Thursday, August 16, 2012

JMMA in Cage


Vale Tudo Japan 2012 trailer

Shooto promoter Sustain announced that it will hold its Vale Tudo Japan event on December 24, 2012 at Yoyogi Gymnasium.  Vale Tudo's concept is to bring together a wide range of talent from throughout the world, starting with inviting Rickson Gracie.

Of all the Japanese fighters currently on the UFC's roster, Yushin Okami has the most wins, followed by Takeya Mizugaki.  These two fighters share a similar history, having both fought at GCM events (e.g. Cage Force and D.O.G.).  Naturally, the global success of Japanese fighters such as Okami and Mizugaki are crucial towards maintaining the popularity of MMA in Japan.  For the Vale Tudo Japan event, Shooto promoter Sustain will be holding their fights in a cage, rather than the more commonly used ring.  They hope to hold two to three events per year, possibly utilizing the unified rules of MMA.  Sustain is open to fighters coming from other organizations, and will also encourage Zuffa fighters to participate in Vale Tudo Japan.

Pancrase, which is now under a new organizer, as well as DEEP will also begin to use a cage for its fights.  It is the hope of promoters such as DEEP's Shigeru Saeki that experimenting with a cage will help increase the global popularity of Japanese MMA.


Big thanks to Dean Ryuta Adachi  (holler at scholar) for English editing.