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00:00KONIEC
00:06W 2002, JAPAN'S PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
00:09RULEZ THE MMA WORLD.
00:12Nie ma żadnego wyjścia mężczyzny
00:15niż PRIDE SHOW.
00:18I DIP PRODUZED ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTS IN HISTORY,
00:21ONE OF THE BEST TOURNAMENTS IN HISTORY.
00:23PRIDE'S TV DEAL EXPOSES ITS NO-HOLDS-BARRED BATTLES
00:27TO MILLIONS OF FANS.
00:28WOW, THIS REAL FIGHT MOVEMENT REALLY MAKES MONEY.
00:33FIGHTERS FROM THE U.S. QUICKLY BECOME LOCAL CELEBRITIES
00:38AND HELP TURN PRIDE INTO WHAT THE UFC STILL DREAMS OF BECOMING.
00:42ARE YOU GOING TO LOOK AT TAKING SOME OF THE PRIDE FIGHTERS
00:44OVER INTO THE UFC?
00:45PRIDE WAS WHERE THE MOST MONEY, THE MOST OPPORTUNITY LIED,
00:49AND THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO GO OVER THERE.
00:51BUT AFTER BEATING DOWN COMPETITORS
00:53BY PRESENTING SOME OF THE SPORTS' MOST LEGENDARY CONFORTATIONS,
00:58I THOUGHT HE KILLED HIM.
00:59I'M LIKE, WELL, WE JUST HAD THE FIRST DEATH IN MMA.
01:02PRIDE WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN BY AN OPPONENT IT CAN'T SUBMIT.
01:05YOGS ARE BODYGUARDS.
01:06PULLED THE GUN, PUT IT TO MY HEAD.
01:09GET YOUR ASS OUT, IT'S OVER.
01:10THIS IS THE STORY OF THE FALL OF THE MOST EXCITING PROMOTION
01:13IN THE HISTORY OF MMA.
01:15WE TALK ABOUT THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS.
01:17THE SECOND WORST IS GREED.
01:19THE WORST SIN IS PRIDE.
01:20AND THIS STORY IS MAINLY ABOUT TRIDE AND GREED.
01:43IN THE EARLY 2000'S, MIXED MARTIAL ARTS IS EXPLODING IN JAPAN.
01:50THREE OF THE NATION'S SIX TELEVISION CHANNELS HAVE EXCLUSIVE DEALS WITH LOCAL MMA LEAGUES,
01:56ALLOWING TENS OF MILLIONS OF FANS TO WATCH FIGHTS ON FREE NETWORK TV.
02:04BUT IT'S PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS THAT GRABS MOST OF THE ATTENTION.
02:11AND IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS, THIS HOMEGROWN ULTRA VIOLENT FREE FOR ALL PROMOTION
02:19GROWS INTO THE BIGGEST COMBAT SPORTS ORGANIZATION ON EARTH
02:22WITH ENOUGH GRAVITY TO PULL IN TOP FIGHTERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
02:27GOING TO PRIDE WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE BIGGEST ARENA.
02:32THAT WAS WHERE THE BEST HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD WERE.
02:36PRIDE WAS WHERE THE MOST MONEY, THE MOST OPPORTUNITY LIED,
02:39AND THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO GO OVER THERE.
02:43I'M JOSH BARNETT.
02:44I'M A GUY WHO SPENT A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT OF TIME READING JAPANESE COMIC BOOKS,
02:48WATCHING ANIME, AND PUNCHING PEOPLE IN THE FACE IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN.
02:53NICE!
02:53WE FIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BIGGEST CROWDS THAT WE CAN DRAW.
02:56THE BIGGER THE CROWD, THE MORE WE GET PAID.
02:58SO WE ARE REALLY ENTERTAINERS AT THE END OF THE DAY.
03:02WITH PRIDE, IT FELT THERE WAS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO EXPLOIT YOUR IP,
03:07AS THEY LIKE TO SAY, MUCH MORE.
03:09ESPECIALLY AT THEIR MASSIVE EVENTS LIKE SHOCKWAVE.
03:14THAT HELPED PRIDE GAIN A LEVEL OF POPULARITY UNIMAGINABLE IN THE U.S.,
03:19WHERE THE UFC IS NEARING BANKRUPTCY.
03:23FOR A YOUNG SPORTS PRODUCER FROM LOS ANGELES,
03:25A HIGH-PAYING GIG WORKING FOR PRIDE SEEMS LIKE A DREAM JOB.
03:30MY FIRST TRIP TO JAPAN, I CAME AND I'M LIKE,
03:32THIS PLACE IS GREAT.
03:33I LOVE IT, RIGHT?
03:34AND I GO TO SHOCKWAVE, BIGGEST MMA EVENT EVER.
03:38I'M LIKE, I LOVE THIS PLACE.
03:41JERRY MILLIN, FORMER SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
03:47I GET HOME.
03:48THREE DAYS LATER, THEY CALL ME.
03:51I'M LIKE, JERRY, I JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP.
03:53MORISHITA HAS COMMITTED SUICIDE.
03:56AND HE WON'T BE THE BOSS OF THE COMPANY.
03:58I'M LIKE, WHAT?
04:01NAOTO MORISHITA IS THE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF PRIDE,
04:05UNTIL HE'S FOUND HANGED IN A TOKYO HOTEL BATHROOM ON JANUARY 8, 2003.
04:11I'M LIKE, THE DUDE I JUST MET, LIKE, FOUR DAYS AGO, KILLED HIMSELF.
04:15AND I'M GOING TO WORK FOR THIS COMPANY.
04:18MORISHITA, HERE'S THE PRESIDENT.
04:19THIS IS GOING TO BE CRAZY.
04:20I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.
04:21THIS IS GOING TO BE NUTS.
04:22I'M LIKE, WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?
04:23BUT WHEN SOMEBODY'S PAYING YOU THAT KIND OF MONEY,
04:25YOU DON'T ASK CERTAIN QUESTIONS.
04:28AS PRIDE'S PRESIDENT, MORISHITA SUCCEEDS IN TURNING THE FLEDGLING MMA ORGANIZATION
04:32INTO A POWERHOUSE PROMOTION.
04:35HIS REPUTATION AS A CLEAN-CUT BY THE BOOK EXECUTIVE
04:38MAKES THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND HIS DEATH ALL THE MORE SUSPICIOUS.
04:43OFFICIAL STORY WAS THAT MR. MORISHITA WAS IN A ROOM WITH HIS LOVER.
04:48EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS MARRIED AT THE TIME,
04:51SUPPOSEDLY HE HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF THE PRIDE PROMOTERS' DAUGHTER.
04:56AND THEY GOT INTO AN ARGUMENT IN THE ROOM.
04:58MR. MORISHITA SUPPOSEDLY WENT INTO THE LOCK HIMSELF IN THE BATHROOM
05:01AND DIDN'T COME OUT FOR A WHILE.
05:04MY NAME IS SHUHIRATA.
05:06I'M A MMA MANAGER.
05:07BUT ALSO I WAS A RIDER AT THE TIME WHEN THE PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP
05:11WAS PEAKING IN THE MARKET.
05:14HIS GIRLFRIEND WONDERED WHAT HAPPENED.
05:16WHEN SHE OPENED THE DOOR, SHE FOUND HIM ALREADY HANGING.
05:20IT'S VERY STRANGE.
05:22ON THE SAME DAY, MORISHITA HAS A PRESS CONFERENCE.
05:25I WAS THERE TOO.
05:27PRIDE IS CLEAN.
05:29PRIDE IS GOOD.
05:30PRIDE IS GOING FORWARD.
05:32THAT'S HIS SPEECH.
05:34THEN, SEVEN, EIGHT HOURS LATER, HE HANGED HIMSELF IN TOKYO HILTON HOTEL.
05:39WHY?
05:40WHAT'S GOING ON?
