Fletch Blog: Michihiro Omigawa: The Fall and Rise

Published on MMA-Japan.com, February 16th 2011

No Cat No Life.

Not something many forum posters would expect to hear from me, but Ce la vie. It’s the famous tag line attributed to one of Japan’s and the world’s premier featherweights, Michihiro Omigawa.

On paper, Omigawa enjoyed perhaps the biggest reversal in fortunes ever seen in Mixed Martial Arts – barring Ken Shamrock whose port to starboard was in the opposite direction. Known for being an inconsistent lightweight in the UFC, Omigawa initially competed in America, earning a 4 wins, 7 losses ledger. Hardly the statistics of a champion. Omigawa duly slunk home in obscurity, and signed for World Victory Road’s rising org Sengoku as a featherweight. And under the glare of the Rising Sun, his stock rose with meteoric force, as an 8 wins 1 loss resume launched him into the consensus top 3 world rankings, at least of those media outlets uninterested in pandering to Zuffa LLC.

I did say ‘on paper’. My intense bias must shine forth momentarily, so indulge me. Omigawa’s famous 8-1 streak at featherweight is tarnished with the nature of the two biggest wins in it; the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix semi-final against Marlon Sandro, and the subsequent bout with Shooto king Hatsu Hioki. These two men make up two of my personal top three 145lbs fighters, along with Sandro’s teammate and sparring partner Jose Aldo Jr. While the semi-final was admittedly close (though I feel 60-40 is an accurate ratio in favour of Sandro) the Hioki fight was a consensus robbery. Perhaps the best grappler in the sport, Hioki also boasts a very competent stand-up game, with good kicks and dextrous boxing. He used all to comfortably outpoint Omigawa, only to be screwed over in a way J-MMA usually reserves for foreigners. I’m surprised Hioki didn’t get out his passport and wave it in the faces of the judges. “I’m fucking Japanese, kids. Give me my win!”

But regardless, there can be no denying that Omigawa is one of the most improved fighters of all time. After the Sandro fight, he drew Masanori Kanehara in the final, and dropped a split-decision – his only official loss in his featherweight rise up the ranks. He ended the Sandro fight with a submission attempt and some Ground’n’Pound, and either evaded or rode the heavy punches of the Brazilian. His Grand Prix final opponent wilted and was knocked unconscious by the same hands, 38seconds into his title defence against Sandro following the tournament. Omigawa used his boxing savvy to slip and evade the monstrous blows, and returned fire, landing often. After defecting from World Victory Road to Dream, he beat Hiroyuki Takaya in a battle of Featherweight Grand Prix finalists – a win that looks more impressive now given that Takaya rebounded with wins over Hellboy Hansen and then Bibiano Fernandez to claim the Dream title. Omigawa iced him. Close fights with Sandro and Hioki, and an otherwise 6-1 resume at 145lbs including a stoppage win over Takaya cannot be ignored. Omigawa is elite. He consistently displays strong boxing and an iron chin, to go along with his judo base and athleticism.

Omigawa fought in Dream, but despite beating the current Dream champion Hiroyuki Takaya via knockout, he never seemed to find his niche. He spent the run up to Dynamite calling out Lightweight champ Shinya Aoki, and was ostensibly frustrated with his handling by FEG. He was snapped up by the UFC, and while wrestler Chad Mendes managed to mete out a losing return to America for the Judoka, Omigawa showed his durability and doggedness, recovering from a second round knockdown to survive the fight. His judo base enabled him to throw off some of the takedown attempts, but he succumbed to enough of them to lose a handsome points decision. No ties to Yoshida could help him there.

I had said all along it was Japanophilic fantasy to rank Omigawa as the #2 or #3 featherweight in the world, at the expense of Sandro and Hioki. Paper wins over the pair disguise very thinly that the champions of Pancrase, and Sengoku and Shooto respectively, are the crème de la crème of Japan. But he is without question one of the very best, no doubt heading that category just behind the elite three, along with his conqueror Mendes, his former victim Takaya the Dream titlist, Bibiano Fernandez and perhaps Manny Gamburyan and Mike Thomas Brown. No doubt Miyata is rising through the ranks too, and Diego Nunes is hot on the heels of the elite.

One thing is for sure – the featherweight division is STACKED, both in world MMA and especially in Japan… and Omigawa is a very interesting component of the top end of the division. On his day, the FWGP finalist will cause anyone problems, and one hopes for rematches with Hioki and Sandro, not to mention a potential dream fight with Aldo while the pair ply their trade in America.

