Bodog Beat

UFC fighter Chuck Liddell beat former Pride champion Wanderlei Silva by unanimous decision. (AP Images)

Back when Pride was up and running, everyone used to wonder how fighters like Antonio "Minotauro" Rodrigo Nogueira, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Anderson Silva would do in the UFC.

Now that Pride has fallen apart, we've all had a chance to see the results. And like we all suspected, Pride veterans have won belts in most of the UFC weight classes.

But not every fighter from Pride has enjoyed success in the octagon. Others, like Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic have struggled, and mixed martial arts fans are wondering why.

The most obvious answer is that UFC fights are held in a 32-foot diameter, eight-sided octagon instead of Pride's 16-foot, four-sided ring. That immediately doubles the surface area fighters have to work with, which is good news if you like to avoid the clinch by staying off the ropes or fence and bad news if you want to chase your opponent down.

While the octagon has twice as many places where you can corner your opponent, the corners aren't as deep. That makes lateral movement all the more effective for fighters using "stick and move" style evasive tactics.

The fence also adds a whole new element to the game. As a solid barrier, fighters can press their opponents against it in the same way they would pin their enemy on the ground. In a ring, the pinned striker has room to move, since they can lean back over the top rope and continue to punch and throw knees. That's not as easy to do when you're crushed against a 6-foot cage wall with all of your opponent's weight bearing down on you, and Silva, "Shogun" and Filipovic have each had problems dealing with that.

Read more of this UFC vs. Pride article at Bodog Nation.

Make your MMA bet in the Bodog Sportsbook. Watch Bodog Fight on The Fight Network and on The Score.

Download MMA every week with "Bodog Fight: The Vault."

All lines subject to change.