Striking pressure defines where a fight goes

When Japanese MMA is evaluated, it is often pointed out that many fighters do not know how to do a proper weight cut. What I would also like to note is that most fighters do not fight in the weight class that is defined by their body frame.

For example, in boxing, Shinji Takehara is the world champion of the heaviest division. His division is middleweight (160 pounds), and he stands 6 feet 1 inch tall. Boxers have a more strict view about fighting at their proper weight. There are fighters in MMA with smaller frames who try to gain muscle for more grappling strength. Therefore, I can't say that everyone fits my theory, but still many Japanese fighters choose the wrong fighting weight.

Motonobu Tezuka fought against the clearly bigger Alex Caceres. After the fight, Tezuka said that he can drop down to flyweight. That makes me think that, when a Japanese fighter enters a major organization where foreign fighters have bigger frames, the Japanese fighter should drop down a division.

That's not to say that every fighter must do so. Certain fighters are not meant to drop the weight, such as the grapplers that I mentioned who bulk up in order to allow themselves to improve their grip on submissions or to maintain position on the ground. Those fighters excel by using their physical strength to their advantage and they would struggle if they cut weight and lost muscle. It becomes risky when they can no longer use their familiar fighting style once their strength is diminished.

There are also many fighters who choose to compete in higher weight categories because there often isn't as much money to be made in MMA's lower weight classes like flyweight, bantamweight and featherweight. Fighting in the higher weight classes leads to bigger paydays. Frankie Edgar, for example, captured the UFC lightweight title even though he only has a bantamweight frame. I am worried that there is too little investment in the lighter weight categories, which limits the sport's potential for growth.

In MMA right now, grapplers need to develop striking pressure to succeed at setting up takedowns at the highest level. Fighter need use strikes to keep opponents off-balance to set up takedowns.

Striking pressure can be made up of a fighter's reach, speed and power, but technique can be used to create space or to close the distance. Striking pressure can be overcome if you take note of distance, angles, combinations and so on. Shinya Aoki did try to do this in his fight against Eddie Alvarez after he had previously lost the pressure battle in his bout with Gilbert Melendez, but due to his lack of power and chin, Alvarez overwhelmed Aoki anyway.

When an opponent has a longer reach, and can adapt to any situation, the fight becomes tougher for a grappler with a shorter reach. This means that divisional flexibility has become much tougher than before.

In the past, you saw fighters trying to submit opponents from the bottom. Once elite fighters learned how to defend submissions from the top, wrestling became much more important in grappling. And now that fighters have become better strikers and have learned how to sprawl to defend against takedown attempts, it is difficult for grapplers to turn fights into grappling matches without first using striking pressure.

Big thanks to Robert Sargent (from MMA Rising) for English editing.  

Japanese BJJ Dojo & Gym list

BJJ is common skill for MMA at now.But at now MMA's grapple is definetely have more content than that.Fusion with wrestling and Judo give progress at grappling depart for sports.

At Japan we lose many detail of traditional Jiujitsu because of Judo's strict policy.But that make certain part of BJJ and Judo fusion which not happen at otehr coutries.

I have made a list of Japanese BJJ Dojo & Gym with their official websites. There are loads of gyms, so I can’t introduce them all. Also many MMA gyms have BJJ classes which I don't introduces here. I’ll try to give the links to their website, what prefecture they are in, and what railway station is nearest (in that order). Sometimes when that information is not available, I’ll make a guess - I could be wrong.

MAX Jiu-Jitsu Academy & Yoga Studio (Tokyo,Kinshicho)

Tri-Force Gotanda (Tokyo,Gotanda)




Tri-Force Ikebukuro (Tokyo, Ikebukuro)




Tri-Forcce Shinjuku (Tokyo,Shinjuku)




Carpe Diem Aoyama (Tokyo,Omotesando)

Carpe Diem Mita (Tokyo,Mita)




AXIS Jiujitsu Academy Chiba (Chiba,Higashifunabashi)
AXIS Chiba youtube channel




AXIS Jiujitsu Academy Yokohama (Kanagawa,Yoshinocyo)




Team Sora (Kanagawa,Kawasaki)




X-treme Jiujitsu Academy Yokohama (Kanagawa, Higashikanagawa)




