Ronda Rousey interview

I interview Ronda Rousey who is MMA prospect and Olympic Bronze medalist at Beijing.I interview about how elite Judoka adapt MMA, what Judo skill is useful for MMA and how she want build herself as a fighter.

- You started in MMA with influence from your mother and you have referred to MMA as “old judo” where there’s more focus on ground skills. Today’s judo rules limit ground techniques and the morote gari (double-leg takedown). What is your opinion on the rule changes in judo and what advice would you give to other judokas who are interested in competing in MMA?

I absolutely hate the new rule changes in judo. I think it entirely favors the Japanese style of fighting and makes it a less realistic fighting sport. If the rules in judo continue to be influenced by politics, I see a steady decline happening for what really is a beautiful sport and martial art.


- You often prefer osotogari and harai goshi throws in MMA, which allow you to land in side control. Are there any other judo techniques that you would recommend for use in MMA?

Foot sweeps, which I wasn’t a huge fan of in Olympic Judo, are extremely effective and underutilized in MMA. I’ve actually used them a few times in fights, but it’s very subtle and hard to notice.


- All of your fights so far have ended very quickly by submission. I am curious how you will perform in a tougher fight. What can we expect to see from you if you have a longer fight? Positional dominance, striking skills or will you just try to finish the fight in any way that you can?

I just try to finish fights in any way I can. Improvising is a talent I am lucky to have, and whatever I see, I try. It’s hard to predict what will come to mind in a fight, and I think that’s what makes me a difficult opponent to prepare for.

- Cris Cyborg is the Strikeforce champion in your weight class and you have said that you believe that Cuban judokas are better athletes than she is. I think this is true. If other Olympic medalists in judo come over to MMA, what do they need to do to make the transition easier?

If judoka want to be successful in MMA, they have to focus on their ground game and transition from standing to ground. If you want to succeed in MMA with a grappling style, like judo, you have to be completely well-rounded and be able to finish fights on the ground.


- How have you fused and balanced your judo skills with the other skills that you need in MMA? Have you added bits of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to your judo or do you find that you are using BJJ most often now?

I see no big difference between BJJ and judo. When people compliment me on my BJJ, I tell them I am a BJJ white belt, because it’s true. I believe BJJ and judo are the same sport with different emphasis. BJJ is 20% standing and 80% on the ground, whereas judo is 80% standing and 20% on the ground. It’s all the same to me.

- Which fighter’s style had the biggest influence on you when you moved from judo to MMA? Perhaps Karo Parisyan or Rick Hawn?

Actually, Fedor is the fighter I try to emulate the most. I study his videos and try to be just as explosive and just as smooth transitioning from standing to ground.


- How much of an effect does the discipline of judo have on you in life and in fighting?

Judo taught me that I am capable of anything. No matter how favored my opponent is to win, or how injured or sick I could be, I can mentally push past anything and be victorious. My mom used to always tell me, “No one has the right to beat you.” I never would have learned that if it wasn’t for judo.


- You will face Julia Budd for Strikeforce on November 18. She is a good striker. Please provide your thoughts on the fight and list what you think is key to victory.

I think the key to victory will be to force her to play my game, which is in the clinch and on the ground. I am used to fighting people who try to keep me at a distance and only strike with me, whereas she has never faced anyone like me before. One advantage to having so little cage time is that my opponents don’t really know that much about me. I am sure I will be much more prepared than she will.


- How much longer do you think you will compete until you are ready to fight for a championship?

I would like to have 6 or so pro fights before I make a run for the 145lbs title. The thing is, a fight against Cris would be the most important of my career, and though I know I am capable of winning that fight today, I want to be at my absolute peak, as I would for an Olympic Games, when that fight happens.

People forget I have only been doing MMA for one year and have only a little over 3 minutes of experience in the cage. I am improving every day and still feel like I can keep getting better. When my management and coaches say it’s time, we’ll take the fight.


- Please leave a message for the fans, both the English-speaking and in Japan, about your fighting career and future.

Well…here’s a quote from Will Rogers: “Women are not the weak, frail little flowers that they are advertised. There has never been anything invented yet, including war, that a man would enter into, that a woman wouldn’t, too."

And here’s a quote from me: DEMAND WOMEN’S MMA!

Ronda Rousey Official Web

Ronda Rousey Official twitter 

Big thanks to Robert Sargent  (MMA Rising) for interview arrangement and English editing.

Marloes Coenen interview

I interview former Strikeforce women's bantam weight champion Marloes Coenen .Who will be fighting for BlackEye promotion.I interview about a history and future of female MMA, how she thinks about a being a pro with getting money and how to make recognition for female MMA.


Marloes Coenen


- I was reminded of the ReMix World Cup from 2000 when you won your Strikeforce title last year. It was the first big tournament in women’s MMA history, and after ten years of ups and downs in your career, you won the Strikeforce belt. Women’s MMA began as a niche interest, but it has come a long way. What are your thoughts on that? Is it nostalgic to think back to the ReMix tournament?

Yes! It definitely is. About a week prior to the tournament, I visited Japan for the first time in my life and had my first professional fight (after only two amateur Shooto fights). It was unexpected. I was busy with a different life and just started University in Rotterdam. Looking back at it, it feels to me that the universe was telling me something. Showing me a different life path.

I never thought of myself as a fighter. That was not how I was brought up. My mom is a strong person and the mother of my father is an truly brave and unique woman…but fighting? That  was sooooo not an option for a girl like me! And now 10 years later I'm a professional cage fighter…


- You were released from Strikeforce this year and could not get a new contract. My understanding is that you could not agree on financial terms. Strikeforce paid some female fighters better than Zuffa pays some of its male champions. As someone who is seen as a leader in women’s MMA, what is your opinion of the current situation for women who are trying to make a living as professional fighters? What can be done to make things better?

We need good role models to attract a big audience. I firmly believe we can empower, intrigue and entertain so many women. And if they tune in to watch us fight, the big sponsors will follow. Maybe we need a female-only organisation and broadcast that on TV. L'Oreal would more likely sponsor that than a UFC-only show with heavy metal music and a rough and tough male vibe.


- Female fighters in MMA do not receive the same amount of recognition that male fighters do. What needs to change in order to increase the popularity of women’s MMA? Better athletes or more advertising? Is it better to have recognition for the sport (of MMA) or as an individual?

Gina Carano proved that a single woman can do a lot for the sport. Like I said above, good role models are needed. A variety of girls. What I see now is that a lot of girls are trying to be the pin-up girl. Some take it, in my opinion, too far, though it does work with the male audience. Then on the other end, others don't understand at all that they are not just an athlete. It's hard to find the right mixture.

A second thing that can enhance our recognition is when famous male fighters publicly endorse females in MMA. Because their fans will listen to them, and in that way the audience can be educated. If a Nick Diaz commentates on a female fight for instance, and tells why it's a good fight, a lot of people will be influenced positively. I know, from talking with a lot of famous male fighters, that they are positive about women in the sport. They respect us big time because they know what it takes. Only be a bit more vocal about it, please. ;)


- Until recently, women often did not compete with the same rules as male fighters do and it was difficult to fight the best opponents without changing weight classes. Now the talent pool is growing and the rules are usually the same. You have fought under many different rules in your career. What is your opinion on the current rule set in MMA? What improvements could be made?

Keep it the same. We need to get the same amount of respect as the guys so we should fight under the same rules.  The term 'WMMA' annoys the hell out of me. When I started fighting it was called MMA, and now since a year or two I'm doing WMMA? Nothing has changed on my side. I use the same techniques, the same round times and fight under the same rules. The added 'W' is only there to separate…but why? It has no function whatsoever.


- You are known for finishing fights with submissions from the bottom. This can sometimes be risky, though, depending on the rules and if fighters can strike to the face on the ground. Especially with elbows. Do you have particular strategies when trying for submissions from the bottom? Also, do you think that the Unified Rules make it so that you need to try to have top position more often?

It's quite simple…there are a lot of techniques that you can do from the bottom. Of course I prefer the top position, but you should be able to finish a fight from every position.


- You recently appeared on a sports variety show on Japanese TV and also attended a Shooto event as well. How was your latest trip to Japan? What else did you do besides the TV appearance and Shooto?

