 In 2003, Deep 2001 changed its name to Deep.Deep started playing the role of a subcontractor for Pride Fighting Championships since Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE) started promoting the Pride Bushido series in September 2003, which focused training Japanese fighters at middleweight and lightweight.As a result, a number of Japanese fighters, such as Ryo Chonan and Ikuhisa Minowa, started their careers fighting in DEEP before moving on to larger and more famous MMA promotions.