I remember Liddell going over to Japan and throwing in the towel against a
medicore japanese fighter. Silva in his prime is by far the beter fighter
but lately it has appeared to me that Silva may have passed his prime. It
may be a case of him not being motivated. I think this is a good move by
Pride. I have been a longtime Pride fan but my interest in UFC has grown as
the quality of the fighters has improved and their marketing has gotten
better. As I have always said, if I want to get a DVD of a Pride even I have
to wait 6-8 months to order it. UFC has its webpage updated the day after
fights and I am able to order DVDs right away. UFC definitely seems like the
better marketed organization stateside.


>From: "M.M.A." <nhbdvds@...>
>Reply-To: arizonanhbandmma@yahoogroups.com
>To: MMA_CROSSFIRE@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Arizona NHB and MMA] Re: [MMA_CROSSFIRE] LIDDELL VS SILVA
>Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 12:13:19 -0700 (PDT)
>
>why now my ass, dont make them change their minds. by the way. i popped in
>the 2003 Grand Prix dvd last night and watched the chuck liddell vs
>queunton jackson fight and i almost forgot how bad the beating chuck got
>from him was, chuck got his ass whipped
>
>fullcontact67 <fullcontact67@...> wrote: Liddell vs. Silva:
>Why Now?
>By Josh Gross
>
>[7/14/2006] Since Saturday, when it was announced PRIDE champion
>Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) would fight UFC champion Chuck Liddell
>(Pictures) in November, speculation has run rampant as to the
>motivations of mixed martial arts' most prominent promoters, which
>after three years finally agreed to what appears to be this sport's
>first true world title bout.
>
>While the path towards Dana White's decision remains cloudy, PRIDE's
>reasoning has become clear.
>
>As little as two months ago, PRIDE reigned atop the MMA heap. It had
>launched the largest tournament of the year; been awarded a date to
>promote its first Stateside card; enjoyed a prosperous deal with its
>Japanese broadcast partner; and held in its stable the finest
>collection of mixed martial artists in the world.
>
>The probability, it seemed, of PRIDE and UFC - and thus many of the
>world's preeminent fighters - coming together was so small, it could
>only be found through quantum mechanics.
>
>But then allegations began to spread about PRIDE's top brass being
>involved with shady figures in the Japanese underworld. The press
>was bad and Fuji TV, due in large measure to its own set of
>unfortunate events, flipped the switch on PRIDE, removing anything
>from the ship it perceived as a drag. Adding insult to injury, for
>the first time in a long time a top-tier fighter, Quinton Jackson
>(Pictures), fled to another organization during his free agency
>period.
>
>Yet, said one high-ranking PRIDE executive, through adversity comes
>opportunity.
>
>Though many on the outside saw Fuji TV's severed relationship with
>PRIDE as the death knell for the promotion, those on the inside
>believed that a unique opportunity had presented itself.
>
>No longer hamstrung by television executives that often had as much
>say in matchmaking as PRIDE officials, DSE was free to do what it
>wished.
>
>Believing the UFC holds an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the
>American market share, said the same PRIDE official, the promoter
>had two options if it wanted to flourish while establishing itself
>in the U.S.: Strike a deal with the No. 1 company or partner with
>its competitors.
>
>With new kids on the block - Strikeforce, the World Fighting
>Alliance (which signed Jackson away from PRIDE) and the
>International Fight League (which continues to be embroiled in
>lawsuits with the UFC) - and established events - King of the Cage,
>et al - grappling for the remaining market share, PRIDE moved for
>the former*.
>
>That meant a serious discussion was underway to send one of the best
>fighters in the organization's history to battle someone of equal
>standing on the other side of the world. Just a month ago, a deal
>was struck.
>
>It's basic Marketing 101 stuff, said the PRIDE executive.
>
>If the UFC's presence in America was about half of what it is today,
>an alliance with the third and fourth competitors (PRIDE considers
>itself the second biggest MMA promoter that does business in the
>U.S.) might have paid off. But since the Las Vegas-based company has
>so effectively branded UFC as mixed martial arts in this country,
>the smart move was to work directly with Zuffa.
>
>Relative to what it could gain - an increased market share from 18
>to somewhere near 25 percent, DSE said - PRIDE appears to be risking
>very little.
>
>Silva remains under exclusive PRIDE contract, meaning he fights
>where and when DSE officials tell him. The UFC will pay his purse in
>November. And a loss would not officially remove him from the belt.
>
>The UFC, it seems, is the one gambling in this scenario.
>
>It was widely reported that the UFC again topped the Yahoo! Buzz
>charts after Saturday's UFC 61 Pay-Per-View, yet few mentioned that
>because of his presence on the broadcast the number of searches on
>Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) increased an astronomical 444 percent -
>head and shoulders the biggest gain of any search on Yahoo! related
>to the UFC.
>
>For an organization that has struggled to market itself to the
>American audience, last weekend, from an awareness standpoint, may
>well have been worth the decision on its own.
>
>Over the past six days Silva has received far more attention in the
>U.S. than he ever had before, and PRIDE is the company that will
>reap the early returns with its Open-Weight Grand Prix Pay-Per-View
>on September 10.
>
>More important, the PRIDE executive explained, if this arrangement
>works the way DSE hopes it will, the Japanese company will have
>insured its future for the next 20 to 30 years while establishing
>its legacy as a standard bearer when people look back in a century's
>time.
>
>And what does the UFC gain? If Liddell wins, a ton of credibility.
>But should he falter, a Super Bowl mega card the company has tabbed
>as its first 1 million-plus Pay-Per-View could fall into peril.
>Though some have speculated this is an opportunity for the UFC to
>increase its presence on WOWOW!, the promotion's Japanese broadcast
>partner, that hardly seems worth the roll of the dice.
>
>Yes, Silva will fight Liddell on the UFC's home turf under rules
>preferred by the UFC. There won't be a co-promotion. All profits
>will belong to Zuffa.
>
>But is this all that Zuffa has garnered because of this monumental
>agreement?
>
>That is one of many questions that remain about the genesis of
>Liddell vs. Silva and why, at this moment in the sport's history,
>these two promotions have come together.
>
>One thing is clear, however: competition breeds innovation. And that
>is a good thing, for everyone involved, particularly PRIDE.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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