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE Japan! I missed it so much!! We went to DREAM & Shooto and ate at my Japanese brother Taro Obata’s. His wife Chica made Okonomiyaki for me and Kawasaki-san joined us for dinner, too. I was lucky to meet Takashima-san, who's my Japanese father, at the Shooto show. And Shinobu was there, too. She's my Japanese sister. Believe it or not!

Of course I did some shopping! Gifts…I was lucky to buy my Shu Uemura makeup at the airport. And I ate all my favourite Japanese food: sushi (I tried whale, too), tako yaki, Imagawayaki and Okonomiyaki. My trainer Martijn wants to eat Korean BBQ all the time so we eat that a lot, too! Then I had to fly back to Kansas, where I was staying.


- This summer, you announced that you would be fighting for BlackEye Promotions. Who are some fighters that you hope to face in the United States in 2012?

There are a lot of great female athletes in the States that I am interested in facing in 2012. Two rematches are on my list: Tate and Cyborg!


- Please leave a message for the fans, both the English-speaking and in Japan, about your fighting career and future.

I would like to thank the Japanese people for the life-changing experience that your country gave me. I look forward to training hard and getting into the cage soon! If you are interested in my journey, please follow me on Twitter @marloescoenen. And don't forget to vote for me in the Fighters Only Awards (I'm nominated 2x!)! The voting will end soon! Stay strong! :)

Marloes Coenen Official Facebook

Big thanks to Robert Sargent  (MMA Rising) for interview arrangement and English editing.

Bruce Lee fan bring Shooto to America

The early UFC era's unsporting, duel-type fights bred animosity between MMA and many country's political structure. Many states banned MMA, beginning the early struggles and the Dark Ages of MMA in North America.

In the same era, Japanese MMA organization Shooto started MMA with idealized goals. They defined international and regional commissions, and an amateur system which is still very ahead of its time. American promoters such as Jeff Osborne started promoting Shooto stateside, largely because they felt they needed to change the American public view of MMA.

Yorinaga Nakamura was charmed by the trailer for Bruce Lee's Game of Death, when he went to see Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the theatre. Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do said that any and all offense which is effective is encouraged in combat. Therefore, he very much liked the idea of Shooto founder Satoru Sayama, which offered this same structure.


Yorinaga Nakamura

Nakamura joined Sayama's Super Tiger Gym in the pre-Shooting era, and won a championship at 145 pounds. But, Nakamura badly wanted to be Bruce Lee, so like his idol, he went to America. He bulked up to around 200 pounds, so he could deal with larger American foes, and then moved to the United States.

Lee had a heritage in America by this time, through his student Dan Inosanto. Inosanto continued to teach Lee's Jeet Kune Do at his academy in Los Angeles, so Nakamura joined and studied under Inosanto. However, the teacher was also interested in his student's experience with Shooto, as Jeet Kune Do stresses a philosophy of accepting any and all effective martial arts.

One of Nakamura's student was Erik Paulson, who learned many martial arts, including Shooto, where he would go on to become a world champion. His gym, CSW, continues to teach Shooto techniques that many are unaware of.

Erik Paulson talks about his mixture of training experiences.

Paulson is the head trainer of Brock Lesnar and Josh Barnett. So his Shooto, Japanese and English submmision wrestling knowledge remain relevant in elite fighter's skillsets in current MMA.

Trainer Greg Nelson talks about Dan Inosanto, Yorinaga Nakamura and Erik Paulson.

Erik Paulson had student named Greg Nelson, who experienced many martial arts too. Nelson would go on to found The Academy in Minnesota, a gym including Sean Sherk, Nik Lentz, Jacob Volkmann, Cole Konrad and others.

Satoru Sayama's Shooto and Japanese submmision wrestling exported United States by Yorinaga Nakamura has conciously and unconciously impacted many fighters, right through to the contemporary era of MMA.

So, a Japanese child, charmed by Hong Kong martial arts movies was the bridge for Shooto to move to the United States, all reinforced by the Jeet Kune Do (and MMA) mentality to accept any martial arts.

Yorinaga Nakamura is still teaching Jeet Kune Do in the United States, while Dan Inosanto is still interested in adding new skills to his own, which has led to him learning jiu-jitsu under the Machado brothers.

