ufc shoots down pride in usa!!!

Does it ever occur to most of you that Zuffa knows more about MMA in the U.S. than all of you?

Does it even cross your mind that Zuffa has sat in network boardrooms and heard what they WILL and WILL NOT show on their station?

Does it occur to you that they were in the athletic comission meetings and you were not?

So if Zuffa knows what the people at Spike will tolerate on their cameras, and they know what Nevada will tolerate for sanctioning PPV events, then do you think they would be stupid enough to allow Pride to tinker with American MMA?

Zuffa knows more about American MMA than Pride, plain and simple.

IF Pride were able to convince Cali to accept certain things, but Zuffa knows that Spike won't tolerate them, or Nevada won't tolerate them, then why would Zuffa allow themselves to be sabotaged? Yes, Pride would have their rules, but none of us will get to see them once Fox gets done editing the fights.

Does it occur to anyone that TV execs won't go for this stuff, thus jeopardizing the ability to be televised at all?

Does UFC want to follow the Nevada rules while allowing Pride to have theirs, and forever be viewed as "watered down" compared to American Pride?

Hey, it's nice to have an opinion about things, but let's be honest.... we don't know jack about the finer points of running a big MMA promotion in the U.S.

Everyone needs to go to fcfighter.com and read the article about this before running their mouths about some bullshit they heard 2nd hand.

Zuffa was arguing against 3 things:

1) The 10-5-5 round system. They are absolutely justified in this. It makes no sense in the context of the 10-point must system and would completely douche the standardization of MMA scoring here.

2) Non-standard equipment like gis and wrestling shoes. Again, not sure how people can argue this. Every sport has regulations on equipment, especially stuff that can get in the way and affect the fight. Again, standardization is what is desired here.

3) The ring. People fall out of it and I agree that it is inappropriate for MMA. However, it is already approved for use in Nevada and most other states, this hearing was only regarding its use in California. Pride can still use the ring in those states.

They were NOT arguing against stomps and the rest of that stuff. As far as I know that stuff wasn't even on the table. Standardization in the format and rules is what Zuffa is after here. Standardization is urgently needed in order for the sport to gain further legitimacy here, and I am all for Zuffa's efforts regarding it.

I fail to see how any pro fighter would be AGAINST it... when the alternative is to keep having fun fighting for 2k + 2k in the UFC.
you'd think fighters would be the FIRST to welcome an organization that can offer them more than that

This is awesome. Now no Americans can see a PRIDE event live in California!!!!!!!!!

stipe is correct.

Also, how can you not love soccer kicks and stomps!

lol, I love soccer kicks and stomps and knees on the ground. I want them.

"I fail to see how any pro fighter would be AGAINST it... when the alternative is to keep having fun fighting for 2k + 2k in the UFC. you'd think fighters would be the FIRST to welcome an organization that can offer them more than that"

Gimme a break dude. You think Pride is gonna show up and all of a sudden fighters are gonna be rolling in it? The average MMA fighter right now probably makes something atrocious like $500-1000 a fight. The arrival of Pride in the US will not change that. The guys who can get bigger paydays in Japan are already getting them. What will change that is getting the sport wide recognition and increasing the number of fans out there.

"I fail to see how any pro fighter would be AGAINST it... when the alternative is to keep having fun fighting for 2k + 2k in the UFC. you'd think fighters would be the FIRST to welcome an organization that can offer them more than that"

Uh... dude.... Pride already exists. It's not like some new org is being prevented or something.

Joe Blow has as much chance making more than $4K to fight in Pride now, as he does when Pride gets to the U.S.

Do you honestly think Pride is going to come to the U.S. and start rolling up wheelborrows of money to anyone that will fight for it?

If they're good enough to be making big money, then they're already doing it. Pride in the U.S. isn't going to change that.

Joe Blow fighting in Pride does make more money than the UFC. The idea would be to give the UFC some form of competition with the power to match Zuffa in spending (LOL). Pride won't roll out the wheel barrels of cash but the money thay pay out currently in THEIR OWN promotion is still much better than the $2000 to show and $2000 to win that UFC fighters get..

No, you misunderstood me completely. I was not talking about wheelbarrows of money. But you guys fail to realize one thing.

My friends from the gym fight for 600$ in Europe shows.
What you guys fail to acknowledge is that going up from 2k + 2k to 5k + 5k is chump change for the organization and a HUGE difference for the fighter!

Yeah but PAX, what we're talking about is this...

Joe Blow gets good pay in Pride JAPAN.

Joe Blow gets less in UFC USA.

There is no guarantee that Pride USA will pay more than UFC USA.

A question that no one really knows the answer to, is if Pride USA is going to run like UFC USA, with a lot of North American guys who have risen above the North American circuit.

Certainly they're not going to bring the Iwaskais and Kaneharas over here to get bludgened... it does nothing for this market.

Go on about how big an MMA fan you are, or whatever, but Sakuraba is not going to draw in California like he does in Japan.

So who won the Pride U.S. trials? Tyrone Glover? Nick Ring? Aren't these more than likely the kind of guys Pride would be using on U.S. shows? Are they going to pay Ring and Glover a whole lot more than UFC would?

As far as big stars like Wanderlei and Fedor... they're gonna get paid no matter where they fight, but that doesn't open up opportunity for Joe Blow.

