Last weekend, I viewed a Mix Martial Arts event held in Las Vegas: PRIDE 33 - The Second Coming.  For those of you who don’t know, PRIDE FC is an established MMA organization based in Japan.  Legions of hardcore fans have long argued this organization to be a superior alternative when compared to the financially successful Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  With a roster consisting of Fedor Emelianenko (the world’s best mixed martial artist of all-time?) and other top caliber fighters, PRIDE is looking to place its blood on U.S. soil and to capture some much needed market share.

This long path to recognition may take a very long time for PRIDE to achieve, especially when the UFC brand name is plastered all over free TV and mainstream media outlets.  Plus, marketing to an audience with very short attention spans will make it harder for the company to establish itself as a viable competitor outside of Japan.

The card itself was very exciting and full of upsets.  I definitely got my money’s worth.  In fact, most MMA fans will view this card as a complete success. It will also be known as an event where big name fighters lost.  For the past 6 months PRIDE has been lifting certain fighters to God-like status in comparison to their UFC counterparts.  Unfortunately, their losses have stalled any momentum or future event with UFC fighters.

The current long term outlook for PRIDE in North America is pretty bleak.  I have a hard time seeing how they can effectively challenge the UFC without a real television presence over here.  After all, it’s Network and Cable TV that will help them build fans and future PPV buys.  With the UFC’s continued expansion (The Ultimate Fighter Show, HBO Deal, Signing new fighters, etc) and increased exposure, PRIDE will have a hard time establishing a foothold against their well known competitor.  Plus back in Japan, they’ve already suffered a big financial setback by losing their lone television deal with FUJI TV.

In the end, there will always be Hardcore MMA fans that will support PRIDE over the UFC. Unfortunately, their limited presence will not make PRIDE a financial success outside of Japan.  It’s a race to capture the mainstream audience that will declare any real victor in North America.  And right now, the UFC is a couple laps ahead.

I just hope the Fat lady hasn’t sung for PRIDE FC.