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From www.fightopinion.com:

? Fuji TV cancels PRIDE for goodMedia coverage of Fuji TV/PRIDE story

Image credit: Sports Nippon

By Zach Arnold

Yomiuri Hochi reports that with Fuji TV canceling their contract with PRIDE, DSE & Nobuyuki Sakakibara are looking towards Tokai TV in Nagoya to perhaps carry the Hustle Aid 6/17 Saitama Super Arena event. Tokai TV is home territory for Sakakibara, as he came from this television background. The Yomiuri article quotes a source saying that the Fuji TV contract with PRIDE was worth several hundred million yen a year, and that foreign fighters are paid a lot of money. Without the TV money, those foreign fighters cannot be paid the same salaries, and with this problem PRIDE ?disappearing? is just a matter of time. The article also states that DSE is consulting with their lawyers now about what options the company has next, and that Sakakibara will make a public statement on Wednesday (June 7th).

Nikkan Sports reports that Fuji TV notified the mass media about their cancelation of PRIDE via a FAX. The article also states that the SRS program on Fuji TV, which covered both K-1 and PRIDE, is also a likely casualty of the TV contract being canceled.

Daily Sports has an article on the situation, claiming that a source is telling them that while Fuji TV hasn?t given a public reason for the cancellation of PRIDE, the supposed reason (mentioned in the article) is that the criminal investigation (the criminal complaint that Seiya Kawamata filed with the Kanagawa Police) against PRIDE has caused problems for Fuji TV?s social responsibility. The article mentions that PRIDE started in October of 1997 with Takada vs. Rickson Gracie and that approximately 10 years later, the promotion is in ?a big pinch.? Furthermore, DS mentions the boryokudan (yakuza violence group) scandal involving the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 show in regards to the participation of Emelianenko Fedor. The names of Fedor, Mirko, Silva, Yoshida, and Fujita are mentioned in regards to the high fight money they receive per fight and the question being raised is how will DSE be able to afford these salaries without Fuji TV?s money. The article closes out talking about Fuji TV?s cancelation and how it will effect the Hustle Aid 6/17 Saitama Super Arena show.

Burning Spirit has notes from Tokyo Sports about Fuji TV, speculating that with TBS wanting to air a New Year?s Eve ?Kameda Matsuri (Festival)? show that the Dynamite!! K-1 show for New Year?s Eve may air on Fuji TV, thus making PRIDE?s New Year Show as something not needed.

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[quote]Donut62 wrote:
From www.fightopinion.com:

? Fuji TV cancels PRIDE for goodMedia coverage of Fuji TV/PRIDE story

Image credit: Sports Nippon

By Zach Arnold

Yomiuri Hochi reports that with Fuji TV canceling their contract with PRIDE, DSE & Nobuyuki Sakakibara are looking towards Tokai TV in Nagoya to perhaps carry the Hustle Aid 6/17 Saitama Super Arena event. Tokai TV is home territory for Sakakibara, as he came from this television background. The Yomiuri article quotes a source saying that the Fuji TV contract with PRIDE was worth several hundred million yen a year, and that foreign fighters are paid a lot of money. Without the TV money, those foreign fighters cannot be paid the same salaries, and with this problem PRIDE ?disappearing? is just a matter of time. The article also states that DSE is consulting with their lawyers now about what options the company has next, and that Sakakibara will make a public statement on Wednesday (June 7th).

Nikkan Sports reports that Fuji TV notified the mass media about their cancelation of PRIDE via a FAX. The article also states that the SRS program on Fuji TV, which covered both K-1 and PRIDE, is also a likely casualty of the TV contract being canceled.

Daily Sports has an article on the situation, claiming that a source is telling them that while Fuji TV hasn?t given a public reason for the cancellation of PRIDE, the supposed reason (mentioned in the article) is that the criminal investigation (the criminal complaint that Seiya Kawamata filed with the Kanagawa Police) against PRIDE has caused problems for Fuji TV?s social responsibility. The article mentions that PRIDE started in October of 1997 with Takada vs. Rickson Gracie and that approximately 10 years later, the promotion is in ?a big pinch.? Furthermore, DS mentions the boryokudan (yakuza violence group) scandal involving the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 show in regards to the participation of Emelianenko Fedor. The names of Fedor, Mirko, Silva, Yoshida, and Fujita are mentioned in regards to the high fight money they receive per fight and the question being raised is how will DSE be able to afford these salaries without Fuji TV?s money. The article closes out talking about Fuji TV?s cancelation and how it will effect the Hustle Aid 6/17 Saitama Super Arena show.

Burning Spirit has notes from Tokyo Sports about Fuji TV, speculating that with TBS wanting to air a New Year?s Eve ?Kameda Matsuri (Festival)? show that the Dynamite!! K-1 show for New Year?s Eve may air on Fuji TV, thus making PRIDE?s New Year Show as something not needed.
[/quote]

Oh good timing. I was jus going to start on a translation of the exact news report.
They left out one detail from that report. In 2003 Fedor was going to appear in Inoki Bombay Ay(A mma show put together by Antonio Inoki) . But were approached by Yakuza who demanded that they pay them 2 million dollars if Fedor was going to fight. Thus Fedor never fought in Bomby Ay. It is this connection, the Yakuza extortion that is connected with DSE.

