tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50348546478098357322024-02-07T13:14:51.072+09:00SKILL MMAMixed Martial Arts information (Skill analysis,history, news, interview and photo archieve) from Japan.Japanese MMA and International MMA.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-32979460439968163322024-01-23T11:54:00.000+09:002024-01-23T11:54:21.293+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters To Watch Out For In 2024<p> This annual Japanese prospects list for 2024 includes four fighters from DEEP, DEEP JEWELS, Pancrase and Shooto.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Arisa-Matsuda-390313"><b>Arisa Matsuda</b> (4-0-0)</a><br /><br />Arisa
is a former professional baseball player who is now known for her
undefeated MMA record. She first brought attention to herself when she
defeated Mika Nagano in 2022. Arisa’s sprawl allowed her to stop Mika’s
takedowns and she was effective with her own ground and pound when she
got Mika down.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h5TNGreVckg" width="320" youtube-src-id="h5TNGreVckg"></iframe></div><p> <br />In
2023, Arisa fought Machi Fukuda for the DEEP JEWELS interim strawweight
title. Arisa sprawled well in the first two rounds and bloodied Machi’s
nose with punches. Machi won the third round with her grappling, but
Arisa took a split decision for the belt. She will gain more attention
with her title this year.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tokitaka-Nakanishi-373060"><b>Tokitaka Nakanishi</b> (10-2-0)</a><br /></p><p>Tokitaka
is known for being a former featherweight King of Pancrase champion. He
dropped down a division in 2023 and faced Yasuhiro Kawamura at Pancrase
340. Tokitaka escaped from a leg scissors choke from Yasuhiro and
finished him with an arm-triangle choke to become bantamweight King of
Pancrase.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yannick-Yuji-Ephoeviga-403678"><b>Yannick Yuji Ephoeviga</b> (6-0-0)</a><br /><br />We
first featured Yuji in last year’s prospects list. He received an
opportunity to fight for Combate Global with Abema TV support, which is a
rare opportunity abroad for a Japanese fighter early in their career.
Yuji TKOed Geralbert Castillo in that fight and finished 4-0 overall in
2023.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kyoma-Akimoto-406648"><b>Kyoma Akimoto</b> (4-0-0)</a><br /><br />Kyoma
is only 17, but he has already scored two knockouts as a pro fighter.
The DEEP flyweight division has many talented fighters, and Kyoma is
still young in his career and life, but he plans to win the DEEP title
before he turns 20. He is from the same gym as Hiromasa Ougikubo and Rei
Tsuruya.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xKe9VPQrbSA" width="320" youtube-src-id="xKe9VPQrbSA"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-86777109325474034642023-01-26T09:31:00.001+09:002023-01-26T09:31:34.353+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters To Watch Out For In 2023<p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This is the annual prospect list series for 2023. This edition has six prospects from Shooto, Pancrase, DEEP and Fighting Nexus.<br /><br />Current
Japanese MMA organizations can offer direct communication to fans with
fight videos. This has especially been true with Mikuru Asakura's
YouTube popularity, so this is the best time to enjoy a Japanese MMA
rookie’s videos.<br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rei-Tsuruya-380465"><b>Rei Tsuruya</b></a> (6-0-0)<br /><br />Rei
was included in last year’s list, but he has not yet been picked up by a
major organization. He chose Pancrase to build his career because he
wanted stronger opponents, and he beat Satoru Enomoto to win the
flyweight King of Pancrase title. Rei has become one of the faces of
Pancrase, but he will surely land himself a spot in a major organization
soon. His hope is to sign with the UFC, but he also has an interest in
facing John Dodson, who fought at Rizin's NYE event.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Sd3qoZEWZNA" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Wataru-Yamauchi-388617"><b>Wataru Yamauchi</b> </a> (5-0-0)<br /><br />Wataru's
2022 ended with a TKO win against Kiyotaka Shimizu. That fight
impressed me. Kiyotaka is a veteran who has had many fights against big
name flyweights. Wataru's TKO of him was only Kiyotaka’s second KO/TKO
loss in his long career. Defeating Kiyotaka at such a young age
automatically placed Wataru on my rookie list.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takeji-Yokoyama-401325"><b>Takeji Yokoyama</b></a> (4-0-0)<br /><br />Takeji
was known from the grappling scene where he was a rival of Kleber Koike
(Kleber was the winner of this rivalry, though). This year, he beat
Sora Yamamoto, who is one of the young up-and-comers in Rizin. The win
earned Takeji the Fighting Nexus featherweight title. Takeji’s main
focus is on jiu-jitsu, and I am curious whether he may have better
jiu-jitsu than Rizin’s featherweight roster (except Kleber).<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiroto-Gomyo-404716"><b>Hiroto Gomyo</b></a> (3-0-0)<br /><br />Hiroto
has a Shotokan Karate background. He was the 2019 All-Japan Karatedo
Champion. Hiroto is a gym mate of Japanese MMA star Mikuru Asakura, and
he has adapted takedowns well. He can choose to strike or take opponents
down, and has clever distance making and counterattacks. Hiroto will
next fight Kouya Kanda for the DEEP interim featherweight title.<br /><br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/nFKPQb_ODPY" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nFKPQb_ODPY/hqdefault.jpg);" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ayaka-Watanabe-376966"><b>Ayaka Watanabe</b></a> (2-1-0)</p><p><br />Ayaka
is from the Japanese MMA gym AACC, which has a reputation for training
and developing female fighters. She surprised many audience members at
Shooto’s first event in 2023 when she KOed durable former champion Mina
Kurobe, who had only been stopped by strikes once before this during her
25-fight career. Ayaka has taken on the hardest route for her career.
Her second fight was against Emi Fujino, which is Ayaka’s only loss, and
then she got her biggest win in only her third pro fight. I think she
will have more big fights soon in her career.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yannick-Yuji-Ephoeviga-403678"><b>Yannick Yuji Ephoeviga</b></a> (3-0-0)<br /></p><p><br />Yuji
scored a TKO win against Tatsuya Tanaka in just 80 seconds at Shooto’s
first event of this year. He won the 2022 Shooto Rookie tournament at
welterweight with that victory. Yuji declared that he will drop to
lightweight, He already showed TKO power at 170, but dropping down a
division will create more of a power advantage and more violence for
sure.</p><div><span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">) for English editing.</span></span> <br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-23471396420168238782022-08-08T18:39:00.000+09:002022-08-08T18:39:50.763+09:00Japanese MMA Event List at 2022<p>I made Japanese MMA event list at <a href="http://skillmma.blogspot.com/2009/09/japanese-mma-event-list.html">2009</a>. At 2022 some event born and some are not active now.I feel I need update.I hope you follow those organization with SNS and watching event with PPV. That's why I made this. </p><p><br />Rizin<br /><a href="https://jp.rizinff.com/_tags/English">Rizin official (English)</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZZ0UGjWsRdM8_5bsqtxYaQ">Rizin official youtube channel</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDYcW74an50APQl7nyW53AyQrs9OujX5Z">Rizin Confessions (Documentary series with English subtitle)</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/rizin_english">Rizin official English twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation">Rizin official Facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.mmaofficials.jp/">JMOC (Rizin, Shooto, DEEP, DEEP Jewels officiation organization)</a> <br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/A-Sitdown-with-Rizin-Fighting-Federations-Shingo-Kashiwagi-Part-1-184519">Rizin match maker Shingo Kashiwagi interview by me (Sherdog)</a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizin_Fighting_Federation">Rizin wikipedia entry</a><br /><br /><br />Shooto<br /><a href="https://www.shooto-mma.com/">Shooto official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/shootoofficial">Shooto official youtube channel<br /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/xshooto?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">Shooto official twitter<br /></a><a href="https://proshooto.official.ec/"></a><a href="http://j-shooto.com/">Japan Shooto Association</a> <br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooto">Shooto wikipedia entry</a><br /><br /><a href="http://echigo-fujin.com/mma/">Shooto Niigata brand Echigo Fujin Matsuri<br /></a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Border-%E4%BF%AE%E6%96%97%E3%82%AD%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF%E3%83%9C%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B7%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0%E3%82%A4%E3%83%99%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88-309519809109678/">Shooto Kansai brand Border official facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdwHUQ0plNaX7j4L2f-qGEQ">Border youtube channel</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ToraoNS/">Shooto Chugoku and Shikoku Bland Torao official facebook</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjmxbizdgYoUCN6IcxcKk-g">Torao's youtube channel</a><br /><br /><a href="https://ameblo.jp/theshootookinawa/">Shooto Okinawa blog<br /></a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3xA7oD6HJwbLYrsnbK3Lkg">Shooto Okinawa youtube channel</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/shootothe">Shooto Okinawa twitter</a><br /><br /><br />DEEP<br /><a href="http://deep2001fc.com/">DEEP official (English)</a><br /><a href="http://www.deep2001.com/">DEEP official</a><br /><a href="https://www.deepjewels.com/">DEEP Jewels official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrzcqokfdjCm0JiqzYJZxeA">DEEP official youtube channel</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/deepofficial">DEEP official youtube channel 2</a><br /><a href="https://event.spwn.jp/events">SPWN (DEEP and DEEP Jewels PPV Web)<br /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/jewels_deep">DEEP / DEEP Jewels official twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/DEEP_JEWELS">DEEP Jewels official twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/deepfightingchampionships">DEEP official facebook</a> <br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_(mixed_martial_arts)">DEEP wikipedia entry</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/%E5%85%AC%E6%AD%A6%E5%A0%82%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%88-478557469618904/"><br />Kobudo Fight official facebook (smaller event for Nagoya region)</a><br /><a href="http://blog.livedoor.jp/koubudo_fight/">Kobudo Fight official blog</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClkJU4vxxM7ZSLyXeb1K9ww/featured">Kobudo Fight youtube channel<br /></a><br /><br />Pancrase<br /><a href="https://www.pancrase.co.jp/">Pancrase official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/pancrasemma">Pancrase official youtube channel</a><br /><a href="https://tiget.net/events?q%5Bwords%5D=Pancrase">Tiget (Pancrase's PPV web)<br /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/_pancrase_">Pancrase official twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pancrase1993">Pancrase official facebook</a><br /><a href="http://blog.livedoor.jp/pancrasenews/">Pancrase official news blog</a> <br /><a href="http://jmmaf.org/">JMMAF (development program)</a> <br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancrase">Pancrase wikipedia entry</a><br /><br /><br />LDH Martial Arts<br /><a href="https://poundstorm.ldhmartialarts.co.jp/">Poundstorm official (MMA and Music live mix event)<br /></a><a href="https://exfight.ldhmartialarts.co.jp/">EX Fight (development program)</a><br /><br />----------------------------<br /><br />Japanese Region<br /><br />HEAT<br /><a href="https://heatofficial.com/">HEAT official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCceNz215-iDAqgN3ujGiRRA">HEAT's official youtube channel</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/heat_nagoya">HEAT's official twitter</a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HEATofficialcom/"><br />HEAT's official facebook</a><br /><br />Grachan<br /><a href="https://grachan.jp/">Grachan official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4RZz4S3ZdRyPfLBFVhYTw">Grachan official youtube channel</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/grachanofficial">Grachan official twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/grachan.mma/">Grachan official facebook</a> <br /><a href="https://liteview.jp/grachan#/">Grachan monthly subscription program</a><br /><br />Fighting Nexus<br /><a href="https://fighting-nexus.net/">Fighting Nexus official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAQjjjdT32Pm5EjLQ0tbINA">Fighting Nexus official youtube channel</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/fightingnexus?lang=ja">Fighting Nexus official twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/fightingnexus/">Fighting Nexus official youtube</a><br /><br />Gladiator<br /><a href="https://gladiator-fc.com/">Gladiator official</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUxFWK2IxAfFmp89UCAuhag">Gladiator official youtube</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/GLADIATOR_MMA_">Gladiator official twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Gladiator.MixedmartialArts/">Gladiator official facebook</a> <br /><br />PFC<br /><a href="http://p4pfc.com/">PFC official</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/PFCchannel/videos">PFC official youtube channel</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/PFC_Hokkaido">PFC official twitter <br /></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/p4pfc/">PFC official facebook</a><br /><br />Wardog<br /><a href="https://www.wardog-cagefight.com/">Wardog official</a> <br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1rdbK0IKaf2tdV1fYJqB4w">Wardog official youtube channel</a> <br /><a href="https://twitter.com/wardogofficial1">Wardog official twitter</a><br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/WARDOG-CAGE-FIGHT-1566275320257516/">Wardog official facebook</a> <br /><br />TENKAICHI fight<br /><a href="https://www.tenkaichi-pro.co.jp/">TENKAICHI fight official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrNQMLYHYPWKzuzthbIkZUg">TENKAICHI fight official youtube</a><br /><br />--------------------------<br /><br />Japanese gangsta fight<br /><br />OUTSIDER<br /><a href="http://rings.co.jp/">OUTSIDER official</a><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw-Mut4L-trFWIZdYP86szA/featured">OUTSIDER'S youtube channel</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/RINGS_OFFICIAL">Rings twitter (organizer for Outsider)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://skillmma.blogspot.com/2009/09/japanese-mma-event-list.html">SKILL MMA Japanese MMA Event List at 2009</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-86847719055417214222022-02-09T11:15:00.002+09:002022-02-09T11:33:17.492+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters To Watch Out For In 2022<div>Like every year, I am dropping my Japanese prospects series to highlight fighters who are not yet signed by major promotions.<br /> </div><div>I wrote this last year, but Covid-19 is still a danger for the public health and Rizin mostly cannot use foreign fighters due to the closed border. So, many prospects have recently been picked up by Rizin, but fortunately this year I have found six interesting prospects who've not yet fought for a major organization. That is a pleasant surprise. Please check out these fighters below and enjoy their careers.