PRIDE

Quick Hits: Cote Out Until 2010, Miller-Dollaway & More

- Canadian middleweight Patrick “The Predator” Cote will be out until 2010 after undergoing surgery to repair his injured MCL. Cote originally injured his knee in his UFC 90 title bout with Anderson Silva and is now expected to be out until at least February. [Sportsnet]

- Following WEC 42, $10,000 bonuses were handed out for Knockout of the Night, Submission of the Night, and Fight of the Night. The winners were Brian Bowles (KOTN), Rani Yahya (SOTN), and Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez (FOTN). [MMAWeekly.com]

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Blame the Past for Fedor, UFC Drama

It was supposed to be different this time around.

With the collapse of Affliction complete and the list of suitable non-UFC opponents dwindling, the top heavyweight in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, seemed likely to finally sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However despite early reports suggesting that a deal was imminent, we stand here with the two sides as distant as ever, and it comes as no surprise.

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Fight of the Day: Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama

From PRIDE 21: “Demolition” in June 2002, here’s the legendary fight between two-time UFC tournament winner Don Frye and Japanese veteran Yoshihiro Takayama. Frye will return to action tonight in the main event of “Shark Fights 4”, which will take place at the Citibank Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas. “Ultimate Fighter” product Jesse Taylor and heavyweight prospect Rex Richards will also be on the card.

JAKKS to Make WEC and PRIDE Action Figures

Action-figure toy leader JAKKS Pacific, with whom the Ultimate Fighting Championship signed a distribution deal with earlier this year, announced today that they will launch a series of figures based on fighters that have fought in the WEC in PRIDE in Spring 2010.

“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with UFC by adding WEC and PRIDE to our action figure roster,” Jakks President Stephen Berman said in a press release sent out to the media today.

“As the world leader in fighting action figure toys, we plan on dominating the Mixed Martial Arts collector action figure arena. The addition of WEC and PRIDE gives JAKKS a substantial base of fighters with which to work and develop into a broad and exciting line of collectable products for fans.”

JAAKS is also set to begin selling various UFC-themed products, including watches, clothing, and other accessories starting next year.

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CKA: April 7, 2008 (Updated)

Forrest Griffin was always crazy, even in high school.

Props to frankiscool at the UG for the find.

Sakakibara, DSE Sue Fertittas, Zuffa

Two months after Zuffa, under the name PRIDE FC Worldwide, filed a lawsuit against former PRIDE parent company Dream Stage Entertainment claiming that they were defrauded during their purchase of PRIDE in March of last year, DSE and Nobuyuki Sakakibara have countered with a lawsuit of their own.

The news comes from Adam Swift of MMA Payout and Sherdog.com, who reports that the suit was filed in Las Vegas District Court on April 2nd.

More from Swift:

The suit filed by the former owners of Pride in federal court, under diversity jurisdiction, seeks damages for breach of the asset purchase and consulting agreements that were part of the Pride transaction, as well as fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

The complaint alleges that Pride was sold to the owners of the UFC with the promise that the Pride brand would be maintained as a “global top-level brand.” This promise allegedly resulted in the former owners’ decision to sell to the Fertittas despite more lucrative financial offers from other suitors.

DREAM Planning Events on U.S. Soil?

DREAM could potentially hold shows in the United States if the promotion eventually gains the popularity that PRIDE once had as well as a television deal according to Fight Entertainment Group figurehead Sadaharu Tanikawa.

From MMA Weekly:

FEG executive, Sadaharu Tanikawa stated that their hopes are to first establish a brand name in Japan before trying their hand in the United States. Tanikawa went on the record saying that it would take “maybe a year or two” for the new Dream promotion to gain the same strength among fans that the former Pride brand did before their demise.

With DREAM and HDNet already in talks about a possible deal, Tanikawa’s idea could become a reality sooner than later, especially if they could come to some sort of a deal with EliteXC or HDNet Fights to get some notable American names on the card.

Sakurai-Baron Set for Shooto Fight in May

Hayato “Mach” Sakurai will attempt to keep his current five-fight winning streak intact when he takes on fellow PRIDE veteran David Baron at a Shooto event in May according to a report from Sports Navi.

Sakurai stopped Hidetaka Monma with strikes at DREAM’s inaugural event last month. Baron, who is mostly known for his loss to Takanori Gomi at PRIDE Bushido 12 in the summer of 2006, has won his last three fights since then.

Touch of gloves to Fight Opinion for the find.

Emerson Replaces Stephens at UFC 84

Update 2:30 PM ET: Our friends at MMA Junkie have learned that a possible “minor legal situation” may be preventing Stephens from fighting on the card but he expects to return to action this summer.

