
Thats business.
How was this a surprise...it was evident that Zuffa wasnt going to do anything with Pride.
I'm surprised they were employed that long.
i think Zuffa bought it, realized the books were cooked, and salvaged what they could
for someone to try to spin it like the employees are bewildered and betrayed is completely retarded. Dana has been publicly saying that Pride is dead for at least 2 months
Allegations of organized crime ties seem more credible given what a mess Pride was. I mean, as others have said, where the HELL did all that money go?!
The employees had too much budo to look for new jobs.