<br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rinya-Nakamura-386855">Rinya Nakamura</a> (3-0-0) <br /> </div><div>Nakamura won the U23 World Wrestling Championships in freestyle, but he lost to future Tokyo Olympic gold medalist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takuto_Otoguro">Takuto Otoguro</a> and could not make it to the Olympics himself. Nakamura retired from wrestling in 2020 and began MMA training. Last year, the Internet TV streaming website <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AbemaTV">AbemaTV</a> debuted an MMA audition program called "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAIBHxluCJs">Kakuto Dreamers</a>", and the program's purpose was to identify fighters who deserved a management contract with popular music production company LDH's martial arts department. Nakamura participated in the program even though he had a contract already, and he won that audition and retained his contract. After that, he fought twice for Shooto and showed an impressive ability to finish fights with strikes despite having such a short career. We will soon see him in a major organization.<br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jGI4Y6SGR8s" width="320" youtube-src-id="jGI4Y6SGR8s"></iframe></div></div><div style="text-align: center;">Rinya Nakamura and Sho Usami's most recent fight<br /></div><div> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Sho-Usami-386853">Sho "Patrick" Usami </a>(4-0-0) </div><div></div><div></div><div><br />Usami won the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seidokaikan">Seidokaikan</a> junior title twice and had six boxing titles while still in high school. He also participated in "Kakuto Dreamers" and won his audition match. After that, he fought for Shooto and VTJ and scored two finishes with strikes like his teammate Nakamura. I am curious about his skills on the ground, but I have a feeling that he will perform well in a major organization.<br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuto-Uda-321191">Yuto Uda</a> (5-0-1) <br /> </div><div>Uda trains under <a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Naohiro-Mizuno-22604https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Naohiro-Mizuno-22604">Naohiro "Chokugeki Gamon" Mizuno</a> in Uwajima city, and he is a rare example of a prospect who has developed from the Shikoku island region where there is a smaller population. He beat Kiyotaka Shimizu by decision after scoring a knockdown. Tatsuro Taira, who also beat Shimizu, was just signed by the UFC. So I wonder what will happen in Uda's future.<br /> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Rei-Tsuruya-380465">Rei Tsuruya</a> (3-0-0) </div><div> </div><div>Tsuruya is the son of <a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiroshi-Tsuruya-1259">Hiroshi Tsuruya</a>, who developed the Paraestra Chiba network that produced talents like <a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiromasa-Ougikubo-18883https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiromasa-Ougikubo-18883">Hiromasa Ougikubo</a>. He won the Abu Dhabi world pro jiu-jitsu championship while still in primary school, and he placed second in Junior Olympic wrestling during high school. Tsuruya fights for DEEP, and he has yet to meet a challenging opponent, but his talent is obvious in my eyes. He will go on to a major organization at some point in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z_cSBshU1dg" width="320" youtube-src-id="z_cSBshU1dg"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hiroshi Tsuruya vs Kenta Kubo<br /></div></div><div> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Saika-258823">Tatsuya "Yanbo" Saika</a> (7-2-0) </div><div></div><div></div><div><br /> Saika challenged Takasuke Kume for the King of Pancrase lightweight title in December. He knocked Kume down with a right uppercut and almost finished him with hammerfists, but Kume survived and he submitted Saika with an armbar in the second round. Despite the loss, I think that Saika showed in that match that he is capable of fighting his way to Rizin.<br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mIPZxEFUyHk" width="320" youtube-src-id="mIPZxEFUyHk"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Takasuke Kume vs Tatsuya Saika documentary<br /></div></div><div> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yamato-Nishikawa-277109">Yamato Nishikawa</a> (18-3-6) </div><div><br /></div><div> Nishikawa's recent choices in a fight posed a challenge for me and how I view MMA because he attacked from bottom position and still managed to win an important match. Nishikawa fought Shooto champ Yuki Kawana, and he scored a TKO by continuously punching from the bottom. That goes completely against the current MMA trends and strategies. After that fight, Shinya Aoki critiqued Nishikawa's choice to fight from the bottom. Nishikawa's next fight was against Kazumasa Sugawara. Nishikawa took Sugawara's back and won with a rear-naked choke, but his right eyelid was swelling up and it closed. After that fight, Nishikawa apologized for his performance but also challenged Shinya Aoki. That made Aoki angry, who threw an elbow to Nishikawa like a pro wrestling stunt.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5KPwzqhQBHM" width="320" youtube-src-id="5KPwzqhQBHM"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yamato Nishikawa vs Kazumasa Sugawara</div><div><div></div><div></div><div><br />I think that, if Nishikawa fights against Aoki, his attacks from the bottom will be tested. While I don't think that he would be favored against Aoki, I admit that he broke the stereotype that I had in my mind for how a style could be used to win a fight in MMA. So, there is a possibility that he would still fight with that kind of imagination. Also, his win against Kawana was for the Shooto lightweight title, making Nishikawa the youngest Shooto champ ever at age 18 (now 19).</div><div> </div><div><span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">) for English editing.</span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-15272644367785495792021-01-09T16:40:00.005+09:002021-01-12T17:31:24.748+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out 2021<p> This annual series looking at Japanese MMA
prospects is back. With the Covid-19 situation, Rizin could not use
foreign fighters and so Japanese prospects were easily picked up by the
promotion. However, some others still remain, and they are waiting on
fans like you to confirm their talents and to enjoy watching their
careers develop. As always, I have excluded fighters who moved on to the
UFC, Bellator, Rizin and One.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuro-Taira-293975"><b>Tatsuro Taira (7-0)</b></a><br /><br />Ryota
Matsune’s student at Paraestra Okinawa, Tatsuro Taira, has recently
shown significant improvement in his career. In November, he defeated
Kiyotaka Shimizu, who is known as a good veteran fighter. Taira was not
only better at grappling but also won in striking, which is normally
Shimizu's strongest area. Okinawa rarely produces well-known MMA
fighters, aside from Matsune and Mitsuhisa Sunabe. Now that Matsune and
Sunabe are back there and have started a gym, that trend should change.
Taira has declared that he wants to go to the world's top promotion, the
UFC. However, during this pandemic situation, going to Rizin first
could be a wise choice.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/nMzaULVwizE" width="480"></iframe> <br /></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;">Tatsuro Taira vs Yamato Takagi <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><br /><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Saika-258823"><b>Tatsuya Saika (7-1)</b></a><br /><br />This
past year, Saika won the interim lightweight King of Pancrase title.
Not only that, he finished opponent Genpei Hayashi with a scary one-shot
uppercut. Saika wants to fight against Takasuke Kume, who is the King
of Pancrase champion, but also declared that he would like to compete
for Rizin.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/tATf1160xvQ" width="480"></iframe></div><p style="text-align: center;">Tatsuya "Yanbo" Saika vs Takaya Tsukuda</p><p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Seika-Izawa-375399"><b>Seika Izawa (2-0)</b></a><br /><br />Izawa
has a strong background in wrestling and judo, but the fact that she
beat DEEP Jewels champ Miki Motono in only her second MMA fight still
shocked me. She landed right body kicks over and over against Motono and
was able to control the distance well. By avoiding most of Motono's
jabs and straight punches, Izawa showed how capable she is when it comes
to MMA striking. Izawa stated that she wants a title rematch against
Motono and plans to take the championship. Later on, she wants to be in
the world's top organization, the UFC. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/K9kr2SizTqc" width="480"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;">Seika Izawa vs Miki Motono</div><p> <span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">) for English editing.</span></span> <br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-32305528109279657062020-01-28T09:05:00.001+09:002021-01-09T16:34:16.883+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out 2020<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.247059); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49); caret-color: rgb(212, 212, 213); font-family: -apple-system, HelveticaNeue; font-size: 16px; word-spacing: 1px;">
<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">After one year's rest, the list is baaaaaack!! Due to Rizin and One signing up a lot of local talent, however, there is a smaller group of fighters to list this year. The purpose of this list is to identify and highlight Japanese talent that is not yet well-known, and so those who are fighting for the UFC, Bellator, Rizin, One or Invicta FC are excluded. Of course, people love fighters with flawless records, but I do regret that I did not previously include the Asakura brothers in my list after they had lost in Road FC. So don't give up on those who may not have the cleanest records here. <u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></div>
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<b style="border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49);"><span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kazuma-Kuramoto-269069">Kazuma Kuramoto</a><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></b></div>
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<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">If I was asked to name one fighter who had the biggest impact on the local MMA scene in Japan, Kazuma would be the strongest candidate. His most amazing performances are his endless suplexes against opponents. He can suplex and he can KO opponents with his fists. Kazuma is not the youngest at age 33, but if he can immobilise opponents and save power when needed, we will soon see him on the roster for a major promotion with one or two more wins.<u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></div>
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Kazuma Kuramoto vs Kei Iwaki</div>
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<b style="border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49);"><span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kazumasa-Majima-125811">Kazumasa Majima</a><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></b></div>
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<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">Kazumasa is not a well-known MMA fighter due to coming from the rural Yamaguchi Prefecture. He is regarded for capturing the Rebel FC title by defeating Rodolfo Marques, but Rebel FC's notoriety in Japan is low. Most recently, he defeated Issei Tamura by submission. This grappler is worth checking out.<u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></div>
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Kazumasa Majima vs <span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Rodolfo Marques</span></div>
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<b style="border-color: rgb(49, 49, 49);"><span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><a href="https://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Saiga-258823">Tatsuya Saika</a></span></b></div>
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<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">Tatsuya, nicknamed as "<a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yanki">Yanbo</a>," is known for his street-style wild punching. While absent from this list until now, Tatsuya can follow the lead of the Asakura brothers by rising up from a small promotion to the top of JMMA. Tatsuya graduated from the regional promotion Fighting Nexus and people finally took note of him as a talented rookie when he defeated Tom Santos in Pancrase. I don't know how far this wild-swinging Filipino-Japanese fighter can go, but he will next fight Salimkhan Sadulloev - who is really tough - and the winner will likely move up to a major promotion.<u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></div>
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Tatsuya Saika vs Young Uk Woo</div>
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<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">Tamaru continued his winning streak in 2019 after losing to Riley Dutro the previous year. He next competes against Nobuki Fujii, who is always in search of takedowns while constantly moving forward. Tamaru is known for his grappling and it is not easy to keep him in bottom position. If he wins his fight against Nobuki Fujii, I want to see him competing on a larger stage.<u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u><u style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></u></span></div>
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<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;">Horie's brief UFC run came to an end when he was knocked out at UFC 240, but I see that there is still hope for him. He led the first round of his UFC 240 fight with quick footwork and punches. If he can continue to master his footwork through karate, with the same in-and-out movement that we have loved from Lyoto Machida and Kyoji Horiguchi, we will see him back in a major promotion within two years as he is still only 24 years old.</span><br />
<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><br /></span>
<span data-originalcomputedfontsize="14.666666984558105" data-originalfontsize="11pt" face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="border-color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-size: 0.916667rem;"><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" face=""arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; word-spacing: 0px;">) for English editing.</span></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-48662209631233366362018-01-24T22:14:00.000+09:002020-01-01T20:29:48.467+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out For in 2018 <div class="MsoNormal">
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Since Hisaki Kato knocked out Joe Schilling, my
list of Japanese rookies seemed to get quite a bit more attention. I
unfortunately could not include Syuri Kondo and Daichi Abe in last
year’s list due to their shorter careers. I could change the list
structure to include such fighters, but it would mean that it is more of
a gamble that they’ll be picked up by larger orgs. At the same time,
you can still follow fighters’ improvement on UFC Fight Pass or DEEP
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Naoki
Inoue was picked up by the UFC and he was included in last year’s list.