We can find Jeet Kune Do fighters, sometimes even in major MMA organizations. UFC veteran and Bellator welterweight Ben Saunders, for instance, still proclaims himself to be a Jeet Kune Do fighter.

If we judge from Lee's movies, it's a little too far from MMA, so people might be quick to laugh or mock the idea. However, it is Lee's philosophy that helped pave the way for so many new skills and techniques to make their way to America.

Yorinaga "Yori" Nakamura show his Shooto skill.

Big thanks to Jordan Breen (Sherdog) for English editing.

Fetish in MMA

There are people out there who are obsessed with the martial arts. For those who practice MMA, they of course train in several different martial arts disciplines. Therefore, it is the tendency of onlookers to find the "backbone" discipline of MMA fighters, which leads them to favor particular techniques and fighters, based upon that discipline.

This practice disrupts proper discussion in analyzing MMA, as people often develop unbalanced opinions when discussing a fighter's backbone. MMA has absorbed many different martial arts, but you can discern which techniques are more appropriate for MMA.

For example, in the beginning, Muay Thai and judo's effectiveness was not fully understood and evaluated for MMA, but now many people have come to realize the effectiveness of neck clinches and trips from those disciplines.

MMA isn't only a mix of martial arts, it's also a mixed culture. To fully understand it, one must study up on how it became "mixed" and what that mixing it implies. A prime example is Fedor Emelianenko, who has recently lost three straight fights. Like many other countries, Russia has a strong sporting culture which is supported by the Russian state, but other than Fedor, there aren't many top talents from Russia in major-level MMA. Critics have often pointed to the fact that Russian fighters have difficulty catching up in the grappling department because grappling training isn't stressed outside of Russian sambo. Fedor's recent losses and the fact that there weren't freakishly big fighters at heavyweight who are as skilled as they are today ten years ago speak to this notion. Today's heavyweights now understand how to counter Fedor's wild hook game and have the footwork and cage savvy to defend against it.

Information is the key to obtaining such results. I won't say that all MMA can be boiled down to just strategy, but given how much knowledge is needed to properly perform in MMA, acquiring that knowledge is critical, whether it's through reading, watching videos, or traveling to different places to train.

In 2005, the UFC had Andrei Arlovski, Chuck Liddell, Rich Franklin, and Matt Hughes as champs. While I do believe they all rightfully earned their titles, they do point to one thing in particular about the UFC at that time; its roster was not as culturally diverse as it is today, let alone as diverse as Pride's roster, at the time.

Thus, I believed that a more diverse selection of fighters would deliver for the UFC when Zuffa bought DreamStage Entertainment in 2007. As we've seen since however, the UFC's ability to thrive wasn't only delivered on the part of former Pride fighters, but also on the part of ethnically diverse American and Brazilian fighters.

In the past, I've sometimes said that former Pride fighters from America and Brazil have had better results than former Pride fighters from other countries. I am not saying that information is the only factor, but in actuality, fighters from countries where knowledge and technique relevant to cage survival is more readily accessible have clearly benefitted from it.

As a point of reference, look at the growth of talent from the United Kingdom. There were regular MMA events in the UK in the past, but not many talents rose to the upper levels of the sport until recently. Given the fact that UK-based fighters speak English, they have benefitted from the many sources of information out there in the MMA world, most of which is in English. Whether it's gathering information through written texts or exchanging information with fighters and trainers across the Atlantic in the US for example, the benefit of language that UK fighters have is a huge advantage to their overall MMA game.

I've already talked about the fusion of skills in the sport, and how hybridized knowledge is born day by day, year by year. Without that evolution of skills and knowledge, catching up to and staying current in today's MMA game is impossible. In the current state of MMA, learning how to chain skills is critical, but I want to see a twist for the future. I don't just want MMA to mature, I want it to become a cultural amoeba, consuming and absorbing all martial arts and adding their unique skills and repertoires to its own vast pool of knowledge. I want to see new challengers from martial arts that MMA fans have never heard of before. I want to encourage traditional martial artists to continue to try their hands at MMA.

For that matter, MMA already has incorporated traditional martial arts skills, whether fans realize it or not. Who wasn't excited to see Lyoto Machida's karate crane kick on Randy Couture, for example? How many fighters now use the spinning back fist, as innovated by the little-known Japanese martial art, Koppo? Skills like these show that MMA has room for the more radical techniques found in the traditional martial arts, right alongside better athletes and better informed fighters. While I don't deny the effectiveness of athleticism and the fundamental knowledge that MMA lays claim to now, I can also buy into the fetishization of traditional martial arts. Many watch and become fans of exotic techniques as displayed on sites like YouTube, and they too are a huge part of how our sport will gain its audience. 

Big thanks to Tony Loiseleur (Sherdog) for English editing.

Local prospects are in Bantam weight

Who are next generation of Japanese Mixed Martial Artist?At local Japanese organization,I can find Bantam weight prospect. Dream doing Bantam weight grandprix now..There are usual Japanese member who are former feather weight.But we will see new talent of clops in that division.I will list who is worth attention.

Shooto

Kyoji Horiguchi 20 years old

Krazy Bee's most promising prospect.At first heard about there is rookie fighter sparring partner for "Kid".It's sound wired when heard Major level fighter sparring with 2 to 3 fight rookie.Horiguchi show improve with fit his Karate skill to MMA.Currently have 4 KO streak. "Kid" says he should get Shooto title in one year.Horiguchi had only 4 armature shooto fight experience because too strong at categoy.


Kyoji Horiguchi

 He will face Naohiro "Chokugekigamon" Mizuno at September 23, Shootor's Legacy 04.

This year's Shooto rookie tournament have high level competition too.So we will see. Shooto's  Feather weight division (same as international Bantam weight division) will stacked.

DEEP

Tatsumitsu Wada 22 years old

Yoshida Dojo's prospect have experience karate and judo at childhood.He won 2007's future king tournament.He already have major win against Dream veteran Daiki "DJ Taiki" Hata.Hata can't handle Wada's punch speed.He will fight for DEEP title soon against Takafumi Otsuka. He can drop to Flyweight.


Tatsumitsu Wada

Yusaku Nakamura 25 years old

From Seiichi Ikemoto's style gym,Nakamura have Nihon Kenpo background.He stepped up as a late replacement of Darren Uenoyama at Dream. He had only 3 pro fight before he step up for Dream.This is shortest record of fight amount to fight Dream. His condition is not good since his injury didn't heal yet.But he shock people with knock down Atsushi Yamamoto.He lose but his reputation rise.


Yusaku Nakamura

He will face Seiji Akao at Septemvber 4 DEEP Osaka Impact.

ZST

Shunichi Shimizu 26 years old

From Uruno Dojo, Shimizu evaluated win against Manabu Inoue at SRC Asia Bantam weight tourny.He succeed to chain grapple against Inoue. He fought at feather weight recently.But he should fight for higher tier Bantam weight.

Pancrase

Motonobu Tezuka 24 years old

It's hard to choice Bantam weight prospect from Pancrase since their champ lose to ZST's Shimizu.But if I choice,Tezuka.From Dokonjonosuke Mishima's Cobra Kai.Tezuka show variety of takedown and lose split decision against Shintaro Ishiwatari.

Human behavior at MMA

Regardless of body type, human beings have many common physiological features.
 

 For example, all people can run faster forward than they can backwards. All people have eyes designed to see a horizontal panorama instead of a large vertical one, making the uppercut the most difficult punch to see.

When a fighter throws a punch, there is a moment when they must bring their hands back to throw another punch. It is at that moment an opponent can take occasion to counter and attack. In this way, basic human behavior defines how to move to attack your opponent, and how you should decide to counter them.

 This is why fighters watch one another and feint, without committing to strikes, to simply gauge their opponent's movements and reactions.

 If you understand that intention, you can watch fights differently. It allows you to understand how fighters use footwork to make an angle to attack, for instance. Certain angles of attack make certain punches easier to throw and land, and you begin to develop a sense of how to track and locate punches.

 Also, in MMA, situations change rapidly. If a circumstance changes -- a fighter gets rocked, or time is running out -- fighters know they need to change their gameplan. That is one of the true joys of MMA. You can see fighters who are competitive, adjusting their gameplans to take the foe out, or, a fighter whose gameplan completely crushed and overwhelms his opponent's.

 MMA gives more freedom than other martial arts, but its governed not just by rules, but how humans move and react to the techniques. Knowing these human behaviors and fighting behaviors shed a new light on combat.

Big thanks to Jordan Breen (Sherdog) for English editing.

   

Supplement to Sherdog's "In Search of the Real Tiger Mask"

I helped Sherdog.com's Tony Loiseleur to research the aforementioned feature article on Shuichiro Katsumura.



After the catastrophic disasters of March 11, I penned an article on SKILL MMA that touched on how certain media outlets irresponsibly reported the event and its fallout. Today, however, I want to talk more about someone who actually lives in Japan that has put forth great effort to support the earthquake and tsunami victims.

Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Enson Inoue, Ryo Chonan and many other fighters in the MMA community have done much to contribute to the aid effort for Japan's Tohoku region. In discussing with Tony a potential feature for Sherdog on fighters taking part in disaster relief, all these names came up as suggestions to whom I thought were suited for his article.

At the time, the various names above had already received some amount of press in the English MMA media. However, one person who had not received attention was Katsumura, whom I suggested to Tony because of his active and ongoing mission to make regular relief trips to Tohoku despite the closeness of his first Shooto featherweight title defense. The relief missions admittedly went on throughout Katsumura's fight camp, making his story an intriguing and unique one. Tony and I came to the conclusion then that, rather than other fighters in the news, Katsumura would be the best choice to focus on because his desire to help his fellow countrymen outstripped his professional desire to preserve his Shooto title and few people in the Western MMA community knew about him and his situation.

Katsumura is not a well-known fighter to Western MMA fans, but he has a unique career that is worth sharing. He started in Shooto where he struggled. Then, after losing to Marcos "Louro" Galvao in 2004, Katsumura was suggested and offered a move to the ZST promotion by Sustain promoter Kazuhiro Sakamoto, which he took. While Galvao went on to become a highly-touted prospect after that win, Katsumura left the Shooto circuit with a promise to the fans that he would be back.

He was later brought in to K-1 Hero's, thanks to FEG's discovery of his day job at a local orphanage. Naturally, FEG liked the image of Katsumura being a fighter who also worked for the public good. While the exposure made him famous among the casual television-watching audience of Japan, he fought opponents well above his weight in K-1 Hero's and lost, leading him to feel self-conscious about his position in the promotion.

"Why should I be getting famous in K-1 by losing and working in an orphanage?"

He withdrew from fighting after the losses in Hero's, though he continued working for the public good by becoming a school teacher. Soon after, through the encouragement of his friends and the support of ZST, he started his own gym with the intent of resetting his career after two years of absence. He made his comeback in Shooto in 2009 by beating So Tazawa. He unexpectedly submitted the young Shooto title contender with a Brabo choke, making it look easy. With that surprising submission victory, Katsumura himself was vaulted into the Shooto title picture.

Masakatsu Ueda was Shooto's 132-pound champion at the time and was thus considered a top-10 bantamweight, naturally making the returning Katsumura a huge underdog. No matter how stacked the odds or widespread the belief that Ueda would crush him, however, Katsumura pulled off a shocking upset by catching Ueda in his "Ninja choke"; a signature move that Katsumura developed on his own over the course of two years extensively studying Eddie Bravo's rubber guard system.

Though the story of his returning to Shooto after so long to win the championship was an inspiring one, it was not a story without turbulence. After the Ueda victory, he lost by TKO to Darren Uyenoyama in a non-title bout several months later. Recently, he lost by knockout to Koetsu Okazaki; thus relinquishing the belt to him.

Though Katsumura is no longer a Shooto champion, he is still an active and integral part of the Japanese MMA community. As a teacher, Katsumura has many students in the local promotions of Japan, helping them make their way up their own competitive ladders. It is this social aspect of Katsumura--of him being a teacher, and consequently, his deep desire to help people--that I believe makes him unique, and also what I would like to focus on.

One particular example that is interesting and telling about Katsumura relates to his gym, Reversal Gym Yokohama Groundslam, which does not take children as students. This is surprising given his history of helping and educating children as both an orphanage worker and school teacher. The reason for this, however, is due to Katsumura's childhood goal to become a teacher himself. The desire was reportedly born out of his resentment of his own teachers at the time.