05:41MY NAME IS TADASH TANAKA.
05:43I'M A JOURNALIST AND CRITIC IN THE FIELD OF MMA.
05:47FOR MORE THAN, I THINK, 50 YEARS.
05:51I DO KNOW THERE'S ONE GUY, MORISHITA, MEET AFTER THE PRESS CONFERENCE,
05:58BEFORE HE CHECK INTO THE TOKYO HIROTOMOTA.
06:01THAT IS HIROMICHI MOMOSE.
06:06HIROMICHI MOMOSE IS MORISHITA'S PARTNER AND CO-FOUNDER AT PRIDE.
06:10HE'S ALSO DEEPLY CONNECTED TO JAPAN'S ORGANIZED CRIME SYNDICATE, THE YAKUZA.
06:17AND HIROMICHI MOMOSE AND MORISHITA HAVE A DINNER ON THAT DAY.
06:23HE'S NOT THE BIGGEST BOSS WHO WAS BACKING THE PRIDE AT THE TIME.
06:27BUT HE WAS ONE OF THE GUY WHO IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE BIG BOSS.
06:31AND PEOPLE HAD TO PAY RESPECT TO HIM.
06:33SO YEAH, I GUESS HE HAS THAT KIND OF POWER.
06:37DESPITE THAT POWER, THE NIGHT OF HIS DEATH, MORISHITA HAS WHAT WITNESSES DESCRIBE
06:41AS A CONFRONTATIONAL DINNER WITH HIS YAKUZA-CONNECTED CO-FOUNDER.
06:46ALL I KNOW IS THIS, MR MORISHITA WAS ASKING SOME OF HIS STAFF ABOUT MISSING MONEY.
06:54I HEARD CLOSE TO $700,000 MISSING ON THE BOOKS, SO HE WAS QUESTIONING EVERYBODY.
07:04HE WANTED TO MAKE BUSINESS CLEAN.
07:06TRY TO MAKE PRIDE, YOU KNOW, A LEGITIMATE SPORTING EVENT, WHICH IS ACCEPTED BY A GENERAL PUBLIC.
07:14MEANING IN JAPAN, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP WITH YAKUZA.
07:18UNFORTUNATELY, MAYBE THOSE PEOPLE WHO WAS TAKING THE MONEY JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, SHUT HIM UP.
07:25MOMOSE ACTUALLY TALKED TO MORISHITA, YOU ARE NOTHING.
07:30YOU ARE WORTHLESS.
07:31YOU ARE NOT GOOD AS A PRESIDENT OF PRIDE.
07:34YOU SHOULD DIE.
07:38HOURS LATER, MORISHITA DOES JUST THAT.
07:41BUT POLICE AT THE TOKYO HILTON SAY THERE'S NO EVIDENCE OF A CRIME, AND QUICKLY RULE MORISHITA'S DEATH A SUICIDE.
07:49I TRUST THE JAPANESE POLICE, AS LONG AS POLICE REPORT IS RIGHT.
07:54AS THE YAKUZA TIGHTENS ITS GRIP ON PRIDE FOLLOWING MORISHITA'S DEATH, A NEW FIGHTER IS ALSO TAKING HOLD IN JAPANESE
08:01MMA.
08:02KROKOP IS BULLING SAKURABA AROUND.
08:0629-YEAR-OLD MIRKO KROKOP, A CROATIAN KICKBOXER, IS ONE OF THE SPORT'S FASTEST RISING STARS.
08:12SAKURABA'S NOT GETTING UP HERE.
08:15I THINK MIOKO WAS ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTERS IN MMA.
08:19I LIKE KROKOP, I WASN'T THAT CLOSE WITH HIM, BUT I RESPECT HIM 100% AS A FIGHTER.
08:24KROKOP WAS SO SERIOUS, HE WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT SCARED ME.
08:27IS THIS GUY CRAZY?
08:29CRAZY SCARES ME.
08:30AND THAT HIGH KICK WAS MURDERED.
08:32BUT KROKOP'S RING SUCCESS ISN'T BRINGING HIM FINANCIAL SUCCESS.
08:37SO HIS NEW MANAGER, AN AMBITIOUS SPORTS PROMOTER FROM AUSTRALIA, WITH NO MMA EXPERIENCE, SEKS TO CHANGE THAT.
08:43SO WHEN I FIRST ENTERED THE FIGHT WORLD WITH MIOKO KROKOP, IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THE FIGHTERS WERE
08:51DEFINITELY NOT GETTING THEIR FAIR CUT.
08:54AND MY FIRST JOB WAS TO START CHANGING THAT FOR THE FIGHTER THAT I REPRESENTED.
08:59I'M MIRO MIALTEVIC, AND I WAS THE MOST POWERFUL FIGHT MANAGER AND AGENT IN THE PEAK OF JAPANESE FIGHT INDUSTRY.
09:07I WAS CONSIDERING TAKING KROKOP TO PRIDE.
09:11BUT MIRO'S CONNECTIONS IN JAPANESE MMA ISSUE A WARNING.
09:15THE YAKUZA WIELD SIGNIFICANT POWER AT PRIDE.
09:19AND WORKING WITH THIS DEADLY JAPANESE CRIME SYNDICATE COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR HIM AND HIS FIGHTER.
09:25AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY, I JUST DIDN'T BYE INTO IT. BASICALLY, I IGNORE IT.
09:29TO ME, THERE WAS NO REASON WHY I WOULDN'T SIGN HIM TO WHAT I SAW AS THE UP-AND-COMING
09:34PROMOTION.
09:36YOU KNOW, THERE'S GANGSTAS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.
09:38AND IT HADN'T SPILLED OVER INTO BUSINESS PRACTICES AT THAT STAGE.
09:44OR HAD IT?
09:46MIRO IS NEW TO THE JAPANESE FIGHT GAME, BUT THE YAKUZA HAS LONG BEEN SETTING THE RULES.
09:51THE FIRST ONE BEING NEVER TALK ABOUT THEIR INVOLVEMENT.
09:54THE YAKUZA ALSO WORKS AT HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT.
09:58I WOULDN'T SAY WHAT PROMOTION, BUT THERE'S ONE PROMOTION BACK IN JAPAN,
10:02WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY HANDLED BY YAKUZAS.
10:04BUT THEIR MEETING ROOM IS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR.
10:07AND ALL THE OTHER FITS IS ON THREE, SECOND, FIRST FLOOR.
10:10YAKUZA NEVER STEP IN THOSE THREE FLOORS.
10:13THEY KNOW THEY'RE YAKUZA.
10:14THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SEEN.
10:17BUT FOR FIGHTERS AT PRIDE, THE YAKUZA'S PRESENCE REMAINS THE COMPANY'S WORST KEPT SECRET.
10:22IT WASN'T ANY SURPRISE TO ANY OF US ABOUT YAKUZA EXISTING IN THIS REALM AND SPHERE.
10:29IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TALKING ABOUT IT.
10:32AND IN JAPAN, THE NAIL THAT STICKS UP IS THE ONE THAT GETS HIT.
10:37DID PRIDE'S PRESIDENT MORISHITA BECOME A NAIL TO BE HIT?
10:40HIS SUSPICIOUS DEATH IGNITES A POWER STRUGGLE,
10:43ONE THAT WILL REVEAL THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON INSIDE THE COMPANY.
10:56FOR YEARS, NAOTO MORISHITA IS THE SEEMINGLY INCORRUPTIBLE PRESIDENT OF JAPAN'S MOST POPULAR MMA PROMOTION,
11:03PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
11:07BUT HIS SURPRISING DEATH BY HANGING, AT THE HEIGHT OF PRIDE'S POPULARITY,
11:11GETS PEOPLE WONDERING IF THE CRIMINAL GROUP SECRETLY EMBEDDED IN JAPAN'S FIGHT WORLD,
11:16THE YAKUZA, PLAYED A ROLE IN HIS DEMISE.
