Zuffa released a Mauricio "Shogun" Rua highlight video to hype the upcoming Shogun / Forrest Griffin fight at UFC 76 (interestingly though it says PRIDE FC Worldwide in the intro text, I guess this is because technically PFCWW LLC owns the right to the footage and not Zuffa).
Noticeably missing are stomps and his dismantling of Rampage. Coincidence? This is Zuffa we're talking about so probably not.
Sherdog reported yesterday about Tanigawa hoping to reveal a big surprise this Monday on their HERO's card. The rumors flying around is that the surprise is PRIDE lightweight champion Takanori Gomi signing with the promotion. This rumor is coming only a day after Tamura signed with HERO's, and leaves one questioning if the PRIDE fighters now finally are up for grabs by anyone, and not Zuffa exclusives. Another consequence from this is that any belt unification Zuffa is trying to accomplish becomes meaningless when you don't have all the title holders under contract.
With Gomi possibly taking the step to HERO's this also opens up the question if other PRIDE fighters will do the same. Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and Marcus Aurelio is destined for the UFC, but there are a ton of high caliber light weights that are ronins at this point, Joachim Hansen, Gilbert Melendez, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri, just to name a few.
FightOpinion relays word today from Daily Sports that PRIDE will return on October 11th, ten years on the day after the first PRIDE show was held. The man behind the message? No other than Nobuhiko Takada. The question is who does Takada represent? You would think that a Zuffa controlled PRIDE wouldn't have someone like Takada convey their message in a PR event that's not even associated with them.
Takada said that he wanted to see Rickson Gracie at the event (I would guess to say a few words to the crowd and not to fight), together with an all-star assembly of fighters.
Watch the Rickson Gracie vs Takada main event from PRIDE 1, October 11th 1997, after the jump.
FightOpinion is quoting an article from Nikkan Sports that says that the new PRIDE run by Zuffa will make its debut in Japan on August 18th. The article says that the show will center around the Japanese stars (well they are the only ones left really so not much choice there). The only reported name is Hidehiko Yoshida, but it wouldn't be to far fetched to assume that other Japanese fighters like Takanori Gomi, Kazuhiro Nakamura and Kazuyuki Fujita would participate as well.
If this really is true then we should hear something official soon, they're supposedly having the show in Saitama Super Arena so ticket sales would have to start ASAP to sell a decent amount of tickets.
It should also be noted that this could be Zuffa's first and last PRIDE show. By holding one show they can at least say they ran a PRIDE show in Japan. It could also be a testbed for Zuffa to learn how they should run a real UFC show in Japan