Look for Omigawa to become a solid addition to the USMMA featherweight scene, once he finds his feet across the Pacific. He lost his return, but reversals of fortune are old hat to the boy by now. He can come good.

Here is my Team Takeover ally’s highlight of Michihiro Omigawa. Copyright of Stuart Jones, a.k.a HelloJapan. Enjoy it, you filthy swine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mc7C78q1YI

Fletch

Fletch Blog: Rumina Sato Rocky Story

Published on MMA-Japan.com, January 15th 2011

In Miracle on 34^th Street, with Kris Kringle languishing in a lunatic asylum and New York in uproar, the head of Coe’s department store asked the public a simple question, on behalf of the children. “Do you believe”?

Kringle won. The belief of the people, and manipulations of an adept lawyer saved Christmas 1994, and carols were sung, presents were delivered, there was dancing in the streets. Mathilda got a new baby brother, and her mum got both a country mansion and marriage to the aforementioned lawyer. Such is the power of belief, at least in film.

Japanese Mixed Martial Arts has not been without its miracles too, in reality. Don Frye turned up at PRIDE 19 a physically bigger man than Ken Shamrock – if you doubt that’s a miracle, watch them both at UFC VIII, and get back to me. Shinya Aoki beat about seven guys in a row who Sherdoggers claimed would destroy, mutilate or kill him (the adjectives varied with the opponent). Igor finally lost, and then lost many times more. Hayato Sakurai, ditto and ditto. Fedor got slammed on his head by a black Hercules, and not only survived, but won the bout thirty seconds later. Rodrigo Nogueira fought CroCop and took more damage than the Soviet Union during World War II, yet still won by armbar. Mirko beat him harder than any top ranked fighter has the right to be beaten, and still couldn’t win. Minowaman beat a much, much bigger man, Hongman, and dusted off Sapp, Kimo, Gianto Sillllba and Frye while he was at it. Marlon Sandro lost. Miracles happen.

Well, what if Rumina Sato completed a Rocky story, and became world champion of the organisation he has notably stayed true to throughout his entire career?

The head of Roots gym really did set down his roots with Shooto. It is perhaps he – over even Matsune, Pequeno, Gomi and the rest – who comes to mind when one thinks of Japan’s oldest organisation of mixed rules fighting. He is to Shooto what Shamrock, Funaki and Suzuki are to Pancrase, what Rickson, Takada, Sakuraba, and later Wand, Fedor and Mirko were to Pride. What Aerts is to K-1; what Pudzilla is to KSW. His name is synonymous with the promotion, and will be inextricably linked forevermore until humankind meets its miserable, self-destructive end amongst nuclear flames and mushroom clouds (not counting John Connor and his mob).

Lets take a walk down memory lane, through the Shooto Champagne Supernova of Supersonic Sato’s exploits, successes and painful failures in his ceaseless quest to be The Man.

1999. The end of the Millennium. The year that Prince urged us all to Party Like It Was, until it actually was, and then we actually did. A-hem. Yes. Anyway, it would be this year that forever imprinted the name of Rumina “Moon Wolf” Sato in the history books of MMA and Shooto, when he squared off against Charles Taylor, a debutant American. In only six seconds (or five, depending on the source. Personally, I counted five seconds before the tap) Sato had clinched with Taylor, before suddenly leaping up and securing a flying armbar in mid-air. Dragging his foe down to the canvas with him, Sato secured a rather frantic tap out, and in one fell swoop had scored one of the greatest submissions AND quickest wins that MMA had ever, and will ever see.

It was magnificent.

While sherdog fightfinder newbies may know him as “the blonde Japanese guy who scored the flying armbar” – if they know him at all – true fans of the game, and Japanophiles worldwide would revere Sato not only for his famous armbar, but his exciting style in general. He is a true Shooto product – he even runs a Shooto gym in his native Odawara today, ‘Roots’, from which he has produced several Shooto prodigies, not least the current holder of Sato’s former Pacific Rim Lightweight title, Taiki Tsuchiya.