11:19PEOPLE IN THE KNOW FOUND IT VERY, VERY OBVIOUSLY SUSPICIOUS,
11:24BUT, YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE AREN'T FOLLOWING THE INS AND OUTS OF A FIGHT PROMOTION.
11:29AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE POLICE A FEW DAYS LATER MADE A CONCLUSION THAT THERE WAS NO FOUL PLAY
11:34AND THAT THEY'RE RULING A SOAR SIDE, THAT WAS SORT OF A GREEN LIGHT FOR IT TO MOVE ON.
11:42THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR SPORTS AGENT MIRO MIOTOVIC.
11:45IN THE SPRING OF 2003, MIRO SECURES AN EXCLUSIVE THREE-FIGHT DEAL AT PRIDE FOR HIS TOP PROSPECT,
11:52CROATIAN KICKBOXER, MIRKO KROKOP.
11:56THE FIRST FIGHT OF KROKOP'S CONTRACT HAPPENS A FEW MONTHS LATER.
11:59THIS IS THE FIRST TOP TEN HEAVYWEIGHT THAT MIRKO KROKOP HAS FACED.
12:04HERE IT IS, WE'RE ON, FOLK.
12:06HIS OPPONENT IS AMERICAN MMA STAR HEATH THE TEXAS CRAZY HORSE HERRING.
12:11HEAVYWEIGHTS WILL BE LIKE LIGHTWEIGHTS.
12:13AND HEATH GOES FOR THE TAKEDOWN.
12:15OH, ALMOST.
12:16AND MIRKO IS WORKING HARD.
12:19KROKOP'S QUICK VICTORY IS ALSO A BIG WIM FOR PRIDE.
12:23THIS IS GOING TO BE OVER.
12:25OH, KROKOP WAS GREAT BUSINESS FOR PRIDE.
12:27I REMEMBER WHEN HE HIT, HE HIT THAT.
12:32I THOUGHT HE KILLED HIM.
12:34I'M LIKE, WELL, WE JUST HAD THE FIRST DEATH IN MMA.
12:36AND HE DIDN'T DIE, THANK GOD.
12:39BUT I KNOW HE WAS GREAT FOR BUSINESS.
12:40HE WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO PRIDE AND THE COMPANY.
12:43THIS MAN IS TAKING OVER.
12:46TV RATINGS SPIKE FOR KROKOP FIGHTS,
12:49SO PRIDE'S BROADCASTER, FUJITV,
12:52BEGINS HEAVILY PROMOTING HIS APPEARANCES IN THE RING,
12:55TURNING THE FIGHTER INTO A MARKEY NAME.
12:57KROKOP BECOME THE BIGGEST SINGLE ASSET,
13:01THE BIGGEST PROPERTY IN JAPANESE FIGHT SPORTS.
13:02BUT WHILE MIRKO KROKOP'S TELEVISED FIGHTS ENHANCE PRIDE'S
13:06REPUTATION THROUGHOUT THE MMA WORLD,
13:11BEHIND THE SCENES, THERE'S A DIFFERENT FIGHT UNDERWAY FOR CONTROL OF THE COMPANY.
13:16AFTER THE DEATH OF MORISHITA,
13:17HIS CO-FOUNDER, NOVOYUKI SAKAKI BARRA, TAKES OVER AS PRESIDENT.
13:22WHILE PRIDE HAS ALWAYS RECEIVED SECRET BACKING FROM THE YAKUZA,
13:26SAKAKI BARRA IS RUMORED TO HAVE TIES TO A DIFFERENT PART OF THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION,
13:30ALLEGATIONS THAT SAKAKI BARRA HAS DENIED.
13:33THE ORIGINAL YAKUZA GROUP WHO WAS BACKING THE PRIDE
13:37GOT PUSHED OVER BY A NEW GROUP THAT CAME IN WITH THE NEW PRESIDENT.
13:42HE KNEW HOW TO DEAL WITH YAKUZA SAFRAGON.
13:45HE'S NOT YAKUZA HIMSELF, BUT HE KNOWS HOW TO DEAL WITH YAKUZA FROM DAY ONE.
13:51THE JAPANESE FANS REMAIN PURPOSELY IGNORANT OF THE YAKUZA POWER STRUGGLE AT PRIDE,
13:56PREFERRING TO FOCUS ON THE COMPANY'S NEWEST SUPERSTAR.
13:59WHEN I SIGNED MIRKO TO PRIDE, SAKAKI BARRA PROMISED US
14:03THAT IF MIRKO WON HIS FIRST TWO FIGHTS, HIS THIRD FIGHT WOULD BE A TITLE SHOT.
14:08AND ON NOVEMBER 9, 2003, INSIDE THE FAMED TOKYO DOME,
14:14MIRKO KROKOT GETS HIS SHOT AGAINST PRIDE'S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, ANTONIO NAGARA.
14:19I DON'T WANT TO GO ON THE GROUND AND STAND UP POSITION, I THINK I WILL KILL HIM.
14:25BUT AS THE TITLE FIGHT RAGES INSIDE THE RING,
14:28NOW WATCH THIS KILLER INSTEAD.
14:31A DIFFERENT KIND OF BATTLE IS BREWING BACKSTAGE,
14:34AS TWO RIVAL YAKUZA GANGS, EACH SEEKING CONTROL OF PRIDE,
14:38SQUARE OFF AGAINST EACH OTHER.
14:41I WAS GOING FROM ONE PART OF THE BACK OF THE STATUM TO ANOTHER,
14:44AND I STUMBLED INTO WHAT WAS A FEW HUNDRED GANGSTERS.
14:53JAPANESE YAKUZA ARE PRETTY EASY TO NOTICE.
14:56SOME GUYS ARE MISSING FINGERS, OTHER GUYS HAVE FACIAL SCARS AND DAMAGE.
15:03THEY WERE YELLING ABUSE AT EACH OTHER,
15:05AND I COULD SEE SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO GO DOWN.
15:14IT LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BE PRETTY BAD.
15:16THERE'S ABOUT 150 ON ONE SIDE AND ABOUT HALF THAT NUMBER,
15:20YOU KNOW, ABOUT 70 ON THE OTHER SIDE.
15:23IT'S LIKE, WELL, THIS GUYS WON, RIGHT?
15:29THEY DIDN'T END UP FIGHTING.
15:30THERE WAS NO GUNSHOTS OR ANYTHING ELSE.
15:34I THINK BACK THEN, FANS AND ALSO EVEN FIGHTERS,
15:38OR MANAGERS LIKE US, STARTED TO REALIZE THAT,
15:40YEAH, OKAY, THERE ARE PEOPLE INVOLVED, YOU KNOW?
15:43IT WAS SORT OF LIKE A DANGEROUS.
15:45BUT WHILE THE YAKUZA SKIRMISH IS BLOODLESS,
15:48MIRKO KROKOP ISN'T SO LUCKY.
15:51WHEN KROKOP IS FORCED TO TAP OUT,
15:56IT ALSO MARKS THE BEGINNING OF HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM PRIDE.
16:00WHEN MIRKO HAD LOST HIS TITLE CHALLENGE TO NOGERA,
16:04WHICH IS A FINAL FIGHT ON HIS CONTRACT, BY THE WAY,
16:07WE WERE LOOKING TO RELAUNCH HIM TO BRING BACK MIRKO'S IMAGE
16:13IN FRONT OF THE JAPANESE PUBLIC AND THE FANS.
16:16ENTER SEYA KAWAMATA, A WELL-CONNECTED PROMOTER IN THE JAPANESE FIGHT INDUSTRY.
16:23SEYA KAWAMATA IS A FORMER ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER,
16:28HAD A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH YAKUZA.
16:30SO, HE WAS THE MAN BEHIND THE ENTERTAINMENT SCENE
16:34WHO WAS SPECIALIZING IN TROUBLESHOOTING
16:37WITH PEOPLE FROM THE DARK PART OF THE SOCIETY.
