Spike Shows Its Pride | SPIKE

Spike TV officially announced today that it will air The Best of Pride Fighting Championships series starting January 11, 2010 at 11pm.

The weekly one-hour series, to be hosted by beautiful Kenda Perez, will feature the best and most memorable fights in the history of Pride.

Between the years of 1997 and 2007, Pride FC was considered one of the world's top mixed martial arts promotions and it was hotly contested that Pride housed the world's toughest fighters. A hefty claim, but with guys like Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson, and Akihro Gono, they had the muscle to back up their story. Pride made its home in Japan, where the phenomenon of mixed martial arts caught on long before it made its way to the States.

Setting the world record for MMA attendance at 70,000 in August of 2002, Pride was a world super power in the realm of MMA but allegations of fixed fights and other shady business deals running rampant at the highest level of its management proved be the demise of the organization. In March of 2007 Pride was purchased by Zuffa, LLC (parent company to UFC).

Spike is now proud to bring this crucial piece of MMA history to network television. For the first time millions of fans will get the chance to see the framework that helped build up some of today's biggest matchups. The new exposure will offer valuable context to a growing sport and the early supporters should enjoy of a bit of welcomed nostalgia.

Source:Zuffa, LLC