SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Oct. 21, 2006, and Feb. 24, 2007 are dates that will forever live in mixed martial arts lore.
Those are the respective dates for PRIDE 32 and 33 in Las Vegas, the opportunity to see the legendary Japanese promotion in person that American fight fans had awaited for years.
The pair of cards at UNLV's Thomas and Mack Center delivered, too. Especially PRIDE 33, which featured a matchup between Nick Diaz and Takanori Gomi that is regularly name-checked among the most exciting fights in the sport's history; and Dan Henderson's knockout win over Wanderlei Silva, which made him the only simultaneous two-weight-class world MMA champion, an honor he holds to this day.