Sato was the first Japanese fighter to submit a Brazilian BJJ black belt, and the holder of a twelve fight unbeaten streak in the org that put him to the forefront of his divisional rankings between 1994-1998. Sato was, for at least fourteen years of his career, a huge win for anybody competing in Shooto, and even Japan itself. Such men as Caol Uno, Joachim Hansen, Takanori Gomi and “Pequeno” Nogueira took a huge step to carving out their own legend by beating the Moon Wolf, and it was in beating Sato that not only earned Uno the belt, but kept both Uno and Lion Takeshi champions, not to mention that beating him earned Hatsu Hioki his own title shot. Rumina Sato’s name was a stepping-stone to legend.

You may have sensed then, why this is a Rocky story. Moon Wolf is a gifted, exciting grappler, but he is 0-3 in Shooto world title fights. Wikipedia newbies may try to convince you otherwise, but sadly he did not lose the belt to Uno – it was a vacant belt up for grabs – Sato was never world champ. He lost twice to Uno for the welterweight strap, and once to lightweight champion Lion Takeshi… as well as Hioki in a recent (2008) fight for contendership to the lightweight title. But against such competition, it is understandable. And Tsukiookami did in fact win both the Japanese Amateur Shooto tournament in 1994, and eleven years later he would win professional honours and a title in Shooto, when his win over Makoto Ishikawa made him the first ever Shooto Pacific Rim Lightweight champion.

As with any veteran of the sport, physical decline against young lions is a feature of this tale. What could be more of a resounding message that a younger breed of fighter was coming through than the Hioki fight, coming on the heels of an unsuccessful challenge for Lion Takeshi’s world Lightweight title? Sato was and is a feared grappler, and the ease of which the then future Shooto and Sengoku champion grapple-raped him on the ground was frightening. The message was clear – a veteran of 1994 could not compete with and defeat the elite of 2008 and onwards. Ken Shamrock couldn’t beat Rich Franklin in 2005 (though his heel hook came close), and David ‘Tank’ Abbott couldn’t beat Kevin ‘Kimbo’ Ferguson in 2008, proving that even in the realm of unskilled brawlers, a changing of the guard was taking place. Sato looked to have no future at the top of his divisions in Shooto. He went from 23-8 win/loss to 24-14… and The Doors could be faintly heard over the Korakuen. This Is The End… dun dun dun, beautiful friend… the end.

Until Sato – former welterweight contender and Lightweight Pacific Rim champion – decided to compete at a catchweight, between Shooto’s lightweight and featherweight divisions. He drew Corey Grant at Vale Tudo Japan 2009. And he smashed him, three minutes into round 1. It snapped a four-fight losing streak.

And next up, on what was easily the most comparatively stacked MMA card of 2010, The Way of Shooto III: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon, came a super-fight for Sato with another legend of the org, Ryota Matsune; The Shooto Junkie.

Round 1 was superb. Hell, the entire card was fantastic, it was literally one of the only Shooto cards on which even a hardcore Japanophile would know every fighter on… because even they would be unfamiliar with at least some of the names on most events. But the May 30^th Way of Shooto III card was stacked. Lion/Hioki, Ueda/Tamura, Endo/Freire, plus Boku, Urishitani and Ishiwatari were on the card… along with two legends of Shooto squaring off; Rumina Sato versus Ryota Matsune.

Round 2 began. Matsune held a slate of 15 wins against only 1 loss in Shooto, and was a former champion to boot. Sato was hardly going in on a huge wave of momentum, but to say his opponent was ring rusty would be like saying the eruption of Krakatoa was “quite dangerous for those nearby”. And perhaps it showed, as Matsune made what in a near flawless career was a rare mistake – seconds into the second round, he shot in for a takedown, and met a sharp right knee to the jaw. Clearly stunned, he dropped back, and barely seemed to register the punch that followed as the referee swiftly dived in to save him.

Moon Wolf was back.

But where now? The win over Matsune is a huge win in the eyes of the Shooto commission. But it wasn’t at a set weight class. He didn’t get back a top ten rank – necessary in order to get a title shot. And despite the good standing a win over Matsune gives him, he is still in limbo with regards to an actual title shot at any weight.

