PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

[vansabu]

I am a huge UFC fan and just watched a few pride fight DVDs thru netflix tonight. Pride seems big on the extravagant aspect of it but the fighting was subpar. Now I know most can whip me and I am judging as a fan and not a competitor but it seemed to drag out opposed to UFC buzzing by each show. What are some of the views you have on the product vs UFC?

UFC seems grittier
PRIDE seems more "Extravagant"

UFC seems to have better announcers (Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg have loads of MMA knowledge.

PRIDE has some dude with Bas Rutten.

UFC has Forest Griffin as their funny Boy
PRIDE has "Rampage " Jackson as their funny boy ( funny as hell)

UFC is more intimate setting atmosphere
PRIDE has truck loads of foreign fans - seemed like millions at the arena.

I give the edge to UFC - right now .

[Darth Turkish]

Pride puts several big names on a card, but not always the best matches
UFC puts one of two big mathces, and fills of the card the rest with fighters most have barely heard of.


Thaqt is what I have noticed, at least.

[LWPD]

I'd encourage against viewing one as 'better' than the other. Pride and UFC are fundamentally different from each another and they each provide a niche that fans wouldn't otherwise have access to enjoying. From the cage vs ring...length and structuring of timed rounds...distinct rule parameters and even judging criteria...they are each providing a very different product. Diversity is good for the sport, good for the fighters and good for the fans.

LWPD (in many respects Pride is closr to the Vale Tudo roots MMA in America once had but lost due to the pursuit of sanctioning by the various state athletic commissions....from UFC 28 forward 'legal' main stream MMA in the US has been formatted around a set of rules which first allowed the UFC to gain sanctioning in Atlantic City...and that body of rules has continued on into the gaining of approval by the California and Nevada State Athletic Commissions)

Some links of interest:

Various MMA Organization Rules

UFC Overview

Pride Overview

Philosphy Behind Pride's Judging Criteria

[habbalah]

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Now that I got the cheap plug out of the way to each their own. UFC is something it seems for the American fan. I know I love it. I love it's 170 weight division (one fo the few things Pride lacks).

Pride's a fine show. There is no denying that. It takes some patients to get use to but in all honesty the UFC did to when I first started.
To the original poster I'll put it to you like this

Let us suppose Pride is the equal of a steak, and the UFC is the equal of a hamburger.
Some people just like hamburgers more. Besides the last Bushido from what I heard was more burnt than well done.

[Darth Turkish]

Pretty good analogy, habs

[Trent Lawless]

Yeah, good analogy.

Personally, I watch the Pride PPVs but not UFC. I think I've just got something against the cage if I have to choose between one or the other. And I don't agree that the fighters are subpar. I think on the whole, the two squads on balance are pretty equal.

UFC is grittier and Pride is more "sports entertainment," though, for sure. I'll go for that.

[Mad Dog]

Pride goes for a little more freak show than I'd like. It also seems like they coddle their champions a lot.

[Darth Turkish]

I do have to admit that most of the time, the UFC PPVs with the barely heard of fighters do put on somevery good matches.

Better than say Randleman/Shogun, for example.

[habbalah]

I'd rather see Monson fight Tim than Fedor fight Coleman. Monson has a chance.

Now there's no denying that Fedor has more talent than Coleman, Tim, or Monson but that doesn't make his fight with Coleman anymore appealing. After the open weight show Pride seems to have lost a step. I don't think it'll last but at the same time the ppv's have increased to 40.

[hofclemens]

The UFC commentators although they aren't as bad as some people say they are I am not a huge fan of. Goldberg is okay but rogan gets too cliche. If you ever want to play a fun drinking game take a shot every time Rogan says "He's got it locked in tight" and the guy slips out.

As far as pride announcing, I am not sure which tapes you saw but Steven Quadros and Bas are by far the best combo of MMA insight and humor in MMA brodcast history. Maurillo r. (sp?) was getting better and I was sad to see him go. Frank Trigg is alright. Trigg and Bas to me bring something to the table that most commentators can't as they have stepped in the ring. Rogan studies BJJ but it's not really the same. That's why I liked a few years ago when Mir was helping out on commentary and you could tell Goldberg was leading him in the right direction.

Fan of both organzations, I think there are things UFC does better then Pride and likewise.

[thedragonreborn]

vansabu said:

UFC is more intimate setting atmosphere
PRIDE has truck loads of foreign fans - seemed like millions at the arena.

I didn't see anyone else mention this. Pride is almost always held in Japan.


Rahl

[vansabu]

I tried again tonight to get into PRIDE, maybe because UFC talent are more known but Idont know , it seems to me that the undercard UFC is a bit more exciting than the Main events in PRIDE.. BUT I would take the lady and man who announces the names of the fighters over Bruce Buffer, they could announce a man walking down the strret and make it sound interesting. Does anyone have info on them ?

[pikemojo]

I think it helps that you can get to know fighters a bit better with UFC due to TUF and the fact that they tend to speak english and all.
PRIDE does definitely seem to coddle not only their champions but also their bigger talents. Sure there are some really big matches every once in a while but UFC threw Rich Franklin in the cage with Anderson Silva and Franklin got worked. UFC does usually have 1-2 big main fights and the rest are guys we have seen once or twice or never before but they do still tend to put on competitive matches. I watch some PRIDE fights that go 30 minutes and very little happens. Pisses me off.
I am not a big fan of UFC's 10 point system for scoring but I wouldn't even begin to try to think of a better system. I don't know PRIDE's scoring system and I don't feel like reading now so I won't comment on it.
I much prefer the cage to the ring. I don't like how in the ring you constantly have to restart a fight because they slip under the ropes.
Also, from my fairly limited observation, PRIDE seems to have fighters that are very well trained in a specific martial art whereas UFC fighters are more rounded but maybe less skilled in any single area.
I prefer UFC by far but still like PRIDE overall. They are very different and can both be enjoyed just like any 2 wrestling organizations.

[habbalah]

Also, from my fairly limited observation, PRIDE seems to have fighters that are very well trained in a specific martial art whereas UFC fighters are more rounded but maybe less skilled in any single area.

......*Perspires*. MFS camp yes? You may have a piont there but there are many well rounded fighters in Pride, but I guess random fighters in the ufc seem more well rounded because we've seen more of them training.

Pride's scoring does kinda annoy me but it has nice elements.
1 effort fo finish a fight
2 damage done
3 aggresion.

The problem being is you stink the first two rounds of the fight and poor it on in the last and win. It's annoying to me. Pride fights continue to improve. Try not to judge by thier earlier work. (IE the box sets that are offered from the first Pride's).