UFC buys PRIDE

[DJ V Lawrence]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...ts/4664871.html

The majority owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship have agreed to buy their biggest mixed martial arts rival, Pride Fighting Championships, in a deal that will establish megafights among the outfits' titleholders and possibly attract huge pay-per-view audiences.

"This is really going to change the face of MMA," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "Literally creating a sport that could be as big around the world as soccer. I liken it somewhat to when the NFC and AFC came together to create the NFL."

The deal allows the Fertitta brothers to broker the biggest MMA fights possible in the near future, increasing their influence in this sports entertainment business.

"We will be able to literally put on the fights that everyone wants to see," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It will allow us to put on some of the biggest fights ever."

[icanluv2]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headli...ts/4664871.html

The majority owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship have agreed to buy their biggest mixed martial arts rival, Pride Fighting Championships, in a deal that will establish megafights among the outfits' titleholders and possibly attract huge pay-per-view audiences.

"This is really going to change the face of MMA," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "Literally creating a sport that could be as big around the world as soccer. I liken it somewhat to when the NFC and AFC came together to create the NFL."

The deal allows the Fertitta brothers to broker the biggest MMA fights possible in the near future, increasing their influence in this sports entertainment business.

"We will be able to literally put on the fights that everyone wants to see," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "It will allow us to put on some of the biggest fights ever."

Are these guys Tilman's other mob brothers? Too bad this happened. I like Pride alot more than UFC. Now we're going to see caged matches. That is going to stink.

[Jeebus]

Are these guys Tilman's other mob brothers? Too bad this happened. I like Pride alot more than UFC. Now we're going to see caged matches. That is going to stink.

No, all that's happened is consolidation. Unlike boxing where you can have multiple "champs", UFC & PRIDE merged so that there will still be one "champ" (per weight class).

This has always been my biggest complaint about boxing in general. Well that, and that its fixed.

[DJ V Lawrence]

No, all that's happened is consolidation. Unlike boxing where you can have multiple "champs", UFC & PRIDE merged so that there will still be one "champ" (per weight class).

This has always been my biggest complaint about boxing in general. Well that, and that its fixed.

According to the reports, they're looking to expend PRIDE to the point where it's as big in multiple countries as it is in most of Asia, which is really big. In my old hometown in Korea, the media covered fighting/entertainment shows in this order:

1. PRIDE

2. UFC

3. K-1

4. WWE

5. Boxing

I don't know where PRIDE will go in America, but I do think internationally it will grow due to financial backing. I also think PRIDE and UFC will still have seperate titles, with an occasional Champions Vs. Champions PPV. Perhaps they will want to have a major annual MMA major event, kinda like wrestling's "Wrestlemania", NFL's "Super Bowl", or Soccer's World Cup

Either way, I think MMA by the end of next year will surpass boxing in terms of interest and revenue.

[Jeebus]

Who keeps voting in these polls, drudging up old threads?