Why Cant Dana White Take Pride in Pride?
Is it just an accident, a coincidence, a fickle twist of fate, that all of the fighters brought over from Pride have failed miserably?
Except for the Americans, that is. North and South of course.
One look at the UFC roster and you see a Successful Rampage, Wanderlei, Henderson, and Silva stick out like bright beacons whereas fighters such as Rhyo Chonan, Denis Kang, and Mirco Cro-Cop have failed miserably in the transition.
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Is it just a coincidence that the same result occurred and dashed American hopes when they traveled to Japan to represent the UFC? Chuck Liddell ring any bells?
Now many American fighters did find success in Pride and Japan. Namely Josh “The Punk” Thompson, Phil Baroni, The aforementioned Rampage, and Henderson. Wanderlei, it seems, could fight on the moon and do well.
I’m not sure if that is the primary reason that many Pride fighters have fallen short in the Octagon.
I mean Denis Kang? The guy fights well; he wasn’t himself here at all. I have to believe it has to do with Dana expecting everyone of these fighters to basically relocate to Las Vegas or have no chance.
All I can say is that its fortunate that Dana is stupid because if he ever combined his idiocy, unending perseverance, with actual intelligence we would have a new Dr. Evil on our hands...a real one.
Now I have to ask you, gentle reader, what did Dana accomplish by acquiring Pride? He got a bunch of contracts a few that paid off. One that sits on the middleweight title like its an egg.
A guy who is a living legend in Wanderlei that they can use, abuse, and mangle his legacy if at all possible. Dana will squeeze him until there is nothing left, then dump him off the side of I-40 somewhere.
Finally, Rampage who had found renewed life here in the UFC and must be happy he doesn’t have to live in Nagoya anymore.
Was anything else accomplished? Did Dana wipe out the competition? Did he even dent it?
Fact is that Dana could not stop MMA productions no matter when he does. He cant get a patent on the Octagon. And There are the obvious organizations to point at: DREAM, Strikeforce, Affliction, etc.…but they are all collectively just a drop in the MMA bucket.
That’s right: look around there is probably an event in your home town. Support local MMA shows, give alternative venues a chance, and plant the seeds of future competition.
In order to help you, I have listed a calendar of upcoming events for the rest of the year. I will list the professional events and then the Amateur. I think you will see that Dana can take Pride in a lot of things, but owning MMA isn’t one of them.
5/22/2009 | CFC 8 | Light Heavyweight Grand Prix | Big Top Stadium, | « |
Matchups: | CFC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix Antonio MendesAnthony Perosh James Te Huna Priscus Fogagnolo Matthew Dwight David Frendin Antony Rea Nate Carey Non-Tournament Bouts Matt Cain vs. Luke Picklum |
5/23 | UFC 98 |
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Matchups: | UFC Light Heavyweight Championship Rashad Evans (No. 1 LHW, No. 6 PFP) vs. Lyoto Machida (No. 4 LHW)Matt Hughes (No. 10 WW) vs. Matt Serra Dan Miller vs. Chael Sonnen Sean Sherk (No. 6 LW) vs. Frankie Edgar Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley Chris Wilson vs. Brock Larson Patrick Barry vs. Tim Hague Drew McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff David Kaplan vs. George Roop Andre Gusmao vs. Krzysztof Soszynski |
5/23/2009 | SWC 6 | Supreme Warrior Challenge 6 | Frisco Convention Center, | « |
News: | » SWC 6 Fight Card [05/14/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Bobby Corpuz vs. Jimmy Guzman Isaac Villanueza vs. Crae Basset Brooklyn Huntsman vs. Jason Evola Daniel Sensintaffer vs. Chris Velasquez James Hubbard vs. Lex Pappas Samuel Moore vs. Paco Castillo Marquez Daniels vs. Jesus Rivera Tony Melton vs. Nick Smith Brandon Smith vs. TBA Davis Sylvester vs. TBA |
