PRIDE office in Tokyo shut down, all workers fired

Harms · 10-05-2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

PRIDE office in Tokyo shut down, all workers fired
By Zach Arnold

Sports Navigator (Yahoo Japan) is reporting tonight (Thursday night Japanese time) that Jamie Pollack, the Zuffa-appointed legal advisor who went to Japan shortly after Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the assets of PRIDE from Dream Stage Entertainment, has shut down the PRIDE FC Worldwide office in Tokyo. Furthermore, the report claims that Pollack fired all PRIDE WW employees with a telephone call.

PRIDE public relations boss Mr. Sasahara (who is/was close to Hustle and Nobuyuki Sakakibara) issued a public apology to the fans. Sasahara said that the PRIDE staffers are confused and bewildered by the sudden closing of the office, further adding that he feels resentment towards the way the American owners betrayed the people who supported PRIDE. Sasahara reiterated that he believed what Lorenzo Fertitta had initially stated about the future of PRIDE, but now the operation is finished and staffers couldn’t access or get to cell phones or personal computers.

Personal reaction: Naturally, the Japanese media and MMA insiders will use this story to portray Zuffa as a bunch of cold, calculated gaijin invaders who officially destroyed PRIDE. The image of UFC and its parents owners in Japan has been tarnished by the way the PRIDE situation has been handled. Is UFC’s entry into the Japanese marketplace permanently damaged?

As for Pollack firing the PRIDE employees by telephone… at least he or his family members won’t be physically harmed. Somehow, I don’t think the firings on a face-to-face basis would have turned out so well.

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Looks to officially be done. That's too bad.

theEmpiric · 10-05-2007, 10:57 AM

I think ufc has just handeled this whole acquisition poorly.

could have gone a lot better/smoother.

subgenius · 10-05-2007, 12:16 PM

How differently could it have gone? PRIDE sold itself. The Japanese can cry about it all they like, but the UFC did not steal PRIDE. They bought it. That means that a Japanese person (or group of persons) made the decision to sell. THEY wanted the money. If the fans and the former owners loved PRIDE so much, then why sell?

If you sell a nice sports car to me, one with a fine engine, beautiful black paint job, and mint condition interior, then you screwed up. If I take that car, add flare to the engine, loud muffler pipes, huge tires, and a psychodelic paint job, then you don't get to have a say in that. Hell, I can take that car and push it off a cliff, or have it crushed in a junk yard. It's my freaking car. You don't get a say. YOU SOLD OUT!

PRIDE sold itself out. The UFC spent some $40 million trying to get a TV deal for PRIDE in Japan, and that was on top of the $70 million purchase price for PRIDE. The Japanese market shut out the UFC and the Americans. Why keep PRIDE open for business? Why spend money on a money pit?

How differently could it have gone?

The_Iceman · 10-05-2007, 01:52 PM

How could anyone not see that coming? As soon as it was up for sale and the the UFC was interested in buying them, I knew that Pridefc was in trouble and would eventually fade away and die before our very eyes...

jyd94 · 10-05-2007, 04:11 PM

but but...Dana White is the devil and I need reasons to hate him!

Jras0001 · 10-05-2007, 04:31 PM

I think that a lot hinged around the fact that Pride was unable to get another tv deal in Japan after the company was purchased by Zuffa. Without an outlet or a tv deal to present their product, what else was Zuffa going to do? Just keep it around to suck money and provide no income for the company?

Cuts O Meat · 10-05-2007, 09:30 PM

Divide and conquer at it's finest.

Saskabush · 10-06-2007, 02:53 AM

Although Zuffa's intentions may not be outright coercive they got what they wanted in the end. Why would they keep top fighters in Japan when they can horde them to the US to make millions of dollars which they don't evenly share with the fighters. The evidence in this case points to the former owners of Pride as the culprits but this was Zuffa's intention the whole time. Pride will never be back, it's time to accept that fact but I will never feel good about it. It is the end of an era of dominant fighters and amazing production, let the UFC fanboys bask in the fall of Pride, I know that I will never forget it and always remember it as the best MMA organization ever. Pride made me an MMA fanatic and I will never give up on the fighters who are struggling to make it in the UFC so far. Pride or die baby, Pride or die.

subgenius · 10-06-2007, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saskabush

Although Zuffa's intentions may not be outright coercive they got what they wanted in the end. Why would they keep top fighters in Japan when they can horde them to the US to make millions of dollars which they don't evenly share with the fighters. The evidence in this case points to the former owners of Pride as the culprits but this was Zuffa's intention the whole time. Pride will never be back, it's time to accept that fact but I will never feel good about it. It is the end of an era of dominant fighters and amazing production, let the UFC fanboys bask in the fall of Pride, I know that I will never forget it and always remember it as the best MMA organization ever. Pride made me an MMA fanatic and I will never give up on the fighters who are struggling to make it in the UFC so far. Pride or die baby, Pride or die.

