Joe Rogan on the “Most Ruthless Organization” in Combat Sports – “Stomps, Soccer Kicks, Everything Was Legal”

Pride FC was one of the biggest MMA Promotions in the past. This industry in Japan put on exquisite shows and competitions and gained a lot of fan following. It was mostly known for its soccer kicks and fights that were considered to be crazy because the rules were top-notch and dangerous. Recently UFC color commentator Joe Rogan talked about Pride FC and announced it to be the most merciless organization with the hardest rules.

While speaking to Bryan Callen, Brendan Schaub, and Brian Simpson, Rogan went down memory lane to speak about the promotion that ceased operations years back. 

Joe Rogan speaks about the ruthlessness of Pride FC

At one point Pride FC was a big show in Japan, however, the fame and recognition fell apart because it was alleged that the yakuza was involved with it. After the accusation the promotion went bankrupt and the promotion went from selling 90,000 seats in Tokyo to not being as famous as before. Even the contract stated that it did not test the fighters for steroids. According to Rogan, the fighters were huge and extremely muscular and almost looked like superheroes.

However, when it came to the rules, Pride FC was unhinged. Reflecting on the same during the latest episode of ‘JRE Fight Companion’, Rogan said, “Pride FC was the most ruthless organization dude Stomps, Soccer Kicks, everything was legal. But no elbows on the ground.” It was interesting that the fighters could be ruthless with each other when using other fighting moves, but elbows on the ground were not allowed, and this was surprising to the color commentator. He continued, “That was the weirdest random rule, no elbows on the ground.” 

This juggernaut in combat sports used 10-minute opening rounds, which is not the case when it comes to MMA where it is a 5-minute round. Pride FC originated in Japan and was a big aspect in the 90s and all MMA fans around the globe loved the fights and the atmosphere. However, later on, when it started going bankrupt, it was purchased by the UFC.

Joe Rogan talks about the acquisition of Pride FC by UFC

A few years back on his podcast, Joe Rogan spoke about how UFC had acquired Pride FC and also mentioned how the Japanese have a proficient way of operating a business. Both organizations were swapping and exchanging fighters back in the day, which had promoted both brands equally. However, the UFC had to go through a big betrayal because they later realized that they had just purchased their library since most of the contracts in this promotion had been illegal.

UFC decided to start a new promotion by the name of Dream FC and unfortunately, they purchased nothing but an empty contract. Even though Dana White’s promotion did not get what they had expected, UFC has become enormous since then and always puts up magnificent events. However, Rogan also stated that this organization that was bought by the UFC had better rules. The podcaster believes that UFC favors strikers more than grapplers because of the five-minute rounds.

He compared both promotions and claimed that the 10-minute round gives the fighters a better chance to showcase their style. Do you think that Pride FC should have been alive and do you think that its rules are better than the UFC? Drop your views in the comments.