At welterweight, Sato’s days are long numbered. At lightweight, the division is still ruled by Hioki, and the only person who believes Sato has a chance of beating Hatsu these days is probably the woman who gave birth to him. What could factor into his favour is the success that all-conquering Hioki is having in Sengoku. Isn’t it customary for Shooto champs to win big fights in more prominent orgs, and then leave? Move on for the big bucks? If Hioki gets offered the big money, this would clear a path. Yet even then, the man to whom Sato lost his last title shot still sits pretty in the top 3 rankings, Lion Takeshi. Would Sato’s protégé and current Pacific Rim lightweight champ Tsuchiya feature as an impediment in Sato’s title plans? So if Sato is too far back behind the pile, what about featherweight? Shuichiro Katsumura is due a defence. But could Sato manage to get one, just one more win before Katsumura finds himself defending against Ueda, Uyenoyama or Dantas? And does Sato have it in him to cut to a lower weight than he spent his career fighting at and still have enough left to beat the likes of Masakatsu Ueda?

Questions, questions. Time will tell. But I for one am not giving up on the idea of this dream coming to fruition. Win one for the vets, Rumina. Don’t go out without one last shot. I still believe in miracles. Do the Shooto commission? Do any of you?

Fletch

Fletch Blog: The Shooto Aftermath

Published on MMA-Japan.com, January 11th 2011

The Shootor's Legacy 1 event was held at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, as reported on MMA-Japan by Kris Hartrum, an event that saw the crowning of Yoshihiro Koyama as the new Pacific Rim champion at welterweight. As expected in the co-headlining bout, the Pacific Rim lightweight title-holder Taiki Tsuchiya was victorious too, smashing former King of the Cage champion Tony Hervey early and further consolidating his rank in the absence of the all-conquering world champion of the division. However, do not expect a forthcoming unification bout; Tsuchiya admitted after his fight that he had intended to challenge the mercurial Hatsu Hioki, but that after seeing him topple the monstrous Marlon Sandro at Sengoku’s Soul of Fight to claim another title, the Shooto contender and Asian champion did not feel confident in his chances of winning that particular match-up just yet.

How refreshingly honest. Don’t worry lad; if I were a featherweight, I wouldn’t be challenging a guy who just beat Sandro either… not to mention that he destroyed Tsuchiya’s mentor Rumina Sato prior to that, before comfortably bettering recent JMMA departure Michihiro Omigawa (even though the Sengoku judges felt otherwise), and the relieving Lion Takeshi of his Shooto strap. Tsuchiya is still relatively new to the sport, and has real promise; there will be time aplenty for him to take on The Child of Shooto somewhere down the road.

Right now, the 9-2 Pacific Rim lightweight champ would be crushed. He is riding the crest of a moderate wave, on a six-fight win streak, and the Shooto commission had best let him ride a Tsunami before throwing him to the current best featherweight in a country that rules the featherweight division.

Yoshihiro Koyama took the rematch in style to become the secondary – or Asian – champion of Shooto’s welterweight class, as he blitzed Shinji Sasaki in quick fashion. The first fight was a case of wrestling stifling catch style submission, but this time out the now 15-5 Koyama relied in his striking, dropping Sasaki with a stiff jab and finishing with a flurry of ground and pound. Quite a marked improvement, and a statement of his personal progression. Bizarrely enough though, the Pacific Rim title win actually halts a two-fight losing streak for Koyama, after an ill-advised venture up to Shooto’s middleweight division where he lost to Kotetsu Boku and Adam Lynn.

Former Shooto World Featherweight (132lbs) champion Masakatsu Ueda tore through an overmatched Ralph Acosta. Whether or not the win will earn Ueda an expected rematch with the man who toppled him, Shuichiro Katsumura, it is not known, but he certainly did not harm his case for title aspirations by demolishing the hapless Acosta with grapple-rape in round 1, and a D’Arce choke in the second.

“Krazy Bee” fighter Kotetsu Boku earned a unanimous decision over Yukinari Tamura, to keep his #1 ranking with the Shooto commission and keep him in line for a shot at his old Pacific Rim welterweight title, won on this card by a man he had previously beaten, Koyama. Yusuke Endo, the man with whom Boku lost his previous tilt at the Asian title, was also victorious on the Shootor’s Legacy 1 card, beating Daisuke Sugie by majority decision in an even fight. Endo beat Boku but then lost to Willamy Freire, in the oh-so-hectic Shooto welterweight division.

So what now for the notables from the Shootor’s Legacy 1 card:

WHAT NEXT:

Koyama: the new Shooto Pacific Rim welterweight champion will of course be looking at a shot at the world title. When Willamy Freire returns to action, having not fought since defeating Endo on the stacked May 30^th card, this would make a fine fight for Shooto world honours. If not? Fellow victor and recent Pacific Rim champ and world title challenger Yusuke Endo would be a fine opponent, as would fellow former Asian champion and also a victor on the card, Kotetsu Boku.