Likewise, Shintaro Ishiwatari chose to sign with Rizin and he also came
from this list in 2017. Many fighters that I have spotlighted in the
past now belong to larger orgs. Still, I can bring attention to more
names because this year Japanese MMA succeeded in building a new
generation.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkd88pnNESTRHuqsMu2ZL4e8k6hCcaSo9p7ebAY-i40A9JMp3NeEdrgeoY8zYAEHnyJcoc7t4FoBUuKobzfC5jNoEaX5gUnWzAHW6qS8ziK80qpB6RJjJ2aHHa82txeZB7LrHnFGUwLY/s1600/P3240496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkd88pnNESTRHuqsMu2ZL4e8k6hCcaSo9p7ebAY-i40A9JMp3NeEdrgeoY8zYAEHnyJcoc7t4FoBUuKobzfC5jNoEaX5gUnWzAHW6qS8ziK80qpB6RJjJ2aHHa82txeZB7LrHnFGUwLY/s400/P3240496.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takumi-Tamaru-199981"><b>Takumi Tamaru</b></a><br />
<br />
Tamaru became known
as a promising rookie after finishing Yasuhiro Urushitani in the first
round. He then drew with Hayato Ishii, who is Megumi Fujii’s prodigy.
Tamaru was sidelined with an injury for the remainder of 2017 and he
will face PXC champ Riley Dutro on January 28. If he passes that tough
test, his improvement curve will be very high.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQ6Dyb4quZ8PNK2iVbxYrF6RXln3lRo3kOUuke5wz59Ivcv7602gpHWoNvAIy8CSh-CtPD03Jt-upiapd8XEpld2Yj4fDyITLZYg58cm42U9NbQef2MYvQsth7ZUDumIc3pgZ7BhmWfo/s1600/P3240535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQ6Dyb4quZ8PNK2iVbxYrF6RXln3lRo3kOUuke5wz59Ivcv7602gpHWoNvAIy8CSh-CtPD03Jt-upiapd8XEpld2Yj4fDyITLZYg58cm42U9NbQef2MYvQsth7ZUDumIc3pgZ7BhmWfo/s400/P3240535.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hayato-Ishii-158151"><b>Hayato Ishii</b></a><br />
<br />
Ishii
represents BURST gym and his coaches are Megumi Fujii and Shinji
Sasaki. He won a close decision against Yoshiro Maeda and fought a tough
scramble fest against Takumi Tamaru that ended in a draw. Ishii did
lose to Tadaaki “Onibozu” Yamamoto in a title eliminator bout, but this
did not worry me very much since his coach is a legendary MMA fighter.<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuya-Wakamatsu-199349"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuya-Wakamatsu-199349"><b>Yuya Wakamatsu</b></a><br />
<br />
Wakamatsu
is from Ryo Chonan’s Tribe Tokyo MMA and he has scored KO wins against
some opponents whom I have previously rated highly. He will next meet
Senzo Ikeda, a former pro boxer. Ikeda defeated Japanese pioneer Mamoru
Yamaguchi, who is known for his masterful Muay Thai, in the striking
battles. If Wakamatsu knocks out Ikeda, it would be a sensational
statement for the prospect to make.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kana-Watanabe-265441"><b>Kana Watanabe</b></a><br />
<br />
Watanabe
has already had one Rizin fight, but I want to highlight that she
defeated Shizuka Sugiyama, who had 19 fights’ worth of experience and
who previously fought for a Deep Jewels title. Prior to that, Watanabe
had only had her debut fight. While I normally don’t get too excited
about a fighter’s future during their debut, hers against Hikari Sato
was different. She knocked Sato down in that fight, which is rare since
judo convert fighters have a bad habit of moving their arm. Some judo
fighters can never get past that, but Watanabe passed the test.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takashi-Sato-147403"><b>Takashi Sato</b></a><br />
<br />
Sato
is back from an injury absence. He avenged his lone loss to Kenta
Takagi with takedowns and ground and pound, but his most significant win
came against Akihiro Murayama. He won with his striking on the feet.
When he first lost to Takagi, I worried about his striking, but he has
improved. Perhaps his next fight (maybe against Hiromitsu Miura?) will
define his career path.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yoshiki-Nakahara-120707"><b>Yoshiki Nakahara</b></a><br />
<br />
Nakahara’s
dominant win against Akitoshi Tamura was shocking since Tamura is known
for being very tough to finish. His punches dealt a huge amount of
damage. He also won against Hiroshige Tanaka in striking, which is
Tanaka’s specialty. After that fight, Nakahara petitioned Sean Shelby
for an opportunity to compete for the UFC.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Koyomi-Matsushima-188675"><b>Koyomi Matsushima</b></a><br />
<br />
Matsushima
struggled early in career with his striking. His move to
PancraseISM Yokohama changed his career path. He can mix takedowns
effectively with striking now due to coaching from Satoru Kitaoka, and
Matsushima recently defeated former PXC champ Kyle Aguon.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryuichiro-Sumimura-56159"><b>Ryuichiro Sumimura</b></a><br />
<br />
Last
year, DEEP held a welterweight grand prix. Sumimura shocked fans by
upsetting Ken Hasegawa. In the process, he spoiled Hasegawa’s planned
UFC signing and was crowned as DEEP’s welterweight champ. Sumimura has
since declared that he wants to fight for Rizin.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Makoto-Takahashi-220083"><b>Makoto Takahashi</b></a><br />
<br />
Takahashi
is only 17 years old, but he won a competitive fight against Hiroki
Yamashita. I can’t say too much yet since he is so young, but when
thinking about how Paraestra Matsudo has recently produced champions
(Kanna Asakura, Yoshitaka Naito), we better keep an eye on him.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Jin-Aoi-167105"><b>Jin Aoi</b></a><br />
<br />
Takashi
Nakakura’s student, Jin Aoi, faced Shooto Pac-Rim champ Ryogo
Takahashi. Aoi lost, but he made the fight competitive when many
predicted that Takahashi would dominate. He tried unsuccessfully to
counter Takahashi’s trademark low kicks and leglocks in the fight. Aoi
is still young and he has plenty of time to develop his career.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<div dir="ltr" lang="ja">
ネオブラトーナメントの1回戦、準決勝、決勝のKOシーンが順番にのってます!😆<br />
<br />
観てください! <a href="https://t.co/9Qtg8FOoIL">pic.twitter.com/9Qtg8FOoIL</a></div>
— 堀江圭功 Yoshinori Horie (@yossy05101) <a href="https://twitter.com/yossy05101/status/925276995834880001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yoshinori-Horie-227513"><b>Yoshinori Horie</b></a><br />
<br />
Many
Japanese fans took note of Horie’s striking and finishing ability, and
Horie is this year’s best rookie in Pancrase. His karate swings are very
wild and that makes it hard to predict their course. He is a part of
the Pancrase featherweight division, which is the deepest in Japan.
Therefore, he needs time before stepping up to major orgs, but he is
young enough to wait.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-83646339292851272522017-02-21T11:40:00.000+09:002017-02-22T20:42:02.472+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out 2017It's baaack! This is the 2017 edition of the annual Fighters to Watch For series.<br />
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Yoshitaka
Naito is excluded from this year’s list because he fought for One FC
and won their world title, but will we see his long-awaited match
against Mitsuhisa Sunabe? I hope so. Tatsumitsu Wada competed for Rizin
and defeated Kai Kara-France, so I left him off of this prospects list
as well.</div>
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Since UFC Fight Pass has added Shooto and Pancrase, I think that you'll enjoy this list even more than before.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shintaro-Ishiwatari-15245"><b>Shintaro Ishiwatari</b></a></div>
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Ishiwatari's
2016 campaign was defined by avenging his loss to Jonathan Brookins. He
defeated Brookins in spite of Brookins missing weight, which is worth
more than an average win. Ishiwatari was continuously taken down and
lost a decision to Brookins in their first fight, but he defeated his
overweight opponent with sprawls in the rematch that showcased his
improved takedown defense.</div>
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Takumi Tamaru vs Kohei Haruka<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takumi-Tamaru-199981"><b>Takumi Tamaru</b></a></div>
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Tamaru
earned his biggest career win in 2016 against Yasuhiro Urushitani. He
did not allow Urushitani to use his striking pressure and submitted
Urushitani with an armbar. Even though Urushitani is in the twilight of
his career and declared that he will retire after his next fight, Tamaru
needed just one round to become the fastest man to ever finish him.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kento-Kanbe-147417"><b>Kento Kanbe</b></a></div>
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Kanbe
battled injuries throughout 2016, but he did engage in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHtNtNqECYo&feature=youtu.be&t=37m52s">semi-brawl situation</a> with Jarred Brooks. I look forward to major promotions
building strawweight classes so that they can face each other.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mizuki-Inoue-71390"><b>Mizuki Inoue</b></a></div>
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Mizuki
continued her winning streak with three finishes in 2016 before
suffering a knee injury. She is not yet in the UFC rankings due to being
outside of the organization, but we all know she should be in there.</div>
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Naoki Inoue vs Naoyuki Kato<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Naoki-Inoue-158487"><b>Naoki Inoue</b></a></div>
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Mizuki's
little brother scored his biggest win to date in 2016 when he defeated
Yuya Shibata, who is a former DEEP title challenger. Of course, the
Inoue siblings are best known as strikers, but Naoki has used his
excellent submission skills to finish seven of his nine professional
opponents, and remains unbeaten.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hayato-Suzuki-112221"><b>Hayato Suzuki</b></a></div>
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Suzuki’s
lone fight in 2016 ended in a first-round submission victory over
Seok-Yong Kim. We need to see him compete for higher stakes this year.
