Pride vs UFC Rules
There are many differences between Pride and UFC rules. And consequently, this results in different fight strategies used by the fighters in their respective organizations. We are not here to argue which set of rules is better than the other. But the general consensus among MMA fans is that the Pride fighting rules were significantly more violent than UFC. The fact that the Pride rules are banned in UFC matches attests to this. Now violence by itself does not make it better. But to watch fighters at this skill level fight under these rules is pretty exciting. If you want violence for the sake of violence, by all means go watch any street fight video on google. Pride fighting and UFC are a level above that garbage.
Let's break down the major differences below:
Pride Rules:
All of the items listed above are not allowed in UFC. Both organizations do not allow head butts and attacks to the back of the head or spine, which is good. MMA organizations that allow these types of attacks do not care about the safety of the fighters.
Now going over each one of these points in more detail:
The difference in fight strategy is significant between a ring vs. a cage. You can trap a guy in a corner by cutting off the ring, where in an octagon the fighter can keep circling away from you and its harder to cut him off, so fighting in a ring favors strikers more. In Pride, if fighters were on the ground and at the edge of the ring, about to go out, the referee would stop the action, have both fighters go back to the center of the ring, and resume fighting in the position they were in before being moved. This was done for two reasons; the first being that they wanted the fighters to have adequate space to work their moves, and not be hindered by an obstacle. This rule is because of the belief that a real fight would happen in an open space where there are no barriers to effect your fight, such as gladiators fighting in an arena. The other reason was for audience viewing purposes, not every one in a 20k+ sold out arena can see the action well when the fighters are about to go under the ropes on one side of the ring. You can still pin a guy against the ropes or in a corner and unleash damage if the fight is in stand-up though.
In UFC, the cage plays a major strategic purpose in a fight. To pin a guy against a cage to then launch an attack happens a lot. Also, when a guy is pressed up against a cage on the ground, it can be harder to pull off submissions on him, but his mobility is greatly reduced.
The UFC’s thought is that if you are in a real fight, you will probably have barriers around you, which will effect the fight, such as being in a small room and getting pressed up against the wall.
The other factor is when watching a caged mma match as a live audience. It can be difficult to see what is going on between the chain links.
It is a matter of personal preference on whether you prefer the ring or the cage. But since this is a tribute site to Pride, we are going to say the ring was superior to work moves and more professional to fight in.
In both organizations, fighters were not allowed to hold onto the ropes or cage for leverage, which is good. Of course it still happens a little in both.
I will admit it can be quite brutal to watch Pride rules in action. It is not for the faint hearted. But the strategic and entertainment value of allowing these rules makes the fights much more realistic and exciting.
The Pride rules were overall more realistic. Because they were more realistic, some consider it too violent for mainstream American audiences (which is hypocritical - consider the violence in many movies and video games in America). The funny thing was is that it was mainstream in Japan. A white collar sport. We'll talk more about that in another article.
An up-kick has huge strategic value for the man on bottom. You can definitely inflict damage on the guy on top with a good up-kick, or a slashing heel kick, and also prevent pouncing attacks and flying stomps from the guy on his feet while the other remains on the ground. A couple good examples of up-kicks are Quinton Jackson vs Ricardo Arona as an offensive move, and Shogun Rua vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueria as a defensive move.
I do believe UFC should allow up-kicks in the future.
UFC rules are watered down designed to protect wrestlers. When I watch a UFC fight I see so many opportunities to knee a guy's head on the ground it makes me think I'm not even watching the same sport. It isn't as realistic.
Some people think making a guy bleed with elbows is strategic. But to win in Pride it's not about making the other guy bleed the most, it's about beating him in a fight. You should be able to tell the difference. The whole argument "but he would bleed out or couldn't see in a real fight" would be more valid if UFC fighters had to fight non-stop for 30 minutes straight and under full vale tudo rules, just like "in a real fight".
Let's just acknowledge that elbows to the face are a major contributor to bloody fights. However, bloody fights may actually be preferable for American audiences.
