Fukuoka Amateur Shooto (update)

Danny won both of his fights.

The 1st by RNC in the first round.

The 2nd by TKO in the first round.

Fukuoka Amateur Shooto

This Wednesday is a national holiday here in Japan. Fukuoka is taking the opportunity to hold some amateur Shooto. This is not Kansai, so it is a bit out of my coverage objectives but my friend and occasional training partner Danny Brooking is competing in a freshman bout. Danny also trained for two weeks at Purebred so there is a vague connection.

Danny came to MMA from rock climbimng and has been winning every amateur tournament he has entered. This year he finally entered as a heavyweight, fighting at his usual 75kg. Here is some footage from his last tournament in Fukuoka.





Good luck to Danny. Miyazaki MMA represent.

Random Notes: Post Powergate

Kanayama Yasuhiro, coming off of his victory over Yokosai and his subsequent request for a title match will apparently get his wish. The deal isn't final, but Kanayama looks to face amateur shooter Ozaki from Tottori.

Kanayama's opponent Yokosai, was hospitalized with damage to his eye after their fight, although he had no concussion.

Sakashita Yusuke, better known around the gym as "Jurassic Armbar", or "Jurassic" + whatever he is doing at the moment, will be leaving Kyoto and Purebred for Grabaka in Tokyo. He is a trainer at Gold's Gym so can transfer to any location in the country. He has a pretty good record so wants to take this chance to see how far he can go. Good luck to him.

Kaneshima Yoshikazu from Purebred will be fighting in Rings: The Outsider on March 15th. That event looks nuts. Apparently you have to have a body check to get in.

Both Eda Kosuke and Sugimoto Hiroshi, from Purebred will be fighting on the March 8th Shooto Border 1 card in Osaka. I am working on passes for this one. Eda has a chance to get ranked with a victory over Tanaka and Sugimoto will be facing Gypsy Taro, whose fights I find entertaining. Shooting Gym Osaka and Paraestra Osaka are large presences on this card.

Late

This is late but,

Congrats to Sato Takuya who defeated Okuno Taisuke at Shooting Disco 7 l the Saturday before last. Takuya seemed to have injured his arm but is fine now and was back in the gym going light yesterday.

Takuya is expected to move into the rankings after this upset.

Powergate- Final

Here I am closing it all up almost a week after it happened. Thanks for bearing with me. I am trying to figure out how I want all of this to run while having a busy week at work. I think Powergate is a solid event for something local at an accessible price. The match-ups weren't too one sided. The production values were better than what I expected. To tell the truth they were better than any Shooto event I have been to. Going as a photographer definitely warps reality. Photos tell the truth but they also lie. I can look back and know for sure what color tape someone has on their gloves but I might be mistaken by what round they won in.

At the bottom there is the upcoming Powergate schedule. MMA in Wakayama is a rare thing so you should make a day of watching the fights and protesting whaling. I will try and be at the Osaka event in April so say hey if you see me there.

Powergate: Gate 10 Kishimoto vs. Umezono

Umezono Fumihira wandered, tottered towards the ring with a heavily bandaged left knee. He was the crowd favorite, representing Paraestra Osaka. He looked like a man walking to his death. A man who would have rather been somewhere else. The crowds enthusiasm for Umezono was matched by Kishimoto Hideki's, out of Ground Core, enthusiasm for the upcoming lightweight clash. Although not as favored by the crowd, Kishimoto came in with the better record and the lightweight belt. Although they both stood 173cm, Umezono had a 6kg weight advantage. He looked around as if someone might come up and tell him he didn't have to go through with it. Kishimoto bounced off of the ropes.

At the bell Umezono's extended hand was met with a flying knee by Kishimoto. In the struggle Umezono ended up on the bottom.









And that's how the fight went down. Umezono, although having a cooler last name, was never in the fight. I am not sure how severe his knee injury was and how it effected his training but he brought nothing to the match, mentally or physically. After the fight he picked up the microphone and announced his desire to retire. A row of well dressed women in their late 30s occupying the front row shrieked in disbelief. Umezono said, "I want to retire, but there are those who will never forgive me. So I will take some time off and get my mind and my body right and try again. I don't really feel like it..." But then he called out Yamazaki. Hmmmm....