As a youth, he took particular dislike to his teachers' philosophy of "I know the key to success. You must work hard like I did, and that is how you will succeed." As a result, students who stuck to these philosophies of discipline tended in theory to be favored by teachers. Katsumura's primary objection lies in the notion that while this philosophy might work for dedicated and obedient children like the type that might become "honor students," not all children are, in fact, honor students. There exists a whole range of personalities; good, bad, and in the middle. His concern lies with the care and welfare of children considered "bad" or "in the middle," who may not receive the kind of care and attention that honor students would.

He also finds an uncomfortable similarity with MMA fighters who teach children and trumpet similar ideas about "discipline for children."  "Only a good-for-nothing can understand a good-for-nothing," Katsumura is quoted as saying. While he agrees that it is important to give children virtues such as "consideration for others," and for them to benefit from the physical conditioning that martial arts can provide, teaching martial arts to children can be dangerous, given its nature. Katsumura does not believe that he is a good candidate to be promoting similar lessons however, given his own past and understanding of children.

Katsumura claims that he wouldn't be able to continue running his gym if he started teaching children, primarily due to the fear that those he teaches could potentially use MMA techniques in brawls with their peers; the worst would be if he inadvertently taught a bully how to use MMA techniques. While he generally thinks that children are good, he understands that he cannot make that guarantee for every child, and that despite what problems a child may have, there is a possibility that Katsumura may never find out about them even if they are his students. Will his young students still be trustworthy once they are outside of the gym, beyond his guidance and supervision?

I acknowledge the fact that the teaching of martial arts is fraught with problems; it is understandably never an easy situation. The case of children in martial arts makes things much more difficult, as not every child can be expected to choose the moral and just way to act with such knowledge, nor can there be assurances that all children will learn these things from their teachers.

I imagine that most teachers watch their children in the hopes that they will improve their skills and that like school teachers, the ones that excel will receive the most attention. However, it must be remembered that teaching a child to know the difference between right and wrong and impressing upon them a sense of responsibility is just as important as learning martial arts techniques. Further, it is just as important to focus on children that are considered "underachievers"; overstressing "success" and "achievement" in martial arts is unimportant to Katsumura since he believes people should be able to make and learn from mistakes. He has those children in mind because they need equal attention.

This kind of education is also a long and difficult process, and martial arts teachers will have more difficulty teaching young students about responsibility over technique. This is how I feel in dealing with children even outside of the martial arts realm.

Katsumura does, however, teach wrestling to the children he has known during his time at the orphanage; all of whom he claims he can take better care of and responsibility for beyond the wrestling mat. However, he still refuses to teach them striking or grappling techniques. Of course, the children he teaches still have their problems, and admittedly, they still get into fights. Whenever problems arise, however, he meets with the parents and tries to resolve the troubles with these former orphans through discussion.

While I acknowledge that the most important thing in sports is determining who is the best, I'm often surprised by how many charming and wonderful people I meet in the fight scene despite how competitive that goal is. What troubles me is that fans tend to forget about these people when they lose, as if they are no longer relevant. This is the reason why I wanted to write and remind fans about someone like Katsumura. He is not only a talented fighter with a unique story, but he is also a socially responsible and charitable person that people should know about and never forget. He is an example that I think we should all strive to emulate.

I think that Tony did a great job in writing about these things that make Katsumura the person and athlete that he is. At the time, I even suggested to him that he should write about the idea that Katsumura "had become the real Tiger Mask," because of how his good works outside of the ring reflected those of the famous cartoon character. Tony smiled and said, "I know, and I already will."

In researching Katsumura, I was pleasantly surprised that Tony had the same ideas as I had, and that he came to the same conclusions. It is my hope that people read that article and not only enjoy it, but also understand what kind of person Katsumura is and why he is so important to our MMA community.

Further, if the story resonates with you and you can spare the expense, please continue to support the victims of the Tohoku quake and tsunami by donating to the Japanese Red Cross link below. Of course, it is what "the Real Tiger Mask" would do.

Japan／Earthquake Donation by Japanese Red Cross Society

Quotation Shuichiro Katsumura's official blog

Big thanks to Robert Sargent of MMARising.com and Chris Nelson and Tony Loiseleur of Sherdog.com for their help in editing this piece.