X-treme Jiujitsu Academy Ebina (Kanagawa, Atsugi)




De La Riva Japan (Tokyo,Shin-Itabashi and Tokyo,Koenji and Chiba,Chibaminato and Tochigi,Utsunomiya)




Clud De Jiujitsu (Tokyo, Hakusan)




Itadaki Jiujitsu (Tokyo,Higashinippori)

Trydent Gym (Tokyo, Minamiosawa)



Nova Uniao Japan (Tokyo, Sugamo and Tokyo, Koiwa and Kanagawa,Kashiwadai and Hiroshima, Mihara and Gunma,Isezaki)

Pogona Club Gym (Saitama,Higashiyamato and Saitama, Higashikawaguchi)
 




PGN Higashiyamato (Tokyo, Higashiyamatoshi)




Brazilian Jiujitsu Academy Paixao (Saitama,Miyahara)




RJJ (Saitama,Ageo)

Dragon's Den (Saitama,Kawagoe)

Hiro BJJ (Kanagawa,Kannai)




Alavanca Jiu-jitsu Academy (Kanagawa,Odakyusagamihara)




Strapple Ohana (Kanagawa,Tsujido)




Vanguard BJJ (Kanagawa,Shibusawa)




Bonsai Jiujitsu (Shizuoka,Iwata)

Trial & Error (Shizuoka,Shimotogari)

Ishida Dojo (Aichi,Hirabari)

Dream Fantasy 7 Niigata (Niigata,NiigataDaigaku)

Ichiken Jiujitsu Academy Toyohashi (Aichi,Toyokawa)

Fubuki Jiujitsu (Aichi,Kachigawa)

Fukuzumi Jiujitsu (Aichi,Nonami)

Shima Brazilian Jiujitsu Academy (Mie,Ugata)

AXEL Fight Club (Kyoto,Nagitsuji)

Suita Jiujitsu (Osaka,Higashiyodogawa)

Naniwa Jiujitsu (Osaka,Kami)

Gracie Barra Japan (Hyogo,Sannomiya)



SKILL MMA's Japanese MMA scene gym list

A fan's reaction to a fight depends on their education from the media

The recent UFC flyweight title fight between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez was booed because the content of the fight itself was not understood by fans and critics of the organization who aren't real fans of MMA.,

In reality, people don't have an opportunity to learn how fighters make moves or change strategies in order to take advantage of an opponent's actions because this is rarely described in fight commentary or articles.

The fact that both fighters must come together to make a fight goes unnoticed as a result. This causes people to not understand that MMA is a game with strategy and diplomacy, and thus they cannot enjoy it for the game itself. That lack of understanding is the source of this problem.

Big thanks to Robert Sargent (from MMA Rising) for English editing. 

Aesthetics of Trash Talking and a Fighter's Position

Chael Sonnen's quotes attract attention and produce what people demand. As martial artists or fighters sell self-skill, people demand "strong" and "tough" images. It is natural in the history of the fight scene.

Fighters often adopt different kinds of characters when they are in different countries. They react to market demand and change their character in individual countries because the market differs from place to place.

The idea of "Sports for sports" and "Martial arts for martial arts" only exists when fighters or trainers don't demand money or seek investors who don't want security. When speaking of pure sport without money, vision and a system of blame, it is problematic and such discussions often ignore awareness of that point.

"Sports for sports" is a totally new idea among the middle class. When people are very poor, sports can't exist. Organizations like Shooto, which pursued this concept, existed for Japan because of the country's economy. In other countries, the focus has been more on producing fighters for big events that lead to fame and financial gain.

Of course, sometimes people misunderstand things with the contradictions between sports and money, but whether trash talking is worth paying attention to or not is a totally different subject.

Chael Sonnen talked trash about Brazil and Anderson Silva, but often we found that he didn't believe what he was saying. Sonnen said his remarks were clearly inspired by pro wrestling and designed to try to sell PPVs. Do you believe Sonnen's excessive expressions destroyed Brazil and Silva's public images?

Regardless, certain people enjoyed it. Moreover, people miss the importance of position and stature in this sport.

For example, there is a huge difference between the income of a UFC champion and that of other fighters. Therefore, fighters like Sonnen and Frankie Edgar jumped at their recent chances to compete for titles, while Jon Jones was more defensive about defending his championship. Their positions are different.

