A great read for MMA history guys

Not by those that were already fan's Bob. Obviously people that were already fan's of UFC since the beginning watched Pride. but the majority of the new fan's that arrived after TUF, werent fan's of pride. I was a pride fan. Im sure you were a pride fan. But ask the average UFC fan that became a fan after TUF, and you wont get many people that knew what was going on. Again, Pride's ratings in the US werent strong.

 

Again, you were a fan since early UFC right? You were a fightfan, not just a UFC fan. Yes, you could catch Highlights, but that was it. If you wanted to watch Pride, you would have to order it on PPV. And Many times, cable companies didnt carry it. But like is said, the current success of the UFC today is due to TUF. After TUF in 2005 i believe, everything changed. Exposure Grew, Venues grew, purses grew, etc. It had nothing to do with Pride.

 

Wow reach much? Its quite clear that pride had no influence whatsoever. You have no argument. Cant name me one thing Pride influenced or affected. If anything, the UFC influenced Pride. Especially since you mentioned Dan Henderson who fought for the UFC first. So by your standards, UFC influenced Pride. You seriously need to stick to boxing.

 

You clearly have been all over the place in here. First all of MMA was linked to Pro Wrestling, No pride influenced pro wrestling. And you are right you didnt mention Henderson, you mentioned Rua. I got the two champs mixed. But that is besides the point. Rua started in Vale Tudo Then went to IFC. This was before Pride.

 

You provide no examples and answer no questions. Who the hell could understand anything you are saying. Again, you are all over the place.

 

I see Jarhead agree. I dont see Bob agreeing with anything. But even if Bob did agree, that doesnt make it true. Because you nor Jarhead can provide one thing that the Pride Orginzation did that influenced UFC.

90% of the top guys in pride started somewhere else. Most of the Brazlians started in Vale Tudo. If they didnt go to pride they would have gone somewhere else. And would have been just as good.

 

Pride started in late 1997. What did it do to Shape current MMA? I showed you fights pre 1997 that look identical to current MMA. WHAT DID PRIDE DO THAT INFLUENCED MODERN MMA?

 

The UFC was still around. Again, what made the The UFC the success it is today is TUF. Pride didnt bring extra an extra Audience to the UFC. Again, Pride wasnt popular in the states. Only to hardcore MMA fans.

 

An interesting thing i found. By Steve-Dave's logic, the UFC influenced Pride:

Royce Gracie was the fighter that put mixed martial arts on the map in
the United States. It was the story of the little Brazilian with the funny fighting style that created intrigue around the early UFC events. While other stars would rise up in the coming years, Gracie was central to creating a mystique about the sport itself.
UFC was an early hit, and Gracie was a big part of that. His superfight with Ken Shamrock broke UFC’s then existing buy rate record with 260,000 buys, but it was also the fight that made Royce Gracie decide to leave the UFC.
Gracie went to Japan, and there he again played a pivotal role in setting up the success of that country’s dominant MMA promotion. Gracie’s legendary 90 minute fight with Kazushi Sakuraba turned Sakuraba into a big star and elevated Japanese interest in Pride and MMA.
Gracie has also demonstrated enduring drawing power in recent years. In Japan, he drew a 28.7 rating against Hidehiko Yoshida, a 24.6 rating against Akebono and a 22.1 rating against Hideo Tokoro.
In the United States, his return to the UFC was a very important event on two different levels. First, it did strong business. His fight with Matt Hughes did a $2.90M gate and 600,000 buys. Second, it sent the message that the best fighters in the world were the next generation of UFC stars, not the generation of Royce Gracie. That realization helped to elevate the sport to heights it had never reached.
No fighter was more important to the business success of mixed martial arts than Royce Gracie, and he did it in both of the sport’s epicenters.

 

btw, one of Pride's biggest fights Fedor vs. Coleman II did 60k PPV buys, while that same year. UFC was doing 600k PPV buys. Yet, Pride was carrying MMA?

 

Im okay. This shit is easy. and andrew knows i will never stop