In Miracle on 34th 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 30th 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
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