When I interview fighters, I do so whether they've just had a dominant win, a tough decision win, a loss, become a champion or lost a belt. All positions affect how fighters comment through their quotes, so it can be difficult to find out a fighter's real personality when their position at the time affects how they respond.

That point is no different anywhere in the world, but that does not mean that the fighters have personality problems. Rather, it means that fans and journalists should try to find common beliefs from.

Big thanks to Robert Sargent (from MMA Rising) for English editing and Chris Nelson (from Sherdog) for English editing advise.

JMMA in Cage

Vale Tudo Japan 2012 trailer

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

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

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

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

Japanese Kick Boxing History and MMA Relations

Kickboxing was born in Japan, but when and how?

Over the years, kickboxers have taught MMA fighters how to strike, but fans often don't know much about kickboxing's history. This is the history of kickboxing as it relates to MMA.

For kickboxing, there is neither a universal fight database nor a comprehensive historical record, so I decided to create this article. I may not be the most knowledgeable person about kickboxing, but I have noticed that most kickboxing websites are seriously lacking in their knowledge of the history of the sport. This is partly due to the language barrier between English and Japanese, which is understandable, but people must realize that most media members are unaware of kickboxing's origins.

With this article, I hope to change the standard of knowledge for kickboxing history. I have done a lot of research, but due to the lack of record keeping and history books, some facts may be omitted. However, I believe that this article will be much more detailed than those found on any English website.

The sport began in Japan and I am Japanese, so therefore I must admit that this is heavily written from a Japanese viewpoint.


Kickboxing was born when Nihon kenpo karate practitioner Tatsuo Yamada became interested in Muay Thai. He wanted karate to become a sport. In 1962, he held his first karate sports event. Also that year, boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi became impressed when he watched a Muay Thai event. He wanted to hold a karate vs. Muay Thai event and discussed it with Yamada and Masutatsu Oyama.

In 1963, the Oyama Dojo sent three fighters to Bangkok, Thailand: Kenji Kurosaki, Tadashi Nakamura and Akio Fujihira. Only one karate fighter, Kurosaki, lost there, but he later became a great contributor as a coach for kickboxing.

Kurosaki is a father of Dutch kickboxing. In 1966, he went to Holland by invitation of Jon Bluming, who was a student of Kurosaki and also taught many students in Holland. Under Kurosaki and Bluming's teaching and influence, coaches in Holland learned kickboxing skills.

Coach Jan Plas (Mejiro Gym) later taught Remy Bonjasky and Andy Souwer. Thom Harinck (Chakuriki Gym) taught Peter Aerts, Hesdy Gerges and Badr Hari. Johan Vos (Vos Gym) taught Ernesto Hoost.

Kurosaki left Kyokushin and built Mejiro Gym. Jan Plas's Mejiro Gym in Holland is a branch of Mejiro Gym. The Japanese Mejiro Gym produced the most important talent in kickboxing history.

In 1966, the first kickboxing organization began in Japan, the Japan Kickboxing Federation. It started with Tatsuo Yamada's students and Tadashi Sawamura. Sawamura was the first star of Japanese kickboxing, but he was built up by promotional hype and was never able to beat the top-ranked Thai stadium fighters during his career.

In 1971, All Japan Kickboxing Association (AJKA) began. AJKA had stars with the greatest skill. Toshio Fujiwara began kickboxing at Mejiro Gym in Japan. Kurosaki's hard training regimen, coupled with Fujiwara's original footwork and clinchwork, made Fujiwara the AJKA champion and also the first foreign Rajadamnern champion. AJKA dissolved in 1981.

AJKA's successor, All Japan Kickboxing Federation (AJKF), began operations in 1987. AJKF brought in fighters from Europe including Maurice Smith, Rob Kaman, Vitali Klitschko (current world boxing champion) and many more. They also collaborated with pro wrestling companies like UWF International, Rings and Pancrase. Because the pro wrestling audience was large, AJKF became very popular.

However, it wasn't long before internal troubles and a new wave of independent organizations hurt the local Japanese kickboxing scene.