I'm glad Pride did not allow elbows to the face. If a fight ends because a massive cut was opened up another way. That is okay. Some would argue no elbows slows down the ground game. Would you rather see a guy on top with no skill throwing elbows, or a guy with skill go through a cycle of submission attempts or trying to get side mount or north-south position? I'll take the latter.
I'm glad UFC doesn't deduct fighter's pay for stalling. However, there are definitely some fights with major stalling. This is partly due to the judging system of UFC, where a fighter wins the first couple rounds, and then just hangs out in the later rounds for an uneventful decision victory.
Fighters can fight guys in different weight classes: I love this one... To see a guy outweighed by 20, 30, or 50+ pounds and still win the fight, or put up a good showing, is incredible. The early UFC's were fascinating in this aspect, Royce Gracie beating all those bigger guys; but the skill level is different at Pride. It proves that just because a guy is bigger doesn't mean he is going to win the fight. However, usually the bigger guy does win the fight. He can throw more powerful shots and take more damage. His inherent weakness against a smaller guy would be his stamina, depending on how big of a size difference.
These types of fights can be really exciting. Think Dan Henderson vs Rodrigo Nogueira, or Wanderlei Silva vs Mark Hunt (Silva technically won this fight, a 72 lb weight difference!). We see heroic efforts by the smaller men. Not to mention all the heavyweight bouts where a guy is around 220-230 lbs fighting a guy around 250+ lbs.
Or... these types of fights can be a massacre to watch, quite one sided. Think Sergei Kharitonov vs Ninja Rua (Rua was in the hospital for three days after) or Sakuraba vs Cro Cop (Sakuraba suffered a broken orbital bone).
You have to have some balls to fight a guy who's bigger and stronger than you. It is very dangerous. Especially in a fight against a trained bigger fighter under Pride rules. The possibility of serious injury is real. I have nothing but respect for the smaller guys who did it.
I don't think fights with weight class differences will be allowed in America because of the inherent danger the smaller guy will be severely injured. That being said, I sure do miss it from Pride.
You can say whatever you want about smaller fighters moving faster and are more acrobatic or whatever, but for those who just want to see the biggest and baddest men on the planet, anything under 175 lbs is unacceptable. If a heavyweight or light heavyweight fighter is good in Pride, then I can safely assume he can beat up over 99.5% of the other men in the world in a hand-to-hand fight with no weapons. That's what I mean by the baddest.
I have seen good fights between smaller guys, (Gomi vs Diaz for example). But an average trained heavyweight fighter could crush the best 160 lb fighter, except in rare cases in a professional MMA bout. In real life, if the smaller guy has good mma knowledge and training, and the bigger guy does not, it is easily possible the smaller guy will win. But not against a trained bigger fighter.
There are too many weight classes nowadays, and anyone fighting under 175lbs is not as exciting. No 150 lb man will ever be the baddest man on the planet. I don't care how many fights he's won in his weight class. Fight a guy who's 205 lbs and watch what happens.
I don't care about Pride Bushido either, unless they had heavier guys fighting in the event. They usually had to have at least one fight between bigger guys to make the card exciting.
I am not aware of any current MMA organizations that only have stacked cards of light heavyweights and heavyweights unfortunately. UFC doesn't and it sucks. Maybe smaller guys and women like to see the smaller fighters. I really don't mean that in an insulting way. But I would think that bigger guys just like seeing big guys fight, because they are physically the best at fighting.
The only thing worse than seeing little guys fighting in MMA is seeing women fighting in MMA. Women fighting in MMA is just butch nasty. I guess some people like the freak show aspect of it.
This is not allowed in UFC because it is so dangerous. It would be really bad publicity if a guy was seriously injured getting spiked or slammed on his head, but then again guys get slammed on their head in Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo wrestling without incident. That's because they train themselves how to land while being thrown. In the UFC this exciting move is taken away for the sake of mainstream safety.
So these are the differences between Pride and UFC rules. It is quite a lot.