Tsuchiya: the Shooto Pacific Rim lightweight champion was under no illusions about his current ability to dethrone the Shooto world lightweight champion Hatsu Hioki. With that in mind, should Hioki hang onto his Shooto crown despite finding success in more prominent JMMA orgs, Taiki should be matched up with other ranked contenders, to build up another potential star. Five more fights, and who knows where he will be? Who knows where Hioki will be? Give Tsuchiya a fight with Lion Takeshi, see if he sinks or swims. Failing that, Moon Wolf; who wouldn’t love him to leapfrog back into the rankings and get closer to a title shot once Hioki inevitably moves on.

Endo: back in the winners’ circle, Endo was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the Shooto welterweight title proper back in May, when he lost to Willamy Freire (who has been inactive since, and was stripped). Both a fight with Koyama for the Pacific Rim belt, a rematch with Freire should he return in time, or a rematch with Kotetsu Boku.

Boku: the Krazy Bee man is back on form. Now on a four-fight win streak since his loss to Endo (whom he previously drew with) he is primed to either rematch Endo, or face another top 10 Shooto ranked opponent. For those thinking Endo would be ahead of Boku in the running to get a shot at either the world title or the Pacific Rim belt won by Koyama, think again; Boku actually holds the #1 ranking at the moment in Shooto’s welterweight top 10.

Ueda: He did himself no harm whatsoever with his dominance of Acosta. Either a shot for his old Shooto World Featherweight championship, or another fight against either a contender or another overmatched opponent should be next for Masakatsu-san. I would hope it would be the former.

Now all that remains is for this event to come online. Come on, internet savvy Japanophiles, lets have it.

Fletch

Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 1 Preview

Published on MMA-Japan.com, January 10th 2011

Fresh from the finals of the Rookie tournament, the Tokyo faithful will receive their first dose of Shooto in the New Year with the Shootor's Legacy 1 event to be held at the fabled Korakuen Hall. With ruthless efficiency, the card is to feature several opening round bouts for the upcoming 2011 Rookie tournament, as a new generation of potential Japanese stars in the making try to earn accolades that have been held by such notable modern MMA samurai as Tatsuya Kawajiri, Mizuto Hirota, Hiroyuki Takaya, Lion Takeshi and more; men who sit at the top table of Japanese Mixed Martial Arts; home grown champions and JMMA royalty.
A wise man once said to me that watching the Shooto Rookie tournaments was like watching the future of JMMA. Whether or not the 2011 tournament shall play host to fighters talented enough to hold up to the golden names of the past is yet to be seen, but the Odyssey begins tomorrow at the Korakuen, and only time will tell.
The opening round bouts at Shootor’s Legacy 1 will be as such:

Flyweight bout:

Hiroshi Osato vs. Takeshi Saito (123lbs)

Lightweight bout:
Kensuke Nakamura vs. Chuji Kato (143lbs)

Lightweight bout:

Takuya Ogura vs. Satoshi Kogure (132lbs)

Featherweight bout:
Shinichi Yoshioka vs. Hiroshi Nakamura (132lbs)

Headlining the card is a Shooto Pacific Rim Welterweight title fight, with former Rookie tournament alumni Shinji Sasaki and Yoshihiro Koyama scrapping it out in a rematch for Asian honours. The pair fought to a two-round decision during the 2006 Rookie tournament, and it was a case of wrestling defeating submission grappling, as Koyama stifled the catch-as-catch-can submission grappler Sasaki to earn a unanimous decision.

The rematch will be a turning point in either man’s career; with both the Pacific Rim AND world titles of Shooto vacant, the winner of this fight looks to benefit greatly given the void in the Shooto welterweight division. A Pacific Rim title would enhance the world title aspirations of either combatant, so expect fireworks in the main event.

Co-headline is a fight featuring the reigning Pacific Rim Lightweight (143lbs) champion. Taiki Tsuchiya holds the Asian divisional strap, and sits pretty in the #1 Shooto divisional rank, under the mercurial champion Hatsu Hioki  (in Shooto, champions are above and exempt from rankings). He faces former King of the Cage Lightweight champion Tony Hervey, who drops down to featherweight to compete against a prominent star in Shooto. Hervey was a promising fighter with a 10-4 win/loss ledger, but an entertaining scrap with top 2 lightweight great Takanori Gomi began a horrendous decline that left the American with four losses and one win in his last five bouts.