16:40HE WAS ABLE TO GET A CONTRACT WITH THE SECOND BIGGEST JAPANESE PRIVATE TV STATION,
16:45WHICH WAS NTV.
16:49AND THEY WANTED TO SET UP A NEW, CLEAN FIGHT ORGANIZATION,
16:54AND I WAS VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING IN THAT.
16:58AND I SAW THAT JAPAN COULD JUST BE THE START.
17:00IT COULD TAKE OVER THE WORLD.
17:02MIRO MAKES A DEAL WITH KAWAMATA.
17:04MIRKO KROKOP WILL LEAVE PRIDE TO FIGHT NEW YEAR'S EVE ON NIPPON TELEVISION.
17:11THE NIGHT HAD ONCE BEEN DOMINATED BY A FAMILY-ORIENTED VARIETY SHOW.
17:19NHK, WHICH IS LIKE A BBC TYPE OF COMPANY IN JAPAN,
17:24ALWAYS HELD A RED AND WHITE MUSIC EXTRAGANZA SHOW.
17:29RED AND WHITE SHOW IS SO DOMINANT.
17:31NOTHING ELSE, NO NUMBER TWO, NO NUMBER THREE.
17:35BUT THAT CHANGES IN 2002.
17:38WHEN A MIXED MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT FEATURING AMERICAN FIGHTER BOB SAP
17:42AND JAPAN'S YOSHHIHIRO TAKAYAMA
17:45ATTRACTS ALMOST HALF OF THE AUDIENCE WATCHING TV ON NEW YEAR'S EVE.
17:52THAT REALLY CHANGES THE DYNAMICS.
17:55LIKE PEOPLE, WOW, RED AND WHITE SHOW, WE SHOULD WATCH MNA.
18:01ALL THE TV COMPANY REALIZE, WOW, THIS REAL FIGHT MOVEMENT IS REALLY MAKE MONEY.
18:07LET'S JUMP ON IT.
18:09EVERYBODY JUMP ON IT, SAME TIME.
18:12NOW IT'S MIRKO CROW COP WHO WILL FIGHT TAKAYAMA
18:15ON WHAT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE NIGHTS ON JAPANESE TELEVISION.
18:19THAT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE TROUBLE.
18:21THE TROUBLE STARTS WHEN THE MIRKO CROW COP FIGHT ON NIPPON TV
18:25SPARKS A REACTION FROM PRIDE'S BROADCASTER, FUJITV.
18:29WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER,
18:31EVEN THOUGH PRIDE AND SAKAKI BARA HAD NO PLANS TO DO A NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENT,
18:37FUJITV DECIDED THEY WERE GOING TO DO ONE WITH PRIDE.
18:40THEN, LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS BEFORE THE BIG NIGHT,
18:43MIRKO CROW COP ABRUPTLY DROPS OUT OF HIS EVENT THAT WOULD BE COMPETING WITH PRIDE.
18:49MEDICAL WAS PAID.
18:51LOOK, I WASN'T THERE.
18:52I'D HEARD THAT SOMEONE HAD GONE OVER WITH A BIG CASE OF MONEY.
18:55THERE'S RUMORS OF ANYWHERE BETWEEN 200,000 TO HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO SIT THE FIGHT OUT.
19:01WHEN I SPOKE TO HIM, HE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT HE'D RECEIVED MONEY.
19:05HE HAD A SAW BACK AND HE WASN'T GOING TO FIGHT.
19:09MIRO BLAMES THE MAN RUNNING PRIDE AND HIS ALLEGED CONNECTIONS IN THE YAKUZA FOR GETTING CROW COP TO WITHDRAW.
19:16I WAS PISSED WITH THEM.
19:18AFTER WORKING WITH THESE GUYS FOR HALF A YEAR, HELPING THEM TO BUILD THAT PRODUCT, THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S GOING
19:24TO GO DOWN.
19:25AT THAT STAGE, I WAS QUITE HAPPY FOR, YOU KNOW, GLOVES-OFF CONFLICT WITH SAKAKI BARA.
19:33BRING IT ON.
19:35AFTER LOSING HIS FIGHTER BACK TO PRIDE, THE SUPER AGENT GOES TO WAR WITH THE BIGGEST MMA COMPANY IN THE
19:41WORLD.
19:41BUT WITH THE YAKUZA PULLING THE STRINGS AT PRIDE, MIRO MIYOTOVIC IS SOON MARKED FOR DEATH.
19:55IN 2003, KICKBOXER MIRO KROKOP IS SCHEDULED TO BE THE STAR ATTRACTION AT NIPPON TV'S NEW YEAR'S EVE MMA EXTRAVAGANZA.
20:07BUT WHEN THE FIGHTER SUDDENLY DROPS OUT, EFFECTIVELY ENDING HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MANAGER MIRO MIYOTOVIC,
20:13MIRO BLAMES PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GOES LOOKING FOR BOTH A REPLACEMENT FIGHTER AND PAYBACK.
20:20I BELIEVE THAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE RESPONSE WAS THAT I WAS GOING TO GO GET THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION TO REPLACE
20:28MIRO WITH FEYDOR.
20:32FEYDOR EMILYONENKO IS ONE OF PRIDE'S BIGGEST STARS.
20:37THE 27-YEAR-OLD RUSSIAN FIGHTER IS COMING OFF FIVE VICTORIES IN A ROW.
20:44FEYDOR IS JUST A MACHINE.
20:47OH, YEAH, HE CAN HIT.
20:49THE POWER THAT HE GENERATES.
20:51WHAT POWER.
20:52AND PRETTY AMAZING.
20:55BOSS RUTINER, FORMER THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION IN JAPAN FOR THE ORGANIZATION PANCRAS AND UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.
21:02I GOT ONE WORD ONLY AND THAT IS IMPRESSIVE.
21:05FEYDOR EMILYONENKO IS ONE OF THESE GUYS WHO COMES IN, HE'S VERY CALM AND ELECTED.
21:10HE ALMOST NEVER SMILES.
21:12BUT THIS GUY, MANY COULD FIGHT.
21:19WORLD CLASS CHAMPIONS LIKE FEYDOR FIGHTING IN JAPAN HELP PRIDE AND ITS PARTNER FUJI TV RETAIN THE TITLE AS THE
21:26WORLD'S PREMIER MNA PROMOTION,
21:28WHILE KEEPING THE UFC, LED BY DANA WHITE AND LORENZO FERTITA, A NON-CONTENDER.
21:33AT THAT POINT, UFC WAS NOTHING.
21:35I MEAN, IT WAS THERE, BUT IT WAS GARBAGE.
21:38I MEAN, THEY WERE HIRING CARMEN ELECTRA.
21:39THE ENERGY HERE IS OFF THE HOOK.
21:42WE'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME TONIGHT.
21:44AND THIS IS JUST ABOUT AS RAW AND AS CUTTING EDGE AS YOU CAN GET.
21:47THAT'S HOW DESPERATE THEY WERE.
21:49I MEAN, DANA WHITE AND LORENZO FERTITA USED TO COME TO JAPAN.
21:52I WAS FRIENDS WITH DANA.
21:53I LIKE LORENZO.
21:54THEY WOULD COME TO JAPAN BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WERE DOING IT.
21:57IT WAS NO SECRET.
21:58I MEAN, EVERYBODY, EVERY SINGLE FIGHTER ON THE UFC ROSTER WANTED TO FIGHT IN PRIDE.
22:04GUARANTEED WITHOUT QUESTION.
22:06IT'S AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH FOR DANA WHITE.
22:09AND WHEN PRIDE DISCOURAGES ITS ROSTER FROM ALSO FIGHTING IN THE UFC, DANA PUBLICLY AIRS HIS
22:15FRUSTRATION OVER BEING AN ALSO-RAN IN THE MMA GAME.
