Some days you get good news and other days you get news that makes you want to tell your boss to shove it and drop kick your computer while you simultaneously urinate in the breakroom coffee pot. Today is one of those days. We can all rejoice as we get to see Rampage get muay-thai clinched directly out of the ring, Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama going absolutely insane in a ‘who can take the most fists to the face as possible’ match but…no Last Emperor. If you’re expecting to see Fedor, Shinya Aoki or any of the big dogs at Strikeforce, Dream, M-1 or Sengoku…it’s not going to happen. ZUFFA will not be showing any of these fighters. Bummer. Check out the press release from August 12th just before the UFC nearly had their hands on The Last Emperor:
One of the most popular MMA organizations in the world during its ten years of operation (1997-2007), PRIDE Fighting Championships, based in Japan, featured world class mixed martial arts artists in some of the most dramatic bouts in the early history of the sport. Spike TV will re-broadcast the best of these bouts in “The Best of Pride Fighting Championships,” premiering Sunday, January 11, 2010 at 11pm ET/PT.
Hosted by Kenda Perez, the series features past and present UFC® champions among the legendary MMA combatants that includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria, Dan Henderson, Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Mark Coleman, Frank Trigg, Hidehiko Yoshida, Akihiro Gono and Takanori Gomi.
“As the destination for the best mixed martial arts on television, Spike TV is always looking for ways to give fight fans more of the incredible action and competition they crave,” said Kevin Kay, president, Spike TV.
Look on the bright side, we get to see that chick Kendra Perez hot up our TVs every week. Check out the official ZUFFA promo video of their ‘Best of Pride’ TV series.
