Photo: Getty Images/UFC
Like a lot of MMA fans, I have a warm place in my heart for Pride Fighting Championships and still consider it the best MMA promotion that ever was. There are many reasons: elite-level matchups; awesome grand prix events; the crazy and memorable freak shows; a particularly good combination of ruleset and ring that struck the right balance between grappling and striking; and a half-dozen others. However, the one aspect most relevant to this article’s title is how good Pride was at promoting its fighters and events. There was a real awe and wonder when Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva or Kazushi Sakuraba would walk out that is missing from modern Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders.