Pride Fighting Championships.

It all started at the Tokyo Dome in 1997. The idea to have a dream fight between Rickson Gracie and Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada. The fight was ended by Rickson within the first round due to an armbar, and showed that real fighting was here to stay, both in America and now in Japan.

During it's life before being recently purchased by the Zuffa corporation, Pride Fighting Championships held more than sixty martial arts events, including tournaments and open weigh bouts, when regulation in the states was already prohibiting such events. It was these reasons, along with having different weight classes as the UFC and other state-based martial arts organizations and less strict rules, allowed Pride to become the only real threat and rival organization to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pride fights took place in a ring, rather than a cage, which benefited grapplers and wrestlers. Also the main difference between the UFC and Pride was that in Pride, elbows of any kind were prohibited, however kicks, stomps and knees to the head of a downed opponent were legal. This added another level of excitement to the fights, because fans were now able to see these moves be performed as use of a takedown defense, also it made for some spectacularly brutal finishes.

Being the second biggest MMA organization in existence, fans often (and still do) debated on which organization really had the world's best fighters. The fan base of mma was split down the middle, harboring UFC fans and Pride fans. Since the acquisition of pride by the Zuffa corporation. We have been able to see that both companies had contracted the world's best fighters, and neither is the clear winner. Many pride fighters are starting successful careers in the UFC as we speak, and before the company was sold, visa-versa.

The Cage VS The Ring

Like I had stated above, the main difference between the UFC and Pride was the stage for which the combatants met. The UFC competitions took place inside an eight sided cage, trademarked "The Octagon" while Pride chose to have the fights take place in a boxing ring.

The main differences between the cage and the ring is that they can favor different styles of fighting, and tactics can be implemented using the surroundings themselves. The cage favors wrestlers and fighters who like to use the clinch to press their opponents up against it, leaving them nowhere to go. Also since the cage cannot interfere with the fighters like roped in a ring can, the fight doesn't have to be restarted in the center of the mat, giving the opponent on t op a large upper hand and the opportunity for much more dominant positioning. Using the cage to your advantage is commonly referred to "Cage Tactics" and is a large factor in mixed martial arts. (When taking place in a cage of course).

The ring provides a slight advantage to grapplers. The reason why that is, is because when the fighters get pressed too far into the ropes, the referee will often choose to restart the fight (in the same position) in the center of the ring. This allows the fighter starting off with the better position, to further establish his/her dominance Also it gives the fighter on the bottom a chance to escape, since the ropes are no longer limiting their mobility.

These differences only further enhanced the speculation between who had the best fighters, and provided each organization with its own flare. During it's lifetime PrideFC always had the best production value of any event of its kind, and will always be remembered as an amazing stage for martial artists to participate on.