Hopefully the rumored Rizin Flyweight Grand Prix picks him up.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryohei-Kurosawa-129433"><b>Ryohei "Ken Asuka" Kurosawa</b></a></div>
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Kurosawa
captured Shooto gold in 2016 when he defeated Ryuto Sawada again. He is
a teammate of Yoshitaka Naito, who is One FC champion. I expect
Kurosawa to face international opposition this year, which will
hopefully help to develop and showcase atomweight competition around the
world.</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kanako-Murata-219081"><b>Kanako Murata</b></a></div>
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Even
though she lost to Rin Nakai, Murata is still very early in her MMA
career. I do not think that she was in the best physical condition
against Nakai, and I expect that she will face appropriate opponents in
fights that allow her to develop her skills this year.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-84169321152282763922016-05-31T23:46:00.001+09:002016-05-31T23:46:59.015+09:00Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em. Syncopation and CombinationWhen you watch a fight, do you ever wonder why a strike did or did not land? Sometimes, when a fighter's skill level is too low, he or she may not see an opponent's punch coming because of poor reflexes, but most times fighters are matched up against a similar level of opposition.<br />
<br />
As a result, fighters use tricks in order to land strikes. For example, fighters use combinations. A jab grabs an opponent's attention, followed by a second strike that is designed to try to KO the opponent while they are unaware that the strike is coming. Of course, if the competition level is high, combinations will be more common and prevalent.<br />
<br />
For example, combinations are used in order to see how an opponent will react in defense. Then, with the next combo, when the opponent thinks they know which strikes will come, perhaps the first punch is the same jab but the second kick is to the head rather than to the body, which the opponent does not expect.<br />
<br />
What I ask is do you realize how physiological reflexes work between these moves? Essentially, people think in expectations about what we will do in the future. When you type a sentence, you unconsciously type on the keyboard. You don't think about how to type. Memory and reflexes work there.<br />
<br />
Such a thing works in striking defense, too. Fighters are trained to use combinations in order to trick opponents' reflexes. They use mixtures of strong-weak, fast-slow strikes in order to affect opponents' physiological reactions. Sometimes, fighters get hit by the second shot in a combination even if it is slower, which is because physiological reactions can matter more than simple reflex speed. <br />
<br />
This type of strike's trick is resembled by music's rhythm. When you listen to music and feel a groove, there is a gap between slow-fast, weak-strong beats that makes your waist move like syncopation.<br />
<br />
When you watch beautiful combinations or defense in fights (like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ircGxNwJ2Zk">Anderson Silva</a>), you should take note of which moves are fast or slow, and which weak or strong. This will improve your ability to identify the beauty of the skills used in fights.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-34828984842451116862016-01-29T23:47:00.000+09:002017-02-21T11:59:13.723+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out 2016We're back with the 2016 edition of Fighters to Watch For.<br />
<br />
The most pleasant thing from last year's list was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSCTi2LBeuo">Hisaki Kato's knockout</a> of Joe Schilling in Bellator. I mentioned Kato in the 2015 list and he was quite unknown beforehand due to the fact that his fights in HEAT were not well-known. I personally believe that I contributed to increasing his recognition.<br />
<br />
Hisaki Kato is now in Bellator, so he is excluded from this list. Ayaka Hamasaki (Invicta champ) and Yuki Motoya (Rizin) should get attention without my inclusion, so I excluded them this year. I hope you enjoy watching rookie fighters grow like I do.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uMkBVxiVgSkWayirdALFmdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NlzGiks-MwM/VnfvlGIlfAI/AAAAAAAAN94/JI4Y-uOnL1M/s400-Ic42/P1170407.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Koyomi-Matsushima-188675">Koyomi Matsushima</a><br />
<br />
Matsushima debuted in February and he fought five times in 2015. He finished all of the fights and four of them ended in the first round. He has not had any competitive fights yet, and I want him to have good striking training because I think there is danger if he can't get a proper striking coach. Other than that, he is physically the best rookie since Kyoji Horiguchi.<br />
<br />
See video of his <a href="http://livestream.com/PXC/events/4242105/videos/95525768">slam KO</a> in PXC: and his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCywU1I22sA">KO</a> in Shooto: <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/imrewmjg67FtcVxYHy7j8NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fpL9n9isQtA/VVdtchOYcbI/AAAAAAAANNQ/9ZkVl7cPzOA/s400-Ic42/P1150532.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsumitsu-Wada-28152">Tatsumitsu Wada</a><br />
<br />
While Motoya had a no contest in Rizin, Wada had two fights against Korean fighters in 2015. He has not recently faced quality opponents in Japan besides Motoya and Ogikubo. He will face Jae Nam Yoo at Deep: 75 Impact.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D8qYO2PTaPqd9wjMxpP-nNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FDgIVF36sgk/UGhpBysgybI/AAAAAAAAHdk/0B0U_KbLwXg/s400-Ic42/P9300097.JPG" width="300" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shintaro-Ishiwatari-15245">Shintaro Ishiwatari</a><br />
<br />
Ishiwatari suffered an injury early this past year. He fought Victor Henry in December and it was Japanese MMA's Fight of the Year. He has been unable to win against some of the elite opponents in his career, but I still want to see him in the major MMA scene because his fights are almost always very entertaining.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kento-Kanbe-147417">Kento Kanbe</a><br />
<br />
Kanbe was crowned as the Pancrase light flyweight champion this past year with a one-sided beating of Yukitaka Musashi. He needs to change divisions now since Pancrase adopted the unified weight classes. I'm looking forward to watching him face the champion in a different weight class.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PwdF6_Zf4BhcfDPMXaXwZdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yQaWDERvrQ4/VbUQZkiQqaI/AAAAAAAANcc/1bg0ANcRr2o/s400-Ic42/P1160437.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yoshitaka-Naito-110387">Yoshitaka Naito</a><br />
<br />
In 2015, Naito beat younger strawweight fighters like Ryuto Sawada, and I previously named Sawada as a fighter to watch out for. Naito is always looking for takedowns and ground and pound to set up submissions, and he engages in fun scrambles during fights. I hope he appears in a major promotion to help build a new division. He has the gimmick of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW_KuQOiPVw">Nobita</a>," which is derived from the famous manga character "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doraemon">Draemon</a>."<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jX527RuLdCcdoHrml_pVFtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cpMGfs-SsWw/U-Yxi0K5bYI/AAAAAAAALzE/IrKGXXmv8tw/s400-Ic42/P1110477.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mizuki-Inoue-71390">Mizuki Inoue</a><br />
<br />
Mizuki had a rough 2015 with a loss against Alexa Grasso and a difficult fight against Emi Fujino. She began 2016 with a win against Lacey Schuckman, but I hope that she improves her physical power and wrestling.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hayato-Suzuki-112221">Hayato Suzuki</a><br />
<br />
Suzuki is not well-known as a prospect because he fights for Grachan, which has a small fan base, but his win against Shooto ranker Yosuke Saruta definitely gave him recognition in the JMMA world. He was crowned as Grachan champ in September. I hope he will face other organizations' champions in order to further elevate his status.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ken-Asuka-129433">Ryohei "Ken Asuka" Kurosawa</a> and <a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryuto-Sawada-128781">Ryuto Sawada</a><br />
<br />
Kurosawa was knocked out by Junji Ito and Sawada was submitted by Yoshitaka Naito in 2015, but both are young and talented. Sawada is only 20 and Kurosawa is 22.<br />
<br />
<br />
Kanako Murata<br />
<br />
Murata has not yet debuted in MMA, but she is the first Japanese female athlete with such a high amateur status to convert to MMA. She had a wrestling <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myplUyG5PpE">match against Saori Yoshida</a> and almost won the match before losing it in the late stages. Of course, I don't know how well she can adapt to MMA, but I can't hide my anticipation.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-17557464910385279542016-01-06T02:44:00.000+09:002016-01-06T02:44:59.555+09:00Sneak Peek into the Reversal Gym Yokohama Ground Slam with Shuichiro Katsumura and Seiichiro ItoWhat best reminds you of Shuichiro Katsumura? His work at <a href="http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/1/In-Search-of-the-Real-Tiger-Mask-31947">Tohoku for earthquake charities</a>, or perhaps his Ninja Choke against Masakatsu Ueda?<br />
<br />
I will discuss another side of Katsumura today. He is also known for owning his gym, Ground Slam, where he has taught Michinori Tanaka. His teaching and cornering was highly valued by many fighters. Hideo Tokoro has had him in his corner and Michihiro Omigawa had Katsumura corner him for his UFC fight.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/to-VupyF0gHAa85II2ACk9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m0Ffh4HNSqU/Tj7Gz-nQ75I/AAAAAAAAEsM/o_CwWKnDcEA/s400-Ic42/P8068221.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
Katsumura did Shinici Kojima's corner<br />
<br />
I brought my anonymous customer to receive teaching from Katsumura. I had only offered Katsumura for teaching, but surprisingly there was another fighter at the gym who provided additional assistance. Katsumura's student, ZST flyweight Seiichiro Ito, arrived for personal training.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/v-IrdOtMd2YD_lYU9FqIptMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QEQCzP8l43g/VovtX-KW7hI/AAAAAAAAOQE/yCGwF-hCOZ0/s400-Ic42/P1170579.JPG" width="301" /></a><br />
Shuichiro Katsumura<br />
<br />
Katsumura said that he needed an assistant in order to demonstrate grappling, but he has many students, so my customer was very lucky to get to work with both a Shooto champ and ZST champ at the same time.<br />
<br />
Katsumura taught his Ninja Choke, which is hard to set up, and he showed my customer variations of how he sets up Ninja Chokes depending on the situation. He also demonstrated how to escape from mount as well.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UTIe4QhMzGaJHVZM9FxMiNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="301" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7Jp8lwdw8Hc/Vovthjm4ddI/AAAAAAAAOQM/oXBseuxnxaI/s400-Ic42/P1170582.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br />
Katsumura and Ito<br />
<br />
Katsumura's personal training costs 7000 yen per hour. He requires a translator for teaching people who do not speak Japanese.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0EZqRwy3d8BEwsgsSCzd_9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="301" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S0-xNkeg9aY/VovttulGXLI/AAAAAAAAOQc/ujJKesgqNmQ/s400-Ic42/P1170630.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to Shuichiro Katsumura, Seiichiro Ito and my anonymous customer. Also big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-52370149893446953482015-12-26T23:07:00.000+09:002015-12-26T23:07:25.875+09:00Sneak Peek into the Alliance Square with Katsunori KikunoHere is the continuation of my annual "Gym Sneak Peek" series. This time, the personal trainer is Katsunori Kikuno, an Okinawan Kenpo Karate fighter who currently competes for the UFC.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Q-AnYO7h09ulv7GRyLxar9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sE5RH7l5VDI/Vn56UZWOkrI/AAAAAAAAOFk/uKkJq2zHv20/s400-Ic42/P1170453.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Of course, some of his fans might ask, "Isn't he a Kyokushin Karate fighter?" Kikuno tries to maximize his striking damage like the "<a href="http://skillmma.blogspot.com/2009/10/one-shot-kill-aka-ichigeki.html">Ichigeki</a>" philosophy does now, which involves new karate, but Okinawa is where karate evolved and he learned from the oldest karate style.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5xAsuXpz-RI" width="480"></iframe><br />
Yamashiro teaching his karate with Kikuno
<br />
<br />
Kikuno was taught new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuki">tsuki</a> (strikes) by Yoshitomo Yamashiro, who is an Okinawan Kenpo Karate master. Kikuno's KO victories against Luiz Andrade I and Takafumi Ito were both created by his new tsuki.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0fuTy8igt2SMWQyt4EF1adMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q71mmJITv3k/Vn564M34ZoI/AAAAAAAAOGE/7UCT8oVBA9w/s400-Ic42/P1170477.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Kikuno taught my customer in a very friendly manner and he explained the details of his strikes. He demonstrated what he has done recently, but also taught his trademark crescent kick as well.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cUYRgijgw_fSUQJBIP-V8tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xRan7M4OWK8/Vn56fSdj_FI/AAAAAAAAOFs/q6L3HpdtPcw/s400-Ic42/P1170490.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
If you're a traditional martial arts fan, nothing is more fun than learning from Kikuno, who tries to adapt ancient skills to modern combat sports. He has not shown his tsuki KOs in the UFC yet, but I am one who enjoys something different in MMA and I'm waiting for that moment.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c23RNYSELyTxMSLL5NOya9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="301" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kAXo8Pu7B4E/Vn560lkeLLI/AAAAAAAAOF8/PNYtbokbdtk/s400-Ic42/P1170466.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br />
<br />
Learning from Kikuno costs 10,000 yen per hour. He requires a translator for teaching since explaining karate techniques in English can be quite difficult.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GwcFT25zdVBUh_UtUGndr9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8_go2SR_wo8/Uh80_YsJ7kI/AAAAAAAAJzo/uygr5juOpkA/s400-Ic42/P8050086.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to Katsunori Kikuno and my anonymous customer. Also big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-36277567340588007242015-11-09T23:08:00.000+09:002015-11-09T23:14:10.356+09:00Mitsuyo Maeda's biography tell us old world and old fight world relate to early MMA<div class="MsoNormal">
If Mitsuyo Maeda had not visited Brazil, MMA may not exist. If it did, it would be very different.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00CZ6ELOI/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B00CZ6ELOI&linkCode=as2&tag=skillmma-22" rel="nofollow"><img border="0" src="http://ws-fe.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00CZ6ELOI&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=JP&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=skillmma-22" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-jp.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=skillmma-22&l=as2&o=9&a=B00CZ6ELOI" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</div>
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"A
Lion's Dream (Conde Koma)" is the biography of Maeda. Written by Norio
Kouyama, this book was honored with the Shogakukan Non-Fiction Award.
Kouyama is not a martial arts specialist, so in this review of the book I
evaluate how much merit it has as a biography.</div>
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Jigoro
Kano was ambitious about education. He had dedicated himself to
developing judo in Japan, but at the same time he was known as an
educator. During this time, Japan was not valued as an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unequal_treaty">equal</a> by the
western world, and martial arts were regarded lightly because of western
culture and its guns. Martial arts were treated as strange samurai
tactics that were not useful (against guns) during the Meiji period in
Japan.</div>
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Kano
believed that education could change the perspective about martial arts
and of Japan itself. Therefore, he believed that he needed to expand
traditional martial arts by introducing them to the western world. He
dispatched many of his students around the world. Tsunejiro Tomita was
set to be dispatched, but he was already more than 40 years old and Kano
felt that he needed to recruit more of the younger active martial
artists for this task. Luckily for Maeda, his other mentors were sent to
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dai_Nippon_Butoku_Kai"> Butokukai</a> and he was able to travel abroad.<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BMPKlfiYobmRUNYGFowJbtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="300" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pyIRe_OV53g/T8lT-uGpzYI/AAAAAAAAGxI/mOMF8mJ1p_U/s400-Ic42/P5294713.JPG" width="400" /></a>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Butokukai Head Quarter </div>
<br />
Before
two judokas began the trip, one was recognized in America. That man was
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamashita_Yoshiaki">Yoshitsugu Yamashita</a>, who impressed Theodore Roosevelt with his judo.