22:19ARE YOU GOING TO BE LOOKING AT TAKING SOME OF THE PRIDE FIGHTERS OVER INTO THE UFC?
22:22I DON'T KNOW.
22:23IF THEY'LL LET SOME OF THE PRIDE FIGHTERS FIGHT, I'D LOVE TO DO IT.
22:25IF THEY'LL LET IT HAPPEN.
22:26YOU'LL NEVER HEAR IT'S BECAUSE OF ME THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TOP GUYS IN THE WORLD AREN'T FIGHTING
22:30IN THE UFC.
22:31BUT PRIDE'S HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, FEDOR EMILIANENKO, ISN'T LOYAL TO ANY PROMOTION.
22:38SO, WHEN MIRO MIOTOVICH TRAVELS TO RUSSIA AND PROMISES THE FIGHTER TOP BILLING AT THE
22:43NON-PRIDE NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENT, FEDOR SIGNS ON TO BOTH THE FIGHT AND TO MAKING MIRO HIS NEW
22:48MANAGER.
22:50I CAN'T UNDERSTAND RUSSIA.
22:52THE IDEA WAS, WE'RE GOING TO BRING THE FIGHTERS IN AND PRIDE CAN SUCK IT UP.
22:57BUT WHILE MIRO NOW HAS SIGNED DOCUMENTS, PRIDE'S BROADCAST PARTNER FUJI TV ISN'T IMPRESSED.
23:05YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT REALLY ABOUT THE CONTRACT IN JAPAN.
23:09FROM FUJI TELEVISION'S POINT OF VIEW, FEIDOR, CROWCOP, THOSE ARE MY GUYS, MY STAR, THE
23:15STAR OF FUJI TELEVISION.
23:17SO, FUJI WAS PRESSURING PRIDE THAT YOU CANNOT ALLOW OUR FIGHTERS, OUR FIGHTERS TO BE ON
23:25ANOTHER NETWORK.
23:26FOR THEM GOING TO FIGHT FOR ANOTHER PROMOTION THAT AIRD IN ANOTHER, LIKE A TV STATION, WILL BE
23:32CONSIDERED AS A HUGE BETRAYAL.
23:35PERHAPS NOT UNDERSTANDING THE STAKES OR NOT CARING, MIRO AND CO-PROMOTER SEYA KAWAMATA CONTINUE PLANNING
23:42FOR THEIR NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENT.
23:44BUT THE YAKUZA, WITH ITS STAKE AND PRIDE, THREATENED BY THIS COMPETING SHOW, IS AT WORK ON PLANS
23:49OF THEIR OWN.
23:51ONE WEEK BEFORE, WE WERE HAVING A BIG PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE 22ND OF DECEMBER TO ANNOUNCE FEDOR.
23:59THERE WAS ABOUT 200 REPORTERS, AND THEY'D ALL BEEN BRIEFED ON WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.
24:04BUT MIRO'S CO-PROMOTER IS A NO-SHOW, FINALLY ARRIVING TWO HOURS LATE FOR THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
24:11CARWAMATA IS WHITE AS A SHEET.
24:13WHAT IT TURNS OUT, A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER GANGSTERS HAD GRABBED HIM AND TOLD HIM,
24:17LOOK, UNLESS YOU ANNOUNCE FEDOR IS NOT FIGHTING, YOU'RE DEAD.
24:23HE WAS PRETTY UPSET BY THIS.
24:26AND HE WAS TRYING TO CONVINCE ME THAT HIS LIFE WAS IN DANGER.
24:29BUT IT'S TOO LATE.
24:31WE'RE TEN DAYS OUT FROM THE EVENT.
24:33I'M ALL IN.
24:34I CAN'T AFFORD FOR THIS EVENT TO BE A CLUSTER.
24:37SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO MY BEST TO MAKE THIS EVENT HAPPEN, RIGHT?
24:40BUT I'M GOING TO ANNOUNCE THAT FEDOR IS FIGHTING.
24:43SO I GET UP THERE AND THEY HEAR ME DELIVER THE WORDS, FEDOR WILL FIGHT AT THIS EVENT.
24:50THE PRESS IS FREAKING OUT, THEY DON'T BELIEVE IT.
24:53AND BY THE END OF THAT, CARWAMATA SAID,
24:56LISTEN, BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T LISTENED TO WHAT I TOLD YOU, YOUR LIFE'S NOW IN DANGER.
25:01THEY'RE AFTER YOU.
25:07TWO DAYS BEFORE THE SHOW IS SET TO BROADCAST LIVE FROM KOBE, JAPAN,
25:11MIRO TRAVELS TO THE AIRPORT AND WAITS FOR HIS MAIN EVENT FIGHTER TO ARRIVE FROM RUSSIA,
25:15HOPING WHAT HAPPENED WITH MIRKO KROKOP WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
25:21FOR ME, THE WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME WAS SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO FLY TO ST. PETERSBURG
25:25AND DELIVER A SUITCASE FULL OF CASH TO FEDOR AS WELL.
25:28AND IF FEDOR WAS NOT ON THAT PLANE, MY FUTURE WOULDN'T LOOK VERY, VERY BRIGHT FOR VERY, VERY LONG AT
25:34ALL.
25:35IN FACT, I'M A MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ARSE THAT THEY REALLY WANT TO GET RID OF.
25:41BUT WHILE I HAD CONTROL OF FEDOR, I STILL HAD LEVERAGE.
25:45I'M ACTUALLY SWEATING BULLETS BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF FEDOR WAS ON THE PLANE.
25:50AND MIRO ISN'T THE ONLY ONE HANGING AROUND THE AIRPORT.
25:54AND THERE HAD TO BE ABOUT 30, 40 OBVIOUSLY ARMED YAGZA GUYS GUARDING THE AIRPORT.
26:00AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT THE POLICE JUST NORMALLY WALKING AROUND, SECURITY,
26:03NO-ONE'S SAYING A WORD TO THESE GUYS.
26:06SO I'M LOOKING AROUND THINKING, THIS GETS WORSE AND WORSE.
26:09EVERY MINUTE.
26:12UNTIL HE FINALLY SEES THE MAN HE'S THERE TO COLLECT.
26:15I'M NOT REALLY MUCH INTO HUGGING GUYS.
26:18BUT, YOU KNOW, I HUGGED FEDOR ABOUT AS HARD AS I'VE EVER HUGGED ANYONE IN MY LIFE.
26:22IF HE WASN'T THERE, IF HE DIDN'T WALK THROUGH THOSE GATES,
26:25I PROBABLY WOULDN'T MAKE IT BACK TO THE HOTEL.
26:29AND I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO ANNOUNCE CONCLUSIVELY FEDOR'S PARTICIPATION
26:34THE DAY BEFORE THE EVENT, ON THE 30TH OF DECEMBER.
26:37BUT THE EVENT THAT THEY TRIED TO KILL GOES AHEAD.
26:41ON DECEMBER 31, 2003, 50 MILLION VIEWERS TUNE INTO ONE OF THREE MMA SHOWS
26:48BROADCASTING THAT NIGHT ON JAPANESE TV.
26:51IT'S A MASSIVE AUDIENCE.
26:53VASTLY EXCEEDING THE NUMBERS FROM THE PRIOR YEAR AND BRINGING IN BIG MONEY FOR THE PROMOTIONS.
26:58OH, BUSINESSWISE, NEW YEAR'S EVE, IT SETS THE PRECEDENT FOR THE WHOLE YEAR FOR THE PROMOTION.
27:02IF WE KICKED ASS ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, WE'D HAVE A GREAT YEAR BECAUSE WE'D HAVE SPONSORS,
27:06WE'D HAVE MORE MONEY TO PAY THE FIGHTERS, OUR PRODUCTION WOULD BE BETTER, FUJITV WOULD BE HAPPY.
