Would a PRIDE Revival Make Sense? Dana White Not Ruling It Out

With the recent success of the Best of PRIDE series on Spike TV, UFC President Dana White isn't ruling out a resurrection of the Japanese-based fight promotion. According to a recent interview conducted by the Sun Media's Scrapyard, White said he isn't ruling out the possibility of a PRIDE revival. 

"You never know, anything is possible," White said when asked if he'd consider hosting an event or two in a ring under the PRIDE brand.

Die-hard fans remember the days when PRIDE was considered a legitimate competitor to the UFC. The organization was home to some of the most memorable bouts in MMA history and it is also where several UFC talent made their names. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua all became superstars in PRIDE long before they ever entered the UFC's octagon.

In late 2007, Zuffa—which is the parent company of the UFC—purchased the assets of PRIDE. The original idea was to continue to promote PRIDE events in Japan under the Zuffa brand and have top-level UFC fighters challenge elite PRIDE fighters in a format comparable to an MMA Super Bowl.

Unfortunately that idea fell through and the PRIDE brand as a whole was merged into the UFC. Most of the top stars from PRIDE such as the aforementioned Jackson and Wanderlei "The Axe-Murderer" Silva were signed to the UFC. PRIDE officially had its last show in April 2007, but while the organization may be defunct, the brand name and the memories of the fight promotion continue to live on in the hearts of die-hard fans.

This is something that White recognizes, especially now more so than ever with the recent ratings success of the Best of PRIDE series on Spike.

"For its time slot on Friday night, the first episode pulled a good rating so we're excited about that," White said. "We're hoping that series will continue to do well. I don't want to say the PRIDE name is dead. It's still a strong powerful brand. But the reality is that us running PRIDE in Japan, that completely fell apart."

Surely the idea of a PRIDE revival will have fans wetting their pants in excitement, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. At this point, would bringing back PRIDE under the Zuffa brand make any sense at all?

Not really. In fact it could prove to do more harm than good for the legacy of the legendary promotion.

Think of it this way: Fans remember PRIDE for the epic battles between Jackson and Silva, "Cro Cop" and Fedor Emelianenko, and many other classic bouts that took place under the PRIDE banner. Fans can look back at PRIDE and remember the good times. But if the UFC were to begin promoting PRIDE events it could tarnish those memories.

Even if White promotes a PRIDE show or two, it is not going to feel like PRIDE at all. Even if it were done in Japan it still won't have the same effect. PRIDE had a very unique and intriguing format when it came to their fight cards. Every event was stacked from top to bottom with the very best that the organization could offer. You had fighters like Rampage, Emelianenko, Dan Henderson, Cro Cop, and Shogun all competing on the same card.

Zuffa will not be able to promote classic PRIDE cards because their main focus will always be on the UFC. Even in the UFC, it's rare for a card to be as stacked as some of the old PRIDE events, and that's saying something since most UFC events are packed with big name talent. A PRIDE show promoted under Zuffa will be about as stacked as a typical UFC Fight Night card.

On the other hand, it could be a smart business strategy to use the PRIDE brand to help develop the names of up and coming UFC prospects. Ultimate Fight Night on Spike has done wonders for increasing the namevalue of stars such as Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Gray Maynard. Adding a third avenue for the development of prospects could be great for the UFC in terms of making fighters more recognizable to casual observers.

The Best of PRIDE series airs every Friday night on Spike TV and features some of the best fights in the history of the now-defunct organization.

This article was originally featured on fiveknuckles.com