It has been nearly twenty years since the 2000 PRIDE Grand Prix. Almost every single widespread innovation in MMA – with the exception of the increased focus on weight cuts – has made the sport safer for the athletes. Testing for performance-enhancing drugs has never been stricter. You cannot kick someone in the head while they are on the ground, or elbow them at the base of the spine. Indeed, many are glad to see the end of the Wild West days of MMA.
Yet, for MMA fans that just makes the period of 1999-2007 – when PRIDE not only never died, but lived – especially important.