27:10IT'S LIKE, OH, WOW, PEOPLE ARE WATCHING.
27:12AND DESPITE EFFORTS TO SABOTAGE THE COMPETITION, PRIDE'S LAST-MINUTE EVENT STILL SUCCEEDS.
27:18POPULAR NORTH AMERICAN FIGHTERS DON FRY AND GARY BIG DADDY GOODRIDGE FIGHT EACH OTHER IN A MUCH ANTICIPATED GRUDGE MATCH.
27:26AT THAT POINT, WE WERE GOOD FRIENDS, AND I LOVE THIS GUY.
27:30I DIDN'T WANT TO HURT HIM.
27:33I'M GARY GOODRIDGE.
27:34I FOUGHT IN UFC, K-1, PRIDE, COMPLESS OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
27:40BUT I WANTED TO WIN, AND I GOTTA WIN.
27:45GARY WAS A BIG MONSTER, JUST A BIG HUGE GUY.
27:48JUST ONE OF THE STRONGEST MEN WALKING THE PLANET.
27:50HUGE RIGHT HAND.
27:51OH, MY GOD.
27:52I AM DON FRY.
27:53IN JAPAN, I WAS KNOWN AS OTOKO JUKU, WHICH MEANS THE MAN OF MEN.
27:58BACK IN THE STRUGGLING UFC, DON BEAT GARY TWICE OVER 12 MONTHS.
28:02NOW, GARY HOPES TO GET REVENGE IN FRONT OF A HUGE NEW YEAR'S EVE CROWD IN JAPAN.
28:08LOOK AT THE STAIRDOWN.
28:09AND HERE WE GO.
28:10I SAID TO MYSELF, I HAVE ONE CHANCE, AND I'M GONNA KICK HIM IN THE HEAD.
28:16ANYTHING ELSE WILL TAKE TOO LONG.
28:18I NEED A HOME RUN.
28:20AND THERE'S ONE.
28:21SO I DECIDED TO GIVE HIM A COUPLE PUNCHES, HOLD BACK.
28:24A COUPLE MORE PUNCHES, HOLD BACK.
28:25AND I SAW HIS HANDS GO DOWN LIKE THAT.
28:28I KNOW HE'S TIRED.
28:28AND GARY DIDN'T KEEP MY HEAD DAMN THERE OFF.
28:33TOLD ME TO SLEEP REAL FAST.
28:37THIS GUY BEAT ME TWICE IN THE SAME DAMN YEAR, AND IT WAS LIKE, I WAS SO HAPPY.
28:42THAT WAS EVERYTHING.
28:44THAT WAS EVERYTHING.
28:45THAT WAS EVERYTHING.
28:48HEAD WON THE FIRST TWO MATCHES, AND HE WON THE THIRD AND FINAL.
28:52AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ONLY ONE ANYBODY REMEMBERS IS THE LAST ONE.
28:56NOW RAISING HIS ARM.
28:58UNBELIEVABLE.
29:00AT THE COMPETING EVENT FEATURING FADOR EMILYONENKO,
29:04THERE'S MORE AT STAKE THAN WHO WINS IN THE RING.
29:08THE YAKUZA BACKING PRIDE HAVE ALREADY LOST THEIR BATTLE TO KEEP THE FIGHT FROM HAPPENING.
29:13AND AS FADOR MALLS PRO WRESTLER YUJI NAGATA,
29:18PRIDE AND ITS YAKUZA PARTNERS ALSO TAKE A BEATING.
29:21FOR PRIDE TO SEE THE TOP STAR GO SOMEWHERE ELSE,
29:26MEANING ON SOMEBODY ELSE'S CHANNEL, FOR SOMEBODY ELSE'S PROMOTION,
29:30SOMEBODY ELSE IS FUNDING IT.
29:32THAT MAKES THEM LOOK BAD.
29:33IT ALSO MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU CAN'T CONTROL YOUR OWN HOUSE.
29:38IN JAPAN, LOSING FACE IS A HUGE DEAL.
29:42YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE FACE.
29:46SOME OF THIS SEEMS LOST ON AUSTRALIAN JURO MIOTOVIC.
29:50AFTER WATCHING HIS FIGHTER WIN, MIRO EXPECTS TO SIMPLY GET BACK TO THE BUSINESS.
29:56BUT PRIDE AND THE YAKUZA HAVE A DIFFERENT PLAN.
29:59THREE DAYS AFTER THE FIGHT, MIRO IS APPROACHED BY TWO MEMBERS OF THE YAKUZA
30:03IN THE LOBBY OF HIS HOTEL.
30:05THEY SAID THEY NEED TO TAKE ME UPSTAIRS FOR A MEETING.
30:09THEY TAKE ME INTO THE ELEVATOR.
30:11WE GO UP TO THE TOP FLOOR WHERE THERE'S SORT OF A BAR.
30:15THEY TAKE ME TO THE TABLE AND THEY SIT ME DOWN.
30:19SO I REALIZE THIS IS REALLY BAD.
30:22ACCORDING TO MIRO, SITTING ACROSS FROM HIM IS PRIDE'S PRESIDENT, NOBOYUKI SAKAKIBARA.
30:29I'M SHOCKED TO SEE SAKAKIBARA THERE.
30:34AND HE'S GOT BIG YAKUZA-LOOKING GUYS WITH HIM.
30:38THE YAKUZA STARTED YELLING AT ME ABOUT FEEDO.
30:41AND I STARTED SAYING, WELL, IF YOU GUYS DIDN'T GET TO MIROKO, PRO COP,
30:47WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE SITTING HERE.
30:49SAKAKIBARA PULLS OUT SOME DOCUMENTS.
30:52THEY'RE IN JAPANESE.
30:53I'M LOOKING AT IT AND I SAY, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T READ JAPANESE.
30:56I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS?
30:59AND HE SAYS, WELL, JUST SIGN IT.
31:02AND I TOLD THEM I WASN'T GOING TO SIGN ANYTHING IN JAPANESE.
31:06ONE OF THE YAKUZA BODYGUARDS PULLED THE GUN AND PUT IT TO MY HEAD.
31:10I DO REMEMBER THINKING, IT'S NOW GOTTEN REALLY REAL.
31:23EARLY IN 2004, MMA FIGHT PROMOTER AND AGENT MIRO MIOTOVICH
31:28BELIEVES HE'S BEING STRONG ARMED BY THE PRESIDENT OF PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
31:32BACKED UP BY THE YAKUZA.
31:35I WAS IN A HOTEL WITH A BUNCH OF GANGSTERS THAT PROBABLY WANT ME DEAD.
31:40WHAT DO I DO?
31:42WHAT THEY WANT HIM TO DO IS SIGN OVER HIS RIGHTS TO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION FADOR AMELYANENKO.
31:48MIRO JUST WANTS TO GET AWAY.
31:50I SAID, LOOK, LISTEN GUYS, I NEED TO GO.
31:53PEOPLE ARE WAITING FOR ME.
31:54IF I'M ANY LATE IN THIS, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO START ASKING QUESTIONS.
31:57THAT'S NOT WHAT ANY OF US WANT AT THIS STAGE.
32:00SO I TOLD THEM, LOOK, IF YOU GUYS WANT ME DEAD, I'M DEAD.
32:03I KNOW I'M ONLY ALIVE AT YOUR PLEASURE.
32:06SO I'M GOING TO DO WHAT YOU GUYS WANT ME TO DO.
32:08BUT I'M NOT GOING TO SIGN A JAPANESE DOCUMENT THAT I CAN'T READ.
32:13GET IT TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH, AND I'LL SIGN IT.
32:19AND AMAZING DAY AGREED.
32:24THEY'VE REDRAFTED THE CONTRACT, AND I JUST SIGNED IT, RIGHT?
32:28GIVING THEM ALL MY RIGHTS FOR ZERO, OF COURSE.