5/24/2009 | ZST | ZST 20 | Differ Ariake Arena, | « |
News: | » ZST 20 Fight Card [05/06/2009] |
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Matchups: | ZST Bantamweight Championship Keisuke Fujiwara vs. Yuichiro ShiraiNaoyuki Kotani vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka Takumi Yano vs. Kenichi Ito Osami Shibuya vs. TBA Shunichi Shimizu vs. TBA |
5/26/2009 | Dream | Dream 9 | Yokohama Arena, | « |
News: | » Dream 9 Fight Card [04/30/2009]» Dream 9 Fight Card [04/24/2009] » Dream 9 Fight Card [04/13/2009] |
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Matchups: | Dream Featherweight Grand Prix Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Joe WarrenHideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya Masakazu Imanari (No. 8 FW) vs. Bibiano Fernandes Dream Middleweight Championship Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller Dream Super Hulk Tournament Gegard Mousasi (No. 3 MW) vs. Mark Hunt Bob Sapp vs. Ikuhisa Minowa Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Jan Nortje Hong Man Choi vs. Jose Canseco Non-Tournament Bouts Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante (No. 5 LW) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri |
5/30/2009 | War Gods | War Gods 5 | Viejas Outlet Center, | « |
News: | » War Gods 5 Fight Card [04/29/2009]» War Gods 5 Fight Card [04/21/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Vernon White vs. Lew Polley Kit Cope vs. Andy Wang David Gardner vs. Joe Duarte Bryan Travers vs. Tom Belt Tarec Saffiedine vs. Ashe Bowman Mike Moreno vs. Derek Thornton Salah Zabian vs. Tony Johnson Bailey Byne vs. Joey Gibran Alvarez Ryan Shamrock vs. TBA |
5/30/2009 | KOTC | Retribution 2 | Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino, | « |
News: | » KOTC: Retribution 2 Fight Card [04/09/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Angelo Sanchez vs. Donald Sanchez Tony Bonello vs. Lance Friedenstein Coty Wheeler vs. TBA |
5/30/2009 | The Fight Club 7 | Full Throttle | Shaw Conference Centre, | « |
News: | » The Fight Club 7 Fight Card [05/06/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Ryan Ford vs. Dave Mazany Chris Ade vs. Lenny Wheeler Jason Gorny vs. Ryan Lacasse Chuck Pelc vs. Chase Dagenhardt Jorge Ravanal Jr. vs. Leo Ahmed Kevin Dolan vs. Ben Arlow Mitch Clarke vs. Adam Hunspurger Victor Valimaki vs. TBA Luke Harris vs. TBA Levi Kump vs. TBA |
5/30/2009 | Desert Rage | Desert Rage 5 | Cocopah Casino, | « |
News: | » Desert Rage 5 Fight Card [05/14/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Chance Farrar vs. Ernie Davila Alex Garcia vs. Landon Piercey Kenny Raught vs. Matt Taira Mike Cypher vs. Ruben Salazar Zach Syrdica vs. Joe Diaz Joey Lugo vs. Matt Mamolen Gabe Rios vs. Justin Lillies Carlos Figueroa vs. Ceasar Alvarez Mike Garcia vs. Juan Saenz Jeff Welsing vs. Kenneth Ames Josh VanDenburg vs. Matt Lagler Tyler Bialecki vs. Donald Molineres Jose Carbajal vs. Justin Gallegos |
5/31/2009 | Gladiator Challenge | Put Up or Shut Up | Konocti Vista Resort and Casino, | « |
News: | » Gladiator Challenge: Put Up or Shut Up Fight Card [04/07/2009] |
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Matchups: | Rick Vardell vs. Josh Appett |
6/6/2009 | Cage Gladiators | Cage Gladiators 12 | Liverpool Olympia, | « |
News: | » Cage Gladiators 12 Fight Card [05/15/2009] |
