Baryshnya

Pride Fighting Championships came to be popularly known as Pride FC and was promoted by Kakutougi Revolution Spirits in order to give a competition to Rickson Gracie, the professed champion by bringing Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada in the scene. The grand story of the success of the initial event made a path way for the organization of further such events and got converted to a regular series of MMA events. In Japan, with K-1 enjoying recognition, Pride started competing with monthly broadcasts on Fuji Television, and from pay per view on the new-fangled channel of those times SKY PerfecTV. It was one of the most popular mixed martial arts organizations until 2006. After its inaugural in October, 1997, Pride FC held several successful and popular martial arts events.

Pride FC, one of the former most renowned MMA organizations, broadcasted to 40 countries globally on an average and has to its credit the largest live Mixed Marshal Art event with a record of more than a crowd of 71,000 audience bagged in 2002 at the Pride and K-1 co-production. Moreover, it also has a shining history of record audience over 67,450 individuals in 2003 at the Pride Final Conflict. In 2000, Pride organized the Grand Prix to award the “World’s Best Fighter”, where 16 fighters were held in competition. This was the forst time, it was broadcasted in U.S. In 2002, Pride and K-1 together tied up to have the biggest fight event of the World, Shockwave having unbelievable response and applause.

In January 2003, Pride FC had its time of turmoil with the death of Naoto Morishita, the then DSE President who was found dead lynching by his neck in the hotel where he was staying. Further till 2006, Pride had several grand successes in the events it organized for welterweights and lightweights, Bushido; middleweight, Total Elimination 2003 and Final Conflict 2003; Middleweight in 2005, and Open weight in 2006.

In 2006 PRIDE made an announcement of co operating with UFC for showcasing its fighters. DSE had been in agreement with Fuji Network for the broadcast of its shows. In June 2006, Fuji Network made an announcement of termination of its contract with Pride FC on allegation of breach of contract by DSE, resulting in a heavy loss affecting its very sustainability. Pride got a chance to move out and further moved to America.

Finally in late 2006, Dream Stage Entertainment made a sale of Pride to Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, who are the co-owners of UFC. These two promotions legally being separate entities with different management teams were to assist each other in a manner akin to the AFL-NFL merger. Pride FC, still holds it mark!