Sam Cupitt over at Five Ounces of Pain has noticed that Rob Emerson, a contestant on the fifth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, has replaced Iowa native Jeremy Stephens in a scheduled lightweight bout against Terry Etim at UFC 84: Ill Will according to the UFC’s official website.

It was reported back in February that Etim and Stephens had signed bout agreements, making the fight good to go. No word as of yet on why Stephens was forced out of the bout.

World Victory Road on Fuji TV?

As if poor television ratings for DREAM’s recent show weren’t already a good sign for World Victory Road, it appears that the promotion has secured a television deal with Fuji TV.

The news comes from MMA News, which reports that the station will broadcast tape-delayed segments from the organization’s debut show on March 5th on a program entitled “Special Ring Side”, which will feature highlights from kickboxing and mixed martial arts events around the country.

It will be the first time that Fuji TV has broadcast any type of MMA since the network broke off ties with the now-defunct PRIDE Fighting Championships, which enjoyed a long-run of ratings success until June 2006 when the channel dropped PRIDE from it’s lineup, citing a breach of contract.

However most believe that there were concerns with PRIDE parent company Dream Stage Entertainment’s rumored ties with the Yakuza, a Japan-based organized crime ring.

Zach Arnold has pointed out that Seiya Kawamata, a close confidant of K-1 creator Kazuyoshi Ishii, seems to be running the show these days when it comes to DREAM, which is promoted by Fight Entertainment Group and many former employees of DSE. The promotion’s debut show last weekend only scored a 8.9% share on the Tokyo Broadcasting System, a number that is considered to be sub-par.

It’s been said that Kawamata was the driving force behind the media getting ahold of the the DSE-Yakuza story and eventually causing Fuji TV officials to drop PRIDE programming, likely in order to help K-1 gain an advantage in the ratings war.

Ironically Kawamata’s strategy didn’t work and he’s now working with some of the same staff that he once attempted to bring down. Could we see Kawamata try something similar when it comes to J-ROCK and World Victory Road in an attempt to get his product back on Fuji TV once again? Time will tell.

Zuffa Lawsuit Against DSE to Head to Court

The lawsuit that Zuffa, under the name PRIDE FC Worldwide, the financial holdings company created by Ultimate Fighting Championship owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta following the purchase of the assest of PRIDE Fighting Championships in March of last year, filed against former PRIDE parent company Dream Stage Entertainment will likely head to a Las Vegas court room in the coming months.

The news comes from Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion, who reports that PRIDE FC Worldwide’s counsel filed a motion that demands a trial by jury in their case against Nobuyuki Sakakibara and DSE.

Arnold also stated that neither Sakakibara nor the company have responded to the lawsuit as of yet, just as an attorney has not been named to represent them.

The lawsuit centers around Zuffa’s claim that they were “defrauded” out of millions of dollars following the purchase of the Japanese promotion nearly a year ago. The lawsuit has since been confirmed as being filed on February 1st.

Rumors have also been circulating that Sakakibara is preparing to file his own lawsuit against Zuffa amidst claims that their decision to shut down the PRIDE brand late last year is a breach of the contract they agreed upon prior to DSE selling the rights to the brand.

FEG and DSE Combine to Create “DREAM”

Rumors that Fight Entertainment Group and Dream Stage Entertainment were working together to create a new mixed martial arts promotion were confirmed earlier today as officials from both sides gathered at the Metropolitan Edmont Hotel in Tokyo, Japan to announce the creation of “DREAM”.

The promotion, which will also be run by officials involved with Yarennoka! and promoted by the Tokyo Broadcasting System, will now serve as the official successor for the PRIDE and K-1 Hero’s brands. K-1 announced plans for the discontinuation of Hero’s events late last month.

“Now that PRIDE and Hero’s are gone, we’ve wanted to put on new mixed martial arts shows that would continue the dream that was achieved on New Year’s Eve,” FEG President Sadaharu Tanikawa stated at the press conference. “We wanted to create a show that would be enjoyed by the fans and would make for an exciting live event. We received a petition including over 3,000 signatures from fans who requested that we find a replacement for PRIDE. We’ve answered their calls and we plan to put together something that no one has ever seen before.”

Matchmaker Keiichi Sasahara’s first order of business will be putting together the promotion’s first card, which will apparently feature a lightweight grand prix. The only announced bout for the event was a long-awaited showdown between Shinya Aoki and Gesias Calvancante, who were booked to face each other at Yarennoka!. The bout was scrapped after Calvancante re-injured his recently surgically repaired knee during training.

Additional participants for the tournament that were also announced included the following: Andre Dida, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Caol Uno, Joachim Hansen, Gilbert Melendez, Kotetsu Boku, Artur Oumakhanov, Luiz “Buscape” Firmino, Jung Bu-Kyung, and Kazuyuki Miyata.