32:32BUT WORRIED THAT'S NOT THE END OF IT.
32:35MIRO, ALONG WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, DEPART JAPAN FOR AUSTRALIA.
32:39FOR TWO YEARS, I DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHERE I LIVE.
32:41SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS HAVING FAKE ADDRESSES, LIVING IN DIFFERENT PLACE EVERY MONTH.
32:47YOU KNOW, I WAS LIVING LIKE A FUGITIVE, WHERE I HAD TO STAY HIDDEN BECAUSE MY LIFE WAS ON THE
32:52LINE.
32:53BUT WHILE MIRO FLEES THE COUNTRY, THE PUBLIC CONTINUES TO FLOCK TO PRIDE EVENTS.
32:58STILL UNAWARE OR JUST UNCONCERNED ABOUT THE YAKUZA'S ROLE AT THE PROMOTION.
33:03THIS IS MUST-SEE TV.
33:06IN 2005, THE TWO FIGHTERS AT THE CENTER OF YERO'S BATTLE WITH SAKAKI BARRA AND THE YAKUZA.
33:12THIS IS CRAZY.
33:14FEEDOR EMILIANENKO AND MIRKO KROKOP WERE TWO GIGANTIC GUYS.
33:18END UP IN THE RING TOGETHER AT A PRIDE EVENT.
33:20AND WOW, EMILIANENKO DAMAGING KROKOP AND NOW WITH THAT HIGH LEFT ALMOST HAS KROKOP.
33:26EVENTUALLY, IT WAS TIME FOR THEM TO FACE EACH OTHER.
33:29IT WAS A GREAT FIGHT.
33:30LOOK AT THIS.
33:31NOW THESE SERIES OF HAMMER FISTS.
33:34NONSTOP.
33:34ANOTHER KICK.
33:35KROKOP AGAINST THE ROPES.
33:37MIRO'S FORMER CLIENTS DON'T DISAPPOINT IN THE RING, WITH FEEDOR WINNING OVER KROKOP.
33:43IS JUST SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST.
33:46BUT IT'S THE FINANCIAL SUCCESS OF PRIDE FIGHTERS OUTSIDE THE RING THAT LEAVES ANY FORMER AGENT THINKING ABOUT WHAT MIGHT
33:53HAVE BEEN.
33:55TOP MMA FIGHTERS WHO FALL FOR PRIDE BECAME VERY FAMOUS, BECAME HOUSEHOLD NAMES.
34:04WHEN YOU'RE ON THE NATIONAL TELEVISION, ON THAT KIND OF ENDORSEMENT, YOU MAKE VERY GOOD MONEY.
34:09BOB SET MADE $8 MILLION IN SIX MONTH FOR JUST ENDORSEMENTS ALONG.
34:13IT'S OFT AND DRY.
34:17AND, YOU KNOW, FIGHTERS LIKE MARK COLEMAN AND VANDER SILVA GOT SIGNED TO BE ON A SHIC TV COMMERCIAL.
34:25I HAD MY OWN NOODLE FOR A WHILE.
34:28IT WAS PRETTY FUN.
34:29I DID THE GODZILLA MOVIE.
34:32I DID, UH, GODZILLA FINAL WARS.
34:34I PLAYED CAPTAIN DOUGLAS GORDON.
34:36THERE ARE TWO THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE EARTH.
34:38ONE IS ME, AND THE OTHER IS GODZILLA.
34:42WALK DOWN THE STREET AND LOOK BEHIND YOU, YOU GOT 50 OR 60 PEOPLE FOLLOWING YOU.
34:47YOU'D BE IN A RESTAURANT EATING, AND THEY WOULD WAIT OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT FOR YOU TO GET DONE AND COME
34:52OUT.
34:54BUT IN 2005, IT'S THE YAKUZA FINALLY GETTING ATTENTION FROM MMA PRESS AND FANS,
34:59WHEN MIRO MIYOTOVICH'S CO-PROMOTER, SEA KAWAMATA, FILES A CRIMINAL COMPLAINT WITH JAPANESE POLICE.
35:06LIKE MIRO, SEA WAS ALSO FORCED TO FLEE THE COUNTRY.
35:10HE WAS THREATENED BY YAKUZA.
35:13WHAT? WHAT'S GOING ON?
35:15SOMETHING REAL GOING ON.
35:17SO I REALIZED, WOW, THIS IS REAL EVIDENCE STARTING TO SHOW WE GOTTA DO SOMETHING.
35:25I'M NOT A GENERAL MEDIA JOURNALIST.
35:27I'M A WRESTLING, MMA, KICKBOXING MEDIA JOURNALIST AND CRITIC.
35:32BUT I STILL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING.
35:36REPORTER TADASHI TANAKA ARRANGES A ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEW WITH THE EXILED FORMER PROMOTER, SEA KAWAMATA.
35:42HE TELLS ABOUT A MEETING SEA ATTENDED WITH PRIDE'S PRESIDENT NOBOYUKI SAKAKIBARA AND THE YAKUZA.
35:49THEN ACTUALLY THREATENED KAWAMATA.
35:53YOU GOTTA PAY ROUGHLY 2 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS.
35:57AND OF COURSE KAWAMATA REFUSED TO PAY 2 MILLION DOLLARS.
36:01AND THEN KAWAMATA END UP STAYING IN LOS ANGELES.
36:05COULDN'T GO BACK TO TOKYO.
36:06IF HE GO BACK TO TOKYO, HE WAS KILLED.
36:09SO HE HAS NO CHOICE TO TALK ABOUT IT IN PUBLICLY.
36:16HEY, PRIDE IS A YAKUZA-DRIVEN COMPANY.
36:19THAT'S HIS MAIN CLAIM.
36:21OTHERWISE, HE COULDN'T MAINTAIN HIS SAFETY.
36:24THAT'S HIS MOTIVATION TO DO AN INTERVIEW WITH ME.
36:28IN MARCH OF 2006, JAPAN'S WEEKLY MAGAZINE SHUKEN GENDAI PUBLISHES TADASHI TANAKA'S EXPLOSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SEYA KAWAMATA.
36:38NOW PRIDE'S OPEN SECRET BECOMES A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD.
36:42IT WILL CHANGE THE BUSINESS OF MMA FOREVER.
36:53SINCE PRIDE'S FOUNDING IN 1997, THE YAKUZA'S INVOLVEMENT IS KEPT HIDDEN FROM FANS.
37:00IN JAPAN, IT'S VERY CUSTOMARY FOR A YAKUZA, A MOBSTER, TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERTAINMENT.
37:09SO WE ALL CAME TO KIND OF ACCEPT IT.
37:12THAT'S HOW IT IS.
37:14A DECADE LATER, WHEN ONE OF JAPAN'S BIGGEST WEEKLY MAGAZINES PUBLISHES FIRSTHAND ALLEGATIONS OF COLLUSION BETWEEN PRIDE FC AND THE
37:22YAKUZA,
37:23SUPPORTING PRIDE SUDDENLY MEANS YOU'RE AIDING THE YAKUZA.
37:27THE ARTICLE IS BASICALLY THE PRIDE IS RUN BY, YOU KNOW, YAKUZA.
37:31IT'S SO LIKE MONEY LAUNGE RING FOR YAKUZA.
37:34EVERYBODY SURPRISED, ESPECIALLY IN THE FUJI TV'S TOP PEOPLE.
37:39WOW, DO OUR GROUP INVOLVE IN YAKUZA?
37:43IN HOTEL MEETING?
37:45AND SAKAKI BARA WAS THERE.
37:49IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IT WAS WRITTEN IN PUBLIC, SO ONCE IT'S OUT THERE,
37:55IT FORCED FUJI TELEVISION TO TAKE ACTION.
37:58THEY'RE NATIONAL TELEVISIONS, AND THEY'RE REALLY NOT SUPPOSED TO OPENLY ASSOCIATE IT WITH A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION.
