PRIDE Secret Files

[Charlie Sheen]

I'm currently reading the PRIDE Secret Files book and this is a pretty good book that hardly receives any discussion on here. I've been posting notes on it on Tapology, so I guess I'd post those notes on here too to garner some discussion. I think these are some bits of information which should be known by PRIDE fans.

Lorenzo Fertita brought PRIDE in March of 2007, but he had been wanting to buy it since July 2006 when PRIDE was dropped by Fuji TV.

Lorenzo was motivated to get into the MMA business because of the great Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie fight. He had some great expansion ideas for the new PRIDE as he was really enthusiastic about it.

PRIDE was already in a huge financial hole due to losing their TV deal with Fuji TV and it would've cost Lorenzo $12 million to put on an event which was ridiculous.

On October 4 of the same year, Jamie Pollack called the PRIDE FC Worldwide offices and notified they would be shutting down and all of the employees were dismissed.

The new PRIDE was originally scheduled to have a lightweight GP taking place. The first round was scheduled to take place on May 20, 2007 at the Saitama Super Arena, the second round on July 16 at the Nihon Gaishi Hall in Nagoya, Japan and the finals on September 30 at the Saitama Super Arena.

Takanori Gomi, Hayato Sakurai, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Gilbert Melendez, Joachim Hansen, Luiz Azeredo, Marcus Aurelio, Shinya Aoki, Satoru Kitaoka who beat Fabricio Monteiro in a fight in DEEP were all scheduled to participate in the tournament. There were rumors that Georges St. Pierre, Matt Hughes and Sean Sherk who was the UFC lightweight champion at the time would also be participating in the tournament.

This never occurred though because there was only a timeframe about a month for them to set up the card because the Fertitas had purchased it a little over a month previously the card and they thought it was a bad idea to set up such a big card on such a short notice and they dropped the event.

After PRIDE folded, the old PRIDE management, DSE still decided to put together DREAM with the hopes of following in the footsteps of PRIDE and put together their own lightweight GP of their own at DREAM 1 with some of the fighters that were scheduled to appear in the PRIDE lightweight GP.

Good stuff, TS. Thanks for sharing it. *Bookmarks thread*

Cheers.

 

[TitoDome]

No. Dana didn't want Wanderlei because he had been knocked out by Cro Cop, thus losing his mystique. There is a radio showdown between Jerry Millen and Dana White on Scott Ferrell's show where White is having a hissy fit over PRIDE vs. UFC. It's hilarious. Millen offered to send Cro Cop, but White said that they can sign him if they want to (which was a big wtf moment in late 2006).

Even when they did the bullshit fight between Liddell/Wanderlei, Silva was coming off of two brutal KO losses; his first fight back in the octogan; different rules; everything in Liddell's favor.

I remember someone asking Dana if he was going to sign wand and he replied something along the lines of "why would I want him, he just got his fucking head kicked off by cro cop". Soon after wand was signed.....

 

[ThunderL1ps]

I remember someone asking Dana if he was going to sign wand and he replied something along the lines of "why would I want him, he just got his fucking head kicked off by cro cop". Soon after wand was signed.....

Yeah, after PRIDE was purchased everything changed. It's the same bullshit from Dana White, year after year. Funny how none of the "journalists" never call him on it.

 

[Ruv]

Thanks for posting Edwin, you da man!

 

[moreorless87]

No. Dana didn't want Wanderlei because he had been knocked out by Cro Cop, thus losing his mystique. There is a radio showdown between Jerry Millen and Dana White on Scott Ferrell's show where White is having a hissy fit over PRIDE vs. UFC. It's hilarious. Millen offered to send Cro Cop, but White said that they can sign him if they want to (which was a big wtf moment in late 2006).

Even when they did the bullshit fight between Liddell/Wanderlei, Silva was coming off of two brutal KO losses; his first fight back in the octogan; different rules; everything in Liddell's favor.

The talks for Wanderlei/Chuck broke down before Wanderlei/Crocop even took place, everything I'v heard points to the reason for that being that the UFC wanted Wanderlei on a 3 fight deal not as a one off.

That the UFC put on Wanderlei/Chuck with both men coming off of 2 loses tells you they still wanted it post Crocop as well. What changed was that Wanderlei was signed up on an exclusive deal by late 2007 so the fight no longer involved any risk.

