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Jesus, this just keeps getting better and better (if true).
This is extremely preliminary, but the source is very good and has broken a lot of news early in the past...
If you don't check the UG forum, you should...it's one of the best. Many fighters post there and lots of news breaks there. Lots of guys with inside info there...
http://mma.tv/tuf/index.cfm?ac=ListM...D=965614&FID=1
Discussion about that thread here:
http://www.sherdog.net/forums/showthread.php?t=493202
I have no doubt that Zuffa has been trying to buy Pride, but I'll believe it when I see it...
Jesus, this just keeps getting better and better (if true).
I read about that a few days ago. The amount, 60 million, seems way too low. However, I know that DSE is falling on hard times.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/interviews.asp?n_id=6530
Ceo doesn't exactly distance himself from UFC here, and I was suprised he predicted more fighters may follow cro cop.
Nothing would please Dana White more than to take out the compe ion. He's a brilliant businessman, but he's also an egotistical power-hungry son of a
Yea, Sakakibara has said some odd stuff lately, which tends to make me believe the rumors more than I normally would...
I guess we'll have to stay tuned!
Another thing that makes me believe the rumor may be true, UFC 67's website is using PRIDE videos of Mirko.
http://67.ufc.com/
Good point!!
and at UFC 66 they didn't even have a picture of him...
That's some interesting . I've never seen UFC utilize any Pride video or images and vice versa. There's no reason why competing orgs would release the rights to that material.
This is very interesting.
awesome.
Sak said a few things in there that were odd...
Here's a summary of all of this (170 pages in a nuts ):
-BobSappFan, who is well known for breaking major stories on this board and on the UG stated that he had two sources confirm that Zuffa has just purchased PRIDE FC.
-Pride president Sakakibara denied the rumor saying that PRIDE WAS NEVER FOR SALE.
-An employee of UFC.com confirmed, on the UG, that the UFC bought Pride.
-Pride footage of Crocop popped up on UFC.com
- A number of professional fighters, on the UG, confirmed that the UFC had bought Pride.
-Dana White, on the UG, said that the thread started was "wrong wrong wrong." Not outright denying the rumors, but denying that the threadstarter was accurate.
- BOBSAPPFAN ALSO SAID THAT WANDY SILVA VS CHUCK LIDDELL IS PLANNED FOR THE SPRING. HE ASKED DANA WHITE ON UG IF THAT WAS THE CASE BUT GOT NO RESPONSE.
- Pride footage on UFC.com dissapeared.
-BobSappFan reiterated that he trusted his main source with his life, and that a 3rd source had confirmed the story to him. He also added that if the story did not pan out he would reveal his main source.
-BobSappFan then went on to break the story that teh Gracie Fighting Championship event in Flroida was called off. The rest of the MMA world followed later with this story.
- Dave Meltzer reported that the UFC had not purchased Pride but that they were in talks.
- A PROFESSIONAL FIGHTER WITH THE CALL SIGN FROSTY_COLES SAID THE DEAL WAS DONE AND THAT THE UFC DID BUY PRIDE.
- Word came out that the UFC had made three offers to Pride. The second of which was $110 mill.
- Sakakibara stands by the fact that Pride is not for sale, despite the fact that Meltzer reported on the Observer that DSE attempted to sell it to Vince McMahon. WWE officials corroborated.
-Josh Gross stated that his sources claim that the deal was ALMOST made last week but at the last minute Pride gained additional finances from US and Korean TV, and thus the deal was backed out of by Pride. He stated his sources as being within Pride and including Sakakibara (who has been saying that Pride is not for sale).
------------
Stay tuned...
LOL...check the UFC.com page...
Crocop beating up Barnett right in the middle...
Notice the photoshopping...
Color of gloves changed to black
Ring replaced with cage
and why would they choose a picture of him GnP'ing???
and the video of him kicking the bag and intro'ing himself is back up now...
BTW...he wants to be called "Mirko Crocop" in the UFC...Filipovic is gone...
hmmmm....
Another rumor is Gomi is good to go and fight in UFC after Las Vegas show with blessing from Sakakibara and co.
Yea, I saw that...that would be sweet, but I'll believe it when I see it...
