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Dana White: "Best of PRIDE" highlights show coming to ****e TV in January
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Despite the purchase not "working out the way we planned," according to Dana White, the organization isn't going to throw in the towel on PRIDE Fighting Championships altogether.
The UFC purchased the troubled Japanese-based organization, which for years was its biggest rival, with the intent of keeping PRIDE alive, though the organization was shut down completely soon after the 2007 purchase.
But now the UFC will make use of the video library it acquired in the deal and roll out a "Best of PRIDE" series on ****e TV.
The series debuts in January, White said during a UFC Fight Club Q&A session at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on Friday.
"It'll kind of be like 'UFC Unleashed,'" White said. "All the great PRIDE fights that happened with all the stars who are UFC guys now will be on it."
The UFC planned to operate PRIDE Fighting Championships as a separate entity after the purchase (similar to how the UFC and WEC operate independently now under the Zuffa LLC banner) but with the promise of "mega-fights" between each organization's stars. Fans were promised Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson and Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. However, those fights only happened after PRIDE was shut down and most of the organization's fighters were folded into the UFC.
White has long blamed the organization's previous owners for duping the UFC about PRIDE's financial stability, TV relationships and overall health of the organization.
The UFC never held a show under the PRIDE banner but has resurrected the organization with autograph signings at UFC 100, continued DVD releases and PRIDE-branded clothing.
No dates or times were given for the "Best of PRIDE" series.
The UFC purchased the troubled Japanese-based organization, which for years was its biggest rival, with the intent of keeping PRIDE alive, though the organization was shut down completely soon after the 2007 purchase.
But now the UFC will make use of the video library it acquired in the deal and roll out a "Best of PRIDE" series on ****e TV.
The series debuts in January, White said during a UFC Fight Club Q&A session at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center on Friday.
"It'll kind of be like 'UFC Unleashed,'" White said. "All the great PRIDE fights that happened with all the stars who are UFC guys now will be on it."
The UFC planned to operate PRIDE Fighting Championships as a separate entity after the purchase (similar to how the UFC and WEC operate independently now under the Zuffa LLC banner) but with the promise of "mega-fights" between each organization's stars. Fans were promised Chuck Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin vs. Dan Henderson and Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. However, those fights only happened after PRIDE was shut down and most of the organization's fighters were folded into the UFC.
White has long blamed the organization's previous owners for duping the UFC about PRIDE's financial stability, TV relationships and overall health of the organization.
The UFC never held a show under the PRIDE banner but has resurrected the organization with autograph signings at UFC 100, continued DVD releases and PRIDE-branded clothing.
No dates or times were given for the "Best of PRIDE" series.
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