White, UFC hope to repair name in Japan

Bringing a major mixed martial arts event to Japan might not be enough to shield Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White from the ire of fans at UFC 144 tonight in Saitama.

A Japanese reporter asked White during a Thursday news conference if it would bother him if the crowd booed him if he were shown on the big screen during the event.

“I can take the boos,” White said with a laugh. “If I get booed, I can handle it. I can take it. I’m pretty thick-skinned.”

Many Japanese fans apparently still blame White and his partners for shutting down Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships, one of the only other organizations to rival the UFC’s global dominance of the MMA marketplace.

At its peak in the early- to mid-2000s, just as the UFC began to gain a foothold in the United States, Pride boasted many of the world’s biggest MMA stars. Corruption, including widespread reports of involvement by the Yakuza, the Japanese organized crime syndicate, began to tear Pride apart. The organization’s TV deal was pulled amid scandal and Pride began to crumble in 2006.

The UFC purchased the organization in 2007 with hopes of keeping it going, but numerous roadblocks prevented that and Pride ceased operations seven months later.

White, who hopes Japan is just the beginning of UFC expansion into the Far East, said Pride was in trouble well before the UFC got involved.

“You can’t blame me for it. We didn’t kill Pride,” White said. “I’ve said it many times. Pride is the only other organization that I’ve ever respected. There were tons of Pride fans in the United States. There are a lot of big stars, not just out of Japan but worldwide, that came from Pride. It’s the only other organization I have ever respected or given credit to.”

The UFC is returning to Japan for the first time since 2000, before the organization’s current ownership, at Saitama Super Arena, where Pride held many major events. The four-hour pay-per-view card, which takes place Sunday in Japan to air at the normal time of 7 p.m. PST today, features seven fights involving nine Japanese fighters.

Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defends his belt against Benson Henderson in the main event.

Since Pride folded, MMA’s popularity has slipped in Japan. The nation continues to produce elite fighters, but while Dream and World Victory Road have tried to bring major shows back to Japan, neither has been able to duplicate Pride’s success.

Henderson hopes the UFC will help return Japan to a prominent role in the world’s MMA scene.

“It really does mean quite a bit to be able to fight in Japan,” he said. “MMA was very big in Japan for such a long time, it was a mecca of MMA earlier on, so it’s nice to hopefully be a part of what is going to be the spark of the return of the Japanese MMA and just being able to get MMA that much more globally into the mainstream.”

Henderson, who is half Korean, used the experience of going to Japan to meet several relatives from his mother’s side. He said he is excited to fight in Asia, where martial arts was born.

Edgar echoed the sentiment.

“I’m super excited to fight over in Japan, the best place for martial arts,” the champion said. “It is ingrained in their culture. They’re huge fans, and I think they’re going to appreciate the show we put on. It’s definitely an honor to fight over there.”

Edgar also is thrilled to fight a new opponent. After taking the belt from BJ Penn in April 2010, Edgar won a rematch against Penn that year. Edgar then fought Gray Maynard to a draw in January 2011 before defeating Maynard in a rematch in October.

“You train for two guys over that period of time, it gets a little redundant,” he said. “So training for a new opponent in Ben allows me to work (on) different things, work (on) different technique and improve, too.”

The card includes a light heavyweight matchup between Ryan Bader and former Pride star Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and a lightweight bout between Anthony Pettis and Joe Lauzon.

Four fights, including ones featuring Japanese stars Takanori Gomi and Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, will air live on FX (Cable 24) at 5 p.m.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.