With the purchase of PRIDE FC buy UFC parent company Zuffa inc. the first order of business has been to secure the sanctioning for PRIDE events at all current UFC locations and venues worldwide. Although not as profitable and far reaching as UFC has been, the depth of the PRIDE fighting talent pool has always been as competitive. And as the two organizations merge rules and plan to host yearly “Mega-Fights”, the only question mark that seems to be left lingering is how the deep stable of PRIDE fighters will react to the UFC rules. It’s not so much that you can no longer kick a downed opponent, but that these fighters could have some serious problems defending the elbows that UFC fighters throw so well. Elbows are a very lethal and often times underestimated dimension of MMA fighters. They are a necessary component to any successful ground and pound and can wear a fighter down if connected in a stand up clinch – a method that PRIDE fighters never get to see, let alone defend against.
The only rule change advantage that may go in the direction of PRIDE is the shortened first round time from 10 minutes down to 5. A stat that could turn into a showcase of conditioning as PRIDE combatants train for a full 10 minute first round; although it’s hard to imagine how PRIDE fighters will react to the explosive quick starts we are privy to seeing in the UFC. When you know you have a full 10 minutes to take somebody out, it would be likely that most fighters would employ a more conservative and energy conscious first round strategy, a method that could get you in trouble against fast starting and overwhelming fighters like Mike Swick or Chuck Liddell.
Only time will tell and as we begin to see the migration of PRIDE fighters to the UFC these types of differences will become more and more apparent. Check the unified rules for PRIDE34.
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)
I didn’t know they shortened the rounds… That’s hella interesting.
Hooray no more ten minute rounds.