# Fighting Network Rings

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{{Short description|Japanese MMA promotion}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2009}}
{{Infobox company
|name                = Fighting Network Rings
|logo                = Fighting Network Rings.jpg
|logo_size           = 200px
|type                = Private
|founded             = 1991<br>{{small|(as a professional wrestling promotion)}}<br>1995<br>{{small|(original mixed martial arts promotion)}}<br>2008<br>{{small|(revived promotion)}}
|trade_name          = RINGS
|founder             = [Akira Maeda](/source/Akira_Maeda)
|industry            = [Professional wrestling](/source/Professional_wrestling) promotion<br>[Mixed martial arts](/source/Mixed_martial_arts) promotion
|parent              = 
|sibling             = 
|company_slogan      = 
|website             = 
|hq_location_city    = 
|hq_location_country = 
|predecessor         = [Newborn UWF](/source/Universal_Wrestling_Federation_(Japan))
|key_people          = Akira Maeda
|defunct             = 1995<br>{{small|(as a professional wrestling promotion)}}<br>February 15, 2002<br>{{small|(original mixed martial arts promotion}})
}}
'''Fighting Network Rings''', trademarked as '''RINGS''', is a Japanese [combat sport](/source/combat_sport) promotion that has lived three distinct periods: [shoot style](/source/shoot_wrestling) [puroresu](/source/puroresu) promotion from its inauguration to 1995, [mixed martial arts](/source/mixed_martial_arts) (MMA) promotion from 1995 to its 2002 disestablishment, and a revived MMA promotion from 2008 onward.{{cn|date=September 2021}}

==History== 
===Early history===
RINGS was founded by [Akira Maeda](/source/Akira_Maeda) on May 11, 1991, following the dissolution of [Newborn UWF](/source/Universal_Wrestling_Federation_(Japan)). At that time, Maeda and [Mitsuya Nagai](/source/Mitsuya_Nagai) were the only two people to transfer from UWF, wrestlers such as [Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura), [Hiromitsu Kanehara](/source/Hiromitsu_Kanehara) and [Kenichi Yamamoto](/source/Kenichi_Yamamoto_(mixed_martial_artist)) would later also transfer from [UWF International](/source/UWF_International).

Despite starting out as a shoot style [professional wrestling](/source/professional_wrestling) promotion, RINGS showcased primitive MMA fights, as early as 1991, and notably promoted shoot style wrestling matches alongside these [legitimate](/source/Legitimate_(professional_wrestling)) fights on the same cards. Beginning in 1995, RINGS ceased promoting their product as professional wrestling and following founder Akira Maeda's retirement in 1999, the promotion transitioned into a full-fledged MMA promotion. 

In its early years, the promotion often brought in fighters and professional wrestlers from [Shooto](/source/Shooto), [Pancrase](/source/Pancrase), and [Pro Wrestling Fujiwara Gumi](/source/Pro_Wrestling_Fujiwara_Gumi) to compete against RINGS fighters.

===Decline===
Maeda retired from active duty in 1998, leaving Tamura as the top star, but the collapse of [UWF International](/source/UWF_International) and the subsequent rise of [PRIDE](/source/Pride_Fighting_Championships) provided competition that proved to be too much for the promotion. On February 15, 2002, RINGS ceased activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daily.co.jp/ring/2006/12/22/0000198179.shtml|script-title=ja:前田日明 07年リングス再始動へ|language=ja|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110223724/http://www.daily.co.jp/ring/2006/12/22/0000198179.shtml|archive-date=January 10, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Many Japanese RINGS stars, including [Masayuki Naruse](/source/Masayuki_Naruse), [Wataru Sakata](/source/Wataru_Sakata) and Hiroyuki Ito, made the transition back into traditional [puroresu](/source/puroresu) (although Naruse continued to compete sporadically in MMA). [Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura), [Hiromitsu Kanehara](/source/Hiromitsu_Kanehara), [Yoshihisa Yamamoto](/source/Yoshihisa_Yamamoto_(wrestler)) and [Tsuyoshi Kosaka](/source/Tsuyoshi_Kosaka) continued competing in MMA, most notably for PRIDE. [Mitsuya Nagai](/source/Mitsuya_Nagai) began a career in [kickboxing](/source/kickboxing) before returning to traditional puroresu. The MMA promotion [ZST](/source/ZST) was founded in November 2002 to accommodate former Japanese RINGS fighters who remained competitors in mixed martial arts.

