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Pride Fighting Championships

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File:PRIDE FC logo.jpg
Pride logo

PRIDE or PRIDE Fighting Championships is a major mixed martial arts organization based in Japan. It is currently promoted by Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE). Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997, promoted by Kakutougi Revolution Spirits (KRS).[1] It is the most popular MMA organization in the world based on the number of event attendees: the PRIDE Final Conflict 2003 event had over 67,000 people in the audience. The audience record is 91,107 people on the PRIDE and K-1 co-production Shockwave/Dynamite, held in August 2002.

On June 5, 2006, Fuji Network announced that they were terminating their television contract with PRIDE Fighting Championships effective immediately due to a breach of contract by DSE. [2]. This leaves PRIDE with only SKY PerfectTV, a pay-per-view carrier, as a television outlet in Japan, and the lack of the substantial revenues from the Fuji deal threatens its sustainability. DSE has been surrounded by speculation in the Japanese media, especially in Japanese tabloid Shukan Gendai, that it may be a front by a notorious yakuza group. DSE responded to the loss by stating they will continue with their schedule as currently planned, including an event in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 21 2006, PRIDE's first event outside of Japan.[3]

PRIDE announced it will cooperate with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, North America's largest MMA organization, and will be showcasing their fighters, including Wanderlei Silva and Kazuyuki Fujita, at a UFC event in November 2006.[4]

Rules

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. Other notable differences between PRIDE FC and the UFC are:

Weight classes

  • Heavyweight (more than or equal to 93 kg / 205 lb)
  • Middleweight (less than 93 kg / 205 lb)
  • Welterweight (less than 83 kg / 183 lb)
  • Lightweight (less than 73 kg / 160 lb)

Match length

Most PRIDE FC matches are broken down as follows:

Round 1 - 10 minutes
Round 2 - 5 minutes
Round 3 - 5 minutes

There are two-minute breaks between rounds.

Victory

Matches are won via:

  • Submission
A fighter taps either his opponent or the mat three times.
A fighter may also verbally submit
  • Technical Knockout
    • Referee Stoppage---If the referee sees that one fighter is completely dominant to the point of endangering his opponent, the referee will stop the match.
    • Doctor Stoppage---In the event that a fighter is injured (via fair methods) and cannot continue the match, his opponent will be declared the winner. The ring doctor will be the one to determine whether the fighter can continue or not. In the event that an injury was caused by illegal methods, the perpetrator will be disqualified.
    • Forfeited Match---A fighter's corner throws in the towel.
  • Decision
If the match goes the distance, then the outcome of the bout is determined by the three judges. A decision is made according to the following: the effort made to finish the fight via KO or submission, damage given to the opponent, standing combinations & ground control, aggressiveness and weight (in the case that the weight difference is 10 kg/22 lb or more). The above criteria are listed according to priority. The fight is scored in its entirety and not round by round. After the third round, each judge must decide a winner. Matches cannot end in a draw.
  • Disqualification
A "warning" will be given in the form of a yellow card (along with a 10% deduction in fight purse) when a fighter commits an illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification.
  • No Contest
In the event that both sides commit a violation of the rules, the bout will be declared a "No Contest."


Notes

  • In the event that a fighter is injured by illegal actions, then at the discretion of the referee and ring doctor, the round will attempt to be resumed after enough time has been given to the fighter to recover. If the match cannot be continued due to the severity of the injury then the fighter who perpetrated the action will be disqualified.
  • In the event that both fighters are on the verge of falling out of the ring, the referee will alert them and ask them not to move. The fighters must immediately stop their movements and will then be pulled back to the center of the ring, exactly in the position they were in. They will then resume the fight at the referee's call.
  • The “No Contest” Rule---When an illegal action disqualifies both fighters or the judges decide to stop the fight because of an accident (in the first round), then the fight shall be called a "No Contest." However, in the case that the accident happens during or after the second round, a decision shall be made according to the fighter's performance during the first round and the preceding round(s) before the accident occurred.
  • Upon the fighter's choice, gi, kneepads, elbow-pads, shin guards, taping and ankle supporter may be worn, but each should be checked by the referee before the fight. Mouthpieces and cups are mandatory for fighters.
  • Weight classes are as follows:

Middleweight Class: Weight less than 93 kg/205 lb. Heavyweight Class: Weight more than or equal to 93 kg/ 205 lb.

  • If both fighters are in the middleweight class: If there is a weight difference of 10 kg/22 lb or more between the fighters, then the lighter fighter is given a choice on whether to permit knees or kicks to the face when the fighters are in the "four points position."
  • If both fighters are in the heavyweight class: If there is a weight difference of 15 kg/33 lb or more between the fighters, then the lighter fighter is given a choice on whether to permit knees or kicks to the face when the fighters are in the "four points position."
  • If the match is between a middleweight and heavyweight: If there is a weight difference of 10 kg/22 lb or more between the fighters, then the lighter fighter is given a choice on whether to permit knees or kicks to the face when the fighters are in the "four points position."
  • The PRIDE FC ring is 7 meters by 7 meters (approximately 23 feet by 23 feet).

Additional notes

Rules for the BUSHIDO events are generally the same as PRIDE FC rules with some exceptions:

  • In BUSHIDO fights are two rounds (instead of three). The first round is ten (10) minutes, and the second round is five (5) minutes. There are no extra rounds. If the fight goes the distance then judges decide on a winner.
  • For BUSHIDO "Challenge Matches," fights are two (2) rounds. The first and second rounds are five (5) minutes each. If the fight goes to the full time limit no decision will be rendered. The fight will be ruled a draw.
  • In BUSHIDO, red cards are used in the same way that yellow cards are used in PRIDE FC. In BUSHIDO, if fighters commit the following actions, they shall be given a red card by officials: Stalling or failure to initiate any offensive attack, making no attempt to finalize the match or damage the opponent, and holding the opponent's body with the arms and legs to produce a stalemate. A red card results in a 10% deduction/fine of the fighter's fight purse. A major difference in the penalty card system between PRIDE FC and BUSHIDO is that in PRIDE FC a total of three yellow cards results in a disqualification, while in BUSHIDO red cards can be given out in an unlimited number without disqualification

GRAND PRIX tournament events follow the same rules as standard PRIDE FC events with one exception:

  • The round format shall be ten (10) minutes for the first round and five (5) minutes for the second round during tournaments in which fighters must fight more than once in the same event (most commonly in an event that will have the semi-finals and finals). During the opening round of a tournament in which the fighter will only be fighting once that evening, then the round format is the standard 10-5-5.

PRIDE current champions

Fedor Emelianenko, current PRIDE Heavyweight Champion
Main article: List of PRIDE champions
Division Champion
Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko
Middleweight Wanderlei Silva
Welterweight Dan Henderson
Lightweight Takanori Gomi


Recent Tournament champions:

Year/Weight Champion
2004 Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko
2005 Middleweight Mauricio Rua
2005 Welterweight Dan Henderson
2005 Lightweight Takanori Gomi

Notable PRIDE fighters

Note: some fighters occasionally change their weight class.

Heavyweight

Middleweight

File:Wanderlei de Silva.JPG
Wanderlei Silva, current Middleweight Champion

Welterweight

Lightweight

PRIDE events

Main article: List of PRIDE events

See also

References

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