The latest from Dave Metzler of the Wrestling Observer - "There were rumors running rampant last week that Zuffa had either purchased or was about to purchase PRIDE. To the best of my knowledge no sale has gone down yet, but it is believed that a sale may be imminent. Most likely, Zuffa would open up a brand new company in Japan and then purchase the PRIDE assets. The belief is that a new, untouched company buying the assets would open up the door to the new group getting a TV deal again. Zuffa would likely hire a staff and continue running the promotion as a separate en y, similar to the WEC deal."
Hmmmm...
Random MMA hit:
This is the first Interview with Forrest since his loss to Jardine...
http://www.mmacast.com/media/ForrestGriffin.mp3
Latest...
UFC offer for Pride turned down, Pride US president trying to buy it
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...articleid=3371
http://ufcjunkie.com/2007/02/02/repo...championships/
It looks like this might finally be happening...except it's the Fer a's instead of Zuffa?? Stay tuned...
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/...articleid=3631
The rumors swirling around the sale of Pride FC have been ongoing for quite some time, but things flared up again on Monday when Sherdog.com started talking about strong rumors from some of their sources, who said that the deal has finally been struck.
MMAWeekly has confirmed with our own sources, including sources in Japan that are extremely close to the situation, that the deal has indeed been reached. From what we understand, Frank and Lorenzo Fer ta have come to an agreement that would put Pride in their hands. But remember, that is an agreement, not a finalized transaction. As with any business transaction as complex as the purchase of one company by another, things are never 100% finalized until the proverbial keys to the front door have finally changed hands.
With that said, unless something changes at the eleventh hour, it appears that Pride will soon fall under the ownership of the Fer ta brothers. According to our sources, the purchase is believed to include fighter contracts, Pride’s video library, and the Pride FC name brand. The issue of fighter contracts is one of the more touchy points, as there can be variables in each individual contract that will have to be dealt with, and no information has come forth that states which fighters would be included.
It was not immediately clear when the deal would be announced, although it is believed that Nobuyuki Sakikabara, the President & CEO Of Dream Stage Entertainment (Pride’s present owner), is traveling to the United States this week in regards to matters related to the agreement.
but Jerry (Gary) Millen calls BS... (Can't believe much of what he says after the things Bas said about him on Sherdog radio the other day!)
http://www.graciefighter.com/?page=news
In an exclusive interview, Pride USA Vice President, Jerry Millen, commented on the speculation that Pride has been bought by the Zuffa organization.
"It's bull . You can't beleive what you read on the internet and as a matter of fact I just got off the phone with Japan and unless I'm being lied to Pride has not been sold and is not being sold to anyone, especially to Zuffa. We are in the process of making some ground breaking deals that will be bringing in large sums of revenue to the company and making it stronger than ever."
Holy guys. It looks like it might actually be happening.
http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=7048
Thursday, March 22, 2007
by Sherdog.com Staff
PRIDE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara informed staff inside the Japanese promoter's Los Angeles office Wednesday that he was stepping down as part of an agreement to sell the company to Lorenzo and Frank Fer ta, who own the UFC.
According to a report by Dave Meltzer at wrestlingobserver.com, Sakakibara suggested only minor points separate the deal, which Sherdog.com first rumored on Monday, from reaching its conclusion. No contract has been signed, the report said.
While Sakakibara appears to be leaving a company he's been a part of since its inception in 1997, the man who stepped in as PRIDE CEO after Naoto Mori a committed suicide told his staff that the company would remain intact and autonomous from the UFC, but that hurdles no longer remain between UFC versus PRIDE cards, Meltzer reported.
Last edited by cornbread; 03-22-2007 at 11:56 PM.
Yep...I'm fired up about it...they'll keep the Pride name and shows in Japan, but be able to share fighters back and forth for the matchups we've wanted to see forever.
Shogun will be the Pride and UFC LHW champ as soon as he gets his shot at Hendo and the Chuck/Rampage winner...
Here is a rough translation of a PRIDE 3/23/07 news release:
On 3/27 at PRIDE will hold a press conference. For our many fans, mass media, and for all persons concerned we will make a history making announcement. The main press conference will not be just for journalist related but one where fans can participate. Admission is free. For those interested, please assemble at the Roppongi Hills Arena at 5pm on the 27th.
