catchmeifucan

For some background, here is a link to the old Pride rules, followed by a link to the current rules set used by the UFC, known as the "Unified Rules":
Now here are some of the key differences between Pride and UFC rules:

Elbows:
UFC: Allows all elbow strikes (except 12 to 6, ceiling to floor) to the head or body of an opponent.
Pride FC: No elbow strikes were allowed to the head or face.
Verdict: I side with the UFC on this one, elbow strikes are an integral part of any fighter's "ground and pound" arsenal, especially useful if your opponent is trying to stall by grabbing onto your wrists. Standing elbows can also be very effective if used properly, for proof see Anderson Silva vs. Tony Fryklund (Google the highlight). A counter argument can be made against elbows since they do cause a lot of doctor stoppages via cut, and can result in fighter's wearing "the crimson mask" (blood drenched face) which is not very friendly to new fans or the general public.

Knees to a downed opponent:
UFC: Allows knees to the body of a downed opponent, but no knees to the head of a grounded opponent (grounded meaning one hand or one knee touching the ground).
Pride FC: Allows all knee strikes to grounded opponents, body or head.
Verdict: My vote is for Pride FC, I think knees to the head of a downed opponent should be allowed. They can seem very brutal, but are a very effective way to end a fight, for example punishing a wrestler for a poor/desperate takedown attempt. Often times in the UFC you see guys "milking" the grounded opponent rule when their opponent has a dominant position by putting a hand or knee on the ground initiating the referee to step in and warn the dominant fighter to "watch the knee to the head". Good recent example, Koscheck vs. Daley. Even though "the phantom knee" may or may not have landed on Koscheck's head, the fact is that Daley was in a dominant position after getting up from a takedown, and should be allowed to capitalize on that. If knees were allowed I guarantee you Koscheck would have been watching out for one while getting up, or may have even dropped down to his back to avoid one, giving Daley top position and changing the course of the fight. The "no knees" rule is just one more way for the referee to take control of the fight away from the fighters, not something that should be happening.

Soccer kicks/stomps:
UFC: All kicks to the head of a grounded opponent are illegal.
Pride FC: Allows soccer kicks or stomps to the head of a downed opponent.
Verdict: I could take or leave this rule. I definitely enjoyed watching Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Wanderlei Silva employ these back in the Pride days, but can see how the general public would view this as "barbaric", which would be bad for the growth of the sport. To play devil's advocate, if soccer kicks were allowed opponents would simply have to adjust for it and not allow themselves to get in bad positions (ie. crawling on the floor head first trying to get a takedown). Soccer kicks definitely add a whole other dimension to the fight game.

Rounds:
UFC: 3x 5 minute rounds (5x 5 minute for championship fights), with 1 min rest between rounds
Price FC: 1st round was 10 minutes non-stop, 2nd and 3rd round were 5 mins, 2 mins rest between rounds.
Verdict: I side with Pride on this one. I think the 10 minute first round gives ground fighters some extra time to work before sweat becomes a factor in allowing easier escapes from submissions. I also think the 10 minute round would aid the more well-conditioned, well-prepared fighters if they pushed the pace and caused their opponents to wilt under pressure. The 2 mins rest period would allow more time for fighters to recuperate, which may be a bad thing (if one fighter is close to being finished, knocked down, at the end of a round) or a good thing (gives the fighters extra time to catch their breath and continue performing at top speed the next round, or preventing fights where both fighters stand with their hands on their hips gasping for air looking at each other mid-round. See Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander).

Judging criteria:
UFC: Judged based on a round by round, 10 point "must" system
Price FC: Fights were judged as a whole, not round by round.
Verdict: Again, I'll side with Pride on this one. Don't even get Dana White started on the poor state of judging at the moment. There have been too many poor decision wins awarded to undeserving fighters in the last few months to even count. This is supposed to be a fight and the person who ultimately wins should be the person who won the "fight" by doing more damage and coming closer to finishing his opponent, not the person who squeaked out three rounds with last second takedowns followed by "lay 'n pray". Pride judging the fight as a whole, instead of as three separate and unrelated rounds, is superior.

Should old Pride Fighting Championship rules be used in the UFC and replace the current Unified Rules?