Pride Fighting Championships is a Japan based organization. This organization is based to promote and exhibit many mixed martial arts techniques.

PFC came into being formerly to conduct a match between Nobujiko Takada and Rickson Gracie. Its shows popularity later made it into a full-fledged organization on October 11,1997 and was inaugurated at the Tokyo Dome. 47,000 fans even witnessed this. This success further motivated them to conduct mixed martial arts events on a monthly basis with a lot of media coverage.

These Championships cover many mixed martial arts events. All of these events fall under the following main categories:

1. World Heavy weight Championship
2. World Middle weight championship
3. World Welter weight championship
4. World Light weight Championship

Pride events are categorized as “Pride 1” being the first Pride event. It’s then numbered as Pride 2, 3 and so on. It was in 2000 when Pride first organized the “World Best Fighter” event, which was broadcasted in the United States as well, and from then on it has gained immense popularity.  It later merged with “K-1” that is Japans leading Kickboxing and fight promotion organization. It was here that Pride held the world’s largest martial arts event called the “Shockwave”.

In 2003, PRIDE introduced a series of events under the name of “Bushido events”. These events were focused on the Lightweights and welterweights events.

Pride events thus have two main categories, that is:

1. Pride events.
2. Pride Bushido events.

Pride Bushido events are different from the main Pride events in a variety of ways. Their rules and regulations also differ to a great extent.

It was in 2003, when this organization got negative publicity when it appeared in news due to the sudden death of its president “Naoto Morishita” who was found hanging dead in his Hotel room.

Currently it’s gaining the negativity of the Japanese media, who speculate the organizations current promoter “Dreams Stage Entertainment” to be affiliated with criminal cases. This is especially evident in a Japanese Tabloid   “Shukan Gengai” where they have mentioned links of them with a crime organization.

PRIDE has held many successful shows in the past few years. Its first entry in the United States was through its event  “The Real Deal” that took place in Las Vegas. From then on, it has organized many events all over Japan. It then worked with the largest Mixed Marital Arts Organization “Ultimate Fighting Championships” and showcased their fights in an event in 2006.

Currently Pride is affiliated with a television channel called the “Sky perfect TV” which limits its broadcast only to Japan. Pride is however holding more events in the United States to give its organization a global recognition.