Pride 32
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | October 21, 2006 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts competition |
Pride 32: The Real Deal was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Pride Fighting Championships on October 21, 2006, hosted at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
This event represented Pride's inaugural show outside of Japan. To adhere to Nevada's regulatory standards, Pride modified its rules to align with Nevada's interpretation of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts, which included a ban on elbow strikes to the head. Fights were structured as three rounds lasting five minutes each and were evaluated using Nevada’s 10-point must scoring system under the supervision of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), differing from Pride’s traditional judging approach.
Travis Galbraith stepped in for Marvin Eastman due to a contractual conflict with the World Fighting Alliance. Originally, Mark Hunt was set to face Eric Esch; however, the NSAC prevented Hunt’s participation, citing his previous victories over elite opponents as creating an unfair matchup. Sean O'Haire replaced Hunt in the bout. Additionally, Wanderlei Silva was prohibited from competing because of a recent knockout that triggered a mandatory 60-day suspension under Nevada regulations. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović was also unable to compete due to a foot injury.
The contest between Phil Baroni and Yosuke Nishijima concluded with a Technical Submission when the referee intervened to stop the fight in order to avoid injury, despite Nishijima not submitting voluntarily.
Following the event, drug screenings revealed that both Vitor Belfort and Pawel Nastula tested positive for prohibited substances; Nastula for nandrolone and Belfort for 4-hydroxytestosterone. Kevin Randleman provided a urine sample that raised suspicion, with the NSAC describing it as either non-human or from a deceased source.
Ticket prices varied from $50 up to $700, while pay-per-view access was available for $39.95. The commentary team included regular Pride announcers Mauro Ranallo and Frank Trigg, complemented by Craig Minervini during the broadcast. Ring announcing duties were split between English speaker Lenne Hardt and bilingual Japanese-English announcer Kei Grant.
See also
- Pride Fighting Championships
- List of Pride Fighting Championships champions
- List of Pride FC events
- 2006 in Pride FC