If “Pride never die,” then whatever metaphysical goop gave the promotion its MMA immortality seems to have leaked into the blood of its former promoter, Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
At Bellator 142 on Sept. 19 in San Jose, Calif., Sakakibara stood alongside Bellator MMA boss Scott Coker, Spike TV President Kevin Kay and heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko to announced a large-scale New Year’s Eve event in Japan, headlined by Emelianenko and slated to be broadcast live on Spike TV. Ironically, this Bellator card was subtitled “Dynamite” -- a nod to Japanese combat sports company K-1’s flagship series that eventually became the focal point of fight sports on New Year's Eve and, of course, former Pride Fighting Championships boss Sakakibara's primary competition.