PRIDE Fighting Championship
PRIDE Fighting Championships was a mixed martial arts organization based in Japan. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. PRIDE held more than sixty mixed martial arts events. As formerly one of the most popular MMA organizations in the world, PRIDE broadcasted to about 40 countries worldwide.
In March 2007, Dream Stage Entertainment sold PRIDE to Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, co-owners of Zuffa, which own rival promotion the UFC. While remaining legally separate entities with separate managements, the two promotions were to cooperate in a manner akin to the AFL-NFL merger. However, such an arrangement did not materialize, and in October 2007, PRIDE Worldwide's Japanese staff was laid off, marking the end of the organization as an active fight promoter.