Roosevelt wanted to bring a judo class to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Naval_Academy">Annapolis</a>, but Annapolis did
not like that idea. After further discussion, Yamashita was permitted to
compete at Annapolis. He fought a wrestler, Lieutenant Joseph Grant,
who was roughly 10 years younger than Yamashita. Grant stood 2.0 meters
tall and weighed 160kgs. Yamashita was 1.6 meters tall and weighed only
68kgs.</div>
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Yamashita
had already spent one year in the United States and he knew how
wrestlers fought. He countered Grant's forward movement with a throw and
immediately went for a rear-naked choke. Grant stood up to try to flip
Yamashita, but Yamashita secured an armbar when Grant used his left arm
to stand. Grant gave up the fight and that made Yamashita the new judo
coach at Annapolis.</div>
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Tomita
and Maeda arrived in New York and were invited to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy">West Point</a> due to
Yamashita's success at Annapolis. Maeda fought a school wrestling
champion who took top position early in the match. The audience believed
that that was the definition of victory, but Maeda rose to his feet and
threw the wrestler before submitting him with an armbar. The audience
still believed that the wrestler had won by pinfall.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Even
at his advanced age, the audience believed that Tomita was better than
Maeda since he was Maeda's mentor. As an athlete, Tomita was past his
prime, but West Point arranged for him to compete against an even better
fighter than Maeda had faced.</div>
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Tomita
lost that fight and that made his and Maeda's evaluations lower. This
is why Maeda went on to challenge many other martial arts fighters for
money and recognition. He made trips to many countries to challenge
other martial artists, and he understood judo's merits and faults
against various disciplines.</div>
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During
his breakdown of wrestling, Maeda noted that he would only accept
fights against clothed opponents. He felt that he would still defeat
unclothed wrestlers who were the same size as him, but he could lose to
heavier opponents simply due to a power disadvantage. He recommended the
Tsurikomigoshi technique against wrestlers because catching an arm
would benefit the judoka and also defend against an opponent's attacks
if a throw failed.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Maeda
broke down tactics for competing against a boxer as well. He tried to
challenge <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Johnson_%28boxer%29">Jack Johnson</a>, but Johnson refused to take part in a cross
martial arts battle. The author of "Conde Koma" points out that this was
similar to how proud Helio Gracie was when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Louis">Joe Louis</a> refused his
challenge.</div>
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Maeda's
foes were not billed as the strongest martial artists. Each one would
simply be presented to him as a boxing champion or a wrestling champion.
Maeda was confident that he could beat all of them, but there was a
level of respect from both sides and his opponents did not proclaim to
be "masters" at boxing or wrestling.</div>
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Maeda
gained fame among Japanese immigrants in the United States due to the
martial arts contests that he won. At the time, a movement had begun in
America <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_Act_of_1924">against Japanese immigrants</a>. Maeda was conscious of the respect
from immigrants and also of the social circumstances. He used the ring
name "Yamato Maeda" to encourage people and himself.</div>
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During
his trips all over world, Maeda spent time in some countries where
Japanese people had comfortable lives. Brazil was undeveloped compared
to America, but Maeda felt that there were still opportunities for
Japanese immigrants to thrive.</div>
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I
have omitted Maeda's time in Japan and in Brazil from this review
because that should be read if and when it is presented in book form.
"Conde Koma" is more about the social situations that Maeda faced and it
includes almost nothing about his relationship with the Gracies or his
education. Still, it is interesting because it explains how he
encountered cross martial arts fights and how his journey resembled that
of the early Gracies. It also educates newer MMA fans who are not
familiar with the lineage of martial arts.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/gvwOl2Q7E84?t=2m9s">Yoshizo Machida, who manages Maeda's grave, shows a copy of "Conde Koma."</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://skillmma.blogspot.jp/2009/11/judo-fly-to-wolrd-how-bjj-born.html">My other artcile about Judo's advance to the world</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-63815794548972557502015-09-23T23:31:00.000+09:002015-09-24T07:05:59.402+09:00Roxanne Modafferi interviewSome MMA fighters experience a career turnaround following a losing streak, and Roxanne Modafferi's resurgence was one of the most impressive to date. She once had a six-fight losing streak, and as I watched her fight for Valkyrie and Jewels, I worried along with other people about the coaching and training that she was receiving. Following a move to the United States, Modafferi drastically changed her MMA career after a stint on TUF 18 that included a submission win over Valerie Letourneau, who will challenge Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193. Since signing with Invicta FC, Modafferi has shown rapid improvement in the striking department.<br />
<br />
While asking her questions, I thought about the language barrier that she endured when learning MMA techniques in Japan. When explaining the nuances of a technique, coaches often use slang or abbreviations, which can be difficult to understand for people from other countries (I feel this often, too).<br />
<br />
I believe that Modafferi's knowledge of Japanese is better than 95% of foreign Japanese learners, but she still admits to a language barrier and that says a lot about the difficulties of learning MMA techniques in a second language.<br />
<br />
This is an interview with an MMA fighter who has trained in two countries and knows the difficulties of cultural differences. She has persevered through these struggles on the path to the happiest day in her career.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>When you began your career in Japan, there were no stable MMA organizations that could provide consistent fights for women outside of Japan. Many western female MMA fighters could not find enough fights in the early era and either retired or stayed in the sport for many years and fought way past their prime. You have had a long career and, after a tough losing streak, you seem to have now entered the prime of your career. How do you feel about the course of your career and how did you make it through the difficult situations?</b><br />
<br />
I feel that my career has been exciting and full of adventures. I trained very hard every night while working during the day. In the beginning, it was enough. Then MMA continued to evolve as a sport and my working full-time plus training became too much. I also had a hard time learning how to strike. I love grappling but struggled for a long time to do kickboxing effectively. I started on a losing streak. That changed once I decided to move back to America to fight full time, and I joined the gym <a href="http://syndicatemmavegas.com/">Syndicate MMA</a> in Vegas. I can't say that I regret moving back sooner because I loved my life in Japan. I'm still fighting and climbing my way to the top!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>While you were still in Japan, which fighter impressed you the most? Was it someone you fought or just someone who taught you something important?</b> <br />
<br />
When I was living in Japan, I looked up to K-Taro Nakamura because he could take everybody's back and choke them out. I eventually bought his book on RNC. He used to teach at Keishukai every Saturday. I learned the single leg back control from him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>During your TUF 18 elimination <a href="http://www.ufc.com/media/ufc-tuf-1801-modafferi-letourneau">fight against Valerie Letourneau</a>, you took her back and finished her with a rear-naked choke. I got the impression that what you learned at Wajyutsu Keishukai worked during the turning point in your career (taking the back and finishing with a rear-naked choke is a common move at that gym). Is that a technique that you learned from Wajyutsu Keishukai? If not, who taught you that move?</b><br />
<br />
It's true that I loved doing rear naked choke at Keishukai. However, I learned the move years ago way before moving to Japan so I forget who actually originally taught me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>You have shown rapid improvement in your striking since joining Syndicate MMA. You control distance, use a variety of combinations and have great elbow attacks now. How has <a href="https://twitter.com/bigwoodmma">John Wood</a> taught you these things and what convinced you to accept his teachings?</b> <br />
<br />
I'm an "audio" learner rather than visual, so that means I need someone to explain details of techniques to me, not just show me, or I can't understand. In Japanese, that was really difficult. Even though I did private mitt sessions with a trainer, I don't feel I advanced a lot. Syndicate owner and Coach John Wood has the ability to really explain striking to me and "train me" through repetition so I can understand. Knowing my learning style, I tried out his gym for a week, decided that he was the guy I could entrust with my new hope for my career. I said to him, not "I'd like to join your gym," but rather, "Will you be my coach?" Starting the next week, I've done extra mitt sessions every week for the last two years in addition to the well-run MMA classes. That's how I was able to improve so much.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>UFC does not currently have a 125-pound division. They only have 135 and 115. How do you feel about your division's absence in the UFC? Do you feel that Zuffa should add a 125 division?</b> <br />
<br />
I'm sad my weight class is not in the UFC. I hope it is soon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Invicta FC does have a 125-pound division and DEEP Jewels has also recently created that weight class as well. Of course, you want to challenge Invicta FC champion Barb Honchak, but how would you evaluate the DEEP Jewels 125-pound division? Did you watch champion Ji Yeon Kim's fight? Please provide your impression of her if so.</b> <br />
<br />
I haven't been able to easily watch Deep Jewels since I moved back to the U.S. I haven't seen Ji Yeon Kim. I remember last year seeing a few fights and being disappointed in some technique. That was due to my new perspective - I recognized a bunch of techniques the fighters didn't do that I had just learned at Syndicate. I found myself thinking, "if only they could train with me at Syndicate!" I think JMMA has been surpassed in certain ways.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>You are known for your hobbies: Anime, Manga, gaming, movies, music and so on. What are some of the current "hot things" in your hobbies?</b> <br />
<br />
I've been trying to catch up on old anime that I've fallen behind in, like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Piece">One Piece</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naruto">Naruto</a> and DBZ Kai. I've gotten into new ones like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Titan">Attack on Titan</a>. I'm SO excited that I can see the live-action movie during my Japan visit! I also try to study Japanese in my free time. Thanks to Skyping with my friend Goto-san and him correcting my Japanese blogs, I haven't lost my language skills.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Your nickname is Happy Warrior. What makes you the happiest? Fighting itself, conversations with coaches and training partners, interacting with fans, everyday life or something else?</b><br />
<br />
I try and look at everything in a positive light, and I try and find the good things about every situation. I appreciate everything. Talking to people makes me happy, training and challenging myself makes me happy, seeing other people smile makes me happy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Please share a message for your fans about your fighting career and future.</b> <br />
<br />
You may not realize it, but as my fans, you play a big part in my motivation and happiness. When you cheer for me, or send me an email or Tweet or Facebook message of encouragement, it inspires me to try harder if I'm feeling down or hurt or tired. I feel like my life has some more meaning than simply me fighting for fun. It makes me think that there's no way I can let the Happy Warrior retire any time soon! I still have so much more positivity to spread! I want to make friends with EVERYONE, and show that fighting can be an honorable athletic contest, not an angry brawl where someone enjoys inflicting pain on another.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hi9hrML1Z9p-ojsEWQsJ4dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Omtsc9Z2a-E/T1IvPi1hyjI/AAAAAAAAGLw/bOx8mOyjVC8/s400-Ic42/P3033014.JPG" width="300" /></a>
<br />
Roxanne Modafferi<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/roxyfighter">Roxanne Modafferi Official Twitter</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-44391620698098537272015-07-14T00:31:00.000+09:002015-08-17T06:35:21.091+09:00Breakdown of Hisaki Kato vs Joe Schilling at Bellator 139<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hisaki Kato was previously fighting for HEAT, which is a Japanese promotion based in Nagoya that is recognized as the top promotion in the region. Recently, the talent level in HEAT has increased. HEAT sent Kiichi Kunimoto to the UFC and Kunimoto built up a winning streak in the UFC that people never expected. I named Kato in <a href="http://skillmma.blogspot.com/2015_02_01_archive.html">this year’s list of Japanese MMA fighters to watch</a>, and after that Bellator picked him up. That was a pleasant surprise because HEAT isn’t well-recognized in the Western world. I think that the vicious outcome of Kato vs. Yuki Niimura convinced Bellator to sign him.<br />
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Hisaki Kato vs. Yuki Niimura </div>
<br />
I felt a bit nervous about Kato’s American debut, thinking about how my list can affect him being signed (I was the first person to give Kato attention in English). I mostly cover Japanese MMA in Tokyo, and therefore had not seen Kato compete outside of three local fight videos from Nagoya.<br />
<br />