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Matchups: | Cage Gladiators British Featherweight Championship Ashleigh Grimshaw vs. Vaughn HarveyCage Gladiators Bantamweight Championship James Doolan vs. James McGuiness Rob Sinclair vs. Alexandre Izidro Luke Smith vs. Aaron Wilkinson Mick Sinclair vs. AJ Wenn Kev Axworthy vs. Alex Makonin Richie Downes vs. Colm Gillane James Gladden vs. Lee Doski Richie Ryder vs. Mike Edwards Mark Glover vs. Harvey Harra Chris Garry vs. Antony Murphy James Manning vs. Tom Morris Sean Jones vs. Darren Moore Eugene Fadiora vs. TBA Danny Withington vs. TBA |
6/6/2009 | Strikeforce | Lawler vs. Shields | Scottrade Center, | « |
News: | » Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Fight Card [05/10/2009]» Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Fight Card [04/29/2009] » Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Fight Card [04/24/2009] » Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Fight Card [04/21/2009] » Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields Fight Card [04/03/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Robbie Lawler (No. 5 MW) vs. Jake Shields (No. 4 WW) Nick Diaz vs. Scott Smith Kevin Randleman vs. Mike Whitehead Phil Baroni vs. Joe Riggs Rafael Cavalcante vs. Jared Hamman Jesse Finney vs. Josh Baumgartner Tyron Woodley vs. Sal Woods Scott Ventimiglia vs. Lucas Lopes Pat Benson vs. Dave Lehr Cochran Booker DeRousse vs. James Wade |
6/6/2009 | Vengeance Fighting Championship | Proving Ground | Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino, | « |
News: | » VFC: Proving Ground Fight Card [04/29/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Jeff Monson vs. Chase Gormley Sam McCoy vs. Ovince St. Preux Ryan L’Amoreaux vs. Chris Jensen |
6/6/2009 | Wild Bill's | Fight Night 15 | Wild Bill’s Atlanta, | « |
News: | » Wild Bill's Fight Night 15 Fight Card [05/12/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Frank Millsap vs. Ran Weathers |
6/6/2009 | Carolina Fight Promotions | Clash at the Coast 3 | Schwartz Center, | « |
News: | » Carolina Fight Promotions: Clash at the Coast 3 Fight Card [05/12/2009] |
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Matchups: | Bill Childs vs. Brandon GarnerRoger Carroll vs. Jake Whitfield Valentin Bueno vs. Bryan Bloodworth |
6/6/2009 | Absolute Fighting Alliance 1 | Unleash Hell | Piere’s, | « |
News: | » Absolute Fighting Alliance 1: Unleash Hell Fight Card [05/12/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Ron Faircloth vs. Dan Bolden Rocky France vs. Jason Gilliam Bobby Martinez vs. William Bennett Anton Talamantes vs. Braden Bice Jimmy Porretta vs. Keith Miner Mike Skinner vs. Josh Carter |
6/7/2009 | WEC 41 | Brown vs. Faber 2 | Arco Arena, | « |
News: | » WEC 41 Fight Card [04/29/2009]» WEC 41 Fight Card [04/07/2009] » WEC 41 Fight Card [03/26/2009] |
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Matchups: | WEC Featherweight Championship Mike Thomas Brown (No. 1 FW, No. 8 PFP) vs. Urijah Faber (No. 2 FW)Jose Aldo (No. 7 FW) vs. Cub Swanson Donald Cerrone vs. James Krause Jens Pulver vs. Josh Grispi Manny Gamburyan vs. John Franchi Mike Campbell vs. Anthony Pettis Scott Jorgensen vs. Antonio Banuelos Eddie Wineland vs. Frank Gomez Rolando Perez vs. Seth Dikun Charlie Valencia vs. Kyle Dietz |
6/7/2009 | Pancrase | Changing Tour 3 | Differ Ariake Arena, | « |
News: | » Pancrase: Changing Tour 3 Fight Card [04/29/2009]» Pancrase: Changing Tour 3 Fight Card [04/09/2009] |
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Matchups: | Flyweight King of Pancrase Mitsuhisa Sunabe vs. Takuya EizumiSatoru Kitaoka (No. 8 LW) vs. Yukio Sakaguchi Ryo Kawamura vs. Yukiya Naito Seiya Kawahara vs. Tatsuya So Daisuke Tsujita vs. Yuki Yashima Takuma Ishii vs. Kiyotaka Shimizu Taro Shimazaki vs. Ryota Sasaki Nobuhiro Yoshitake vs. Ranki Kawana Shigeyuki Uchiyama vs. Hiroshi Tomita Yasutomo Tanaka vs. Akira Saito Keigo Hirayama vs. Hiro Tomiyama Koji Nakamura vs. Isao Kobayashi |
6/7/2009 | Fight Circuit MMA | Victorious | Mavericks Stadium, | « |