 

[Blayt7hh]

Rumor has it that Dana lost 200k in the GP betting that Chuck would win it.

That's not a rumor, in fact I think they talked about it in the commentator's booth during the even but I might be remembering that wrong. Anyways, the actual bet was something like Chuck would beat Wand in the finals, so Dana never had to pay up

 

[Jermei]

That's not a rumor, in fact I think they talked about it in the commentator's booth during the even but I might be remembering that wrong. Anyways, the actual bet was something like Chuck would beat Wand in the finals, so Dana never had to pay up

Yeah I thought they talked about a bet when doing commentary with Dana but I couldn't remember ... It's cool Chuck and Wand finally got to fight but damn it would have been some bloodthirsty gladiator shit if they were in their Prime for that grand prix.

 

[Boomb]

Great thread. Bookmarked.

 

[AllHailKrull**]

Rumor has it that Dana lost 200k in the GP betting that Chuck would win it.

Wasn't it that Chuck would beat Wanderlei but he never faced him so Dana didn't pay?

 

[ThunderL1ps]

The talks for Wanderlei/Chuck broke down before Wanderlei/Crocop even took place, everything I'v heard points to the reason for that being that the UFC wanted Wanderlei on a 3 fight deal not as a one off.

That the UFC put on Wanderlei/Chuck with both men coming off of 2 loses tells you they still wanted it post Crocop as well. What changed was that Wanderlei was signed up on an exclusive deal by late 2007 so the fight no longer involved any risk.

I don't think DSE ever seriously entertained any talks of sending their fighters to the UFC to begin with. It was more to showcase what they had on UFC broadcasts to promote PRIDE PPV's. DSE would never let the UFC have their talent when they were on top, just like Zuffa never let FEG have any talent when they asked for Matt Hughes for the Dynamite! USA show after lending Royce to the UFC.

The point I was trying to make is that Wanderlei wasn't as desirable coming off the Cro Cop loss as he would have been coming to the UFC without any KO losses at MW in PRIDE. The UFC had promoted a Wanderlei/Liddell fight before, as did PRIDE when they were in Vegas. It is just too bad they did the fight given the circumstances. The fight lost a lot of its luster.

 

[mmaknight]

It is really a shame they weren't able to keep Pride FC for at least one more year.

 

[BG Knoccout***]

Could you imagine? Would have been the best tourney in MMA of all time, hands down.

 

[Edwin]

I don't think DSE ever seriously entertained any talks of sending their fighters to the UFC to begin with. It was more to showcase what they had on UFC broadcasts to promote PRIDE PPV's. DSE would never let the UFC have their talent when they were on top, just like Zuffa never let FEG have any talent when they asked for Matt Hughes for the Dynamite! USA show after lending Royce to the UFC.

Check some of my previous posts from the first page. PRIDE wanted to send Fujita to the UFC and they even had negotiations at UFC 44 together in at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

The plan was for Fujita to make his UFC debut at UFC 46, but the UFC offered Fujita a fight against Wesley "Cabbage" Correira and PRIDE turned the fight down because they wanted Fujita to fight a bigger UFC name in his UFC debut.

 

[eddymotto]

thanks TS. I had never heard of this book but I am definitely interested now. will check it out.

 

[Mesrine**]

Great thread, thanks TS. man was PRIDE sick....

GSP and Hughes in a PRIDE Tourney would have been amazing.

 

[vitordabest]

Pride tourny ftw

 

[SharkBoy]

Great thread! Thanks!!!

 

[OliverAtom]

I also read that GSP was about to sign for Pride. He was in Japan on a 'personal visit'. Machida was also destined to fight in Pride if it hadn't got into trouble. He pretty much started his MMA career in Japan. Another crazy rumour was that Kimbo Slice was going to be signed as well lol.

 

[sangreporsangre]

Wow, reading over that part about Saku again, made me realize the guy was nuts. I don't know who the hell El Solar is, but it sounds like Saku coulda had an easy NYE payday to single-leg and sub some luchador but he turned it down to fight Little Nog. What a warrior, imagine if there were more fighters like him

 

[maksy]

good read,thanks for posting!!!