In the near-decade the former Pride FC boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara was out of the MMA world, the landscape changed. The UFC, once an overseas rival, has grown massively to dominate the global landscape. MMA in Japan has faded from a mainstream phenomenon to a hardcore subculture. The UFC’s event schedule doesn’t just dominate the MMA calendar, it is the MMA calendar. Everyone else just has to hope they can work around it.
But now, with his non-compete clause firmly in the past, Sakakibara is stepping firmly into this brand new MMA world. And to do so, it seems he’s bringing a lot of old tools with him under the banner of his new promotion: RIZIN Fighting Federation.