The fight will be a non-title affair, given that Hervey is (rather obviously) not ranked by Shooto – not least in his new division – but a win will regardless help tide Tsuchiya over until the recently all-conquering Shooto world champion Hatsu Hioki returns to defend his Shooto belt, having just relieved Pancrase and Sengoku champion Marlon Sandro of his Sengoku belt to add to his own collection. A win for Hervey, on the other hand, would pose interesting problems for the Shooto committee.

Former Pacific Rim welterweight champion and Rookie Tournament 2004 winner Yusuke Endo will look to rebound from his world title challenge loss to Willamy Freire in May, when he takes on Daisuke “Amazon” Sugie. On paper, it should be one for Endo to rebound with a consolidate his #3 rank, and perhaps challenge the winner of the main event for his old Pacific Rim belt. But while Sugie has a mixed record, he holds wins over several solid Shooto fighters, and he is by no means outgunned or completely overmatched.

The non-tournament bouts of the card (with fighter weights) in full are as follows:

Shooto Pacific Rim Welterweight title fight
Shinji Sasaki (154) vs. Yoshihiro Koyama (154)

Non title fight
Taiki Tsuchiya (143) vs. Tony Hervey (143)

Yusuke Endo (154) vs. Daisuke Sugie (154)
Masakatsu Ueda (132) vs. Ralph Acosta (130.5)
Kotetsu Boku (154) vs. Yukinari Tamura (154)
Toshimichi Akagi (123) vs. Shinichi Hanawa (123)
Koji Matsumoto (154) vs. Norio Tokuhisa (154)
Daisuke Hoshino (154) vs. Koji Nishioka (154)

Fletch

The Japanese Invade China Again!

Published on MMA-Japan.com, January 12th 2011

A JMMA event in China! Who would have thought!!!

The last time Japanese warriors crossed the Pacific and visited their western neighbours, they raped, pillaged and slaughtered for eight years, before events elsewhere in WWII dictated that it was time to leave China – as the vanquished. Now, the Deep boys are crossing the Pacific in peace to visit a Chinese province, where they will hold their event “Mayhem in Macau” on an undisclosed date in early 2011, a postponement from their original date of Saturday 8th January.  

This is welcome news. Japanese MMA – barring Pride – has always been notoriously xenophobic when it comes to the markets they aim to serve. Even Pride was not broadcast in Great Britain, Ireland nor many other major European countries and potential lucrative markets. And to this day, many Japanese orgs seem to have little interest in promoting their brand outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.

And now with FEG reportedly in such dire financial straits that it was heavily rumoured that K-1 Dynamite would be their last event featuring MMA bouts, it is absolutely imperative that other orgs step their game up. How ironic, then, that it is DEEP that takes the initiative; the same promotion criticised by some for being little more than a glorified feeder org for Dream.

God has a sense of humour…

Leading the Japanese charge into China will be the glorious DEEP Megaton division. Those men upwards of 100kg fight in this illustrious weight class, for a title only seconded by the magnificent Super Hulk. Of the Megaton taking a brief holiday across the East China Sea, first and foremost will be the champ, Yasuke Kawaguchi, who will defend the Megaton belt against hulking Kazuhisa Tazawa. No other fights have been officially announced as yet, though touted BJJ competitor Marcos Souza will reportedly make his MMA debut at the event. Other participants are rumoured to be Welterweight champ Yuya Shirai, Ryuta Sakurai, and Luiz Andrade.

Art of War are seemingly on hiatus, so there must be a clear market in the world’s most populous country and of course the largest economy. DEEP are stepping their game up; let us hope that more Japanese promotions can do the same.

Fletch

D.E.D IV: Knockouts, Bisping, Ricco and more!

Published in Yorkshire Evening Post, on LowKick.com, January 2011

With more punch than a high-school prom, more kick than a vodka mixer, and more grappling than a bouncer’s night at Birdcage, Yorkshire’s local MMA history was added to with the Dog Eat Dog IV: Leeds vs. Manchester event at Oceana nightclub in Leeds, promoted by Liam O’Neill and attended by none other than former UFC Heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez, and England’s own current UFC middleweight Michael “The Count” Bisping.