===Revival===
Following the dissolution of [Hero's](/source/Hero's) and the conclusion of Maeda's involvement with FEG, Maeda revived the RINGS brand for a new series of MMA events named ''The Outsider''. The first ''RINGS The Outsider'' event occurred on March 30, 2008. Over a dozen Outsider events have been held since.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sherdog.com/fightfinder.php?organization_id=10 |title=UFC, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) News, Results, Fighting |publisher=Sherdog.com |access-date=2013-10-06}}</ref>

The brand was resurrected once more on January 22, 2012 with Battle Genesis: Vol. 9; the event was sanctioned by fellow mixed martial arts promotion ZST.<ref>[http://blog.livedoor.jp/zst_info/archives/1947680.html 2012年 ZST・RINGS スケジュール]</ref> The previous RINGS Battle Genesis event, Volume 8, took place on September 20, 2001.

==Rules==
Matches in RINGS adhered to a 30 minute time limit and were winnable via a 10-count knockout, submission, TKO as ordained by the referee or ringside doctor, or judges should the time limit be reached. Its most notable addition was a points system; competitors would be allotted 10 points, and would lose one should they grab the ropes to force a submission break, or two should they be knocked down. Should the time limit be reached, the winner would be he who lost fewer points. Some matches would instead use a rounds system - 5 rounds of 3 minutes each - with a caveat that the match would immediately end were one fighter to be knocked down 3 times in the first round. The only prohibited techniques were punches to the face, punches to the groin, headbutts above the neck, toe kicks, finger-joint locks, strikes to the Adam's apple and strikes to a downed/kneeling opponent.<ref>{{cite web |title=RINGS RULE |url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980612212425/http://www.rings.co.jp/lib/rule.html |website=rings.co.jp |access-date=29 May 2026 |language=Japanese}}</ref>

==Tournaments==

===Mega Battle Tournament===
*Mega Battle Tournament 1992 (Oct 29, 1992 – Jan 23, 1993) – [Chris Dolman](/source/Chris_Dolman)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1993 (Oct 23, 1993 – Jan 21, 1994) – [Akira Maeda](/source/Akira_Maeda)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1994 (Sep 21, 1994 – Jan 25, 1995) – [Volk Han](/source/Volk_Han)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1995 (Oct 21, 1995 – Jan 24, 1996) – [Akira Maeda](/source/Akira_Maeda)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1996 (Oct 25, 1996 – Jan 22, 1997) – [Volk Han](/source/Volk_Han)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1997 (Oct 25, 1997 – Jan 21, 1998) – [Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura)
*Mega Battle Tournament 1998 (Oct 23, 1998 – Jan 23, 1999) – Team Georgia

===King of Kings Tournament===
*[King of Kings Tournament 1999](/source/King_of_Kings_Tournament_1999) (Oct 28, 1999 – Feb 26, 2000) – [Dan Henderson](/source/Dan_Henderson)
*King of Kings Tournament 2000 (Oct 9, 2000 – Feb 24, 2001) – [Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira](/source/Ant%C3%B4nio_Rodrigo_Nogueira)

===Championship tournaments===
*Light-Heavyweight Title Tournament 1997{{efn|This tournament was also known as the Tournament 21 Title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://titlehistories.com/mma/as/jpn/rings/rings-t21.html|title= RINGS Tournament 21 Title|work=Wrestling-Titles|accessdate=March 16, 2024}}</ref>}} (Mar 28 – Aug 13, 1997) – [Masayuki Naruse](/source/Masayuki_Naruse)
*Middleweight Title Tournament 2001 (Apr 20 – Aug 11, 2001) – [Ricardo Arona](/source/Ricardo_Arona)
*Heavyweight Title Tournament 2001 (Apr 20 – Aug 11, 2001) – [Fedor Emelianenko](/source/Fedor_Emelianenko)

===Other tournaments===
*Rising Stars Heavyweight Tournament 2000 (Jul 15 – Sep 30, 2000) – [Bobby Hoffman](/source/Bobby_Hoffman)
*Rising Stars Middleweight Tournament 2000 (Jul 15 – Sep 30, 2000) – [Jeremy Horn](/source/Jeremy_Horn)
*Absolute Class Tournament 2001 (Oct 20, 2001 – Feb 15, 2002) – [Fedor Emelianenko](/source/Fedor_Emelianenko)

