| Pride Fighting History |
PRIDE FIGHTING or PRIDE Fighting Championships is a mixed martial arts organization based in Japan, promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. It is the most popular MMA organization in the world based on the number of event attendees: the Pride Final Elimination 2003 event had 65,000 people in the audience. The audience record is 90,000 people on the Pride and K-1 co-production called Shockwave/Dynamite held in August 2002.
Pride’s rules result in similar styles of fighting as seen in Ultimate Fighting Championship in the United States. Unlike the UFC, where matches take place within a cage, Pride holds its bouts within a boxing style ring. Notable differences between Pride FC and the UFC are:
Kicking and kneeing a downed opponent are allowed in Pride fighting but not in UFC.
Elbows to the head/face are allowed in UFC but not in Pride. fighting
A legendary event in Japan, the PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS match the world’s elite fighters in competitions of honor and art. Imagine Brazilian Jiu – Jitsu practitioner versus kick boxer, Judo specialist versus wrestler … this is the sport of mixed martial arts … this is PRIDE FC. Each match is the culmination of years of training by these athletes, the finest representatives of their martial art who not only compete for victory, but also to defend their fighting style!
PRIDE FC began in 1997 with one philosophy—the acceptance of any fighting technique from any school. In other words, attempt to mimic the realities of an actual fight in the form of a legitimate and honorable sport. The Brazilians call is "Vale Tudo," some fans call it "no holds barred," but today both of these terms have evolved into a sport called "mixed martial arts." For PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP, this dream was realized on October 11, 1997 when Rickson Gracie faced Nobuhiko Takada at the main event of PRIDE FC I at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Gracie personified the legend of Gracie Jiu Jitsu, his family’s unique fighting style from Brazil. His opponent, Takada, represented the style of professional wrestling. Both claimed the superiority of their fighting art and looked to prove it to themselves, their opponents, and the fans. This philosophy is what continues to drive PRIDE FC today.
Though the basic idea is to eliminate as many restrictions as possible in a mixed martial arts match, this is still ultimately a sport and safety is always paramount. In its history, there have been no serious injuries in any PRIDE FC event. When more closely compared to such mainstream American sports as NFL-style football (with its violent collisions) and boxing (with its repeated head blows), the sport of mixed martial arts has an impeccable safety record. In PRIDE FIGHTING , the referee has the authority and obligation to stop the match whenever a fighter is no longer able to defend himself. To compliment this, seven doctors are available at ringside in the event of any type of accident or emergency. In addition, there are a series of rules, implemented both to protect the fighters and to uphold the integrity of the sport.