The crowd were not the unsophisticated idiots typical of regional American events, who boo when the fight hits the floor. As such, it was an enjoyable atmosphere, and all the local fighters on the card received the standard hometown support from an appreciative audience. Most notably was local boy Simeon Otley, who earned the respect of all, due to his dogged determination to absolutely not submit to any form of hold he may be caught in, during a draining 77kg semi-pro fight with grappler Steve Brinkman. Otley earned cheers just for completing round 1, in which he had to survive a nasty kimura, kneebar and then heel hook, all of which were locked in, all of which made him visibly wince and grimace in pain, but none of which made him tap. In the second round, after being caught flush in a fully extended and locked in armbar, the referee thankfully halted affairs before the inevitable bone break, and the fight goes down as a “technical submission loss”. There will be limb snaps in that boy’s future, if he doesn’t shore up his submission defence, or learn to submit, and live to fight another day! True Bushido, he earned a fan in me.

Mike Persil was fighting MMA bouts back when Julius Caesar was planning the Roman invasions of Britain, so he can be forgiven for his loss here. The 53yr old came up against a young prospect from the Wolfslair (MMA camp home to Bisping, Ricco and of course Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, not Hitler’s Eastern European Headquarters) and after being spun by a leg kick, he was topped and rear-naked-choked to defeat. No shame at all, and props on getting in there at such an athletically advanced age.

Greg Grimshaw defeated Sam Creasey by majority decision, in a 65kg catchweight fight ultimately dictated by the clinch work of Grimshaw. The mark of a Muay Thai stylist is use of knees and strikes on the inside from the clinch, as opposed to a takedown, and that was the deciding factor in this one.

Lucas Sharpe scored a kimura (or double-wrist-lock, to the catch enthusiasts out there) victory over Paul Robinson. The latter enjoyed hometown support, training out of True Spirit in Chapeltown, and buoyed on by it, his foe ultimately could not evade the grappling attentions of the local fighter. Robinson scored an early takedown, but a low blow halted proceedings, and the stoppage occurred shortly afterwards. Another takedown was swept and reversed, and after earning positional dominance, Sharpe secured the double-wristlock/kimura for the win.

In only 13 seconds, poor Zack Taylor took a punch after only 13 seconds of the fight, and his opponent hesitated to follow up on it, as he fell heavily. Fair play. This respite allowed Taylor to rise again to his feet, but facing the wrong way – he had absolutely no idea where he was. Quite a bizarre knockout, but hey, better than seeing someone tee-off on a barely conscious foe, or worse, an unconscious one.

Drew Renton won what may have been a mismatch, with a crushing KO over Daniel Malzk. Face-plants are always nice to see from a fight fan’s perspective, but I’d rather not see it after 20 or so seconds. Ah well – it added variety to the card, I guess…

And now… the fight of the night. Dun dun dunnnnnn…. Held under K-1 rules, a big boy with a big heart Alex Bratton took on late arriving fellow Super-Heavyweight Charlie Carter. I had the privilege of an exclusive pre-fight interview with Alex, in which I told him if it was a “proper K-1 super-heavyweight novelty fight”, they’d have put him in against a midget. He laughed – clearly he agreed. Gotta love the Japanese eh? Thus, I offered to step in when his opponent didn’t show. Sadly, he later did. Or rather not in fact, as they put on Fight of the Night, and I didn’t have to get my head kicked in. What am I saying?

To look at them, you’d see two guys well over six feet tall (I’d hazard a guess Alex is 6’3, not sure about Charlie) and both carried a certain amount of blubber. Anyone who has seen Japanese MMA, or K-1 (a Japanese organisation/sport. Japan loves giants) knows that generally, giants have around 2 or 3 minutes cardio, max. I was proved so very wrong. The epic slugfest went the distance, with Alex edging a tight third round with two awesome head kicks on his visibly exhausted opponent, and it was enough to score a split decision win. The place erupted.

“K-1” and “Super-Heavyweight” are words that usually produce prodigious amounts of WIN (a combination of entertainment and epicness), and putting the two together produced a spectacle that we all enjoyed. Even Alex, despite getting stitched up with “The Way to Amarillo” as his entrance theme (to his surprise) and of course, the rather fetching pair of pink shorts he wore.

Great fight. And the win couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Bratton really was a lovely lad.

