Seventeen years ago, a packed Tokyo Dome witnessed the most glorious night of the history of Brazilian MMA in the final round of Pride Fighting Championships’ 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix.
Besides Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva capturing belts, the show also featured the presence of Brazil’s most popular journalist, Gloria Maria, who produced a long-form report that was broadcast a week later to 30 million people via Globo TV. That coverage is considered, even today, as the turning point for the sport in Brazil.
“The Submission Artist against the Knockout King”
That was the Japanese headline for the clash between Pride’s two heavyweight stars, Nogueira and Mirko Filipovic.