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All of this def sucks for MMA! Although I can’t figure out why they would ever even give sapp that type of money. The guy is HUGE but sucks. I have seen him lose too many matches against guys 1/2 his size. The big guy isn’t worth a cent. On the other hand he was treated like crap. Damn the asian mafia…esp since I’m Italian haha. Too bad Sapp didn’t eat those guys

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Sapp sure looked a bit better than suck against Nog and Le Banner in MMA, and Hoost in K-1. Great insight though, you’ve added so much to the discussion.

The potential loss of revenue for Pride comes at a time of planning to make a greater attempt to enter the US market. I don’t see anything but negative from the current reports, which certainly can’t help any hopes of a US entrance.

Just recently ring-styled MMA was approved (In Nev.?), although speculation leads to belief that strikes which are legal in Pride will continue to be banned should a US event take place. Pride also announced recently that the second round of the Bushido tournament would be aired on Fox Sports.

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[quote]DrVonNostrand wrote:
Sapp sure looked a bit better than suck against Nog and Le Banner in MMA, and Hoost in K-1. Great insight though, you’ve added so much to the discussion.

The potential loss of revenue for Pride comes at a time of planning to make a greater attempt to enter the US market. I don’t see anything but negative from the current reports, which certainly can’t help any hopes of a US entrance.

Just recently ring-styled MMA was approved (In Nev.?), although speculation leads to belief that strikes which are legal in Pride will continue to be banned should a US event take place. Pride also announced recently that the second round of the Bushido tournament would be aired on Fox Sports. [/quote]

At Fedor’s seminar in Atlantic City this weekend he mentioned his next fight in Pride will be in America in October/November. With troubles in the home market it makes sense for Pride to throw a hail mary at the US market.

The second round of the Bushido Tournament on FSN would be pretty incredible, as long as it wasnt edited to hell and back like their hour long shows.

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Skyperfect is an affiliate of Fuji TV I found out today. So Pride is in limbo now.
Also Fuji tv has relased an order that Pride fighters are not to appear on any programs on Fuji tv.
On the 8th Pride president Sakakibara will hold a press conference that will be open to the public. Anybody may go. I have the day-off, but I think it will be crazy.
From the reactions that I have got from many people here, nobody is panicking. The overall attitude is “it is too bad, but something will get done”.
The American forums are a little more into it is my impression.
If everybody needs to know what went down here is a summary: In 2003 Fedor fought in Antonio Inoki’s Bombay Yae. Yakuza approached them and demanded 200,000,000yen and sign a contract stating that Fedor is the exclusive property of DSE. The fight went through. Basically extortion.The true owner of Pride is a Korean who is on the run now.

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[quote]otoko wrote:
Skyperfect is an affiliate of Fuji TV I found out today.
[/quote]

Ouch. Pride will release their OWGP card for the second round at the press conference as well. The rumored card is mega-stacked, hopefully there is way we can watch it.

Apparently DSE was aware that Fuji TV was not going to renew their contract in September since earlier this year. Hopefully they have a back-up plan ready.

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[quote]CrewPierce wrote:
All of this def sucks for MMA! Although I can’t figure out why they would ever even give sapp that type of money. The guy is HUGE but sucks. I have seen him lose too many matches against guys 1/2 his size. The big guy isn’t worth a cent. On the other hand he was treated like crap. Damn the asian mafia…esp since I’m Italian haha. Too bad Sapp didn’t eat those guys[/quote]

You are right. I do not enjoy watching Sapp. Well I enjoy seeing if he will cry. But he remains a draw. The quality of K-1 has dropped since 2002, the year Sapp entered K-1.
Now it may be too dangerous for him to come to Japan. He would be better off in mma I think. The UFC should sign him. Wait UFC heavyweight division has a weight limit?

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What awful news! It’s amazing how quickly you can rise and how fast you can fall in today’s market. It was a goal of mine to go see a Pride live in Japan two years from now…

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[quote]otoko wrote:
CrewPierce wrote:
All of this def sucks for MMA! Although I can’t figure out why they would ever even give sapp that type of money. The guy is HUGE but sucks. I have seen him lose too many matches against guys 1/2 his size. The big guy isn’t worth a cent. On the other hand he was treated like crap. Damn the asian mafia…esp since I’m Italian haha. Too bad Sapp didn’t eat those guys

You are right. I do not enjoy watching Sapp. Well I enjoy seeing if he will cry. But he remains a draw. The quality of K-1 has dropped since 2002, the year Sapp entered K-1.
Now it may be too dangerous for him to come to Japan. He would be better off in mma I think. The UFC should sign him. Wait UFC heavyweight division has a weight limit?[/quote]

Yeah 265 is the weight limit for HW’s in UFC. I think Sapps right leg weighs 265. Unfortunately there’s no super heavy weight division either. We don’t seem to be as into the freak show matches as the Japanese are :slight_smile:

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Hooray! We can watch Critical Countdown in America!!!

http://completevaletudoaccess.blogspot.com/