Many casual mixed martial arts fans are familiar with one brand and one brand only: the UFC.
However, arguably the organization’s biggest competitor was that of the now defunct Pride Fighting Championships, which was coincidentally purchased by Zuffa, the subsidiary of the UFC.
The Japanese-based promotion hosted a bevy of memorable fights during its tenure and helped spark the careers of such stars as Quinton Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Mauricio Rua and the legendary Wanderlei Silva, among others.
A cornerstone of Pride was their love of tournaments, which cultivated some of the world’s best all under one roof in an effort to determine who is the real No. 1 fighter in their respective weight classes.
Wanderlei Silva (right) facing Kazuyuki Fujita/ Scott Petersen for MMAWeekly.com