LAS VEGAS – PRIDE never die.
Thursday night at Quintet Ultra, five of PRIDE’s most notable veterans will compete against teams representing the UFC, WEC, and Strikeforce.
The openweight elimination challenge takes place at Red Rock Casino Resort in Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass.
PRIDE’s team is comprised of UFC Hall of Famer and team captain Kazushi Sakuraba, lightweight champ Takanori Gomi, esteemed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Gregor Gracie, former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard and lightweight Yves Edwards.
Wednesday, the five PRIDE alumni reunited for a media scrum with MMA Junkie. Team captain Sakuraba spoke on the growth of Quintet, his competing future, his PRIDE nostalgia and more.
Roster orders are selected by each team behind closed doors and submitted simultaneously. Not knowing the orders of other quintets, each team will have to stick to its order if members of its team get eliminated.
In addition to the team competition, Quintet Ultra will feature singles matches. Gordon Ryan meets Aleksei Oleinik, while Cynthia Calvillo – who replaces a previously announced Pearl Gonzalez – takes on Danielle Kelly. A prelims single match between Craig Jones and Fredson Paixao also is set.
Check out MMA Junkie’s full pre-match scrum with Team PRIDE in the video above.
Quintet Ultra: Team PRIDE looking forward to post-match drinks to 'bring back PRIDE the right way'