By this point, Ricco Rodriguez had arrived. He sat right in front of me, and I couldn’t let the moment pass without weaselling in. Blatantly sucking up, I praised his status as a former UFC Heavyweight champion, and for having beaten prime Rodrigo Nogueira in Pride, only to be robbed by Japanese judges. Even though the ensuing ten minutes of conversation were not filmed, due to the potential for PR disaster, it was great to speak to him. His time for a beer swilling 22yr old “journalist” fanboy was even more impressive, considering that both he and Bisping were at an MMA event and thus had certain demands on their attentions, both from fans and with the fights themselves. What a great guy.

The semi-pro Welterweight title fight changed hands, with Leeds local boy Adam Kahn. Shame, he’s a good guy, training out of True Spirit (where Liam O’Neill trains) but the grappling of challenger Sam Ferguson was too much. Kahn did well to survive a double-wristlock/kimura cum keylock attempt, but soon fell prey to an armbar transition that led to a rear-naked-choke. No shame at all, he came up against a decent grappler, so Ce la vie.

Co-main event was due to be Golden Glory Pattaya fighter Kuljit Degan, against Lincoln Kyle in a professional MMA rules Super-Heavyweight bout. According to my post-fight – or rather, post-non-event – interview with Kuljit, the veteran San Shou fighter had been called out on Facebook, and there was a certain degree of bad blood leading in. However, the southerner Kyle was “unable to attend the event”, and according to Degan he “even refused a train ride north, paid for by the promoters”.

Cheer up Kuljit. At least you get to train with some of the best K-1 kickboxers and MMA fighters in the world, such as Stefan “Blitz” Leko, Sergei Kharitonov, Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki… the only exception being recent K-1 Grand Prix champion Alistair Overeem, according to Degan. How epic is that?

And finally, the main event. The one that drew a UFC champ and a Cage Rage champ to the event in the first place; Wolsflair’s Lee ‘Leeroy’ Barnes versus Danny Welsh at 77kg, or 170lbs as the Americans would call it. Welterweight, at any rate.

It didn’t last long. Despite an early leg kick, Welsh showed absolutely no sign that he could deal with Barnes’ in the grappling realm. After the low kick, he was backed up to the cage, taken down, and thenceforth ground’n’pounded to defeat. It was an impressive display from Barnes, who has a star-studded cast to train with, and should be considered a prospect because of it.

All in all, it was a great night. Props to Liam O’Neill, who took another step towards his goal of being the Sakakibara of Yorkshire. Please, don’t use “Dana White” as a great promoter… please.

Props to Ricco, and to Bisping for arriving; Ricco for being gracious enough to actually appear pleased to be speaking to me on numerous occasions, and Bisping for having to deal with not having a moment’s peace to enjoy his time there!

I look forward to D.E.D V. This one was a success.

It was emotional.

The Japanese Invade China Again!

Published on various sites, December 2010



A JMMA event in China! Who would have thought!!!

The last time Japanese warriors crossed the Pacific and visited their western neighbours, they raped, pillaged and slaughtered for eight years, before events elsewhere in WWII dictated that it was time to leave China – as the vanquished. Now, the Deep boys are crossing the Pacific in peace to visit a Chinese province, where they will hold their event “Mayhem in Macau” on Saturday 8th January.

This is welcome news. Japanese MMA – barring Pride – has always been notoriously xenophobic when it comes to the markets they aim to serve. Even Pride was not broadcast in Great Britain, Ireland nor many other major European countries and potential lucrative markets. And to this day, many Japanese orgs seem to have little interest in promoting their brand outside of the Land of the Rising Sun.

And now with FEG reportedly in such dire financial straits that it is heavily rumoured that K-1 Dynamite will be their last event, it is absolutely imperative that other orgs step their game up. How ironic, then, that it is DEEP that takes the initiative; the same promotion criticised by some for being little more than a glorified feeder org for Dream.

God has a sense of humour…

Leading the Japanese charge into China will be the glorious DEEP Megaton division. Those men upwards of 100kg fight in this illustrious weight class, for a title only seconded by the magnificent Super Hulk. Of the Megaton taking a brief holiday across the East China Sea, first and foremost will be the champ, Yasuke Kawaguchi, who will defend the Megaton belt against hulking Kazuhisa Tazawa. No other fights have been officially announced as yet, though touted BJJ competitor Marcos Souza will make his MMA debut at the event. Other participants are rumoured to be Welterweight champ Yuya Shirai, Ryuta Sakurai, and Luiz Andrade.

Art of War are seemingly on hiatus, so there must be a clear market in the world’s most populous country and of course the largest economy. DEEP are stepping their game up; let us hope that more Japanese promotions can do the same.