Last edited by LEONARD; 03-23-2007 at 09:03 AM.
Holy crap.
It's really a win-win situation if it works out this way. Pride can keep beingYep...I'm fired up about it...they'll keep the Pride name and shows in Japan, but be able to share fighters back and forth for the matchups we've wanted to see forever.
Shogun will be the Pride and UFC LHW champ as soon as he gets his shot at Hendo and the Chuck/Rampage winner...
[/B]
Pride and we can finally see the dream matches we've been waiting for.
PRIDE-UFC Crossover: Pieces Falling Into Place
Options: Email Article | Printer Friendly
March 23, 2007
by Stephen Martinez ([email protected])
With discussion running rampant in the mixed martial arts community about the impending sale of PRIDE FC to Zuffa owners Lorenzo and Frank Fer ta, and with all clues pointing to an agreement that gives Zuffa partial to total control over PRIDE, many fans are still left wondering about the future of the Japanese promotion and many of its top fighters.
Will PRIDE still run shows? What about their champions or regular fighters? And what about those plans for the upcoming lightweight grand prix?
Sources close to both the Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team camps in Japan and Brazil have indicated to Sherdog.com that current PRIDE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara was recently in Brazil to meet with representatives from the two Brazilian powerhouse gyms in an attempt to sign their stars to new deals with the Japanese promotion.
Fighters like Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Ricardo Arona (Pictures) were, since 2006, under seven-fight contracts with the Japanese promotion, including three fights in PRIDE's upcoming middleweight tournament to be held this year.
When the promotion was rocked courtesy of Japanese tabloid Shukan Gendai, which launched a negative campaign against Dream Stage Entertainment and PRIDE back in 2006 regarding an alleged yakuza scandal, DSE took a big sponsor hit when Fuji TV decided to cut any ties with the MMA promotion.
Sakakibara and Co. were forced to renegotiate new contracts with many of the top stars because those signed in 2006 had already lost their value due to PRIDE's sudden shift in direction.
In Curitiba, home of the Chute Boxe squad, Sakakibara met with Chute Boxe leader Rudimar Fredigo as well as Brazilian stars Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and "Shogun" Rua to secure their services for the upcoming PRIDE and UFC merge.
We learned that Chute Boxe's bomber "Shogun" Rua has signed a new four-fight deal with PRIDE that includes an interesting twist: two fights in the PRIDE ring and two fights inside the UFC ‘s Octagon.
While we don't know all the details about specific dates or money purses, we understand that "Shogun" Rua's new contract guarantees the Brazilian double what he previously made with the Japanese promotion, which should put the total value of the deal around $1 million.
Also his two fights with PRIDE are going to be held this year, with one fight secure for the end of the year in PRIDE New Year's Eve Otoko Matsuri extravaganza.
On the other side, ex-PRIDE 205-pound champion Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) didn't reach an agreement with DSE about his future with the company because the Japanese promotion was offering a substantive pay cut, around 30 percent less from what he was previously making.
According to a source, Silva was looking to sign a contract that included a share of pay-per-view sales, similar to what other already-established UFC fighters like o Ortiz (Pictures), Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Randy Couture (Pictures) have been guaranteed in the past. But this attempt was met with negative responses from the promotion.
After visiting Southern Brazil, Sakakibara and Co. attended meetings in Rio de Janeiro with representatives from Brazilian Top Team.
Once in Rio, we learned that Sakakibara, on behalf of PRIDE and UFC, signed BTT grappler Ricardo Arona (Pictures) to a four-fight deal as well. While details from Sakakibara's meeting with BTT and contract specification with Arona remain unclear, it's important to mention he was likely offered a contract that reflected the same parameters as the deal signed by "Shogun" Rua, including possible cross promotion fights inside the Octagon.
The fate of other Brazilian Top Team members with the new PRIDE-UFC partnership still remains unclear.
Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) is scheduled to participate in the main event of the upcoming DEEP 29th Impact in Tokyo against Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) in a rematch from PRIDE Bushido 6. Another BTT member, Edson Drago (Pictures), is rumored to participate in the same card as well against Wes Sims (Pictures).