Written: August 2012, updated periodically
Let's break down the major differences below:
Pride Rules:
- Fighters fight in a ring as opposed to a cage
- Soccer kicks to the face, stomps, and knees to the head of a grounded opponent are all allowed (This is probably the most famous aspect of Pride)
- Up-kicks from the man on bottom are allowed
- No elbows to the face
- Judges judge the entire fight in making a decision, and not by round
- Ten minute first rounds
- Fighters are allowed to wear wrestling shoes in the ring
- Yellow cards are issued to fighters for stalling (along with a 10% deduction of the fighter's pay, which sometimes was too harsh)
- Fighters are allowed to fight other fighters in different weight classes. (Larger vs Smaller man, but the Larger man didn't always win...)
- Entire event cards would consist of just heavyweights (over 205 lbs) and light heavyweights (under 205 lbs) - No little guys fighting to bore you
- It's legal to spike/slam a guy on his head (this is very dangerous but rare)
All of the items listed above are not allowed in UFC. Both organizations do not allow head butts and attacks to the back of the head or spine, which is good. MMA organizations that allow these types of attacks do not care about the safety of the fighters.
Now going over each one of these points in more detail:
- Using a ring as opposed to fighting in a cage: This exhibits a more professional image for the sport. Especially to casual observers of MMA; seeing fighters in a cage has a trashier image to it, as if fighting like animals. Fighting in a ring is better for a live audience, because they can see the action better.
The difference in fight strategy is significant between a ring vs. a cage. You can trap a guy in a corner by cutting off the ring, where in an octagon the fighter can keep circling away from you and its harder to cut him off, so fighting in a ring favors strikers more. In Pride, if fighters were on the ground and at the edge of the ring, about to go out, the referee would stop the action, have both fighters go back to the center of the ring, and resume fighting in the position they were in before being moved. This was done for two reasons; the first being that they wanted the fighters to have adequate space to work their moves, and not be hindered by an obstacle. This rule is because of the belief that a real fight would happen in an open space where there are no barriers to effect your fight, such as gladiators fighting in an arena. The other reason was for audience viewing purposes, not every one in a 20k+ sold out arena can see the action well when the fighters are about to go under the ropes on one side of the ring. You can still pin a guy against the ropes or in a corner and unleash damage if the fight is in stand-up though.
In UFC, the cage plays a major strategic purpose in a fight. To pin a guy against a cage to then launch an attack happens a lot. Also, when a guy is pressed up against a cage on the ground, it can be harder to pull off submissions on him, but his mobility is greatly reduced.
The UFC’s thought is that if you are in a real fight, you will probably have barriers around you, which will effect the fight, such as being in a small room and getting pressed up against the wall.
The other factor is when watching a caged mma match as a live audience. It can be difficult to see what is going on between the chain links.
It is a matter of personal preference on whether you prefer the ring or the cage. But since this is a tribute site to Pride, we are going to say the ring was superior to work moves and more professional to fight in.
In both organizations, fighters were not allowed to hold onto the ropes or cage for leverage, which is good. Of course it still happens a little in both.
- Stomps, soccer kicks to the face, and knees to the head of a grounded opponent: While this clearly makes fights much more violent, the strategic aspect of allowing these rules is obvious to any fighter. To not allow these rules completely changes the strategy of how to approach a fight. For instance, if a guy fails when taking a shot, and the other guy sprawls, the guy who failed at his shot is still relatively safe because the other guy cannot throw knees to the head of a grounded opponent. This is defined as a guy who has his hands or knees on the ground, so being on all fours qualifies. The guy who failed at his shot does not have to pay the price with knees to the head for not getting the takedown. Securing the side mount is not nearly as effective when these rules are not allowed. By not allowing soccer kicks to the face there is no reward for the guy who stands up before the other guy to launch a soccer kick. These are huge strategic differences to a fight, and some would argue the UFC rules are designed to protect wrestlers, which is the most popular combat sport in America.
I will admit it can be quite brutal to watch Pride rules in action. It is not for the faint hearted. But the strategic and entertainment value of allowing these rules makes the fights much more realistic and exciting.