The event is currently slated to take place on March 15th at the Saitama Super Arena. Five other events including the remainder of the lightweight grand prix and a middleweight tournament were also announced.

The biggest surprise of the day came when heavyweight star Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was introduced on stage. The native Croatian was recently under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he had lost two of his last three bouts, including a brutal knockout at the hands of Gabriel Gonzaga.

Filipovic assured fans that he was not “running away” from the UFC, but simply doing what was best for his career.

“I had a hard time losing my last two fights in the UFC,” said Filipovic. ” I don’t want anything to think that I’m running away from the UFC but I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with the rest of my career lately and right now I believe DREAM is the right place for me. I never liked fighting in the cage, always in a ring. Japan is also like my second home. Many reasons have brought me back here.”

The UFC has yet to make a public statement about the UFC’s departure. Various rumors concerning Filipovic’s contract status with the promotion have been floating around lately. Some have speculated that the UFC asked the Croatian to either restructure his contract or that they would release him. MMA Weekly reports that sources have said the split between the two sides was amicable.

Aside from Filipovic, a number of potential participants in future events were revealed. Kazushi Sakuraba, Kiyoshi Tamura, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai are all expected to be fighting inside the promotion in the coming months. Royce Gracie and Fedor Emelianenko also appeared via satellite to make their intentions to compete at a future event known.

So how do the weight classes break down?

Surprisingly, they are strikingly similar to those that are currently used in the United States. The heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight classes are exactly the same. Welterweights will compete at a maximum of 168 lbs while lightweight will be capped off at 154 lbs. Plans for lower weight classes are said to be discussed in the future.

Zuffa Files Lawsuit Against DSE

Zuffa, under the name PRIDE FC Worldwide, the financial holdings company created by Ultimate Fighting Championship owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta following the purchase of the assest of PRIDE Fighting Championships in March of last year, has filed a lawsuit against former PRIDE parent company Dream Stage Entertainment.

The news was first reported yesterday by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, who states that the lawsuit centers around Zuffa’s claim that they were “defrauded” out of millions of dollars following the purchase of the Japanese promotion nearly a year ago:

Pride FC Worldwide Holdings (basically the dummy company set up by UFC after the Pride purchase) have filed a lawsuit against Dream Stage Entertainment, Dream Stage Holdings and Nobuyuki Sakakibara claiming they were defrauded millions of dollars in the purchase of the Pride and Pride Bushido brands.

The lawsuit has since been confirmed as being filed on February 1st.

Zach Arnold of Fight Opinion points out that Zuffa’s due diligence done after the purchase of PRIDE most likely catch many of the potential problems during the evaluation of the PRIDE’s assets. Be sure to check out his post for more words of wisdom on the matter.

Even more interesting, a source close to DSE has told Sherdog that former PRIDE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara is preparing to file his own lawsuit against Zuffa amidst claims that their decision to shut down the PRIDE brand late last year is a breach of the contract they agreed upon prior to DSE selling the rights to the brand.

We will definitely be following this story and will post any new information as it becomes available.

CKA: Jan 28, 2008

Tito Ortiz turns 33 and celebrates in style at Catwalk in the above video courtesy of RawVegas.

Catching up on this past weekend’s news…

More Rumored TUF Participants

Even more potential cast members of the seventh season of The Ultimate Fighter have come to light thanks to MMA Junkie and Five Ounces of Pain. Those added to the list (which already includes Luke Zachrich and Mike Marrello) are the following:

Prince Mclean
Steve Byrnes
C.B. Dollaway
Aaron Meisner
Matt Brown

Couture Likes Sylvia Over Nogueira

In a recent interview with Jose Rodriguez of the Calgary Sun, current UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture revealed that he expects Tim Sylvia to defeat former PRIDE champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81: Breaking Point this weekend.

“I think it’s going to be a good fight. I’m a fan of the sport first and foremost. I think it’s an interesting matchup. Nogueira’s strenght tends to be on the ground and in the submission game and Tim is just a long, strong hard to take down guy who’s got great striking abilities. It’s a classic matchup and for the interim title so they both have a lot on the line. I like Tim’s chances in that fight given Nogueira’s performace against Heath Herring in the last fight. I like Sylvia in a stoppage of some kind.”

Miscellaneous Notes

Former PRIDE producer Hiromichi Momose was found dead in his Tokyo, Japan apartment yesterday morning. He was 67. Countdown to UFC 81 premieres Wednesday night while UFC All-Access with Brock Lesnar will air for the first time on Thursday. Jason Miller will be holding a seminar in Hamilton, Ontario in February.

Radio Schedule

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