In 1985, Martial Arts Japan Kickboxing Federation (MA Kick) began to develop with fighters and gyms leftover from AJKF. By 1996, many gyms formerly belonging to AJKF were independent. They built a new organization named New Japan Kickboxing Federation (NJKF). In 1997, the kickboxing gym Active J became independent from AJKF and started the organization known as J-Network.

At the same time, local talent began to grow and started to have success. Atsushi Tateshima and Kensaku Maeda's rivalry started to boost kickboxing's popularity. Celebrities began talking about both fighters. AJKF's 70kg and under division developed interest among hardcore fans.

In 1984, organized MMA began with Shooto. This inspired one man, Tomofumi "Caesar Takeshi" Murata, who wanted to make a new sport that combined elements of MMA and kickboxing. Murata is a former kickboxer at the Japan Kickboxing Federation who taught at UWF. He had grappling experience with pro wrestlers. Murata built "Shoot Boxing" in 1985.

Shoot boxing uses kickboxing rules, but also gives points for throws and permits standing submissions. This allows many MMA fighters to compete and have success. Mark Hominick, Toby Imada, "Lion" Takeshi Inoue and Antonio Carvalho have all competed for Shoot Boxing.

Shoot boxing is best known for leading to Andy Souwer's run in K-1, but before he fought for K-1, Souwer made his name in the "S-Cup," which is the biggest tournament in Shoot Boxing. The S-Cup has included current MMA striking coach Hiromu Yoshitaka - who is responsible for Akitoshi Hokazono, Takashi Nakakura and many Osaka MMA fighters' striking - and Mohamed Ouali, who has assisted greatly with American Top Team's striking improvements.

While small, local kickboxing organizations continued to develop, major kickboxing organizations began. K-1 started in 1993 and its tournament format and frequent heavyweight knockouts charmed the audience. Some of the K-1 fighters were later invited to compete in MMA. Branko Cikatic, Mirko "Crocop" Filipovic, Ray Sefo, Peter Aerts, Mark Hunt and many others fought in MMA.

Nowadays, people know that Crocop changed the standard for MMA striking technique. Mark Hunt is currently on a winning streak in the UFC and Ray Sefo is a trainer at Xtreme Couture. By contrast, some fighters transitioned over to kickboxing after starting in MMA. Examples of such fighters include Semmy Schilt and, of course, Alistair Overeem.

K-1 also initially held lighter weight tournaments, K2 and K3, but they did not succeed.

While K-1 did not succeed right away with promoting the lower weight classes, the local Japanese kickboxing scene produced young prospects for the future. By 2000, K-1 began to have more success at promoting the lighter weights. The start of K-1's 70kg division largely came about because of "Masato's" appearance on the local scene. Masato Kobayashi was ambitious about turning kickboxing into a major sport. He became freelance after winning the AJKF championship and also started his own promotion, "Wolf Revolution."

Masato helped to develop the market for under-70kg fights by becoming the first Japanese K-1 champion. That market depended heavily upon his popularity, however, and it made for a severe conflict with the officiating in kickboxing. In the 2004 K-1 Max final, Masato faced Buakaw Por Pramuk. The fight was ruled a draw by the judges, but Masato had clearly lost. Masato did show drastic improvement in his boxing skill, though, and he was further helped when K-1 adjusted its rules to remove clinching.

At the same time, K-1 brought in talent from its parent MMA company, Hero's. Masato faced MMA fighters such as Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante, Genki Sudo and Tatsuya Kawajiri, which gave Masato a celebrity status as the defender of K-1.

Local shows continued to feature lighter fighters who had not received an opportunity to compete for K-1 but wanted to elevate their divisons to a higher status. AJKF held 60kg tournaments. Toshio Fujiwara built his own gym after retiring and produced fighters like Masahiro Yamamoto and Hisanori Maeda, as well as Haruaki Otsuki, Satoshi Kobayashi (later in his career), Naoki Ishikawa, Genki Yamamoto, Shinobu Shiratori and more.

Meanwhile, NJKF had succeeded in building up its 60kg division with captivating fighters such as Tetsuya Yamato, Ryoichi "Rasyata" Sakiyama and Yohei Sakurai.