Kato is a <a href="http://www.daidojuku.com/eng/about/index.html">Daidojuku</a> champion. Daidojuku is a martial art separated from Kyokushin Karate that was formed when Takashi Azuma added grappling elements to karate. Daidojuku uses “Super Safe,” which protects the head and face from damage. Therefore, Daidojuku fighters train at close range with barrages of strong strikes to stop opponents.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00DGN3ZNC/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&camp=247&creative=1211&creativeASIN=B00DGN3ZNC&linkCode=as2&tag=skillmma-22"><img border="0" src="http://ws-fe.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00DGN3ZNC&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=JP&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=skillmma-22" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-jp.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=skillmma-22&l=as2&o=9&a=B00DGN3ZNC" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Super Safe</div>
<br />
Kato said that he would not fight at Schilling’s length. Indeed, he did not.<br />
<br />
In round one, Kato did not fight in Schilling’s punching range. He avoided trading punches against the kickboxing champion and threw kicks while watching Schilling’s movement. One of Schilling’s most dangerous strikes is his counterpunch, and Kato’s reach is shorter. So Kato moved forward and used barrages of punches (I think that his Daidojuku background benefited him here) and then immediately worked for takedowns. That means that he never gave Schilling any time to throw a counter.<br />
<br />
Kato’s gym is known for BJJ. Alive produced Hatsu Hioki. Kato’s BJJ isn't on Hioki’s level, but he improved his position against Schilling who has less ground experience and ground-and-pounded him.<br />
<br />
When Schilling succeeded at standing up from mount, Kato threw a flurry of punches at close range until the bell rang. This means that he still never allowed Schilling to strike from his preferred punching length.<br />
<br />
The second round began and Schilling slowed down because of damage that he had incurred. He chose to attack with kicks. Schilling may have thought that kicking length was okay for him since he is a kickboxing champion, but Kato had not taken any damage and his faster speed allowed him to score a savage Superman punch KO from a distance.<br />
<br />
During the fight, Kato never allowed Schilling to fight at his preferred punching or kicking length. In close, Kato threw volume punches for a short time period and went for takedowns immediately after. At last, he landed the Superman punch from a long distance.<br />
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Finish scene</div>
<br />
In conclusion, MMA fighters are not obligated to trade strikes like they are in boxing or kickboxing, but they can still can sculpt fights with strikes that lead to savage KO wins like Kato did. Of course, Daidojuku and Kudo benefit Kato, and particularly when he is throwing close-range volume punches. I'm looking forward to seeing what he and his Daidojuku background can do in his next fight.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ku-do.com/eng/kudo/index.html">Kudo (Daidojuku) official website</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-75567431183660904922015-06-17T23:58:00.000+09:002015-11-09T23:13:53.529+09:00ReflectionFighters' trash talk before fights and ambitious comments afterwards are often easy subjects for media when creating articles. I don't think that's wrong, and I don't want MMA to become a sport where the loser gets more attention.<br />
<br />
Most fighters have losses on their records and there is nothing wrong with fighters having no words when they lose. They don't plan to lose, but I want to bring some attention to fighters who talk about and analyze their losses.<br />
<br />
Losing gives a sense of reflection to fighters and I feel that some fighters reflect with dignity rather than with ambition.<br />
<br />
I have heard losers talk about how they will erase their faults and/or evolve their strongpoints. These fighters' trial-and-error approach is a lot like MMA itself and its evolution, but this does not get the attention that it deserves.<br />
<br />
<br />
MMA is about violence, but I think that people underrate intelligence and the importance of reflection in MMA. I must point out that there are fighters who have a sense of reflection when winning, and not just after defeats.<br />
<br />
In Japan, fans and media refer to some fighters as philosophers. That does not mean that the fighter is similar to a true philosopher, but it does mean that opponents must watch out for his or her ability to reflect and adapt.<br />
<br />
Some fighters like Fedor Emelianenko and Lyoto Machida have fanatic supporters, but that does not mean that fans like them because they are mysterious. Fans see a sense of intelligence and reflection with dignity.<br />
<br />
<br />
When I form interview questions, there is always one common theme despite the fact that the questions are different. I ask fighters whether their training and game plans for fights actually work out in the fights themselves.<br />
<br />
With that question, I think that fighters generally show personality when answering, and that provides an interesting insight into their intelligence and reflection.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-86981890500704146892015-04-19T22:45:00.000+09:002015-04-19T22:46:21.670+09:00Breakdown of Donald Cerrone vs Eddie Alvarez at UFC 178What reminds you the most about Muay Thai use in MMA? I think the most remembered moment is when Anderson Silva broke Rich Franklin's nose at UFC 64. Back then, there were fighters who still didn't know about the Thai clinch.<br />
<br />
Today, no elite fighters are unaware of the Thai clinch, but Muay Thai is not only about clinching. Let's think about a fighter's style and how it incorporates Muay Thai.<br />
<br />
At UFC 178, Donald Cerrone faced Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event. Alvarez had a shorter reach and his striking style relied heavily on boxing. Therefore, he needed to step in and out when striking.<br />
<br />
Alvarez used that step-in movement well early on and he landed a high volume of punches in the clinch. He took the first round as a result, but don't forget that Cerrone had already started to punish Alvarez's body with knees.<br />
<br />
Since Alvarez had to step forward when punching because of his reach disadvantage, Cerrone's knees worked well as counters.<br />
<br />
In the second round, Cerrone's counterattacks with knees dealt more damage to Alvarez's body, and this damage left Alvarez unable to fight in the clinch.<br />
<br />
When clinches did happen, Cerrone's knees stopped Alvarez from dirty boxing. When fighting from a distance, Cerrone's low kicks hurt Alvarez's leg and that slowed him down.<br />
<br />
This made it easier for Cerrone to continuously attack Alvarez's leg. I also point out that Alvarez's step-in punches became ineffective with his leg damaged.<br />
<br />
This fight was largely about which fighting length was better for each fighter. The competition mostly took place at a short length, and Cerrone held an advantage due to body and leg damage that allowed him to win.<br />
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Cerrone talk about fight.<br />
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Muay Thai (and kickboxing) is about creating attacks from several different lengths and finding the most preferred and successful length in order to win a fight.<br />
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Cerrone's skill at doing this showed in his fight with Alvarez. He succeeded with Muay Thai without relying entirely on the Thai clinch, but rather by relying upon other important and lesser-known parts of Muay Thai.<br />
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<br />
We should think more about how fighters try to get better at using length and angles against each other.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-68436150641440133782015-02-19T00:39:00.000+09:002015-02-28T11:01:35.999+09:00Japanese MMA Fighters to Watch Out 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Here
is the 2015 edition of Fighters to Watch For. Michinori Tanaka and
Uruka Sasaki landed themselves a spot in a major organization (UFC) last
year. There is, of course, a few new faces this time around and we have
more fighters with clean records. How I evaluate is based upon who won
against whom, but if a specific performance convinced me, I’ve done a
more risky pick. I hope that, with this list, hardcore MMA fans will
take note of who are JMMA's up-and-comers.</div>
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<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fylInkYsQEm9owe1-4BhGdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4gLuJdP7egs/U_iyO3DqhcI/AAAAAAAAL5k/Ag_exThGPWM/s400/P1110830.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br /></div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuki-Motoya-66241">Yuki Motoya</a> <a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuki-Motoya-66241" target="_blank"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Motoya's
2014 was an active one and perfect for what he wanted. He avenged a
loss against Tatsumitsu Wada and won his first international fight
against former RFA champ Matt Manzanares. He used a variety of kicks to
make his movements harder to read and his front kicks stopped
Manzanares's pressure. Motoya is the most highly-touted rookie who
remains in local Japanese promotions and he will soon move on to fight
in a major organization.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111129664609548150250/DEEP62Impact?feat=embedwebsite#5871194423271607314"><img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Lx5uhCw4XEg/UXqsOJZbzBI/AAAAAAAAI5E/-mA8cAvUUQ4/s400/P4210144.JPG" width="300" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsumitsu-Wada-28152">Tatsumitsu Wada</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wada
lost his DEEP flyweight strap against Motoya this past year, but his
year-end performance against Ryuichi Miki defined him as a top-three
Japanese flyweight. Wada is known for his boxing skills and often
continuously jabs his opponents. Not only that, he avoided Miki's
strike-takedown combinations and finished Miki with a rear-naked choke.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GGA2xNQPRsBM5zYk7iG4MNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-CnjFKF8bml0/UUSOUtRf4NI/AAAAAAAAIpA/x9UL1-SDHSQ/s400/P3160154.JPG" width="300" /></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiromasa-Ogikubo-18883">Hiromasa Ogikubo</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ogikubo's
year was all about winning the VTJ flyweight tournament. He had a
competitive fight against Takeshi Kasugai, but after that he choked out
Kana Hyatt and showed positional grappling superiority against Czar
Sklavos. Ogikubo asked for a fight against Yuki Motoya, but his injury
prevented the fight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Koji-Ando-34270">Koji Ando</a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ando
signed with One FC and his wins against Rafael Nunes and Zorobabel
Moreira both ended with finishes but in different ways. He choked Nunes
and tapped him out, then fought a striking battle against the
huge-framed Moreira. Ando forced Zoro to fight passively after
pressuring him and, with Zoro’s mind weakened, Ando finished him with a
body shot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Taiyo-Nakahara-4784">Taiyo Nakahara</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nakahara's
2014 did not go well because he did not have an opportunity to fight.
He was supposed to face Honggang Yao, but the fight was scrapped because
Yao missed weight. When I think about Nakahara’s record and improvement
curve, he remains here on this list.</div>
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<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dFmeWTEGIlU" width="480"></iframe>
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Hisaki Kato vs Yuki Niimura <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hisaki-Kato-125695"></a>
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hisaki-Kato-125695"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hisaki-Kato-125695">Hisaki Kato</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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Kato
is not yet well-known, but he is the current HEAT middleweight champion
and also a Daidojuku champion. HEAT is a Nagoya-based organization, so I
haven't watched his fights yet, but from his record and quick finishing
times he should be seen as at least a top-three Japanese middleweight.
Another reason why I am interested in him is his Daidojuku skill. The
first Japanese fighter in the UFC was Minoki Ichihara and he had no
solution against Royce Gracie's grappling, but after all of these years
of MMA evolution, perhaps Daidojuku can contribute to major MMA's style
diversity? That's not a pure fighter evaluation, but I am interested in
him for such a reason, too.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/eAlc4D_9ou_f8F57ibgKQ9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="300" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-giESIXUGloo/T8lQVaCmo3I/AAAAAAAAGww/b3OSzySTIPE/s400/P5264460.JPG" width="400" /></a>
</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ayaka-Hamasaki-45332">Ayaka Hamasaki</a><a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ayaka-Hamasaki-45332" target="_blank"></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ayaka's
2014 was about testing herself in a new division. She dominated former
Jewels featherweight champ Naho Sugiyama in striking and on the ground,
then fought and defeated Mei Yamaguchi. We can expect that she will soon
fight in the U.S. since she did not participate in the DEEP Jewels
featherweight GP, which is being held in her new division.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/111129664609548150250/DEEPJEWELS5?feat=embedwebsite#6045574023981133186"><img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cpMGfs-SsWw/U-Yxi0K5bYI/AAAAAAAALzE/vPUgI-UxsLk/s400/P1110477.JPG" width="301" /></a>
</div>
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Mizuki-Inoue-71390">Mizuki Inoue</a> </div>
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Mizuki's
2014 did not go how she had wanted. She missed weight in the finals of
the DEEP Jewels lightweight GP and lost by DQ even though she submitted
Emi Tomimatsu. She avenged her “loss” against Tomimatsu in her next
fight to become Deep Jewels featherweight champion. Mizuki next fought
Karolina Kowalkiewicz at Invicta FC 9, but her precision striking was
not favored against Karolina's volume of strikes. She will begin 2015
against Alexa Grasso at Invicta FC 11. Mizuki is still only 20 years
old, but she needs to develop more physical strength to give her
precision striking more value.</div>
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<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sgupPLqcaus" width="480"></iframe> Kento Kanbe vs Suguru Hayakawa fight from 10:10<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kento-Kanbe-147417">Kento Kanbe</a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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Kanbe
may not be expected to be on this list because he is so early in his
career at 18 years old, but his dominance over opponents with his
grappling made me convinced that he needed to be included here. Kanbe
trains at Alliance Square and is a grappling-based prospect at the
moment. His strong point is obviously his ground game, but we know that
current fighters in major promotions can't rely too much upon grappling.