Meanwhile, Paulo Filho (Pictures) recently did an interview with Brazilian magazine Tatame where he stated that PRIDE was basically done, going as far as to said that he was looking forward to fight in U.S. soil soon. Filho's current contract with PRIDE ends in May, making the Brazilian fighter a potential free agent soon.
As for brothers Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), their future with PRIDE or any attempts to land in UFC remain uncertain.
As for details regarding the future of PRIDE as a promotion, Sherdog.com has been told PRIDE will continue to run its regular series of shows in Japan as scheduled, just under Zuffa management.
As previously reported by Dave Meltzer, Sakakibara will step down from his position while securing that regular members and staff from DSE will remain.
Though specific details about the deal between the Fer tas and Sakakibara have yet to surface, we learned that other major players in the MMA business were on the last minute run to purchase PRIDE, including ProElite and K-1. But in the last minute both offers were rejected by Sakakibara and DSE, choosing instead to go with the Fer tas.
This prompted both ProElite and K-1's MMA brand HERO'S to join forces in order to combat the Las Vegas-based owners of Zuffa, which promotes both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and WEC.
Also, at this moment it seems the only difference between the relationship with UFC and WEC and the future relationship of UFC and PRIDE is that fans will be rewarded with more cross-promotional matches between fighters from both organizations.
All of this paired with past conflicts between the promoters about the exchange of fighters leads us to believe that any future cross-promotional fights will be held on American soil under the UFC banner.
Concerning the upcoming May 22 PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix, Sakakibara told the Japanese media: "It's an immense task to narrow it down to 16 fighters, but I want to gather members who show no inferiority to decide the world's best fighter."
We still don't know what role Zuffa is going to play in the upcoming tournament, future PRIDE matchmaking or who is going to be in charge of DSE now that Nobuyuki Sakakibara is stepping down, but this and many other questions will be probably answered next week when Sakakibara and DSE are scheduled to hold a press conference regarding the upcoming PRIDE 34 show and the future of the company.
PRIDE-UFC Crossover: Pieces Falling Into Place
http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles.asp?n_id=7055
With discussion running rampant in the mixed martial arts community about the impending sale of PRIDE FC to Zuffa owners Lorenzo and Frank Fer ta, and with all clues pointing to an agreement that gives Zuffa partial to total control over PRIDE, many fans are still left wondering about the future of the Japanese promotion and many of its top fighters.
Will PRIDE still run shows? What about their champions or regular fighters? And what about those plans for the upcoming lightweight grand prix?
Sources close to both the Chute Boxe and Brazilian Top Team camps in Japan and Brazil have indicated to Sherdog.com that current PRIDE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara was recently in Brazil to meet with representatives from the two Brazilian powerhouse gyms in an attempt to sign their stars to new deals with the Japanese promotion.
Fighters like Wanderlei Silva (Pictures), Mauricio Rua (Pictures) and Ricardo Arona (Pictures) were, since 2006, under seven-fight contracts with the Japanese promotion, including three fights in PRIDE's upcoming middleweight tournament to be held this year.
When the promotion was rocked courtesy of Japanese tabloid Shukan Gendai, which launched a negative campaign against Dream Stage Entertainment and PRIDE back in 2006 regarding an alleged yakuza scandal, DSE took a big sponsor hit when Fuji TV decided to cut any ties with the MMA promotion.
Sakakibara and Co. were forced to renegotiate new contracts with many of the top stars because those signed in 2006 had already lost their value due to PRIDE's sudden shift in direction.
In Curitiba, home of the Chute Boxe squad, Sakakibara met with Chute Boxe leader Rudimar Fredigo as well as Brazilian stars Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) and "Shogun" Rua to secure their services for the upcoming PRIDE and UFC merge.
We learned that Chute Boxe's bomber "Shogun" Rua has signed a new four-fight deal with PRIDE that includes an interesting twist: two fights in the PRIDE ring and two fights inside the UFC ‘s Octagon.
While we don't know all the details about specific dates or money purses, we understand that "Shogun" Rua's new contract guarantees the Brazilian double what he previously made with the Japanese promotion, which should put the total value of the deal around $1 million.