==Championships==

===Openweight Championship===
{| class="wikitable"  style="width:99%; text-align:center;"
!  style="width:1%;"|No.
!  style="width:19%;"|Name
!  style="width:15%;"|Date
!  style="width:20%;"|Location
!  style="width:20%;"|Notes
|-
|align=center |'''1'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura)<br />{{small|(def. Mikhail Illoukhine)}}
|January 21, 1998<br />{{small|(Mega Battle Tournament 1997)}}
|[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan
|
|-
|align=center |'''2'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Georgia|1990}} [Tariel Bitsadze](/source/Tariel_Bitsadze)<br />{{small|(def. Kiyoshi Tamura)}}
|May 29, 1998<br />{{small|(Fighting Integration III)}}
|[Sapporo](/source/Sapporo), [Japan](/source/Japan)
|
|-
|align=center |'''3'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura)<br />{{small|(def. Tariel Bitsadze)}}
|May 22, 1999<br />{{small|(Rise III)}}
|[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan
|
|-
|align=center |'''4'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|NED}} [Gilbert Yvel](/source/Gilbert_Yvel)<br />{{small|(def. Kiyoshi Tamura)}}
|April 20, 2000<br />{{small|(Millennium Combine)}}
|[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan
|-
|align="center" colspan="5" |''Title was vacated on June 13, 2000 when Yvel signed with [Pride FC](/source/Pride_FC).''
|-
|align=center |'''5'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|RUS}} [Fedor Emelianenko](/source/Fedor_Emelianenko)<br />{{small|(def. [Christopher Haseman](/source/Chris_Haseman))}}
|February 15, 2002 <br />{{small|(World Title Series Grand Final)}}
|[Yokohama](/source/Yokohama), [Japan](/source/Japan)
|Wins title on promotion's final event.
|-
|align="center" colspan="5" |''Title dissolved when original promotion closed on February 15, 2002.''
|-
|}

===Heavyweight Championship (+{{convert|95|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}})===
{| class="wikitable"  style="width:99%; text-align:center;"
!  style="width:1%;"|No.
!  style="width:19%;"|Name
!  style="width:15%;"|Date
!  style="width:20%;"|Location
!  style="width:20%;"|Notes
|-
|align=center |'''1'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|RUS}} [Fedor Emelianenko](/source/Fedor_Emelianenko)<br />{{small|(def. Renato Sobral)}}
|August 11, 2001<br />{{small|(10th Anniversary)}} 
|[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan
|
|-
|align="center" colspan="5" |''Title dissolved when original promotion closed on February 15, 2002.''
|-
|}

===Light-Heavyweight Championship (−{{convert|95|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}})===
{| class="wikitable"  style="width:99%; text-align:center;"
!  style="width:1%;"|No.
!  style="width:19%;"|Name
!  style="width:15%;"|Date
!  style="width:20%;"|Location
!  style="width:20%;"|Notes
|-
|align=center |'''1'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|JPN}} [Masayuki Naruse](/source/Masayuki_Naruse)<br />{{small|(def. Christopher Haseman)}}
|August 13, 1997<br />{{small|(Fighting Extension VI)}}
|[Kagoshima](/source/Kagoshima), [Japan](/source/Japan)
|
|-
|align="center" colspan="5" |''Naruse vacates the title on February 24, 2001; title dissolved when original promotion closed on February 15, 2002.''
|-
|}

===Middleweight Championship (−{{convert|88|kg|lb|1|abbr=on}})===
{| class="wikitable"  style="width:99%; text-align:center;"
!  style="width:1%;"|No.
!  style="width:19%;"|Name
!  style="width:15%;"|Date
!  style="width:20%;"|Location
!  style="width:20%;"|Notes
|-
|align=center |'''1'''
|align="left"|{{flagicon|BRA}} [Ricardo Arona](/source/Ricardo_Arona)<br />{{small|(def. Gustavo Ximu)}}
|August 11, 2001<br />{{small|(10th Anniversary)}}
|[Tokyo](/source/Tokyo), Japan
|
|-
|align="center" colspan="5" |''Arona vacates the title on September 22, 2001 after signing with [Pride FC](/source/Pride_FC); title dissolved when original promotion closed on February 15, 2002.''
|-
|}