I wish we all could read minds the way that you do.

Saskabush · 10-06-2007, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

I wish we all could read minds the way that you do.

If you think that they purchased Pride to keep it going in Japan then I believe you are mistaken. Dana said right off the bat "We're going to have them all". Regardless of exactly how the fall of Pride came about, I believe that Zuffa was happy with the outcome. Look at the additions to the UFC. You don't have to be a mind reader to understand this, do you?

Cuts O Meat · 10-06-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saskabush

If you think that they purchased Pride to keep it going in Japan then I believe you are mistaken. Dana said right off the bat "We're going to have them all". Regardless of exactly how the fall of Pride came about, I believe that Zuffa was happy with the outcome. Look at the additions to the UFC. You don't have to be a mind reader to understand this, do you?

I don't posses mind reading powers, and I know exactly what you are talking about. Some people just let bias cloud their judgment.

subgenius · 10-06-2007, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saskabush

If you think that they purchased Pride to keep it going in Japan then I believe you are mistaken. Dana said right off the bat "We're going to have them all". Regardless of exactly how the fall of Pride came about, I believe that Zuffa was happy with the outcome. Look at the additions to the UFC. You don't have to be a mind reader to understand this, do you?

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, spends $40 million just to see something fail ON PURPOSE! THAT just NEVER happens in the really real business world. To say that the UFC bought PRIDE with the initial intent to demolish it really just ignores the facts (forty million facts).

The UFC always wanted the best of PRIDE to fight in the UFC. That would happen one way or the other. But, that does not mean that the UFC always planned to deep-six PRIDE. In fact, owning both PRIDE and the UFC would mean that UFC fighters would also be able to fight in PRIDE in Japan.

We would see the other side of the coin. We would see whether the best UFC fighters could have survived in the PRIDE ring. And, fighters like Cro-Cop and Shogun would go back to PRIDE to fight in a ring where they can win more matches. Not that the PRIDE ring was essentially easier or harder, but that their skills and experience have always been in a ring.

RebLMunkE · 10-06-2007, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

How differently could it have gone? PRIDE sold itself. The Japanese can cry about it all they like, but the UFC did not steal PRIDE. They bought it. That means that a Japanese person (or group of persons) made the decision to sell. THEY wanted the money. If the fans and the former owners loved PRIDE so much, then why sell?

If you sell a nice sports car to me, one with a fine engine, beautiful black paint job, and mint condition interior, then you screwed up. If I take that car, add flare to the engine, loud muffler pipes, huge tires, and a psychodelic paint job, then you don't get to have a say in that. Hell, I can take that car and push it off a cliff, or have it crushed in a junk yard. It's my freaking car. You don't get a say. YOU SOLD OUT!

PRIDE sold itself out. The UFC spent some $40 million trying to get a TV deal for PRIDE in Japan, and that was on top of the $70 million purchase price for PRIDE. The Japanese market shut out the UFC and the Americans. Why keep PRIDE open for business? Why spend money on a money pit?

How differently could it have gone?

I think on the PRIDE thing I will just offically say what ever sub says.......LoL I always just end up agreeing with him on the matter its not Dana's fault blame the Yakuza if you want to blame someone they are probably the reason why PRIDE has died now.

Hope I don't lose a finger for that

Anyway for now on when ever PRIDE comes up just add my name after subs cuz I agree LoL

CounterPuncher · 10-06-2007, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by subgenius

How differently could it have gone? PRIDE sold itself. The Japanese can cry about it all they like, but the UFC did not steal PRIDE. They bought it. That means that a Japanese person (or group of persons) made the decision to sell. THEY wanted the money. If the fans and the former owners loved PRIDE so much, then why sell?

If you sell a nice sports car to me, one with a fine engine, beautiful black paint job, and mint condition interior, then you screwed up. If I take that car, add flare to the engine, loud muffler pipes, huge tires, and a psychodelic paint job, then you don't get to have a say in that. Hell, I can take that car and push it off a cliff, or have it crushed in a junk yard. It's my freaking car. You don't get a say. YOU SOLD OUT!

PRIDE sold itself out. The UFC spent some $40 million trying to get a TV deal for PRIDE in Japan, and that was on top of the $70 million purchase price for PRIDE. The Japanese market shut out the UFC and the Americans. Why keep PRIDE open for business? Why spend money on a money pit?

How differently could it have gone?

I agree with everything you said right there.

DoQ1 · 10-09-2007, 08:48 PM

good riddens, let them go peacefully like the organized crime families they got paid by.

BTW what did they do for the last few months?????????

Saskabush · 10-09-2007, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DoQ1

good riddens, let them go peacefully like the organized crime families they got paid by.

BTW what did they do for the last few months?????????

Your sig says don't hate but you clearly have some Haterade in your system bro.