"Yarennoka!" - A Look Back At 2007
by Robert Sargent
With 2007 now a year of the past, MMARising looks back on "Yarennoka!" and the fall of Pride Fighting Championships, as New Year's Eve saw the return - if only for one night - of many familiar faces from PRIDE's history in Japan.
Thanks to the co-operation of new promotion M-1 Global, fans were treated to a revival, of sorts, of the greatest mixed martial arts promotion in history.
Further assistance from K-1 HERO's, DEEP, Shooto and numerous former PRIDE executives ensured that the spirit of unity was on full display at the event.
Tuning in to "Yarennoka!" on New Year's Eve, the show certainly looked a lot like PRIDE. Perhaps not quite as extravagant as the aerial murals found in some PRIDE shows, but a very high production value nonetheless. The entrance ramp was similar, the huge video screens looked identical, and any PRIDE fan would immediately recognise numerous familiar faces.
The announcers were all from PRIDE, the referees were the same ones you would see in each and every PRIDE event, and many of the top executives from PRIDE were in attendance. At first glance, it looked like 2006 all over again. It looked like the UFC was still the #2 MMA promotion in the world, with PRIDE topping the ranks for a decade.
However, much as it may have appeared so, "Yarennoka!" was not PRIDE. That is okay, however, as it marked a new era in mixed martial arts. The era of co-operation. The era of the best fighters from numerous different organisations finally being able to square off with one another. The era of the emergence of M-1 Global as a new power in the mixed martial arts scene.
With Zuffa bent on creating a monopoly of mixed martial arts in North America, it was a treat to see companies coming together in Japan to create the absolute best show for the fans, without the bottom line being money. We were treated to an excellent event from start to finish, which is something that the UFC - even with all of its money and talented fighters - has still yet to achieve in the past four or more years.
While one could state that "Yarennoka!" was not actually M-1 Global's doing, with their only contracted fighter on the card being Fedor Emelianenko, it was the spirit of co-operation that made the event the success that it was. If M-1 Global manages to sign a number of other top fighters to their promotion, and continues to work in close partnership with other companies, there is no reason why mixed martial arts fans cannot expect future events from M-1 Global - and others - which are as good or perhaps even better than "Yarennoka!" was.
The Future of the Sport
This is exactly what mixed martial arts needs right now. With the demise of PRIDE, the UFC and its brash and sometimes foolish leaders have created a stigma of ignorance, where fighters are regarded as nothing if they do not compete in the UFC, and past accomplishments in Japan or other countries are regarded as meaningless.Even as a North American, I will be the first to admit that the Japanese fans are the best fans in the world. It is embarrassing watching drunken fans at North American events - not just in the UFC - who know absolutely nothing about the sport, and simply make fools of themselves by booing or yelling unnecessarily. Seeing the Japanese fans at "Yarennoka!" - who generally remain silent and respectful throughout fights, except to applaud a fighter passing guard or escaping a submission attempt, or cheering a near-knockout or submission - was a pleasant throwback to the past. If only the fans in North America could show the same class, even if they are much louder than the Japanese crowds, events in North America would be much more pleasant to watch.
The commentary at "Yarennoka!" was reasonably good, especially when compared to the extremely biased and often frustrating and annoying commentary from the UFC and other organisations. Frank Trigg may not be a particularly good commentator, but even he is still better than Mike Goldberg - who knows nothing about MMA and horribly favours one fighter over another in nearly every fight he calls - or Joe Rogan, who is condescending to the point of sheer ignorance. Yes, it would have been great to have had PRIDE commentary veterans Mauro Ranallo and Bas Rutten calling the action of "Yarennoka!" but it was still a vast improvement over what we've become used to.
What MMA needs now is a true contender for the UFC. Promotions like EliteXC are coming along, but have an incredible ways to go. K-1 HERO's, Shooto and DEEP are all thriving in Japan, but only HERO's is even remotely known in North America among the general population of mixed martial arts fans. However, with M-1 Global having the top mixed martial artist in the world among their ranks, and with other major signings rumoured to be coming soon, we may finally have a promotion which, in conjunction with smaller promotions, may be able to dethrone the empire of the UFC.
In the end, it does not matter which company comes out on top. It simply matters whether the sport survives - and thrives - or not, and the UFC's path of destruction in 2007 does not bring a lot of hope for the future of mixed martial arts. As long as it is run by executives who understand very little about MMA outside of the UFC - and sometimes very little about it inside the UFC - the company will only breed ignorance and hinder the learning of fans who truly wish to become more knowledgable about the sport of mixed martial arts.
It is not "ultimate fighting." That is merely a term coined by the UFC to put their own label on the sport, to justify a Copyright. The sport is mixed martial arts. The company of PRIDE knew this and embraced its spirit, as have many other Japanese promotions. If "Yarennoka!" is any indication, the executives of M-1 Global also realise this, and that can only mean good things for the future, as they work to educate and entertain the fans.
The demise of PRIDE was undoubtedly the worst thing to ever happen to worldwide mixed martial arts, but M-1 Global seems poised to fill the void, and perhaps surpass what even PRIDE accomplished, while establishing itself as its own entity. M-1 Global may not be the reincarnation of PRIDE, but it has all of the makings to be a true power in mixed martial arts in the coming years.
For the sake of this great sport, let's hope that 2008 is the year of success for promotions outside of the UFC, so the level of competition and fight cards returns to a high standard reminiscent of years passed. "Yarennoka!" was a great start.
