Big news re Pride expansion/change of direction

[Deej]

http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3005&zoneid=13

Seems Pride are now intending to operate more similarly to the way the UFC do things. More events, more belt challenges, more variety in weight classes at each event, and a lot more events scheduled for the US. Combined with their annual tournaments being once every 4 years now, I think this is a fantastic move by Pride personally. I didn't like the emphasis on tournaments over the belts, now the emphasis is on the belts and the tournaments as stated in the article are now more an occasion like the olympics.

Thoughts? I can't imagine there'd be too many people not happy with this. More Fedor v CroCop type fights are on the cards now boys!

 

[drew_j]

One issue I have had with Pride, is while they have the best fighters you don't see much young blood coming through. Generally because they get put up against Wandi or Gomi in their 2nd or 3rd fight. Hopefully this will help. Then again not so long ago we were watching Silva vs Sakuraba MLXXIX probably due to the lack of fighters being brought through the ranks. I suppose that’s the flip side. Need to attract more fresh meat.

 

[Magnum]

One issue I have had with Pride, is while they have the best fighters you don't see much young blood coming through. Generally because they get put up against Wandi or Gomi in their 2nd or 3rd fight. Hopefully this will help. Then again not so long ago we were watching Silva vs Sakuraba MLXXIX probably due to the lack of fighters being brought through the ranks. I suppose that’s the flip side. Need to attract more fresh meat.

Yeah you're right that you dont see many fresh faces because the best guys seem to be constantly fighting each other, but I just think that that is the standard nowadays. Pride is the hardest MMA competition to stay in so the best guys seem to stay around the top. I just wish guys like GSP, Hughes and Penn would be able to compete over there aswell. That would be awesome.

I think 4-years though between events is a LONG time. I reckon 2 years would be better. 4 years is a long time for an MMA fighter. Win it once, you might not be around the next time to defend it.

If would be great if there was like a separate 2-year event that was cooperatively supported by both Pride and UFC which every fighter is elligable to enter regardless of who they are contracted to. Like a MMA World champtionships. I can only dream

 

[drew_j]

Yeah you're right that you dont see many fresh faces because the best guys seem to be constantly fighting each other, but I just think that that is the standard nowadays. Pride is the hardest MMA competition to stay in so the best guys seem to stay around the top. I just wish guys like GSP, Hughes and Penn would be able to compete over there aswell. That would be awesome.

I think 4-years though between events is a LONG time. I reckon 2 years would be better. 4 years is a long time for an MMA fighter. Win it once, you might not be around the next time to defend it.

If would be great if there was like a separate 2-year event that was cooperatively supported by both Pride and UFC which every fighter is elligable to enter regardless of who they are contracted to. Like a MMA World champtionships. I can only dream

They had 2 Gp's this year though. I think that is to much. It gets like the Champions trophy in cricket. Who cares?ish. If it's every 4 we get 1 GP per weight div every year. It looks as if 180 might get a regualr belt too. As aposed to just the GP belt.

 

[Magnum]

Once ebery 2 years would be better IMO. Heavy and Lightwight one year, middle and light-heavy the next.

 

[drew_j]

Once ebery 2 years would be better IMO. Heavy and Lightwight one year, middle and light-heavy the next.

4 years.

 

[drew_j]

[nelson]

Har Har

[/nelson]

last word, I win.

 

[Magnum]

<-

 

[Oh Furious One]

I’m sort of disappointed that they decided to discontinue BUSHIDO. I really liked the concept for the most part when it was originally just lightweights and welterweights.

I also wish MMA promoters, PRIDE in particular, would just not book “non title fights” all together. I don’t even know why they exist. If the champion is fighting, he should be defending the title, plain and simple. Non title fights are just an excuse to feed arguably the greatest MMA fighter in history tomato cans such as Zulu.

 

[drew_j]

I would have been pissed if Wandi had of lost his middle weight title to Hunt for 2 reasons.

1. He's a heavy weight.
2. He's a heavy weight.

Sakuraba pulled out with only a few day notice. Hunt was the only guy that would fight him with 3 days notice. If I was Silva and they had of come to me and said your're defending your title against a guy who is 25Kg's heavier then you. Well I wouldn't be happy.

 

[Oh Furious One]

That was an open weight fight, so obviously the title legally could not have been defended due to the difference in weight. It was also taken under short notice, so that is an exception, in my opinion. I’m talking about same weight class, non title fight BS. Hughes and Gracie is another fight with special exception.

The Fedor/Zulu fight is an example. Why this happened in the first place, I don’t know, but nether the less it was a non title fight. Fedor being the champion should have defended against him regardless. He was always going to defeat Zulu, but that is beside the point, you know?

 

[drew_j]

Man the japanese are crazy. Who knows what they think. I don't like seeing non title fights either. Zulu shouldn't have fought against Fedor anyway. He's a freak show, pure and simple. Put him with the other freaks and let them have their own freak title. Zulu, Giant Silva, Butterbean, chuck bob sapp in there and have a freak off. Let Fedor fight real fighters.

 

[Magnum]

Man the japanese are crazy. Who knows what they think. I don't like seeing non title fights either. Zulu shouldn't have fought against Fedor anyway. He's a freak show, pure and simple. Put him with the other freaks and let them have their own freak title. Zulu, Giant Silva, Butterbean, chuck bob sapp in there and have a freak off. Let Fedor fight real fighters.

Dont forget Emmanuel Yarborough and Akebono! Throw in the monkey guy off Bloodsport and you'd be set

 

[drew_j]

Dont forget Emmanuel Yarborough and Akebono! Throw in the monkey guy off Bloodsport and you'd be set

If anyone gets a chance, have a look at the Bob Sapp vs Akenbono kickboxing fight. I seriously though Akenbono was going to die of a heart attack, right there in the ring. The camera keeps going to his family and you can tell by the look on her face that his wife is afraid she'll be a widow in the next 10 minutes.

 

[Magnum]

If anyone gets a chance, have a look at the Bob Sapp vs Akenbono kickboxing fight. I seriously though Akenbono was going to die of a heart attack, right there in the ring. The camera keeps going to his family and you can tell by the look on her face that his wife is afraid she'll be a widow in the next 10 minutes.

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/bob sapp/video/x8lm0_bob-sapp-vs-akebono-k1?from=rss

It's a classic! The wife did look scared!

 

[Oh Furious One]

Henry Miller is another freak show. It's laughable that Giant Silva defeated him. Giant Silva is the ultimate freak show. He has no fighting experience what so ever and competes only due to his sheer size. Put him against anyone and he will still lose, regardless of talent, size or heart.