PRIDE Fighting Championships facts for kids
PRIDE Fighting Championships was a super popular mixed martial arts (MMA) group from Japan. It ran from 1997 to 2007. PRIDE held over sixty exciting MMA events. It was one of the most famous MMA groups in the world. PRIDE shows were watched in about 40 countries!
Contents
A Look Back at PRIDE's History
PRIDE Fighting Championships started in 1997. It began with a big fight between Japanese pro-wrestler Nobuhiko Takada and Rickson Gracie. Rickson was a champion from the Gracie family, famous for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
This first event happened on October 11, 1997, at the Tokyo Dome. About 47,000 fans came to watch! Japanese news and media paid a lot of attention. Because it was so successful, the people who organized it decided to hold more events. PRIDE quickly became the most popular mixed martial arts event in Japan.
How PRIDE Fights Worked
Match Length
Most PRIDE matches had three rounds. The first round was ten minutes long. The second and third rounds were five minutes each. Fighters got a two-minute break between rounds.
Sometimes, in special tournaments called Grand Prix, fights had two rounds. The first round was ten minutes, and the second was five minutes. They still had two-minute breaks.
Weight Classes
Fighters competed in different weight groups to make fights fair:
- Heavyweight: More than 93 kg (205 lb)
- Middleweight: Up to 93 kg (205 lb)
- Welterweight: Up to 83 kg (183 lb)
- Lightweight: Up to 73 kg (161 lb)
The Ring
PRIDE fights took place in a square ring. It had five ropes around it. Each side of the ring was about 7 meters (23 feet) long.
Fighter's Clothing
Fighters could choose some of their gear. But they always had to wear open-finger gloves, a mouthguard, and a protective cup. They could also use tape on their body. Some fighters wore special tops or pants from Judo or Karate. Wrestling shoes, kneepads, elbow pads, or ankle supports were also allowed. A referee always checked everything before the fight began.
How to Win a Fight
There were several ways a fighter could win in PRIDE:
- Submission: One fighter makes the other give up. This usually happens when a fighter taps the mat or their opponent three times.
- Knockout (KO): A fighter gets hit and falls down. They are either unconscious or can't continue fighting.
- Technical Knockout (TKO):
- Referee Stoppage: The referee stops the fight. This happens if one fighter is clearly winning and the other is in danger.
- Doctor Stoppage: A fighter gets hurt during the match and can't continue. The ring doctor decides if they can keep fighting. If the injury was caused by something illegal, the fighter who caused it would lose.
- Corner Throws in the Towel: A fighter's coaches or team can stop the fight for them by throwing a towel into the ring.
Judge's Decision
If a fight went the full time limit, three judges decided who won. They looked at the whole fight, not just round by round. After the last round, each judge had to pick a winner. There were no draws in PRIDE.
Judges decided based on these things, in order of importance:
- How much effort a fighter made to try and finish the fight (like getting a knockout or submission).
- How much damage they did to their opponent.
- How well they fought standing up and controlled the fight on the ground.
- How many takedowns they got and how well they defended against takedowns.
- How aggressive they were.
- Weight difference (if one fighter was much heavier, by 10 kg or more).
Things You Couldn't Do (Fouls)
PRIDE had rules about what fighters could not do. If a fighter did these things, it was a foul:
- Head-butting.
- Eye gouging (poking eyes).
- Hair pulling.
- Biting.
- Fish hooking (putting fingers in mouth or nose).
- Any attacks to the groin area.
- Striking the back of the head or spine.
- Small joint manipulation (twisting individual fingers or toes).
- Elbow strikes to the head and face.
- Intentionally throwing an opponent out of the ring.
- Running out of the ring.
- Purposely holding the ropes. Fighters could not hang onto the ropes.
Famous PRIDE Champions
These fighters were champions in their weight classes:
- Heavyweight (over 93 kg): Fedor Emelianenko (from Russia)
- Middleweight (under 93 kg): Dan Henderson (from USA)
- Welterweight (under 83 kg): Dan Henderson (from USA)
- Lightweight (under 73 kg): Takanori Gomi (from Japan)
Images for kids
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Fedor Emelianenko vs Mark Coleman at Pride 32 in 2006. This was Pride's first international event, held in Las Vegas, United States.
See also
In Spanish: PRIDE Fighting Championships para niños
