By The Numbers: Pride 1

Every story has its beginning. For Pride Fighting Championships, it was Oct. 11, 1997 in Tokyo.

Once the mixed martial arts organization broke out of the gate with Pride 1, nothing was ever the same. Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio Rua, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and countless others rose to global prominence through the efforts of Dream Stage Entertainment. It went on to stage 68 events during its unforgettable decade-long run, often challenging the Ultimate Fighting Championship as the top MMA promotion on the planet. UFC parent company Zuffa bought out Pride in March 2007 and shuttered its doors soon after. Nevertheless, its legacy continues to live on through the fans who loved it most and in offshoot outfits like Rizin Fighting Federation and One Championship.

As the MMA world nears the 25th anniversary of Pride 1, a by-the-numbers look at the landmark event:

47,860: Fans on hand to witness the event at the Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants. It remained the promotion’s highest attendance figure for more than two years.

7: Countries represented at Pride 1. Four of the 14 competitors were from Japan: Nobuhiko Takada, Akira Shoji, Koji Kitao and Kazunari Murakami. The other nations that saw their flags flown were the United States, Russia, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Australia and Croatia.

39: Years of age for Dan Severn at the time. Born on June 8, 1958 in Coldwater, Michigan, he was the oldest fighter to compete on the card.

94: Seconds needed for Murakami to submit John Dixson with an armbar. It was the fastest finish at the event and the second-fastest stoppage of Murakami’s 10-bout career.

0: Post-Pride 1 appearances for Kitao and Nathan Jones—the 6-foot-11 Australian heavyweight he submitted with a first-round keylock at the show. They were the only participants who did not compete in MMA again after the event. Jones went on to appear in “Troy” as Boagrius, the monstrous first victim of Brad Pitt’s Achilles in Wolfgang Petersen’s 2004 war epic.

2: Stalemates at the 14-fight event. Severn fought to a time-limit draw with Kimo Leopoldo, and Shoji did the same with Renzo Gracie. Both matches lasted 30 minutes.

53: Significant strikes landed by Severn and Leopoldo in their aforementioned encounter. No other competitor on the card connected with more than 16.

23: Years of age for Shoji at the time. Born in Uozu, Japan, on Jan. 31, 1974, he was the youngest fighter in the Pride 1 lineup.

1: Submission attempt from Rickson Gracie, and it was successfully completed. He put away Takada with an armbar 4:47 into their main event.