Several of the world's leading mixed martial artists hailed the purchase of the Pride Fighting Championship by the owners of Las Vegas-based UFC, but they expressed concerns about a monopoly on the sport held by the new owners.

Ultimate Fighting Championship owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta and president Dana White finalized a deal Monday to purchase Pride from DreamStage Entertainment, reputedly for $65 million.

That puts them in control of the two largest MMA organizations and most of the world's leading fighters.

Dan Henderson, who holds Pride's middleweight and light heavyweight titles, said Tuesday Pride will benefit from the UFC's marketing prowess. However, he said opportunities for fighters might not be as good.

"Definitely mixed feelings about it," Henderson said. "The way they've helped market the sport and built the UFC has been great. If they could apply that to Pride and help build it internationally and in the U.S. market, it can't be bad.

"But what worries me is them having too much control. You've taken two groups that could compete at the highest levels for fighters and rolled it into one. I'm not sure that's good for fighters."

While Lorenzo Fertitta and White dismissed other MMA companies as second-rate during a conference call from Japan on Tuesday, Fertitta said he didn't see a problem.

He noted the emergence of competitors such as the International Fight League, BoDog Fight and Elite XC.

"There is plenty of competition to go around," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "There are new promotions being started every day. We're happy with that. What it essentially does is it provides a breeding ground to feed both the UFC and Pride.

"At the end of the day, if you're a world-class fighter and you want to fight the best and you want to come against the best competition, you're going to want to eventually fight for the UFC or Pride."

UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell heralded the move because it opens a number of matches that pique his interest. White said he plans a Super Bowl-type event that would pit champions from Pride and UFC, though he stressed details are a long way from being finalized.

Liddell said interest in a bout between himself and ex-Pride champion Wanderlei Silva is lessened because Silva has lost by knockout in each of his last two fights, but Liddell is eager to meet Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko.

Liddell is set to fight Rampage Jackson on May 26 at the MGM Grand. If he beats Jackson in what is a rematch of a 2003 fight in Pride, he'll have run through all the big names in the UFC. He has two wins each over Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz.

"Strictly from my standpoint, this is great because now there are some guys from Pride for me to fight," Liddell said. "I need something that will keep me completely interested. They have to find guys I really want to fight."

Couture, who won the UFC heavyweight title last month, said it will be an adjustment for fighters used to being in a cage to compete in a ring and vice versa but that it wouldn't be an insurmountable problem.

He said the purchase "has upsides and downsides," but he appeared to like the news.

"It's going to change the face of the sport and, frankly, push it to another level," Couture said. "It kind of feels like when the AFL was there and was merged into the NFL. The idea that we may have a Super Bowl of MMA, with all the interest that would bring, is going to help grow the sport. We're seeing the growth now, but this may speed it up."