Powergate: Gate 9 - Goodman Tanaka vs. Tetsu-low

Tetsu-low isn't the first genius to think this sort of appellation is the balls. I used to run with a DJ/Dentist named Chihiro who changed her genre to Chicano rap and went by the moniker Chihi-low. It was almost as clever then. Again, here at gate nine, I must iterate my oath of purity; I just see shit and then say that I saw it. I will make no value judgments. Except when I do. In this case I will not say that someone is a joker among a team of joker's. That he isn't special, just larger. A larger joker amongst a team. If only I could name that team.

Goodman Tanaka from Goodman Gym met up with Tetsu-low from Team Joker in a middle weight clash. Tanaka is the reigning middle weight champ. He illustrates well my point about Japanese dudes and weight classes. Tanaka is roughly my weight but looks like he could break me in half, crush the pieces together and store them in his ample belly. How are we similar in tonnage? Maybe it is because he stands 172 cm. Tetsu-low comes in at 87kg and 180cm. 4kg over Goodman. Goodman was clearly the crowd favorite making a big entrance. Low was clearly his team's favorite, being cornered by the earlier mentioned scrub, Matsuyama. I will only put up one picture of the bout, because it is the only one that matters. It tells the whole story. Here it is.



That is Tanaka on top in the camouflage man-panties with the Hinomaru on the side. Mr. Low is on the bottom, as it is the only place he was ever going to be. Conversing with a pro-fighter and a high level BJJ competitor after the show they pondered, "I wonder if that team practices?" I don't make those speculations, maybe they spend their time being jokesters. Tanaka, supported by massive legs, as well as the majority of the crowd, took Tetsu down at will and broke him. The ref stepped in to put a stop to the drubbing. Tetsu-low spied a fight he could fare a bit better in and began punching the ref and shoving him. This was directly in front of me. I am sorry there aren't pictures but here are the factors. I had three shots left. I was stuck between the turnbuckle, the officials, and this altercation. Being both a Southerner and a teacher at a violent school I automatically experienced the reflex known as "bowing up." Impotent, however, in this case, as I quickly realized I was watching a scrum between two pro fighters amidst a roomful of fighters. The role I would take in normal life, turned into a tail that I placed between my legs and replaced with a stern look of disapproval. Some teams jokes are truly tasteless. I have no doubt that if this fight was fought ten more times, Mr. Tanaka would never fail to force feed Low-san his man-panties at will.

Powergate: Gate 8 - Shiba vs. Hoshiko

Shiba Hiroshi, out of Purebred Kyoto, is my buddy, but he has been in a slump. In 2007 he had been streaking racking up a win over Guy Delameau, among others. But he was coming off of three straight losses. Hoshiko Ryosuke (representing Robot Criminal K)is a fighter I have been hearing a lot about, not just for his improbable, but real, last name (it means Star Child) or his regal mohawk, but for his dedicated striking. I was also told that the whole Robot Criminal thing is made up and he really trains at a karate dojo five minutes from Purebred, and has no ground game whatsoever. Shiba, although a goofball who frequently appears to be taking jiu-jitsu about as seriously as I take Linkin Park, is one of the most dangerous and respected grapplers at grappling-centric Purebred. He is a very strong purple-belt. Strong in technique and strong physically.




Hoshiko (in the mohawk) had a very straight-up fighting style with no head movement. He seemed to have a hard time gauging the distance on the southpaw Shiba, who peppered him with low kicks. Hoshiko tried to take the initiative and get in the pocket. Shiba backed him off with two shots to the face and a hard left-hook to the body. Hoshiko seemed to be phased by Shiba's power and lost confidence and momentum. Shiba cut off the corner and threw a jumping knee.



Hoshiko backed-off and went on the defensive, still unsure of the correct range to use against the long limbed portsider.



Out of options, Hoshiko went for a takedown on the superior grappler, Shiba. It earned him some time in a tight guillotine.



The choke was set tight, but Hoshiko endured.





Shiba gave up on the guillotine and transitioned to a triangle.



