‘The Smashing Machine’ talks PRIDE FC and the Yakuza. The Tokyo Dome, home to some of the loudest crowds and wildest nights in the world of mixed martial arts, used to buzz with more than just fight-night jitters. In the early 2000s, PRIDE FC was at its peak, with international stars, monumental showdowns, and – if you asked anyone in the know – a little undercurrent of organized crime.
PRIDE FC and The Yakuza From The Smashing Machine
PRIDE FC, running from 1997 to 2007, wasn’t just Japan’s answer to the UFC – It was bigger.