When K-1 Max charmed people and attracted a local hardcore audience with 60kg fights, K-1 heavyweights began to struggle to keep fans interested until the emergence of Bob Sapp. After fighting well against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira under MMA rules, Sapp was picked up by K-1 and matched up against Ernesto Hoost. His enormous physical force allowed him to stop Hoost even though his fighting style was not technical.

K-1 was clearly pleased with the powerful but not technical Sapp and he became very popular, though this was really more because he was a newcomer entering K-1. Sapp went on to face famous Yokozuka champion sumo wrestler Taro Akebono. He brutally knocked out Akebono, who had no clue about the striking game. Sapp did make an impact with that freak fight, but his record got worse as his career progressed. He lost to Mirko "Crocop" and Ray Sefo, but defeated Seth Petruzelli and Yoshihiro Nakao.

During this era, Remy Bonjasky and Akio "Musashi" Mori led the K-1 heavyweights. Neither was a strong finisher and the success of the events depended heavily upon knockouts. Therefore, K-1 relied more upon fighters with big frames and power than on ones with technical skill. The organization brought in former Ssireum (Korean Sumo wrestling) fighter Hong Man Choi. Besides winning some freak fights, he could not make an impact in the sport.

Fighters began to convert from MMA back to K-1. Semmy Schilt, who had a background in Daidojuku Karate, fought in MMA and then converted to kickboxing. Schilt used his big frame for clinch attacks but he also had skills outside of the clinch. His jab and front kick were important parts of his fighting style and they allowed him to stop the advance of opponents with a smaller reach. While he did not display great athleticism, Schilt's presence brought a new theme to the scene.

"Who can beat Schilt?" fans wondered.

Badr Hari and Alistair Overeem became known as answers to that question. Hari brought speed to the K-1 heavyweight division, while Overeem brought power. Overeem was also known for his career in MMA, but his striking skill is what really got him noticed. Especially when he KOed K-1's next star candidate, Hari.

Overeem's huge muscular body and striking pressure forced opponents to move backward, which is not as easy to do as in the lighter weight classes because it is harder to control one's balance at a heavier weight. Hari showed amazing speed for a heavyweight and a long reach; both of which he used against Semmy Schilt. Hari's speed allowed him to overcome his reach disadvantage and his defensive skill allowed him to avoid Schilt's jab en route to knocking Schilt out.

At 70kg, Masato decided to retire following his second win of the K-1 tournament. The organization needed to find new stars. They tried to make Yoshihiro Sato into a star, but they did not succeed even though his match with Masato was exciting. That forced K-1 to launch a 63kg division.

Giorgio Petrosyan lead the MAX after Masato retire

K-1 tried to build up the number of quality talent. When they had started the 70kg division with Masato, it was difficult for K-1 to find other fighters with comparable skill. Therefore, they used their brand and Masato to collect young talent from across the nation.

This led to the formation of K-1 Koshien. It was named after the Japanese high school baseball tournament, which is the most popular amateur sports event in Japan. K-1 Koshien produced Masaaki Noiri, Hiroya Kawabe, Kizaemon Saiga and others who helped to develop a deeper 63kg division.

Tetsuya Yamato won first K-1 Max 63kg Japan tournament

At the same time, under-63kg fighters never had a chance to compete for a major organization. Therefore, these fighters in Japan looked for a new challenge in Muay Thai. Muay Thai's most talented fighters have always belonged to the lighter weight classes because of Thai fighters' smaller average height.

One fighter known for challenging many Thai opponents was Arashi Fujiwara. He had no opposition in Japan at his natural weight (53kg), so he fought above his weight division like Hisanori Maeda. However, Fujiwara still could not beat the top-ranked Thai stadium fighters. No foreigner could beat the ranked Thai fighters until Genji Umeno knocked out Wutidej Lookprabaht with an elbow to become the first Japanese Lumpinee ranked competitor.

At last, Fight Entertainment Group (FEG) - which ran K-1 - can no longer promote any more events. They owe a considerable amount of money to fighters and are unable to pay. Many kickboxers now train MMA fighters instead. In Europe, Glory bought its main rival, It's Showtime, and now just one organization will run kickboxing.

We have already seen Mark Hunt knock out opponents in the UFC. If Alistair Overeem passes his drug tests, we may get to see a K-1 grand prix winner challenge a UFC champion. Of course, Overeem has had a much longer career in MMA, so such a fight would not be "MMA vs. Kickboxing," but fans and media will surely talk about his K-1 background if that day comes.

