PRIDE never die: Ranking the top 25 PRIDE fighters in history
By Chad Porto
PRIDE has a reputation of being one of the best organizations in all of MMA history for their talent, and matchmaking creativity.
The world of MMA still looks back fondly at PRIDE FC. Their rules, their style, and the stars. It’s a place still fondly viewed as pure, and good; despite the accusation of fight fixing. It wasn’t perfect, nor was it a paradise. There were plenty of issues that revolved around the organization. From backstage fights to the involvement of the Yakuza, the promotion had its fair share of issues that eventually lead to its downfall.
The rules made men into gods. Soccer kicks to downed opponents were legal and encouraged. The vastly different set of rules from the UFC at the time lead many fans to see PRIDE as the more authentic federation. While the rules were less focused on fighter safety, the increased brutality made men like Wanderlei Silva household names due to the added hostilities.
The promotion that left an indelible mark on MMA did help create the sports biggest stars for a generation. From the start of the promotion’s time in 1997 to the close in 2007, the federation rolled out just about every major star the world of MMA had seen at the time. Whether they competed in PRIDE, would go on to the UFC or would even end up in newer companies like Bellator; the men of PRIDE still carry much love and respect from the fans still to this day. Despite most of the remaining active fighters being close to being over 40 years old.
Men like Quinton Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko made PRIDE a beacon of excellence. That’s partly why Bellator is matching the two up in one of Emelianenko’s last fights. The clash will be in Saitama, Japan as part of the Bellator X Rizin event. While PRIDE didn’t live up to it’s catchphrase and did eventually die, the spirit of the federation has not and will be on display as two of the last PRIDE legends still active collide for the first time ever.
The legacy and impact this company and its fighters made on the world of MMA will never be forgotten and is still evident today. That’s why today we talk about the 25 greatest fighters to ever grace the Japanese-based promotion.