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View Full Version : What happened to the UFC?



John Lindsey
19th April 2001, 22:03
While in Japan last month, I watched the latest Pride fights on the TV. Real good stuff and I enjoyed it more than the old UFC shows I used to watch.

I was wondering what ever happened to the UFC here in the states? Do they still have them? From what I heard, the money is in Japan and that is where the fighters go to.

Kit LeBlanc
20th April 2001, 00:08
They still do, and many of the fighters fight both here and in Japan.


Kit

John Bennett
23rd April 2001, 18:21
That's true John. The real money is at the Pride event in Japan.

The UFC has been losing prestige in MMA circles over the last couple of years because they don't pay well and have tried to lock down fighters with exclusive contracts.

The Japanese apparently love MMA competition and are more willing to pay to support it than people in the US.

Many of the top US fighters are training in the Japanese gyms there. The culture there provides them a much better support system than here in the US. They get their laundry done. Restaurants give them food. The beginner students serve as their personal assistants. They cook and run errands for them in exchange for being able to serve as their grappling dummies.

Here they are lucky if they can get corporate sponsorship of any kind, even from combat sports companies.