SKILL MMA's Japanese Martial Arts Gym (include many kick boxing gym) or Venue photo series

SKILL MMA's Japanese Kick Boxing / Muay Thai Scene Gym List

SKILL MMA's Japanese Kick Boxing / Muay Thai event list


Big thanks to Robert Sargent (from MMA Rising) for English editing.

Antonio “Pato” Carvalho interview

Antonio “Pato” Carvalho was actively fighting during Pride's heyday and the “kakutogi boom” in Japan. However, he never fought for Pride, seeing that Pride never had a featherweight belt to compete for. During that particular era, the UFC did not have a featherweight division, and the WEC was yet to be purchased by Zuffa. Regardless, Pato made a name for himself while fighting for the Shooto championship. After several ups and downs in Japan, he rebuilt his career fighting in his home country of Canada. Finally, he is on the UFC roster and awaiting a chance to fight in the Octagon on his home turf. Throughout his career, Pato raised his stock through taking on some of the most prominent names in the Japanese regional MMA scene. Known for being especially fan friendly and open to interviews, he remains active in many MMA forums around the world wide web. For this interview, I decided to focus on details about the individuals he has trained with, his unique contractual situations, his fighting style (Karate), personal hobbies, and future matches. I have tried to bring his personality to the forefront as much as possible.

-At UFC 149 on July 21st, you'll be facing George Roop, who is known for his long reach and tall frame. What are your thoughts on this specific physical advantage of his, and how are you looking to overcome this?

George is a very interesting opponent due to his physical features.It's not too often you find such a tall opponent with such reach in the featherweight division. So that alone will be a very tough challenge in itself. Not to mention, he also happens to be a very skilled and an all around tough fighter. I will need to use quick footwork, long strikes to set up my entry into a distance where I can possibly do some damage. I am also not against taking him down and trying a ground fight if I find the right opportunity. I think I can match up well from any aspect of the fight. I just need to be selective as to how long I stay within a certain range of the fight as to not give him the advantage. I think we can both look at each other and find ways to win. That is the beauty of the fight game and why I find it so intriguing; I can see myself winning in certain ways, but can also see how I might lose if I am not careful. I am never over confident when I fight. For me, it's about deciphering the puzzle that is George Roop. Hopefully, I can pull it off.


-Looking back at your career in Japan, you always seemed to be matched up with guys who were either champions, future champions, celebrities, or some other kind of notable names in the Japanese MMA community. For example, Hatsu Hioki not only became the Shooto champ,but also the Sengoku champ and is currently on a title run in the UFC. Hiroyuki Takaya has faced his share of difficulties stateside, but he still holds the Dream title. Yuji Hoshino became the Cage Force champ, but after losing to Sandro, he couldn't fight for awhile due to some political reasons. Your clash with Rumina Sato happened in what many would call the twilight of his career. Have you kept up with the career developments of your former opponents? Do you
have any thoughts as to your place in their careers as well as vice-versa?

I always follow all my past opponents. I have a deep admiration and respect for everyone that I have ever fought. They all have their place within my history of the sport. Not to mention, I am still a huge fan of the sport in general and all past opponents mentioned are very skilled and have provided me with plenty of entertainment during their fights. I am very proud and honoured to have been in the ring/cage with them and am very happy to see that many of them are still successful in their careers; whether that is competing or passing on their teaching to others at their own gyms.If I were to go down the list of fighters that you mentioned, fighters such as Hatsu Hioki are still very relevant within the Featherweight division. He should be very proud of what his has accomplished. I mean, after my very close win over him, he went through a difficult time. However, he managed to overcome those obstacles and become a champion. After we fought, Hioki asked me to please win the Shooto belt. I could see how much that title meant to him and that if I did capture that title, then his loss would not have been in vain.We all know that I never did do that which is something that I am still bothered by to a certain degree... Anyways, Hioki captured the Shooto belt and if I ever get a chance to speak with him, I will certainly remind him of what he asked of me and the fact that he did not need me to vindicate him by winning the Shooto belt. He did is all himself!Also, I would like to talk about Rumina Sato. I don't know that he ever understood how much he meant to me when I first started fighting.Rumina is still to this day, one of my heroes of this sport. So to be given the opportunity to fight him was by far the greatest moment of my MMA career. I don't know if that feeling will ever be topped. I
certainly hope to one day tell Rumina this. I know often things are lost in translation, but Rumina "Moonwolf" Sato, you are one of the reason why I am where I am in this sport and I own a ton of gratitude for your inspirational fighting style and all of the heart you have always shown in your fights. Arigato Gozaimasu (Thank You)!