Also his two fights with PRIDE are going to be held this year, with one fight secure for the end of the year in PRIDE New Year's Eve Otoko Matsuri extravaganza.
On the other side, ex-PRIDE 205-pound champion Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) didn't reach an agreement with DSE about his future with the company because the Japanese promotion was offering a substantive pay cut, around 30 percent less from what he was previously making.
According to a source, Silva was looking to sign a contract that included a share of pay-per-view sales, similar to what other already-established UFC fighters like o Ortiz (Pictures), Chuck Liddell (Pictures) and Randy Couture (Pictures) have been guaranteed in the past. But this attempt was met with negative responses from the promotion.
After visiting Southern Brazil, Sakakibara and Co. attended meetings in Rio de Janeiro with representatives from Brazilian Top Team.
Once in Rio, we learned that Sakakibara, on behalf of PRIDE and UFC, signed BTT grappler Ricardo Arona (Pictures) to a four-fight deal as well. While details from Sakakibara's meeting with BTT and contract specification with Arona remain unclear, it's important to mention he was likely offered a contract that reflected the same parameters as the deal signed by "Shogun" Rua, including possible cross promotion fights inside the Octagon.
The fate of other Brazilian Top Team members with the new PRIDE-UFC partnership still remains unclear.
Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) is scheduled to participate in the main event of the upcoming DEEP 29th Impact in Tokyo against Ryuta Sakurai (Pictures) in a rematch from PRIDE Bushido 6. Another BTT member, Edson Drago (Pictures), is rumored to participate in the same card as well against Wes Sims (Pictures).
Meanwhile, Paulo Filho (Pictures) recently did an interview with Brazilian magazine Tatame where he stated that PRIDE was basically done, going as far as to said that he was looking forward to fight in U.S. soil soon. Filho's current contract with PRIDE ends in May, making the Brazilian fighter a potential free agent soon.
As for brothers Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures), their future with PRIDE or any attempts to land in UFC remain uncertain.
As for details regarding the future of PRIDE as a promotion, Sherdog.com has been told PRIDE will continue to run its regular series of shows in Japan as scheduled, just under Zuffa management.
As previously reported by Dave Meltzer, Sakakibara will step down from his position while securing that regular members and staff from DSE will remain.
Though specific details about the deal between the Fer tas and Sakakibara have yet to surface, we learned that other major players in the MMA business were on the last minute run to purchase PRIDE, including ProElite and K-1. But in the last minute both offers were rejected by Sakakibara and DSE, choosing instead to go with the Fer tas.
This prompted both ProElite and K-1's MMA brand HERO'S to join forces in order to combat the Las Vegas-based owners of Zuffa, which promotes both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and WEC.
Also, at this moment it seems the only difference between the relationship with UFC and WEC and the future relationship of UFC and PRIDE is that fans will be rewarded with more cross-promotional matches between fighters from both organizations.
All of this paired with past conflicts between the promoters about the exchange of fighters leads us to believe that any future cross-promotional fights will be held on American soil under the UFC banner.
Concerning the upcoming May 22 PRIDE Lightweight Grand Prix, Sakakibara told the Japanese media: "It's an immense task to narrow it down to 16 fighters, but I want to gather members who show no inferiority to decide the world's best fighter."
As for rumors, some of the fighters mentioned to participate are Hayato Sakurai (Pictures), Sami Berik (Pictures), Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures), Marcus Aurelio (Marcus Aurelio' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures), Shinya Aoki (Pictures), Takanori Gomi (Pictures), Nick Diaz (Pictures), Gilbert Melendez (Pictures), Luiz Azeredo (Pictures), David Bielkheden (Pictures), Fabricio Monteiro (Pictures), David Baron (Pictures), Luiz Firmino (Pictures), Milton Vieira (Pictures), Luciano Azevedo (Pictures) and Cristiano Marcello (Pictures).
We still don't know what role Zuffa is going to play in the upcoming tournament, future PRIDE matchmaking or who is going to be in charge of DSE now that Nobuyuki Sakakibara is stepping down, but this and many other questions will be probably answered next week when Sakakibara and DSE are scheduled to hold a press conference regarding the upcoming PRIDE 34 show and the future of the company.
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