Former PRIDE CEO Sakakibara plans return to US market with new RIZIN promotion

Many old-school MMA fans miss the days when the Japan-based promotion PRIDE FC was still around to compete with the UFC. Their trademark white ring, majestic opening shows and fighter walk-ins, the liberal rule set and dozens of memorable battles betweens some of the sport’s biggest stars have made PRIDE a fan favorite and a nostalgic artifact in MMA culture.

Attempts to resurrect the PRIDE spirit have failed in the past, and in December of last year, former PRIDE CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara debuted with his new organization RIZIN FF. It was filled with some of PRIDE’s biggest stars such as Fedor Emelianenko and Kazushi Sakuraba, and is looking to fill the shoes of its famed predecessor.

In October of 2006, less than a year before it’s demise, PRIDE held …

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