It seems like the UFC is going to have it tougher than they thought if they want to try to spread their organization in Japan.
PrideFC, one of the biggest organizations that the sport of MMA once had, has not been looking good at all since Zuffa Inc. purchased it earlier this year. Now, with the firing of Pride’s employees, it just doesn’t get any prettier than this.
A recent report by fightopinion.com provided us with further details:
Sports Navigator (Yahoo Japan) is reporting tonight (Thursday night Japanese time)
that Jamie Pollack, the Zuffa-appointed legal advisor who went to Japan shortly
after Lorenzo Fertitta purchased the assets of PRIDE from Dream Stage
Entertainment, has shut down the PRIDE FC Worldwide office in Tokyo.
Furthermore, the report claims that Pollack fired all PRIDE WW employees with a
telephone call.
PRIDE public relations boss Mr. Sasahara (who is/was close to Hustle and
Nobuyuki Sakakibara) issued a public apology to the fans. Sasahara said that
the PRIDE staffers are confused and bewildered by the sudden closing of the
office, further adding that he feels resentment towards the way the American
owners betrayed the people who supported PRIDE. Sasahara reiterated that he
believed what Lorenzo Fertitta had initially stated about the future of PRIDE,
but now the operation is finished and staffers couldn’t access or get to cell
phones or personal computers.
