A lot of MMA fans look back on the prime days of PRIDE FC and wish the UFC could capture that same kind of magic. While both companies can be found to be similar in a lot of mundane ways, something that drew people to PRIDE over the UFC was the, at times, wild differences.
PRIDE was home to tons of amazing fights, just as the UFC was, but some claim PRIDE is more memorable thanks to the visceral fights and memorable entrances. UFC has had its fair share of incredible bouts, but for a few reasons, their bouts are rarely as brutal as many that were featured in PRIDE.
9 Different - Exciting Fights Mattered More Than Wins
While the UFC obviously cares about putting on impressive and exciting fights for the fans at home, PRIDE valued entertainment over wins. A fight can end in a single punch in the UFC, and a fighter may be elevated to a title shot, but that might have created issues in PRIDE.
Instead of getting a quick and easy win, PRIDE fans wanted to see two fighters try to rip each other apart. The brutal style of fighting featured in the promotion led to tons of incredible fights, and most people completely forgot about win-loss records when they were watching PRIDE.
8 Same - No Headbutts Or Shots To The Back Of The Head
One quick look at the rule differences between PRIDE and the UFC may shock some people. Luckily, one of the biggest rules that remained the same between companies was that both headbutts and strikes to the back of a fighter's head were considered illegal.
PRIDE was often seen as the more brutal promotion for competition, but they weren’t willing to allow headbutts, something that could potentially end the career of two fighters at the same time. Of course, unprotected shots to the back of the head should always be a worry, so it’s good both promotions had hard rules against that.
7 Different - Pride Was All About The Theatrics
While the UFC can get theatrical at times, that sort of thing is still fairly reserved when used for their biggest stars. Over in PRIDE, fighters had some of the most elaborate and over-the-top entrances in MMA history.
A quick look at some PRIDE entrances, and one could be forgiven for believing they were actually watching a pro wrestling event. PRIDE had great music, pyrotechnics, the odd troupe of dancers or performers, and fighters that enjoyed every second of the theatrics. One of the most hilarious was thanks to the famed fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba who came to a Super Mario style entrance at Pride Grand Prix 2003 Final Conflict.
6 Same - No Fight Is A Sure Thing
While there was a very clear difference between a UFC fight and a PRIDE fight for a number of reasons, one thing that wasn’t different was that any fight could end at any time, and anyone could come out as the victor. Some of the biggest upsets in MMA happened in PRIDE.
While some of those losses have become suspect due to fighter comments over the years, it doesn’t change the fact that while betting odds exist, any fighter has the potential to come out on top. One punch landing the right way for an underdog can be the start of a thriving career.
5 Different - Knees To Grounded Opponents Were Allowed
Usually, when a UFC fighter delivers a knee to a grounded opponent, there is a visceral reaction from fans. Whenever that happened in PRIDE, fighters were met with a roar of cheers thanks to the brutality that was on display.
Knees were totally okay against grounded opponents, but that’s not all, kicks were also allowed. Some of the most shocking moments in PRIDE history were thanks to repeated soccer kicks or head stomps, something that often worried even the most cold-hearted MMA fans. Surprisingly, some fighters want knees and kicks to grounded opponents to be allowed in the UFC.
4 Same - Top Talent That Are Larger Than Life
One thing that never seems to change is that some of the most successful athletes have incredible personalities. When you look at PRIDE and the UFC side by side, it can become clear that, at times, top talent are some of the most charismatic people alive.
Even if they are all business when it comes to a fight, seeing them interact outside of competition tends to reveal an incredible sense of humor. Occasionally, an over-the-top attitude translates into success on the mic, something that can add much-needed hype to a fight.
3 Different - Stalling A Fight Came With Penalties
A lot of people may have wondered why, at times, PRIDE could feel like the action never stopped. A big reason for that is that the company has been said to take away money from a fighter’s purse if they seem to be stalling or slow in a fight.
Some have said that the penalty was as high as ten percent of a fighter's purse for a first warning. Taking away a fighter's livelihood is likely something they weren’t willing to put up with, so action tended to be high as a result of that unique ruling.
2 Different - PEDs Allegedly Weren’t A Big Deal In PRIDE FC
There have been a handful of fighters who have claimed that PRIDE really didn’t care about PED usage, so long as their fights weren’t happening in an area that required testing. Even more, former fighter Enson Inoue has said on Joe Rogan's podcast that contracts specifically stated PED usage wasn’t actively discouraged.
If that’s true, that is a huge difference from the UFC. Thanks to working with USADA anyone who’s even suspected of utilizing PEDs can face a serious suspension from competition. Those that are caught once will be out for quite a while, and that number only grows with more infractions.
1 Same - Making Use Of The Same Stars
The UFC was smart in picking up a lot of the most promising people from PRIDE. Plenty of PRIDE stars went on to put on incredible fights for the UFC, and plenty of fighters who weren’t yet stars were able to become some of the biggest fighters on the planet.
While the companies could be shockingly different at times, one thing never changes, a skilled fighter can thrive regardless of where they are. Things could have been very different if the UFC was too proud to utilize those that actively competed against them.