The Pride rules were overall more realistic. Because they were more realistic, some consider it too violent for mainstream American audiences (which is hypocritical - consider the violence in many movies and video games in America). The funny thing was is that it was mainstream in Japan. A white collar sport. We'll talk more about that in another article.
- Up-kicks from the man on bottom: I'm really not sure why this is not allowed in UFC. Other than to protect wrestlers on top. I guess we want to fix the rules to show that wrestling is the best type of fighting style, but when the rules are as they are, its easy to give wrestlers an edge. Wrestlers did well under Pride rules too though. It's not like an up-kick is too brutal to watch, compared to a guy getting soccer kicked in the face.
An up-kick has huge strategic value for the man on bottom. You can definitely inflict damage on the guy on top with a good up-kick, or a slashing heel kick, and also prevent pouncing attacks and flying stomps from the guy on his feet while the other remains on the ground. A couple good examples of up-kicks are Quinton Jackson vs Ricardo Arona as an offensive move, and Shogun Rua vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueria as a defensive move.
I do believe UFC should allow up-kicks in the future.
UFC rules are watered down designed to protect wrestlers. When I watch a UFC fight I see so many opportunities to knee a guy's head on the ground it makes me think I'm not even watching the same sport. It isn't as realistic.
- No Elbows to the Face: You would think considering how violent Pride was that they would allow elbows. Not so. Both organizations don't allow elbows straight down, but in UFC you are allowed to throw elbows sideways. This does make UFC more brutal in this respect.
Some people think making a guy bleed with elbows is strategic. But to win in Pride it's not about making the other guy bleed the most, it's about beating him in a fight. You should be able to tell the difference. The whole argument "but he would bleed out or couldn't see in a real fight" would be more valid if UFC fighters had to fight non-stop for 30 minutes straight and under full vale tudo rules, just like "in a real fight".
Let's just acknowledge that elbows to the face are a major contributor to bloody fights. However, bloody fights may actually be preferable for American audiences.
I'm glad Pride did not allow elbows to the face. If a fight ends because a massive cut was opened up another way. That is okay. Some would argue no elbows slows down the ground game. Would you rather see a guy on top with no skill throwing elbows, or a guy with skill go through a cycle of submission attempts or trying to get side mount or north-south position? I'll take the latter.
- Judge the Entire Fight - Not by Round: This does not get talked about enough among MMA enthusiasts. Judging the entire fight, and not by round, makes fights much more interesting and unpredictable. Comebacks are possible under this system. Fighters do not stall in the later rounds if a fighter knows he won the earlier rounds. A great example in Pride is Dan Henderson vs Ninja Hua, Ninja was winning the first two rounds before Henderson launched an awesome comeback that rocked Ninja. We have all seen those boring "lay and pray" fights where a guy is just stalling his way to a decision victory.
- Ten Minute 1st Rounds: This is an extreme test of endurance. The majority of fights end in the first round. It is hard for people to truly understand what a test of physical fitness this is until you try it. It will be one of the most exhausting things you ever do. It also helps avoid guys getting saved by the bell.
- Fighters are allowed to wear wrestling shoes in the ring: I have mixed feelings about this rule. I do like that being allowed to wear wrestling shoes gives a guy better grip on the mat. But if the guy is a kicker, it may be too easy to cut the other guy's face with shoes on. I do not have conclusive evidence that kicking with wrestling shoes on did indeed cut the other guy's face easier. (We know elbows do.)
- Yellow cards issued for stalling along with a 10% deduction of a fighter's purse: While I like the idea of issuing stern warnings when fighters are stalling, the 10% deduction of the fighter's purse was sometimes too harsh. About 30% of the time it was too harsh. It takes courage to even step into the ring under Pride rules. To try to make a living this way is very tough and dangerous.
I'm glad UFC doesn't deduct fighter's pay for stalling. However, there are definitely some fights with major stalling. This is partly due to the judging system of UFC, where a fighter wins the first couple rounds, and then just hangs out in the later rounds for an uneventful decision victory.
