Did pride have more buzz then the UFC?

[The Real Pedro]

Fewer cards, fewer weight classes, far away land, more underground. Greater buzz to a smaller universe of people.

Nailed it.

I loved Pride. I didn't get to see many because PPVs and DVDs were out of my price range. But every so often I would get to see one of their events and looooved it. Not only were the fights great, but you were part of a small, passionate community.

I think a lot of it had to how impressionable I was at the age I was trying to get into Pride. I'm older now, and the stripped down feel of the UFC suits me better. I don't need some crazy Japanese guy banging a steel drum to incite the warrior spirit of the fighters or any of that anymore.

 

[HydraCap3]

more fanboy, anti-UFC hipster hype....YES!

more talent....NO!

 

[DVN**]

It felt more international.

Felt like a kumite. Or a world warriors type feel.

The ufc markets mma as an american sport with some different countries competing.

 

[Balli]

And over 5 years after Pride's death, there are still as many Pride fans as there are UFC fans. Pride never die.

There are more UFC fans now than there ever were PRIDE fans. That is why PRIDE cannot create a buzz like the UFC can.

 

[eiyuu]

There are more UFC fans now than there ever were PRIDE fans. That is why PRIDE cannot create a buzz like the UFC can.

Yup. The PRIDE hangers on are just the loudest, most habitual whiners, so it seems like there are more.

 

[Shaddows]

Back in early 2000s to mid 2000 I remember being very excited about Pride and watching all the youtube videos available. Even average fighters in Pride who never real real contenders I knew.

I was looking at the next few UFC fights and quite a few names I dont recognize.

Though now I have less time to watch MMA then before I feel there was a lot of buzz surrounding pride events.

Was the internet buzz greater with pride that even regular fighters like Nakamura and Ze Sperry were known?

the main difference I see is that earlier there were less MMA, and the fans were more hardcore.

Now MMA is more readily available, and thus you feel less... hungry for it.

Also, before the fights were in japan, now it is in US (and around the globe)...

They are different... I wouldn't say better or worse... just different times...

 

[boron gracie]

There was no fake forced drama in Pride, everything that happened was real and Pride allowed it. It wasn't like in the UFC where someone says a bad thing about someone and Dana fires that person's ass. Guys in Pride got into brawls after fights, talked shit to each other, attacked one another etc. It was all real and that is why it was so awesome! But, they also showed respect and appreciation. Frye vs Shamrock is the prime example. Two guys who genuinely hated each other and went to war for 25 minutes and just buried the hatchet because as Don said "You can't fight a man for 25 minutes and come out holding a grudge. If you do that then there's something wrong with you."

UFC's fake forced drama is just laughable.

And yet in few days your ass will be glued to tv watching "laughable" ufc.

As much as ufc gets blame for some of their decisions, i do think dana talks out of his ass but that come with territory of being promoter, still ufc is the closest to pure mma we ever had, unlike in pride we dont have fixed fights, there is drug testing, no freak matchups, no guys with 0-1 or on a 3 fight losing streak fighting for the belt, most of matchups announced 2-4 months in advance unlike most matchups in pride that were announced 1 or 2 week before event, the shady matchups in pride tournaments, pride was awsome but not from pure mma standpoint.

 

[boron gracie]

It felt more international.

Felt like a kumite. Or a world warriors type feel.

The ufc markets mma as an american sport with some different countries competing.

Joo wrong, ufc has been way more global than pride ever was, except 2 shows all pride events were held in japan, ufc went to over 10 countries (including japan and brazil back in 90s), we have tuf in 4 countries, probably 7 in 2013. Ufc been to every continent except one. Ufc has way more diverse fighter composition, fighter from Afghanistan comon son. If you are good in mma sooner or later you going to be in ufc no matter where you are coming from, in pride if you were Japanese and could throw a punch you could go 0-6 , 2-12 and still fight in Pride and get a title shot that bs wont fly in ufc, ufc doesnt care where you come from if you win you will get your title shot, if you lose your ass will get cut, if you are american or not after few losses most likely you will get cut, and today happens that majority of top fighters are from usa ( ex all top10 in lw division), they fight in ufc because they are top not because they are american, unlike in pride where you can be on 3 fight losing streak and fight the champ( wand vs otsuka) because you are Japanese. What about all the fixed fights were Japanese fighters were benefeficiary of the fixed outcome, coleman vs takada and many others.

 

[mmagoat]

There is simply too much UFC. The events do not feel nearly as special anymore and there are way too many fighters to keep track of. I also liked PRIDE marketing and feel better.

Of course UFC has better fighters (maybe except for the HW division) and is more diverse. There are far less mismatched fights but it does not feel like top fighters are fighting any more often.

 

[kintana]

Pride had the theatrics, the fighters who were also characters who were portrayed as larger than life and also tournaments which were a huge deal, add in a little freak show and away you go. You weren't just watching a fight with Pride you were watching a spectacle.

I think pride did a great job of building a story. I like the UFC fighters better but Pride events had this theatrics that made the fight fun. My ex GF loved watching Pride events and she probably didnt even know the difference between karate and muay thai.