IS PRIDE AT STAKE FOR ED FISHMAN?

The rumors swirling around a possible sale of Pride Fighting Championships have been endless. Who’s going to get Pride? Zuffa? Bodog? IFL? Vince McMahon? Ed Fishman? Or does it remain a property of DSE?

Of all the speculation, the least likely option is that Pride will remain under the ownership of Dream Stage Entertainment, their current parent company. Despite the strong desire to keep the promotion in the Land of the Rising Sun, the hurdles may be insurmountable. Pride has become a sinking ship with the loss of their homeland television deal amid accusations of ties to the Yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Although the public stance is that Pride “is not for sale,” there have been talks. In fact, MMAWeekly sources reveal that there have been talks, in one form or another, with most of the aforementioned parties. Does that mean that they have all made a bid for Pride? No. But as Pride looks to find a way to move forward as they have been dwarfed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s shadow, various options have been explored with many potential partners.

It appears that most suitors have dropped out of the picture. The two left standing at this point seem to be Zuffa (the UFC’s parent company) and Pride’s own President of Pride U.S.A., Ed Fishman.

(Read More)