The only good Joe Blow will see from Pride in the U.S. is a little bit of bargaining power from playing the two orgs against each other. Perceivably, a guy like Joey Villasenor could leverage one against the other a little bit, but as we've seen, Zuffa isn't into playing games with people. They are more than happy to say farewell to anyone who feels they are worth more, because the lineup to get into UFC hasn't gotten any smaller.

"No, you misunderstood me completely. I was not talking about wheelbarrows of money. But you guys fail to realize one thing.
My friends from the gym fight for 600$ in Europe shows. What you guys fail to acknowledge is that going up from 2k + 2k to 5k + 5k is chump change for the organization and a HUGE difference for the fighter! "

No, you misunderstand the point. There is nothing close to a guarantee that says if Pride gets their own rules approved that they'll be handing out 10K contracts to guys from your gym.

Fact is... Zuffa knows how MMA works on this continent. Pride-rules fights edited on FSN isn't
going to get any fighter more money. It may actually ruin the progress MMA has made to this point over here.

rude22, you just supported my point by saying... "The only good Joe Blow will see from Pride in the U.S. is a little bit of bargaining power from playing the two orgs against each other. Perceivably, a guy like Joey Villasenor could leverage one against the other a little bit, but as we've seen, Zuffa isn't into playing games with people. They are more than happy to say farewell to anyone who feels they are worth more, because the lineup to get into UFC hasn't gotten any smaller."

That in itself can raise fighter salaries. Zuffa can play hardball now b/c they are the only big show in town. That tune can change when there is competition. Look at Zuffa in the beginning when they signed Rizzo to a ridiculous contract. Back when Pride was stealing heavyweight stars and Zuffa was still feeling things out, the UFC signed him to a crazy contract out of fear. Same with Mir. It's only now with the TUF show, the fact that no other promotion has made an impact in the US, as well as guys like Pulver, Bustamante, etc. having looked bad leaving, has the UFC gotten more hardball towards fighters. When the environment becomes more competitive alah Pride's money (not KOTC money), then things can change. UFC was afraid then b/c they thought there was potential competition and the possibility of their stars going away. If Pride can get a foothold in the US as they have in Asia, Europe, AND JAPAN, then the UFC will be getting a little nervous.

You say Pride might start "stiffing" Joe BLow American fighters, alah the UFC, if Pride comes to the US. But why haven't they stiffed American fighters NOW? All they have to do is match the UFC's standard rates NOW and they can save money. Joe Blow fighters will still come to Japan even at UFC's rates or slightly above those rates. YET Pride DOESN'T seem to do it that way. Its not like Joe Blow American fighters have some kind of name in Japan. Yet from all indications, Pride gives whole a lot more NOW to newbie fighters then Zuffa ever would outside of the TUFers.

If this is true (I still haven't seen a source listed), than the UFC is simply trying to monopolize their power at the expense of the sport. Additionally, it further shows the cronyisim of the UFC company ref Big John McCarthy.

I don't begrudge the UFC undermining other competitors be it subtly/ in an underhanded fashion or out in the open. They are running a business. Hell, they may think the UFC's way of running the sport should be the only way. It's their opinion.

OK rude22, you make a lot of sense.
Let's ban them cause they don't GUARANTEE that you'll get a truckload of money.

fact you're missing is, Zuffa's life is a lot easier without Pride around.

"fact you're missing is, Zuffa's life is a lot easier without Pride around."

That is completely obvious. However, it doesn't change the fact that destandardizing the rules and regulations of MMA in America is not a great idea. I'd like to see MMA on SportsCenter one day, and Pride's efforts here would be moving the sport in the opposite direction.

"fact you're missing is, Zuffa's life is a lot easier without Pride around."

Fact you're missing is, Pride already IS around. If they want a guy, they pretty much take him.

Rizzo, Tank, Coleman, Baroni, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Why is Pride MORE of a threat to Zuffa because they might operate in the U.S. as opposed to Japan?

DSE comes to Cali to hold events with less of a live crowd, and this is more threatening to Zuffa? How?

Pride is already as big a threat to UFC as they can be, unless they try to take Zuffa's spot on Spike TV or something radical like that.

The only other thing DSE could possibly do is try to schedule near Zuffa's events and steal their live gate from them. I just don't see it.

Pride is a mega-phenom in Japan, and having hundreds of thousands at the shows is what allows them to pay fighters a ton.

How would DSE justify paying a ton to have people fight in the Staples Centre? There's only so much to be earned there, and it's far less than in Japan where they are now.

What I see in this situation is Zuffa recognizing the level of tolerance in regards to rules, that will allow them to operate in higher-exposure media outlets.

They know where the breaking points of sanctions in the fight capital of the continent are. They know what the TV execs will say yes and no to. They don't want DSE coming in and messing things up.

Of coarse, I'm just guessing, but I'd say it's a better guess than thinking Zuffa is scared of the U.S. version of Pride, because that will certainly be less powerful than the Japan version of Pride.

"If anyones dies it will most likely be in Pride. The rules Pride uses increases the chances of seriuos injury or death greatly."

I'd have to disagree somewhat. If Charles Manson wasn't the ref at every other Pride show, you'd get some decent stoppages before guys like Sakuraba insisted on photoshopping their own faces with their opponent's fists.

That said, there is some unrealized potential in the sacred soccer kick that could snuff the entire sport over here in the USA. We simply can't have a death at this crucial stage if we want the sport to continue.