-You've trained at AACC in Japan. Hiroyuki Abe rarely fights these days. Darren Uyenoyama recorded a UFC win and is now starting his own gym. Joachim Hansen can't seem to get a fight. Takafumi Otsuka is struggling in DEEP. Megumi Fujii will soon have the biggest fight of her career. Are you in touch with any of these people? What are your thoughts on their recent performance?

I am still in touch with all of those people mentioned. Hiroyuki Abe, or I prefer to call him Abesensei; Not only is he a close friend, he is also one of my mentors in this sport. Abesensei opened the doors to me at AACC and provided me with endless knowledge, not only in the
martial arts, but also in life on how to live the martial arts lifestyle. I owe Abesensei a ton and can't thank him enough. He is certainly one of the reasons why I managed to survive the amount of time I did living in Japan.Darren and I still stay in contact a lot. I actually have gone to San
Francisco to visit him. I met his wonderful family and also spent time at his gym meeting and training with his students. I am very proud of Darren since he came from a similar background to me in MMA. He certainly did not take an easy road. Darren is a very talented and a self motivated person. I have have learned a ton from him and I am very honoured to call him my friend. As far as his performance in the UFC against Kid Yamamoto, I think only myself and those that are close to him truly knew what he is capable of. I was not surprised in the least by the outcome of that fight. Although I know everyone else watching was. I can't wait to see the impact he is going to make in the flyweight division in the UFC.Hellboy is and always will be the one of the best fighters I have ever had the pleasure to train with and corner in his fights. I never knew what it took to be a champion until I met Joachim Hansen. He has created some of the most memorable fights for the fans. That night that he fought Eddie Alvarez is one night I will never forget. I mean, Joachim gave it his all. We had to carry him into the dressing room because he was completely exhausted. I have never outputted so much in any of my fights to the point that I could barely walk out of the ring. Joachim showed me this though his actions and he is one of the most honest and honorable men I have ever met and is one of my best friends. I know that he is not performing at the level he is capable of at the moment, but have faith we will see "Hellboy" rise again. I really hope to see him stateside in the UFC or Bellator. MEGUMI FUJII is by far the most talented female fighter there is. She is such a sweet, kind and humble person outside the ring, but is a complete animal when she fights. Although I mean an animal with incredible martial arts technique. She is a perfect example of what the martial arts are all about and how empowering it can be. Especially for a woman in Japan. She has crossed boundaries in Japan for women's MMA and lives her own way on her own terms. This is an incredible feat considering Japan is a very male dominant society. Anyways, in my humble opinion, MEGUMI should still be undefeated and her recent loses we're unjust. I thought she won both fights and I am very sad that judges can make such poor decisions. That said, she is still the pound for pound queen of women's MMA to me.


-After you left Japan, the WEC bantamweight and featherweight divisions were absorbed into the UFC. In Japan, Sengoku had a remarkable FW tournament. How do you look at the state of the FW division around the world, and the rising acceptance of FW fighters as they grow in popularity, particularly at this point in your career? Why did it take so long for the lighter weights to breakout?

Now that the FW's have a bigger stage to fight on, more and more talented fighters are beginning to appear. There is more of an incentive for fighters to stay in the weight class now. So many fighters that were often undersized in the lightweight division now have a proper weight class where physics don't play a factor in a 3 -5 minute round fight and there are more lucrative possibilities for them in the future. I think that is one of the main reasons why it took the lighter weight classes longer to breakout. The UFC absorbing the WEC and creating those divisions in their roster has certainly helped with exposure for the FW division. Also, Bellator has put on several incredible FW tournaments. So the casual fans are beginning to see how exciting and fast paced the FW's can be and they certainly get their moneys worth in terms of entertainment value.