Alliance Square’s coach, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, knows how to build MMA
talent, so I think that Kanbe will develop considerable striking skills
but I don't know how far he can go. I think we will someday see him
challenge for a Pancrase title.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SSYNi42qvNUCOAVXfPHfD9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-v565gAX3yU4/VCbh-qazgvI/AAAAAAAAMNs/2-kbWyXB0HQ/s400/P1120141.JPG" width="301" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yvdgzVrC6oo" width="480"></iframe>Ryohei Kurosawa vs Tateo Iino
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ken-Asuka-129433">Ryohei “Ken Asuka” Kurosawa</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Kanbe
is Pancrase's lightest weight prospect. I don't know if he will fight
in the upper divisions in the future, but Shooto's lightest prospect is
Ryohei Kurosawa. His nickname, “Ken Asuka,” is from Karate Manga. His
style is karate, which he began training at age six, but what impressed
me most was his sprawl against the takedowns of Ryuto Sawada, who is a
top prospect.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Ando-174625">Tatsuya Ando</a><a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Ando-174625" target="_blank"></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ando's
career is too short yet, with only three fights so far, but he was a
top-three wrestler in college. In his third bout, he beat Takahiro
Ashida, who has 16 fights on his record and fought to a split decision
against Miguel Torres. It shows Ando’s potential and what kind of
athlete he is.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CwnuDOy_1A1Mme0lFLZNitMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3-EV7-ZkUuw/VCbh6KAxFJI/AAAAAAAAMNo/9YDg3Ve9SXM/s400/P1120126.JPG" width="301" /></a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3K1vhFhBAd4" width="480"></iframe> Ryuto Sawada vs Masayoshi Kato<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryuto-Sawada-128781">Ryuto Sawada</a><a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryuto-Sawada-128781" target="_blank"></a></div>
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Sawada
had a breakout performance after his loss against Kurosawa. He outpaced
and outwrestled Yuki Shojo for the entire fight and ground-and-pound
KOed him. That was surprising for me since Ryuto is small for Shooto’s
flyweight division. He displayed big KO power against Shojo, who only
had one prior TKO loss in his career. Sawada is expected to face
champion Yoshitaka Naito next year.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-22418563334634437372015-01-27T00:01:00.000+09:002015-01-28T02:57:04.007+09:00Patricio “Pitbull” Freire interviewPatricio “Pitbull” Freire is of course the Bellator MMA featherweight champion. He is known for his knockout power, but his last fight against Daniel Straus played out in an unexpected way. While Straus showed improvements in his striking and enjoyed a reach advantage, “Pitbull” displayed his superior skills on the ground and submitted Straus. I had expected the opposite from both fighters before the fight happened. Such a fight only happens when both fighters have drastically improved.<br />
<br />
We asked “Pitbull” about his fight against Straus and about other topics including comparisons to UFC fighters and his personality outside of the cage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Your fight against Straus was not a fight that I had expected beforehand. I thought that you would try to strike at close distances while Straus would try to take you down. Straus showed that his striking has improved, but did you expect that he would have improved that much?</b><br />
<br />
I stood up with him, but I was hit, hurt. Took some eye pokes, low blows, head butt. It rendered a bit of my performance. But he was very good, I can't take his merit away. I thought I won rounds 1 and 2, he won the third and the beginning of the fourth was his, but I submitted him. I knew he would be very tough, although I didn't expect to be knocked down, but it happens in the fight. We can be surprised, but I was very well trained and was able to react to reverse the situation, which was what I did.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Did you have a particular game plan for this fight? If so, how did it compare to the actual fight? If not, did you rely more upon what you train on a daily basis?</b><br />
<br />
Yes, I have an strategy for all the fighters on the weightclass. I watch all fighters not only from Bellator, but the UFC, WSOF, I know everybody. I may not know everyone's names, but I know their styles and the strategy to face them. Every fighter that can offer me any form of danger I know the antidote. In a fight everything can happen, but I know how to act and with Straus it wasn't different. I studied him for months. I didn't bring <a href="https://twitter.com/cptdasamericas">Eric Albarracin</a> (wrestling coach) to Natal just for show. Thank God I was able to bring the victory home. I was better than him on his best field and he was a worthy opponent at my biggest asset. It's been 4 years I wouldn't try to submit anyone, only get knock outs, and Straus was able to stand and strike with me the entire fight. There were a few different things I planned to do I ended up not doing, but I will strengthen those aspects of my game, practice them more and make automatic so I can show it in my next performances. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-You have shown considerable skill in grappling many times before, but because you often finish fights with huge knockouts, people have paid less attention to your grappling skills. You already showed your positional superiority against Straus in your first fight and also against Reis. This time, you submitted Straus, who won his Bellator title fight with grappling. Do you feel that your performance made a statement to the rest of the featherweight division?</b><br />
<br />
I think the Featherweight division can't misjudge the kind of fighter I am. I'm a well rounded fighter. When I don't see a need to take my opponent down and use my jiu jitsu I don't do it. If I can take care of business standing I'll do it. On the day I face problems and get hurt like it happened with Straus, the third round I couldn't see anything. My strategy was based on closing in on him, my corner told me to do it but I had the opportunity to take him down as well. Eric told me that any time I wanted to take him down I would, so that's what I did. The division has to be worried, I'm the world champion and it's natural for me to be a complete fighter.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="235" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3eN6TdBz-0E" width="420"></iframe>
<br />Patricio Pitbull Submits Daniel Straus
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> -Did you see Georgi Karakhanyan's performance against Bubba Jenkins? If so, what was your impression? What can we expect from a rematch between you and Georgi?</b><br />
<br />
I did. I thought it would be a tougher fight. He's a very tough opponent, very skilled on the stand up, has good transitions on the ground, his takedowns are ok. His ground game and takedowns were already good, but he improved on them a little bit. But I see myself as a much tougher fighter than him. I think I can take the fight wherever I want. If I want to stay standing I will do it, if I want to bring it to the ground I will do it. I don't see anyone in the weightclass able to beat me.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-You don't have an overly big frame for your weight class, but fighters like Frankie Edgar have gotten respect for fighting larger opponents. People rarely mention your frame disadvantage. How do you feel about it and how do you overcome it?</b><br />
<br />
There are very few fighters than can hit me. I have a very good footwork, my boxing is at a high level. The guys that hit me were Straus, a southpaw who's very tall, but was unable to hit me the first time we fought, and Curran who was able to hit me both fights. But I was in their faces the entire time. If you see my first and second rounds with Straus the rounds were back and forth. I know I'm small for the weightclass, but I see guys fighting at Flyweight who are taller than me, at Bantamweight too, Lightweight too, so it's not like I can choose. I feel my advantage at Featherweight is that I'm a compact guy, maybe I'm stronger than the other guys. They beat me in width, but they can't beat me in speed or footwork and specially in strength. That's my differential, I can nullify the difference in height and width with it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Bellator champions are always compared to UFC fighters. Of course, we can only imagine you versus UFC fighters for now, but how do you compare yourself with Aldo, Mendes, Edgar and McGregor?</b><br />
<br />
I didn't know much about McGregor. I haven't seen too many fights of him. I've watched him for a little bit more than one year, he's a guy that talks a lot and got a title shot. He beat some weak guys and was able to promote himself well. He has expressive wins against guys that aren't convincing, so I can't imagine how good he would be against a top guy. I would need to see him versus a Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, someone tougher in the weight class. But everyone in Brazil asks me how would a fight between me and Aldo be. I already said it would be a very tough fight, Aldo is a calm and composed fighter, such as I am, he defended his belt 7 times which creates an extra pressure. I made my first defense, was knocked down for the first time in my career, but I was able to overcome the situation. It's positive to me. I never lost faith, always kept my confidence high. Only God can tell who would win a fight between us if it was to happen some day. A lot of people compare me to Aldo, but I have my doubts if his kicks are stronger than mine. I see he's faster than me, but I think I'm stronger. It's a curious fight, I think both would go out very hurt and the one with the stronger spirit would prevail. I admire him as a fighter and a person, it's a fight that makes sense. And about the weight class in general, I know I can beat any man.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Conor McGregor is bringing a lot of attention to your weight class. How do you feel about his actual fighting skill and media tactics?</b><br />
<br />
He needs to be tested. After he's tested I'll say more about him. Let's watch him versus Aldo, which is a fight I don't think he'll be able to survive the first round. Only after this fight we'll be able to say something about him. He's shown he's got a good boxing, good distance, kicks on the right time and is slick, but he did all that with weak guys, so I can't say much. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Scott Coker becoming Bellator president may make a difference, but I thought during the Rebney era that Bellator failed to showcase non-American fighters’ personalities and relate them to the audience. How do you feel about how you are promoted by Bellator now (Coker) and then (Rebney)? Also, please tell me about your personality away from fighting. Which other sports do you like and which hobbies (music, movies, etc.) do you enjoy?</b><br />
<br />
I think it's normal for Bellator to give me more exposure now, I am the champion. The champion is the best of the weight class, so that's natural. I would bring a lot of attention because of my knock outs, 4 years knocking out a lot of people, so my performances would showcase me by themselves. Today I can have a bigger exposure, Bellator is in a good TV channel in Brazil, a good tv channel in the US, they can have good ratings and better fighters and starts. People that can bring, as Scott Coker said, the casual audience. That's what Bellator is doing and I'm very happy with it.<br />
<br />
And my hobbies, it's tough to say because I like to fight a lot. On my free time I like to train jiu jitsu, I'm going to start training Karate as well to loosen my mind a bit. But I like speed, I like cars, I like to run. I love to watch action movies, si-fi movies. There has to be a bit of lies (laughs), special effects, super powers, like Spider-Man, Thor, Iron-Man, among others.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-In Japan, Big Nog is major figure. In Brazil, he is known for supporting struggling Brazilian fighters. What has he meant to you? Has he been a teacher, supporter, idol, or a combination of all?</b><br />
<br />
Rodrigo is a combination of all of it. Specially a friend. I've seen him support a lot of people. I've spent 3 and a half years as part of Team Nogueira and one of the people I saw him help was my brother who was going for a tough time without fights and not making money, Rodrigo would give him money monthly, that's something I will never forget. I see him as an older brother, an idol, several things. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, he inspired generations. Rodrigo Minotauro is synonymous with guts, overcoming adversities, champion. I only have good things to say about him.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>-Please share a message for your fans about your fighting career and future.</b><br />
<br />
I use to say I don't have fans, I have friends. The people that follow my work and know of my dedication and my effort I'm able to be friends with. Fans to me are the people that root for you when you win and throws stones at you when you lose. So I don't have fans, I have friends. People that support me when I win and support me even more in the tough times. I use to create friendship with those people, I try to answer everyone on my fan page, instagram and twitter. I do it myself. I try to have friends and not fans, the word fan means a lot. We don't know who's a real fan or who's a fake. That fan that just supports you when you're winning you have to worry about. Specially in Brazil. The people support a lot who's the champion, but when you're in a tough spot they forget or criticize you. But there are those people who are truthful and to me they're not fans, they're friends.<br />
<br />
About my career, please support me as I keep trying to write my name on the sport's history. I'm here for any challenges, I will fight any man. I want people to talk about me as the best fighter to ever grace this sport.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/patriciopitbull">Patricio Freire Official Twitter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/patriciopitbull">Patricio Freire Official Facebook</a><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/MatheusDCAquino">Matheus Aquino</a> (<a href="http://fortmma.com/">Fort MMA</a>) for coordinate and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-30936883177528850712014-10-14T00:35:00.000+09:002014-10-14T00:35:41.008+09:00It Takes a MuscleDo you take note of what kind of shape a fighter has? I don’t mean whether they are ripped or soft, but rather how big their individual muscles are. Let me explain.
Satoru Kitaoka and Rin Nakai have common features for me. Both have small frames. They have a disadvantage in striking reach due to being smaller than the division's average size, but they develop huge muscles in their shorter arms in order to grapple and submit opponents. Kitaoka is best known for his guillotine and Nakai often attempts kimuras. Both do so because of their strong arms.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8IDg9M93_8cys2p_aUWTzdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-H5_YyW3_c00/U1_X6k2LM0I/AAAAAAAALWA/37aeC1e6wN0/s400/P1090484.JPG" width="301" /></a><br />
Satoru Kitaoka<br />
<br />
Of course, having a longer reach and bigger frame generally benefits a fighter, but when you watch fighters and guess how they build up their muscles, it makes MMA more interesting. Check out each fighter’s muscles because there is purpose and benefit to building up specific muscles in order to fit a fighter’s particular skill set.
