“Pride Never Die” is a slogan celebrating the legacy of Pride Fighting Championships. The Japanese MMA promotion (1997-2007) was known for their showmanship and spectacular production. They were also known for “freak fights”, open-weight fights, and a brutal rule set that allowed soccer kicks and stomps in the ring providing a different spectacle than its UFC counterpart.

Although the organization ended in 2007, the legendary events can be seen on UFC Fight Pass. If you would like to relive some of the spectacular events here are my Top 5 picks for Pride FC Events.

1. PRIDE 33: The Second Coming (2007)

Pride 33: “The Second Coming” was a landmark event in mixed martial arts history. Held on February 24, 2007 in Las Vegas. Tt was the second—and ultimately final—event PRIDE Fighting Championships held in the United States.

The headliner featured a “Superfight” between PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva and PRIDE Welterweight Champion Dan Henderson.

The Result: Henderson knocked out Silva in the third round with a devastating left hook.

The Significance: With this win, Henderson became the first fighter in a major MMA organization to hold titles in two different weight classes simultaneously.

The Upset of the Decade: Gomi vs. Diaz

In a non-title lightweight bout, the reigning PRIDE Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi faced the American “bad boy” Nick Diaz. It was a chaotic, back-and-forth war. Gomi dropped Diaz early, but Diaz’s relentless cardio and boxing began to take over as Gomi tired.

The Finish: Diaz pulled off a rare Gogoplata submission in the second round, catching the champion in a move rarely seen in high-level competition. In the aftermath the win was later overturned to a “No Contest” after Diaz tested positive for marijuana, but the fight remains a legendary piece of MMA lore.

Other notable fighters on the card included, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Alistair Overeem, Frank Trigg, and Sergei Karitonov. The event showcased the agressive and spectacle driven style of Pride, on American soil and in the UFC’s backyard making it my number 1 pick.

2. PRIDE Final Conflict (2003)

PRIDE Final Conflict 2003, held on November 9, 2003, at the Tokyo Dome, is widely considered one of the greatest nights in mixed martial arts history. It served as the conclusion to the 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix, featuring a four-man tournament bracket and several high-stakes non-tournament bouts.

The Grand Prix Tournament involved names like Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Rampage Jackson, and Chuck Liddell. The two winners of the semi-finals had to fight twice to win the tournament which ended with a vicious KO of knees from “The Axe Murderer” onto “Rampage” Jackson to win the Grand Prix.

In addition, legendary fighters like Fedor Emelianenko, Gary Goodridge, Kevin Randleman, Mirko “Cro Cop”, and Dan Henderson also had major non-tournament fights that night.

3. PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals

PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 Finals, held on May 1, 2000, at the Tokyo Dome, was the first major open-weight tournament in MMA history. It is most famous for the legendary 90-minute battle between Royce Gracie and Kazushi Sakuraba.

Sakuraba vs. Gracie: In a fight with special “no time limit” rules, Sakuraba dismantled the UFC pioneer over six 15-minute rounds. Royce’s corner eventually threw in the towel, marking the first time a Gracie had been defeated in modern MMA.

The Tournament Winner: American powerhouse Mark Coleman won the Grand Prix. After beating Akira Shoji and Kazuyuki Fujita, he defeated Igor Vovchanchyn in the final via knees on the ground to become the inaugural PRIDE GP Champion.

PRIDE Grand Prix 2000 cemented Sakuraba as the “Gracie Hunter” and became the first of a slew of Gracie fighters that would fall to the legendary Japanese fighter.

4. PRIDE Final Conflict 2005

PRIDE Final Conflict 2005, held on August 28, 2005, at the Saitama Super Arena, is famously remembered for two things: the coronation of a young superstar and the “Heavyweight Fight of the Century.”

The main event featured the most anticipated heavyweight fight in MMA history between Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipović dubbed “The fight of the Century.” Fedor won a Unanimous Decision, successfully defending his Heavyweight Title and proving his dominance in every facet of the sport.

In addition, PRIDE held a middleweight Grand Prix which included Ricardo Arona, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Alistair Overeem. Having fought twice in the same night, “Shogun” Rua was declared the winner of the Grand Prix when he knocked out Arona in the first round of the finals.

5. PRIDE Shockwave 2005

PRIDE Shockwave 2005 (held on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena) was the massive year-end spectacle that featured the finals of the Welterweight (183 lbs) and Lightweight (161 lbs) Grand Prix tournaments.

The Lightweight Final concluded with “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi knocking out Hayato Sakurai in the first round to become the first PRIDE Lightweight Champion.

The Welterweight Final was a battle between Dan Henderson and Murilo Bustamante. Henderson won via close split decision making him the first PRIDE Welterweight Champion.

Other memorable fights were between Fedor Emelianenko and Zuluzinho, a 400-lb Brazilian giant that fell in just 26 seconds. Mark Hunt beat Mirko “Cro Cop” in an upset decision as well.

In Conclusion:

PRIDE FC is responsible for some of the most iconic moments and fighters in the sport of MMA. It’s unique ruleset, use of a boxing ring instead of a cage, and massive stadium spectacles still have an impact on the sport as we see it today. Pride Never Die.