News: | » Fight Circuit MMA Fight Card [05/15/2009] |
6/11/2009 | KOTC | Militia | San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, | « |
News: | » KOTC: Militia Fight Card [04/03/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Thomas Denny vs. Alberto Crane Michael Guymon vs. Quinn Mulhern |
6/12/2009 | ROC 25 | Ring of Combat 25 | Tropicana Resort and Casino, | « |
News: | » Ring of Combat 25 Fight Card [05/12/2009] |
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Matchups: | Ring of Combat Middleweight Championship Rafael Natal vs. Sean SalmonRing of Combat Light Heavyweight Championship Ricardo Romero vs. Glen Sandull Marc Berracol vs. Radji Bryson-Barrett David Church vs. John Salgado Jim Bova vs. Nabih Barakat Anthony Abatelli vs. George Sullivan Ryan Laflare vs. Robert Cunane John Doyle vs. Andrew Riddles Gian Villante vs. Joe Abouata Ed Fyvie vs. Dom Stanco Al Iquinta vs. Tim Sylvester |
6/13/2009 | UFC 99 | The Comeback | Lanxess Arena, | « |
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Matchups: |
Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva (No. 6 LHW) Mike Swick vs. Ben Saunders Dan Hardy vs. Marcus Davis Spencer Fisher vs. Caol Uno Cain Velasquez vs. Heath Herring Terry Etim vs. Justin Buchholz Stefan Struve vs. Denis Stojnic Dale Hartt vs. Dennis Siver Mustapha al Turk vs. Todd Duffee Paul Taylor vs. Peter Sobotta Paul Kelly vs. Roli Delgado John Hathaway vs. Ricky Story |
6/13/2009 | Warrior-1 MMA | Unplugged | Baribeau Arena, | « |
News: | » Warrior-1 MMA: Unplugged Fight Card [05/06/2009]» Warrior-1 MMA: Unplugged Fight Card [04/24/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Bill Mahood vs. Craig Brown Jason St. Louis vs. Mark Holst Hosier Bruno vs. Andres Desrochers Iraj Hadin vs. Sean Pierson John Fraser vs. Jeff Harrison Tom Waters vs. Mustafa Khalil Tommy Pariseau vs. Stephane Bernadel Chris Kruger vs. Andrew del Degan Chris Boisvert vs. Eric Girard Doug Keays vs. Sean Kim Luc Nadeau vs. Sameeh Sale |
6/13/2009 | FX3 | Rough Justice | York Hall, | « |
News: | » FX3: Rough Justice Fight Card [05/15/2009] |
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Matchups: | FX3 World Light Heavyweight Championship Jake Bostwick vs. Greg SiwyFX3 British Welterweight Championship Joe Mac vs. Scott Jansen Sami Berik vs. Jean Silva Neil McLeod vs. Mark Handley Damien Grabowski vs. Gary Rawlings Suley Mahmoud vs. Jakob Grzegorzek Ryan White vs. Earl Brown Chris Woolcot vs. Stuart Rickman Glen Reid vs. Dave Rintall Michael Johnson vs. Jacob Lewis Williams Adam Grew vs. Jason Barrett Pete Mercer vs. TBA |
/19/2009 | GFC 2 | Unstoppable | Albuquerque Convention Center, | « |
News: | » GFC 2: Unstoppable Fight Card [04/24/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Nate Mohr vs. Lenny Lovato Tim Means vs. Richard Villa |
6/19/2009 | ShoMMA | Strikeforce Challenger Series 2 | ShoWare Center, | « |
News: | » ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challenger Series 2 Fight Card [05/06/2009]» ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challenger Series 2 Fight Card [05/05/2009] |
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Matchups: |
Joey Villasenor vs. Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos Jorge Gurgel vs. TBA |
6/20/2009 | UFC | Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale | Palms Casino Resort, | « |
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Matchups: |
Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida Nate Diaz vs. Joe Stevenson Anthony Johnson vs. Matt Brown Chris Lytle vs. Kevin Burns Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Tomasz Drwal Brad Blackburn vs. Edgar Garcia Gleison Tibau vs. Melvin Guillard |
6/20/2009 | SWC 7 | Discounten |
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