The Pit Report: Deal or No Deal?

News

FERTITTAS BUY PRIDE
MMAWeekly has posted the following this morning:

The Japanese newspapers reported today in Tokyo, Japan that the UFC has bought Pride. The UFC/Pride rumor has been circulating for awhile, but the deal appears to be done. One of the newspapers in Japan, SportsHochi, reported that the Fertittas, who owns Zuffa which operates the UFC, will start a new company thus disbanding DSE(Dream Stage Entertainment, which has been the company that Pride has operated under). DSE/Pride President Nobuyuki Sakikabara, who brought Pride to the United States and was successful in making the Pride brand one of the most compelling MMA promotions in the world, is reportedly resigning from his position.

MMAWeekly says there will be a press conference in Tokyo tomorrow at the Roppongi Hills Arena. It will be open to both the press and fans.

I fully expect Dana White to come out today and call the Japanese papers a bunch of f*ckin’ liars. Look, whether 70% of it was/is bullshit or not, I’d be willing to bet that Dana has to be a little pissed that he isn’t in on this deal. I’m sure the Fertittas know that a lot of PRIDE purists see White as the devil incarnate, so it was a wise move doing this outside of Zuffa.

I guess we’ll know for sure tomorrow…provided that press conference isn’t about something else entirely.


TITO WANTED MORE MONEY…FOR A FIGHT IN WHICH HE WAS NOT GETTING PAID…UM, WHAT?
The Los Angeles Times quoted an unnamed UFC official who stated that the reason Tito Ortiz canceled the exhibition boxing match with Dana White is because he didn’t feel he was being compensated enough. This, despite the fact that both competitors stated earlier this year that the proceeds would more than likely go to charity. Oh, and let’s not forget that Tito asked for this fight as a part of his contract negotiations that brought him back to UFC to begin with.

Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission sees right through Tito’s bullshit, and calls him on it, “Dana told me he didn’t think Tito was afraid to fight him, but it would’ve been a lot harder to live down a defeat to Dana than it would have living down the loss to Chuck [Liddell].”