-Other than those discussed in this article by Tony Loiseleur, is there anything you can think of that needs to be improved in the Japanese MMA scene?

I think the grassroots of MMA in Japan is still head and shoulders better then the rest of the world. I still believe that Shooto, DEEP and Pancrase have great systems in place where young fighters can get the experience they need before they fight on a bigger stage. I think the main problem with Japanese MMA is that it can be too centralized and the thought of fighting outside Japan can be a daunting one. I truly believe that with international experience that a lot of Japanese fighters can compete with the best out there. Japanese fighters are very used to fighting on home soil since for years, Japan was the mecca of MMA.People like Yushin Okami and Hatsu Hioki are great examples of how Japanese fighters can excel outside Japan on the world stage.

As far as revitalizing MMA in Japan, I'm not entirely sure how to do that. In my humble opinion, I think that the Japanese fans need someone to transcend the MMA subscuture; I mean, they need someone that can cross over and be a mainstream star and win fights all at the same time. I think someone like Masato is a perfect example of this. During his time in K1, he was recognized and very popular not only because of his fighting abilities, but also because of his fashion sense and his appearances on mainstream television. So Japan needs someone like that to revitalize the sport. In the meantime, as I said earlier, the grassroots scene will continue to exist and thrive because there will always be a small hardcore fanbase for MMA in Japan.


-You've had a lot of exciting fights in your career, but you've also had many injuries as well. Karate offers a counter-based conservative game plan. Of course different styles always have different pros and cons. Fighters train to maximize their advantages, while minimizing the risks. At this point in your career, how do you feel about a self-defense/martial arts-based conservative style, versus putting on an exciting show for the audience?

There is one thing I understand very well as an MMA competitor, I understand that ultimately, I am an entertainer. I am paid to go into a cage or ring and perform in front of an audience. Of course I want to succeed and win. However, I am well aware that fans are paying money to see fighters entertain them. MMA is no different then any other professional sport in that regard. I just believe that out sport is more exciting and visceral to the eyes. People go to MMA events to enjoy themselves and perhaps forget their own problems in everyday life. That said, I never compromise my principles and believes when I compete. I don't put on a "face" and try to be someone I'm not. I simply love to compete in the sport and applying my craft.


-At UFC 142, someone in the crowd tried to shoot a laser beam into your eyes. Did you realize this? Any thoughts on the need for security to check people's personal belongings at future events if such things continue to happen?

I didn't realize that actually. Only later when I watched the video of the fight. I don't know how they can stop such things. Thousands of fans go to these events and it would be impossible to check every single person. For the most part, I think the UFC does hire the best security they can find and I never felt unsafe while staying at the hotel or during my time in the cage when fighting for the UFC.


-Many people may not know this about you, but you are an old-school arcade video game fan. What is your favorite game and what specifically do you enjoy about it? Also, what about retro-gaming do you find particularly charming? The simplicity? The originality? Something else?

I have so many favourite games from my past from many different genres. I can honestly say my favourite era of gaming was definitely the late 80's to mid 90's. I still love 2d sprite based games. I always loved the artwork and creativity by the game designers, programmer and artists. I mean, I enjoyed the 8bit NES/Famicom era; However, I loved the 16 bit era best. Everything from the PC Engine (which is not really a true 16bit machine) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Famicom/Super Nintendo and the Neo Geo. I always enjoyed the games made by Capcom, Konami and SNK. I was not a big RPG fan and I still prefer a more pick up and play approach to my gaming. Arcade games certainly provided this concept better. Easy to pick up and play, but hard to master. I still find myself gravitating towards those types of games even on my IOS device (Iphone/Ipad). I still own a large collection of games from each of those systems mentioned and still manage to get some gameplay time in every once and a while when I can hook them up to my old CRT television!


-You're known to often show up in forums and chat with fans. What is your favorite memory of communicating with fans?

I think just communicating with the fans in general is what I like. I don't mind bringing some insight into things that sometimes people can't know from just looking on the outside. I think a true fan can appreciate it when I come online and bring some new and exciting insight into a fight or something behind the scenes. It makes this sport so much more interesting. That all said, I am still and always will be a huge fan of the sport and love talking to others that share that same passion I have for it.


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