Jiu-Jitsu CLINIC, courtesy of...(SPOILER ALERT)

[David Rosado]

LMAO great response. I agree 100% about the elitist fans.

[Orlando Rosæ]

Man that Kimura was gnarly! From Twitter.com/ufc: "Look, we're not a doctor, but this looks broken. Heal quickly, @MinotauroMMA! http://twitpic.com/7rr8ox"

[Stewart Landry]

Truth be told, I don't dislike Nog at all. But I do dislike elitist fans who believe that Pride was the thinking man's MMA, and that the UFC is for rednecks who have no appreciation for the intricacies of the sport. Rather than create a sherdog account to address those individuals, I decided to rant on this forum instead. It was in no way directed at any of you guys, and just laziness on my part.

You dont have to be an elitist to give props to Pride. The same could be said for "TUF newbs"who weren't around during the coming of the sport. Fact is there was better MMA in Japan for years as well. Im not talking UFC vs Pride. Im talking in general. Look at Rumino Sato's early career. It was around the start of the UFC and he fought as a much more complete fighter than the early UFC's when it truly was style vs style not MMA in the sense that we see it now. The first UFC's were ran by the Gracies to promote their art (and thank God (or whoever) they did or I wouldnt be training Jiu Jitsu today and the UFC wouldnt be what it is). A lot of the Pride/UFC controversy is gone the UFC of today IS better than old pride but it is also better than the UFC that was around during the Pride days ...The sport has evolved a lot since that period. The athletes are better trained and the games arent the same as they were back then. Its like asking if Superman can beat Captain America. Different times different quality, Apples/Oranges. That being said I don't know that some of the guys in the UFC could beat some of the guys Nog beat in his prime. Who in the heavy weight division has fought a guy who has the weight advantage that Bobb Sapp had on Nog. Those carnival matches arent even aloud in America for safety reasons to the fighters. Im not saying Sapp is a top notch skilled guy. but Nog had to give up 120 to 140 in weight difference and took heavy damage. Its damage like those fights that take a toll on the Wandy's and the Nog's. Bas Rutten eluded that some of the fights in Japan were fixed too. I dont think any of Nog's were necessarily though (although if anyone here has an opinion of one that was share it, Im curious, not calling yáll out I dont hemember all his fights ). and Yes there are guys who would beat Sapp very easily in the HW division of the UFC now, but I think some people forget the accolades of the guy when he was in Pride, and UFC elitists dont give enough credit to his accomplishments and chalk it up to UFC being better. Back then I think the skill was just scattered around more, two different businesses vying for the good fighters. One wasnt better than the other, and both were different markets catering to different cultures which means some guys are more marketable to different places. Guys went where they were making the money. The only difference now is that the UFC is the biggest company period and when they visit a different country they get to put the fighters on the cards that will sell in that region better. I think the real thing with the fans when both organizations were around was the curiosity to see the match ups that we couldnt see.

[David Stager]

I agree that it cuts both ways. There are plenty of fans who are too quick to dismiss the level of competition in Pride (or Japan in general), citing the decline of fighters like Cro Cop, Wanderlei, and Fedor, while ignoring the fact that Hendo, Rampage and Anderson Silva fought there as well. And you're also right that the rivalry is largely moot, and that most Pride fans are also fans of the UFC at this point.

But last night the rivalry seemed to flare up again when some Big Nog fans refused to give Mir his due. Nog represents the glory of Pride, and Mir is one of the old-guard ambassadors of the UFC, so I guess it was bound to happen. But it still pissed me off.