Also, while Joe Stevenson is very similar to Satoru Kitaoka in facial resemblance, I would also point out that their muscular builds are very similar as well since each one’s top move is the guillotine.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-28686961257006336942014-08-20T02:26:00.000+09:002016-09-22T18:35:35.711+09:00DEEP 68 Impact to stream on international iPPV<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/deep-official">DEEP 68 Impact iPPV official purchase web</a><br />
<br />
DEEP 68 Impact iPPV offer biggest JMMA flyweight battle for <span class="st">late half of 2014. Yuki Motoya was not favorite when DEEP flyweight tournament which crown first DEEP flyweight champ. But he rapidly improve and won the belt.This tournament can watch stream when it happen and now upload to youtube.When he capture DEEP title, he is youngest fighter ever take DEEP belt.</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/B95zFLK8N2s" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
Yuki Motoya vs Akito Sakimura<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FE4mlrHRXB0" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
Yuki Motoya vsNaoyuki Kato<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/o3ga_bXuIfE" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
Yuki Motoya vs Akira Kibe<br />
<br />
Tatsumitsu Wada do not have attention at early stage of career.He have five losing streak till get first victory.But he change his career with his strike trainer Katsuhisa Tashiro.Tashiro, known by improve boxing for Yuki Kondo, Michihiro Omigawa HidehikoYoshida and many other MMA fighters.He did coach for Yoshida Dojo at that time. He had winning streak with improve strike skill but that was stopped by Bellator Veteran Hiroshi Nakamura.Nakamura succeed take down Wada and secure decision.After that fight he understand importance of sprawl. He succeed avoid Takafumi Otsuka's ground game.<br />
<br />
Wada and Motoya's first match ups hold at DEEP 63 Impact. Wada succeed taking top with Judo throws and leg trips.But Motoya succeed scrambles and make fight close.But Wada have enough position control to get unanimous decision.<br />
<br />
Both are known for striker but I interest how much Motoya can sprawl against Wada.Wada become more total fighter. At last fight Wada take down Haruo Ochi to avoid trade. At other side Motoya completely crushed Yoshiro Maeda at last fight. Maeda known for his inconsistency.But at that fight Motoya make it like not competitive fight.Maeda often suffer KO lose but during the strike fight he never look like dominate by opponent.That make Motoya's odds higher at before fight prediction.But I should remain the question about Motoya can solve his lose at positional grappling.<br />
<br />
This is most competitive and high level flyweight JMMA fight for later half of 2014.I can't convince myself who is winner cause both improve rapidly but let's confirm this big local fight with us. Japanese side already access major organization's match maker for prepare after the fight situation.<br />
<br />
DEEP 68 Impact will stream August 23 17:30 (Japanese time) Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-88427184454290968312014-08-06T22:52:00.000+09:002016-09-22T18:34:29.605+09:00DEEP Jewels 5 to stream on international iPPV<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/deep-jewels">DEEP Jewels 5 iPPV official purchase web</a><br />
<br />
DEEP Jewels hits ustream PPV again with two Invicta veteran.<br />
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Mizuki Inoue rematches Emi Tomimatsu. Mizuki Inoue missed weight at last match against Emi. Which was title fight. So I understand Mizuki don't win a belt if she win.But Mizuki can't score win even she submit Emi.Because of ruled as DQ lose.Of course I don't defend Mizuki missed the weight, but I don't like finish didn't define the fight.I personally think If Mizuki don't score finish, give Emi a decision nod is fair point of that situation.(I know it's not become fair anyway though.)<br />
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So I do think Emi don't like the fact do not win at actual fight and become champ.That's make this instant rematch.I hope Mizuki make weight and people more discuss about how to treat over weight fighter.<br />
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Ayaka Hamasaki will debut at 106, face former champ Naho Sugiyama is important fight for that days too.Curious how Ayaka's condition after surgery, which defines her future.<br />
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DEEP Jewels 5 will stream August 9 17:30 (Japanese time)<br />
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Mizuki InoueUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-57672224216006428462014-08-04T00:10:00.000+09:002015-05-27T02:03:13.353+09:00Japan will be getting a non-TUF new-format TV show from the UFCGong Kakutougi, which has authority in the Japanese MMA industry, published an article discussing the awaited Japanese UFC program. It includes speculation, but it also tells us a lot about what is planned for the new show in Japan.<br />
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The Japanese UFC TV show will be more of a documentary than a reality show because of terrestrial broadcasting that won't permit an extreme character-based show. As such, they won't use a "House" or have cameras chasing fighters. Because of that, the name of show won't be "TUF" and a new name remains to be announced.<br />
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Zuffa wants Vale Tudo Japan (VTJ) to run the event, and they want talent not only from Shooto but also from Pancrase and DEEP. DEEP's Shigeru Saeki has said that MMA becoming a major attraction again is completely beneficial to DEEP itself, and so he will cooperate with this TV program.<br />
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The show's format has four fighters competing in a league-style tournament with two leagues in total. The winners of the leagues will fight in the finale and the first season of the show will only include Japanese fighters.<br />
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I have made my personal list of fighters fit for the show's cast. The UFC uses age as an important factor, so I've used age (30 or younger) and cleaner records for the list, but those two factors do not always determine the best talent.<br />
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I want to see some veteran fighters on the show as well. My 145-pound list is very weak, so veterans and other fighters dropping down from 155 should make for a better list. I also think that selecting either 155 or 125 as the sole division for the show will result in a better competition.<br />
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155:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yusuke-Kasuya-63414">Yusuke Kasuya (Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Nobumitsu-Osawa-76953">Nobumitsu Osawa (Tsudanuma Dojo)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kazuki-Tokudome-26192">Kazuki Tokudome (Paraestra Hachioji)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuki-Kawana-53706">Yuki Kawana (Shinwa Total Combat)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Kota-Shimoishi-45947">Kota Shimoishi (BLOWS)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Akira-Okada-63782">Akira Okada (Kugayama Rascal)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takasuke-Kume-21731">Takasuke Kume (ALIVE)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tetsuya-Yamada-24901">Tetsuya Yamada (Shinwa Total Combat)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Chuji-Kato-75042">Chuji Kato (Reversal Gym Yokohama Groundslam)</a><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XrZw7ogLNmNdUysHPHrUfdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7-1FxhSxsZ0/Tu3724qmY9I/AAAAAAAAFoE/3NKEb3pmrnk/s400/PC181871.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
Yusuke Kasuya
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145:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yusuke-Yachi-44738">Yusuke Yachi (Krazy Bee)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Isao-Kobayashi-36680">Isao Kobayashi (Sakaguchi Dojo) </a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Akiyo-Nishiura-13085">Akiyo Nishiura (STGY)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryogo-Takahashi-84427">Ryogo Takahashi (Krazy Bee)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsuya-Ando-174625">Tatsuya Ando (Tribe Tokyo MMA)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuta-Sato-77324">Yuta Sato (Akimoto Dojo Jungle Junction)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yutaka-Saito-87378">Yutaka Saito (Paraestra Koiwa)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiroyuki-Oshiro-108157">Hiroyuki Oshiro (Vos Gym)</a><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pHmtVXMFySbGgVaOjbyhCdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--_qNWLknSo0/UJ_Efb6gmPI/AAAAAAAAHzA/dH49c0yFRMU/s400/PB110228.JPG" width="300" /></a>
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Yusuke Yachi
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135:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shintaro-Ishiwatari-15245">Shintaro Ishiwatari (Cave)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Teruto-Ishihara-78898">Teruto Ishihara (Chokushinkai)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Keita-Ishibashi-51273">Keita Ishibashi (Wajutsu Keishukai Duro)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takafumi-Otsuka-19056">Takafumi Otsuka (AACC)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Daichi-Takenaka-103287">Daichi Takenaka (Paraestra Izumi)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Ryo-Okada-97145">Ryo Okada (Paraestra Matsudo)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Go-Kashiwazaki-117145">Go Kashiwazaki (K-Place)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shoko-Sato-36683">Shoko Sato (Sakaguchi Dojo)</a><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9PrfGRtKpVfb1iayUvnRsdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zB_GTBYxVKo/U1PUDIrFI1I/AAAAAAAALQg/Youv9bqhfK0/s400/P1090023.JPG" width="301" /></a>
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Keita Ishibashi<br />
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125:<br />
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<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuki-Motoya-66241">Yuki Motoya (Club Barbarian Impact) (Can go straight to the UFC)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Tatsumitsu-Wada-28152">Tatsumitsu Wada (Yoshida Dojo)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hiromasa-Ogikubo-18883">Hiromasa Ogikubo (Paraestra Chiba)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yusaku-Nakamura-58956">Yusaku Nakamura (Alpha Male Japan)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Takeshi-Kasugai-49771">Takeshi Kasugai (Shimura Dojo)</a> <br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Hayato-Suzuki-112221">Hayato Suzuki (Brave)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yuya-Shibata-78899">Yuya Shibata (Style)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Seiichiro-Ito-105953">Seiichiro Ito (Reversal Gym Yokohama Groundslam)</a><br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wyrGQmdW8f19M34_PZVuh9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qTCV97iJCuY/U6eBicFe84I/AAAAAAAALhs/QvKlqSMMwOw/s400/P1100227.JPG" width="301" /></a>
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Yuki Motoya
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-72981057711067819412014-07-17T00:09:00.000+09:002014-07-24T02:58:42.297+09:00Breakdown of Josh Thomson vs Nate Diaz at UFC on FOX 7When Josh "The Punk" Thomson knocked out Nate Diaz last year, I was really moved by the content of the fight. It was a totally strategic fight. Recently, when Diaz has lost, it has normally only happened when he is forced to grapple from the bottom. Thomson did not go that route, and instead he chose to strike and knocked Diaz out. It reminded me how Thomson himself was knocked out during his first UFC run by Yves Edwards (and his high kick), but in the fight with Diaz, Thomson used Diaz's reflexes against him to land his own high kick.<br />
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Let me provide a breakdown of that fight.<br />
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At first, Diaz was aiming to brawl with his hands from a comfortable distance. What Thomson did to counter that was to avoid fighting from that distance. He either kicked from far away or used clinch work in close. Another key tactic was Thomson’s decision to change stances, which made Diaz's reflexes slower. That made Thomson’s attacks more varied and gave Diaz more to worry about.<br />
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Also, Thomson’s clinching and shots forced Diaz to sprawl and that made Diaz's reflexes slower as well. Thomson landed a variety of kicks and even punches to the knee. He tried to avoid being predictable, and because of that, it was harder for Diaz to predict and anticipate high kicks. All of these things confused Diaz. In the end, he could not figure out what was coming next and he was unable to react in time with his blocking hand before Thomson’s high kick landed.<br />
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When Thomson was asked to describe his fight with Tatsuya Kawajiri, a question was posed as to whether he had become frustrated by Kawajiri’s ability to control the action on the ground. Thomson answered that he did not feel that Kawajiri had frustrated him, but rather that Kawajiri had succeeded at executing his strategy and that he had not. That ultimately cost Thomson the fight. There was no "what if?" scenario about Thomson’s opponent or about the fight after it had ended.<br />
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Now, when I think about Thomson’s fight with Diaz, it reminds me of his answer to the question about the Kawajiri bout. Thomson built a strategy and he detailed the skills and techniques that he needed in order to knock Diaz out. Most of the time, a fight isn't going to go exactly how one fighter imagined, but Thomson’s strategic movement and his striking and grappling skills were executed perfectly against Diaz. Before the fight, Thomson really broke down what Diaz had to offer him and he prepared a great game plan. That, along with Thomson’s past fight history and veteran mentality, made me feel that this was the most enjoyable strategic fight in recent times.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="235" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/oMF5Nff3HVA" width="420"></iframe>
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My checkpoints during the watching of the fight:<br />
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Round 1:<br />
With 3:26 remaining, Thomson punches Diaz’s knee.<br />
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With 3:19 remaining, Thomson lands a high kick, but beforehand Diaz reacts to Thomson’s punch.<br />
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With 2:42 remaining, Thomson tries to initiate a clinch.<br />
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With 2:39 remaining, Thomson touches Diaz's arm and then lands a high kick (Diaz again reacts to Thomson’s hands).<br />
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With 1:33 remaining, Thomson tries strike when Diaz show back (which reminded me of how Edwards finished him). This indicates that he was not very worried about the risk of getting hit.<br />
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With 0:32 remaining, Thomson gets a takedown. With so little time left in the round, there was little risk of getting submitted.<br />
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Round 2:<br />
With 3:28 remaining, Diaz takes Thomson down. Thomson is only focused on getting back to his feet and he does so.<br />
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With 1:37 remaining, Thomson shows high kick movements and then goes to a clinch.<br />
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With 1:29 remaining, the final head kick lands. Diaz tries to react to Thomson's hands, but he ducks into Thomson's high kick and is finished with punches soon after.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Big thanks to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Robert Sargent </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> (<a href="http://www.mmarising.com/">MMA Rising</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">) for English editing.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034854647809835732.post-60492161537991652862014-07-05T01:33:00.000+09:002014-07-05T17:43:46.781+09:00Grandslam Way of the Cage get international IPPV<a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/grandslam-cage">Grandslam Way of the Cage iPPV official purchase page</a><br />
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2014 is somewhat new start for Japanese MMA. Gym's head start own event. Common thing for those event are give chance to young talent and fighter who known but had lose recently.For this event Hideo Tokoro try to restart after his controversial decision lose against Will Campuzano.After that decision Katsumura who was Tokoro's corner argue for Shooto commission. Yuki Nakai who did judge for that fight open his criteria .That is risky move for judges and authority but he take that risk.Katsumura feel sincere for his attitude and that make him Nakai do judge for his new event.Which is Grandslam "Way of the cage".Tokoro will face Victor Henry, who train at CSW.<br />
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UFC veteran Nam Phan will face Kenichi Ito for back to win column.Nam train Judo lately,so curious about what he can do at throw category.<br />
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Shunichi Shimizu who drop flyweight will fight against Yosuke Saruta.This fight show spirit of event.Fighter who fail at major drop to new division and fight against Shooto title challenger.He suffer lopsided lose at UFC, But if Shimizu claim great perform at local and make himself a champ, I will talk about his future foreign possibility.I'm just glad there is people give chance to him who want reclaim position.<br />
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At this event, there is new trial for audience.This Ustream iPPV is 800 yen for last 3 fights (Tokoro vs Henry, Nam vs Ito and Shimizu vs Saruta). That's mean <a href="http://www.sherdog.com/events/Grandslam-MMA-Way-of-the-Cage-38233">other fights</a> are free.So if you want test yourself watching Japanese local MMA live, this is your occasion.Of course it's local MMA and not major, but you can see "local" feel at here.If you want see last 3 fight, which is near major level card, you can pay to them for support their come back story."Way of the cage" start July 13 5:30PM (Japanese time).<br />
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<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Z6Kj9T-4HnbP2zapy-GF7tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l4IaXXZ_VCQ/UlCWpKuEi3I/AAAAAAAAKNg/1GD5X0XpPWo/s400/P1040595.JPG" width="301" /></a>
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Hideo TokoroUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0