Dana White: We did not kill Pride
Some Japanese feel UFC President Dana White is the man responsible for killing Pride Fighting Championships, as he shuttered the company…
Some Japanese feel UFC President Dana White is the man responsible for killing Pride Fighting Championships, as he shuttered the company just seven months after purchasing it in 2007.
[Fans might boo me after they] see my face on the screen? Oh, I see. You’re saying I’m not very popular over here, White said in response to a local reporter who suggested the UFC’s brash boss might not get the favorable reception he’s grown accustomed to. Listen, I can take some boos. I can handle it. I’m pretty thick skinned.
We didn’t kill Pride. I’ve said this many times, Pride is the only other organization that I’ve ever respected. Pride was an organization here in Japan that did huge sell-out shows. There were tons of Pride fans in the United States. There are a lot of big stars, not just out of Japan, but worldwide that came from Pride. It’s the only other organization that I have ever respected or given credit to.
When asked if the UFC would consider promoting a future Pride-themed card in Japan just for good ol’ time’s sake – featuring past stars like Dan Henderson, Quinton Rampage Jackson and Fedor Emelianenko – White quickly shot the prospects down.
Not Fedor, White mumbled under his breath. I don’t think so. The Pride thing didn’t work out. We gave it a shot, it didn’t work out.”
The gentleman that asked earlier that I was the one who killed Pride, it’s completely not true … The UFC will be the events that we bring here. The great history of Pride, there’s no more Pride events.”