The UFC boss, Dana White’s efforts toward boosting the UFC’s stature to the world’s supreme MMA promotion can hardly be denied. Dana White and the Fertitta brothers took over the UFC in 2001 for $2M, which the former has often labeled as the best deal of his life multiple times. But White didn’t stop there. He also took over the noted Japanese MMA promotion, PRIDE FC, in 2007.

The noted, ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler, who had his final UFC bout recently at UFC 290, was also one of those who migrated from PRIDE to UFC. After 16 years, one of the reporters at the post-UFC 290 press conference put such a question before White that had him looking back on his PRIDE FC purchase. He also gave out his opinion about his “massive” takeover back in 2007.

Dana White placed his PRIDE FC deal right below his UFC takeover venture

Although White revealed his opinion about his PRIDE FC deal being “massive” for that time, he also labeled the effect that it had on the UFC as “one of his greatest”. The reporter at UFC 290 questioned White, “Coming back to Robbie, he’s the final fighter in the UFC who ever fought for PRIDE and one of the couple who fought for Strikeforce. It’s the end of an era. In hindsight, are those purchases you guys did of those two companies. How valuable they have been to the UFC?”

White answered the reporter but dived into the financial part of the deal initially. He said, “Massive. At that time, when you look at the number that we paid for PRIDE at that time was a massive number”. Quite understandably, the reported figure of $67M for which the UFC bought PRIDE, was indeed a hefty amount.

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But White also said, “But if you look at the fights that we’ve made, you know the guys who came over from PRIDE and all the fights we made it was one of the greatest deals of all time other than buying the UFC for $2M”.

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Looking at the awesome class of fighters like Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua that the UFC received from PRIDE, most fans might place themselves on the same page with the UFC boss regarding this issue.

Robbie Lawler was the last of the PRIDE FC fighters in the UFC

Most UFC fans would agree that the PRIDE FC-origin fighters have given them several superb in octagon wars. Whether it is the lip-busted Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 against Rory MacDonald or the superb bout between Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Chuck Lidell at UFC 97.

But, long-time UFC fans will probably be a bit gloomy right now. An entire generation of fighters, including the last PRIDE FC fighter in the UFC, Robbie Lawler, have chosen to bid goodbye to the cage.

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This might leave a number of fans with a heavy heart as ‘Ruthless’ had during his final exit from the octagon after his UFC 290 victory. Did you also get emotional after witnessing Lawler’s final octagon interview?