38:04THEY HAD TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, RIGHT?
38:06WHAT THEY DO IS SEVER ALL TIES WITH PRIDE ON JUNE 5, 2006.
38:12FIGHT PROMOTION RELIES HEAVILY ON A LICENSE FEE, BROADCASTING FEE COMING FROM THE NATIONAL TELEVISION.
38:20SO WITHOUT IT, YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE.
38:23INSTANTLY, PRIDE FC'S TENS OF MILLIONS OF VIEWERS VANISH.
38:27AND THE PROMOTION MUST NOW RELY ON TICKET SALES AND PAY-PER-VIEW BUYS ALONE.
38:32WHEN FUJI TV WENT AWAY, WE WERE ABLE TO LAST FOR A YEAR.
38:36THEN THE MONEY GOT TIGHT.
38:38AND THEN HE GOT PUT IN A POSITION WHERE IT WASN'T SUSTAINABLE, AND THE UFC SAW AN OPENING, AND THEY
38:43CAME IN AND TOOK US OUT.
38:55FOR YEARS, THE UFC WAS EMBATTLED IN THE U.S.
38:59AS IT DODGED ANGRY PROTESTERS AND STATE POLITICIANS WHO SOUGHT TO BAN THE SPORT OF MMA ENTIRELY,
39:05CAUSING THE UFC TO TRAIL BEHIND PRIDE IN BOTH SIZE AND REPUTATION.
39:10BUT ALL THAT BEGINS TO CHANGE ON MARCH 27, 2007.
39:15AFTER UFC'S REALITY SHOW, THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER, SPARKS RENEWED INTEREST.
39:20THE NEW PRIDE OWNER, LORENZO FRITITA!
39:24THE PROMOTION'S OWNERS, CASINO OWNERS LORENZO AND FRANK FRITITA, DOUBLED DOWN ON MMA,
39:30PURCHASING PRIDE FOR $67 MILLION.
39:33IT'S A FRACTION OF ITS WORTH BEFORE LOSING ITS JAPANESE TV DEAL.
39:37IT BRINGS ME A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF JOY THAT I'M ABLE TO PULL THESE TWO GREAT ORGANIZATIONS AND TWO GREAT
39:46BRANDS TOGETHER.
39:47TO BE HONEST, THE SMART THING TO DO WOULD BE RUN PRIDE SHOWS, RUN UFC SHOWS, AND EVERY YEAR YOU
39:55DO A SUPER BOWL.
39:56BUT THE UFC HAS OTHER PLANS FOR ITS ONE-TIME RIVAL.
40:00I TOLD THE JAPANESE STAFF, I GO, LISTEN YOU GUYS, START LOOKING FOR OTHER JOBS,
40:04BECAUSE IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS THEY'RE GOING TO KILL THIS THING.
40:06AND THEY WALKED IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER THEY MADE THE PURCHASE AND EVERYTHING WAS DONE,
40:09AND SAID, OKAY, GET YOUR ASS OUT, IT'S OVER.
40:12AND THAT WAS IT.
40:15THANK YOU THE FANS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS.
40:19THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
40:20THANK YOU.
40:21THANKS TO THANK ALL OF THE FIGHTERS.
40:24HOPE TO SEE ALL THE PRIDE FANS AGAIN ONE DAY.
40:28MIRO MIOTOVIC WILL ALSO MAKE PUBLIC HIS OWN ALLEGATIONS OF EXTORTION BY PRIDE AND THE YAKUZA.
40:34BUT PRIDE'S DEMISE WILL NOT BRING BACK WHAT HE AND EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY LOST.
40:41I'VE SPENT THREE YEARS OF MY LIFE FIGHTING THESE GANGSTANS, AND SUDDENLY IT WAS OVER.
40:48I WAS FINANCIALLY DESTITUTED.
40:50MY LIFE WAS A MESS.
40:52I HAD TO START AGAIN.
40:54THERE'S A THING WITH GETTING WHAT YOU WANT IN LIFE.
40:57IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU EXPECT IT TO BE.
41:01WHEN I WENT TO PRIDE, PRIDE BECAME A FULL-TIME JOB.
41:05I GET PAID A LOT OF BILLS.
41:07IT PAID OFF MY HOUSE, CREDIT CARDS, CARS.
41:12THEY PAID FOR EVERYTHING.
41:14IT BECAME A CAREER.
41:15EVERYBODY WHO WAS INVOLVED IN ALL THIS STUFF, KOWAMATA, MIRO MIATOVIC.
41:20IT'S PEOPLE BEING UPSET THAT THINGS DIDN'T GO IN THE WAY THAT THEY WANTED TO.
41:25AND THEY WANTED TO GET SOME REVENGE FOR IT.
41:28AND THEY GOT REVENGE BY DESTROYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US.
41:32THAT'S THE WAY I SEE IT.
41:35AS FOR SAKAKI BARA, THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF PRIDE DENIES ANY CONNECTION TO THE YAKUZA.
41:41AND HE'S NEVER CHARGED WITH ANY WRONGDOINGS.
41:45EIGHT YEARS AFTER SELLING PRIDE, HE LAUNCHES A NEW MMA PROMOTION, RIZEN FIGHTING FEDERATION.
41:52THE SAME CHANGED TO RIZEN, BUT STILL RIZEN IS REALLY ESSENTIALLY PRIDE.
41:59EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.
42:01SO FOR THAT SENSE, PRIDE NEVER DIE.
42:03SHE'S EXACTLY WHERE SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE.
42:06AND WHILE THE SPECTRE OF THE YAKUZA MAY HUNT THE MEMORY OF PRIDE,
42:10THE COMPANY'S SHOWMANSHIP AND LEGENDARY RING BATTLES CONTINUE TO BE REVERED BY FANS AND FIGHTERS ALIKE.
42:16DID I HEAR THE WORD YAKUZA?
42:18DID I SEE A YAKUZA MEMBER?
42:20OR DID I BELIEVE THAT THE YAKUZA WERE THERE?
42:23NO.
42:24COULD THEY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED?
42:25I DON'T KNOW.
42:25BUT I DON'T WORK ON SPECULATION OR RUMORS.
42:28I WORKED FOR PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS.
42:30AND I DON'T CARE WHO WAS INVOLVED.
42:33IT WAS FUN.
42:33AND IT WAS A GREAT TIME.
42:35AND NOBODY DIED.
42:36WELL, I GUESS THAT'S NOT TRUE, BUT IT WAS A GOOD TIME.
42:40PRIDE WAS PHENOMENAL.
42:44BEAUTIFUL!
42:47OH NO!
42:48TAKATA PETE MARK COLEMAN.
42:50UNBELIEVABLE.
42:51YOU JUST CAN'T EXPLAIN.
42:53YOU GOTTA BE PART OF IT.
42:54YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA EXPERIENCE IT.
42:57THIS IS HORRIBLE.
42:58THIS IS LIKE, THIS IS LIKE JAWS.
43:00I FEEL SADNESS AND SORROW FOR ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LOVE NMA.
43:10THAT THEY WILL NEVER KNOW HOW AMAZING THAT WAS.
43:15THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT THAN A PRIDE SHOW.
43:21AND I DON'T WANT TO SAY THERE NEVER WILL BE, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO PUT THAT IN THE AIR.
43:25I STILL LOVE FIGHTING AND I LOVE THE SPORT.
43:29I THINK THE PURITY OF TWO MEN GIVING IT ALL, IT'S A VERY COMPELLING AND EMOTIONAL THING.
43:40THE FIGHT GAME IS FULL OF GRIFTERS AND SCAMMERS AND BAD PEOPLE.
43:46WHAT CAN WE SAY?
43:47IT DOESN'T ATTRACT THE BEST SORT OF PEOPLE AND MAYBE I WAS ONE OF THOSE AS WELL.
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