Pro Elite & Dream Announce Partnership

Submissionist · #1 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 02:40 PM

Quote:

At a pre-fight press conference held on Saturday in Japan for Sunday’s DREAM.3, officials from both Dream and ProElite, Inc. announced a working relationship between the two promotions that will include sharing of fighters and referees, as well as co-promoted shows in the future.

“In the last year ProElite and EliteXC and other brands have made a lot of progress, and some of our progress is due in part to our relationship with FEG and now with Dream,” said ProElite executive William Kelly. “We are sharing fighters. We are sharing referees. We intend to do co-promotions with Dream both in Japan and in the U.S.”

Kelly also mentioned possibly taking co-promoted shows between Dream and EliteXC to places like England and Korea in the future. He commented on the strong relationship between ProElite and television giants CBS and Showtime, and indicated that they will work to present EliteXC and Dream co-promoted shows on the networks.

ProElite also announced the intention of opening offices in Japan, with the hopes of putting on an EliteXC show there at some point in the future.

On the current Dream card set to take place on Sunday, two EliteXC fighters are already competing, as Nick Diaz faces Katsuya Inoue and Eddie Alvarez squares off in the second round of the lightweight Grand Prix against Joachim Hansen.

ProElite executive and former ICON Sport owner T. Jay Thompson also mentioned names like Kimbo Slice, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, and Jason Miller as other U.S. stars that the promotion would like to introduce to Japanese fans in the future.

DREAM.3 takes place on May 11 and will broadcast live in the United States on HDNet.

- PRO ELITE & DREAM ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

Ubermensch · #2 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 02:43 PM

Great Fuckin News!!!!!

atj-lucko · #3 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Submissionist

- PRO ELITE & DREAM ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP - MMA WEEKLY - Mixed Martial Arts & UFC News, Photos, Rankings & more

Quote:

“In the last year ProElite and EliteXC and other brands have made a lot of progress

Kinda confused isn't Pro elite the same thing as EliteXC?

Anyway that be wicked potentially seeing Anoki in the U.S. in a cage or Kimbo in Japan.

They will differently must have a super show something K-1 and Pride did years ago.
This is Dana Whites worst nightmare, if he just had a Japanese promotion to counter Dream with.

Ubermensch · #4 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:01 PM

He did and it was called Pride and he ran it to the ground like a dumb ass.

smoogy · #5 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:05 PM

Pro Elite is to EliteXC as Zuffa is to UFC... its the parent company. And yeah, this is more like an affirmation of their existing partnership, things just kinda cooled off for a while after the Dynamite USA show... still, its great news, especially for the lightweight division... lets see the winner of Yves vs. Noons take on one of the top DREAM LWs or something like that

Krazikarl · #6 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ubermensch

He did and it was called Pride and he ran it to the ground like a dumb ass.

Wait, you are blaming DANA for running Pride into the ground? WTF. I realize that its cool and all to blame everything negative on Dana, but come on now. Pride was dead long before the brothers F and Dana got their hands on it.

I dont really get what this whole deal means. Since neither org was too big on exclusive contracts anyway, sharing fighters and all that isnt a huge deal. Them working together would obviously be awesome, but it remainds to be seen how much this happens (and how exactly this happens since EliteXC is with CBS and Dream is apparently with HDNet maybe). The Japanese are notoriously difficult to work with in this sport, and I dont really see EliteXC letting its stars like Kimbo do fights in Japan and whatnot when they are trying to compete with the UFC here. But we will see how this pans out.

Mirko45 · #7 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:23 PM

Quote:

This is Dana Whites worst nightmare, if he just had a Japanese promotion to counter Dream with.

I'd imagine Dana's worst nightmare is a promotion that is actually competeing directly against the UFC.

Quote:

He did and it was called Pride and he ran it to the ground like a dumb ass.

I've never seen revisionist history written so fast

Dork8503 · #8 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ubermensch

He did and it was called Pride and he ran it to the ground like a dumb ass.

I usually agree with most things you say, but that comment was a dumb ass comment.

I guess the fact that pride was fucked before Zuffa bought it, NOT Dana.

And i would like to know how Dana him self ruined Pride. Also like to know how he ran it into the ground.

LebenTysonTank · #9 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:43 PM

Awesome news...These two are going to be the home of the best free agents in the game,and I think it's awesome they are sharing fighters.

atj-lucko · #10 (**permalink**) 05-10-2008, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ubermensch

He did and it was called Pride and he ran it to the ground like a dumb ass.

I don't care what anyone says your right on. REP!!

Dana and the F brothers bought Pride first and foremost to get the fighters contracts that he wanted and bring them to the UFC, secondly to then to destroy Pride.

He and F brothers got on a plane put on a good acting job told the Japanese Pride will live on, they were lying, but that ok thats what smart businessmen do..