Fighters can fight guys in different weight classes: I love this one... To see a guy outweighed by 20, 30, or 50+ pounds and still win the fight, or put up a good showing, is incredible. The early UFC's were fascinating in this aspect, Royce Gracie beating all those bigger guys; but the skill level is different at Pride. It proves that just because a guy is bigger doesn't mean he is going to win the fight. However, usually the bigger guy does win the fight. He can throw more powerful shots and take more damage. His inherent weakness against a smaller guy would be his stamina, depending on how big of a size difference.
These types of fights can be really exciting. Think Dan Henderson vs Rodrigo Nogueira, or Wanderlei Silva vs Mark Hunt (Silva technically won this fight, a 72 lb weight difference!). We see heroic efforts by the smaller men. Not to mention all the heavyweight bouts where a guy is around 220-230 lbs fighting a guy around 250+ lbs.
Or... these types of fights can be a massacre to watch, quite one sided. Think Sergei Kharitonov vs Ninja Rua (Rua was in the hospital for three days after) or Sakuraba vs Cro Cop (Sakuraba suffered a broken orbital bone).
You have to have some balls to fight a guy who's bigger and stronger than you. It is very dangerous. Especially in a fight against a trained bigger fighter under Pride rules. The possibility of serious injury is real. I have nothing but respect for the smaller guys who did it.
I don't think fights with weight class differences will be allowed in America because of the inherent danger the smaller guy will be severely injured. That being said, I sure do miss it from Pride.
- Entire Event Cards would consist of just Light Heavyweights (under 205 lbs) and Heavyweights (over 205 lbs): This results in truly stacked cards with consistently good fights. Way more finishes than decisions at these events. What more can I say about how awesome that was. People who recognize how cool it was get it about seeing the best of the best fighters on the planet.
You can say whatever you want about smaller fighters moving faster and are more acrobatic or whatever, but for those who just want to see the biggest and baddest men on the planet, anything under 175 lbs is unacceptable. If a heavyweight or light heavyweight fighter is good in Pride, then I can safely assume he can beat up over 99.5% of the other men in the world in a hand-to-hand fight with no weapons. That's what I mean by the baddest.
I have seen good fights between smaller guys, (Gomi vs Diaz for example). But an average trained heavyweight fighter could crush the best 160 lb fighter, except in rare cases in a professional MMA bout. In real life, if the smaller guy has good mma knowledge and training, and the bigger guy does not, it is easily possible the smaller guy will win. But not against a trained bigger fighter.
There are too many weight classes nowadays, and anyone fighting under 175lbs is not as exciting. No 150 lb man will ever be the baddest man on the planet. I don't care how many fights he's won in his weight class. Fight a guy who's 205 lbs and watch what happens.
I don't care about Pride Bushido either, unless they had heavier guys fighting in the event. They usually had to have at least one fight between bigger guys to make the card exciting.
I am not aware of any current MMA organizations that only have stacked cards of light heavyweights and heavyweights unfortunately. UFC doesn't and it sucks. Maybe smaller guys and women like to see the smaller fighters. I really don't mean that in an insulting way. But I would think that bigger guys just like seeing big guys fight, because they are physically the best at fighting.
The only thing worse than seeing little guys fighting in MMA is seeing women fighting in MMA. Women fighting in MMA is just butch nasty. I guess some people like the freak show aspect of it.
- Legal to spike/slam a guy on his head: To see this happen in a Pride fight is shocking. This is extremely rare, and it is extremely dangerous if it happens. You could paralyze a guy from a slam on his head.
This is not allowed in UFC because it is so dangerous. It would be really bad publicity if a guy was seriously injured getting spiked or slammed on his head, but then again guys get slammed on their head in Greco-Roman, Freestyle and Sambo wrestling without incident. That's because they train themselves how to land while being thrown. In the UFC this exciting move is taken away for the sake of mainstream safety.
So these are the differences between Pride and UFC rules. It is quite a lot.
Written: August 2012, updated periodically