==Roster==
===Japanese===
*[Akira Maeda](/source/Akira_Maeda)
*[Mitsuya Nagai](/source/Mitsuya_Nagai)
*[Yoshihisa Yamamoto](/source/Yoshihisa_Yamamoto_(wrestler))
*[Masayuki Naruse](/source/Masayuki_Naruse)
*[Tsuyoshi Kosaka](/source/Tsuyoshi_Kosaka)
*[Wataru Sakata](/source/Wataru_Sakata)
*[Kiyoshi Tamura](/source/Kiyoshi_Tamura)
*[Kenichi Yamamoto](/source/Kenichi_Yamamoto_(mixed_martial_artist))
*[Hiromitsu Kanehara](/source/Hiromitsu_Kanehara)
*[Ryuki Ueyama](/source/Ryuki_Ueyama)
*[Koichiro Kimura](/source/Koichiro_Kimura)
*Hiroyuki Ito
*Yoshinori Nishi

===Foreigners===
RINGS' system was largely much inspired by organizations such as the [National Wrestling Alliance](/source/National_Wrestling_Alliance) and [FIFA](/source/FIFA), and featured fighters from different countries organized into [stables](/source/Stable_(professional_wrestling)). These foreign fighters would then compete against RINGS' Japanese competitors and against each other.

====Stables====
*{{flagicon|NED}} [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands) – [Dick Vrij](/source/Dick_Vrij), [Hans Nijman](/source/Hans_Nijman), [Gilbert Yvel](/source/Gilbert_Yvel), [Joop Kasteel](/source/Joop_Kasteel), [Bob Schrijber](/source/Bob_Schrijber), [Herman Renting](/source/Herman_Renting), [Valentijn Overeem](/source/Valentijn_Overeem), [Alistair Overeem](/source/Alistair_Overeem), [Chris Dolman](/source/Chris_Dolman)
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [Australia](/source/Australia) – [Chris Haseman](/source/Chris_Haseman), [Elvis Sinosic](/source/Elvis_Sinosic)
*{{flagicon|BUL}} [Bulgaria](/source/Bulgaria) – Todor Todorov, Dimitar Petkov, [Georgi Tonkov](/source/Georgi_Tonkov), [Borislav Jeliazkov](/source/Borislav_Jeliazkov)
*{{flagicon|Georgia|1990}} [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(country)) – [Zaza Tkeshelashvili](/source/Zaza_Tkeshelashvili), [Tariel Bitsadze](/source/Tariel_Bitsadze), Amiran Bitsadze
*{{flagicon|RUS}} [Russia](/source/Russia) – [Fedor Emelianenko](/source/Fedor_Emelianenko), [Andrei Kopylov](/source/Andrei_Kopylov), [Bazigit Atajev](/source/Bazigit_Atajev), Nikolai Zuyev, [Mikhail Illoukhine](/source/Mikhail_Illoukhine), [Volk Han](/source/Volk_Han)
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [Brazil](/source/Brazil) – [Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira](/source/Ant%C3%B4nio_Rodrigo_Nogueira), [Ricardo Arona](/source/Ricardo_Arona), [Renato Sobral](/source/Renato_Sobral), [Gustavo Machado](/source/Gustavo_Machado_(fighter)), [Renzo Gracie](/source/Renzo_Gracie)
*{{flagicon|UK}} [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom) – [Lee Hasdell](/source/Lee_Hasdell), Chris Watts, Dexter Casey, Paul Cahoon
*{{flagicon|USA}} [United States](/source/United_States) – [Randy Couture](/source/Randy_Couture), [Dan Henderson](/source/Dan_Henderson), [Kerry Schall](/source/Kerry_Schall), [Bobby Hoffman](/source/Bobby_Hoffman), [Jeremy Horn](/source/Jeremy_Horn)

==See also==
{{Portal|Japan}}
* [List of Fighting Network Rings events](/source/List_of_Fighting_Network_Rings_events)

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.sherdog.com/organizations/Rings-10 Rings event results at Sherdog]

{{MMA organizations}}
{{Professional wrestling in Japan}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Japanese professional wrestling promotions
Category:Mixed martial arts promotions
Category:Sports organizations established in 1991
Category:1991 establishments in Japan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fighting Network Rings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Network_Rings) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_Network_Rings?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.