Just My Thoughts: Holy Smokes!

By Mike Sloan

It was inevitable. One way or another, the two mixed martial arts giants were going to come together. Somewhere, somehow, someday it just had to happen. And to be quite frank, I literally saw it coming but I never figured it would happen this soon and in this manner. The UFC and PRIDE have finally become one, two betrothed lovers locked in a passionate embrace on a sandy beach in the summer.

Ultimate treasure trove of battles has finally been unearthed

Not since the day when Vanilla Ice teamed up with the Ninja Turtles for "Ninja Rap" has there been a partnership more paramount, more ground-breaking than the merger between UFC and PRIDE. Obviously there are so many more rocks to be overturned as this new deal irons itself out, but I'm happier than a fat kid in a vat of Skittles.

Provided everything involved with the sale of PRIDE to the Brothers Fertitta goes along as planned and assuming everything about the Japanese show stays the same, the possibilities are endless.

For almost a decade there have been truly only two MMA organizations that really mattered: UFC and PRIDE. It seems like forever and a day that fight fans have clamored for the two giants to mix things up a bit and deliver the absolute greatest fights imaginable, yet all we got was Chuck Liddell (Pictures) entering the 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix and Ricco Rodriguez (Pictures) squaring off against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures).

Days of crying over wishes that fall on deaf ears appear to be a thing of a terrible past. Instead of PRIDE's best warriors pillaging hordes of pro wrestling tomato cans and UFC's absurd ranking system we should finally be given the absolute best fighting. It now looks likely that the ultimate showdowns we've desired in all likelihood will become a reality.

Just a few super fights I'd kill a cat burglar for:

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