UFC Accused of Destroying Competitor Outside Ring

Posted by Eriq Gardner

Ultimate Fighting Championship has become one of the fastest-growing entertainment properties out there, and its pay-per-view purses continue to set records.

But mixed martial arts can sometimes get a little dirty, and the former owner of a UFC competitor is now calling a low blow.

Nobuyuki Sakakibara is a Japanese citizen who owned PRIDE, a mixed martial arts group that was once hugely popular in Asia and went global with a 2006 Las Vegas show that netted $2 million. Two years ago, Sakakibara put the company on the block and says there were several interested buyers. Last April, PRIDE was sold to UFC.

In a complaint filed in Nevada district court, Sakakibara now says that UFC breached its contract and fraudulently misrepresented the goals of the purchase.

 

Sakakibara claims he sold PRIDE to UFC because he was convinced they would increase PRIDE's brand value and possibly create "major events of mixed martial arts that would be comparable to the World Series and the Super Bowl."

Now it appears from recent interviews that UFC president Dana White is looking to fold PRIDE and its fighters into the UFC brand.

Sakakibara also claims he hasn't been paid his consulting fee, and is looking for $10 million in total damages.