As unequal as their ground abilities may be, Hoshiko was no easy submission.





After a triangle that threatened to turn into an armbar, Hoshiko finally made the slip.



The fight went back to standing and again, Hoshiko opted out of standing with Shiba. Which resulted in another triangle/armbar.



Hoshiko showed heart in persevering. Shiba used the triangle to pummel Hoshiko's head and face. The triangle had Hoshiko wheezing and turning purple, but not tapping or going out.
Shiba looked to the ref to see if the fight was going to be stopped. The ref didn't respond. Shiba rolled the triangle over to top position and continued to look to the ref. Seeing no signs of a stoppage, Shiba let go of the triangle, took Hoshiko's back off the scramble and continued to rain down hammer fists while gazing at the ref, one eyebrow raised inquisitively.



The fight was finally called and Shiba celebrated the win. He took the mic, acknowledged his slump and said he spent the New Year's holidays reconsidering his career and was ready to come back to fighting with a new commitment. He also took the opportunity to call out the champ.

Powergate: Gate 7 -Kanayama vs. Yokosai

I will try and be unbiased in these cases. It is hard when people you train with fight. Not only does training together make you pull for people in ways that other kinds of contact can't, training at Purebed Kyoto has been nothing short of an amazing experience and all of the guys there are honestly great people. Kanayama is one of the quietest, kindest, most dedicated people I have ever met in MMA. He can seemed focused and scary and hesitant and reclusive and wounded all in the same moment. He is also one of the most physically gifted human beings I have ever come across. If you ordered a piece of granite to become a person, you would mistake it for Kanayama. But I can remove that bias. The bias of acquaintanceship, as we are not that close. The bias of camaraderie. The bias of vicinity. The bias of sacrifice. Because YOKOSAI has those same bonds too.

I have heard rumor after rumor of YOKOSAI's, ne Yokoyama Toshihiko from Philoctetes Niigata, prowess. His record, however does little to reflect it. Kanayama Yasuhiro, out of Purebred Kyoto, was the 2004 Amateur Shooto lightweight champion. His pro career has been shifting towards the bottom of a mixed bag. Kanayama was a college wrestler and teaches the wrestling classes at Purebred.

Kanayama and Yokosai (in pink trunks) came out pointing at each other before touching gloves.



Kanayama's corner urged him to take it slow and applauded his wrestling stance.


Yokosai looked poised to strike. His punches were answered.



Pressured by Kanayama"s punching power, Yokosai attempted to clinch with the wrestler against the ropes. He was answered with a vicious slam.




Kanayama wore on his opponent with shoulder slams and punches to the head and body.



Kanayama initiated the guard pass.



The fighters were eventually stood up. Kanayama seemed to have the momentum and the power.



When the fight ended up back in the clinch, YOKOSAI was barbarously thrown to the canvas. The slam hurt him. Not hurt in the sense of an injury to be dealt with but hurt like it cut that place deep inside him that makes people have the will to fight. He had nothing left and was pounded out.



As Kanayama celebrated with his fans and his corner, YOKOSAI struggled with consciousness. It was a losing battle.



As Kanayama accepted a Gi from Isami and a trophy from the one hot ring girl, whose eyes seem to constantly roam for opportunity, YOKOSAI was tended to by the doctor.



Victory and defeat are not always two sides to the same coin. Sometimes they are poverty and abundance. I believe Sato Takuya is staring at the ring girl's ample bosom, as they say in the vernacular.





Kanayama was encouraged by his corner to take the mic. He used the platform to say he was back as a force and requested a shot at the championship.

Powergate: Exhibition

Next up was an exhibition (read: completely meaningless) match between Yamazaki Zenta from Team KGW, and Izumiya Takeshi (Tsuyoshi?) from M-BLOW. Yamazaki was bigger at 69kg to Izumiya's 65kg. None of this would be a factor as they sparred with leg pads at something I would estimate at 45% effort. Therefor the match was at times entertaining but inherently unsatisfying. Like marginally good food after you already ate. I could have done without it. The highlight would have to be Izumiya entering to Bon Jovi's "You give Love a Bad Name" while leaping the top rope. Yamazaki still wore his belt that he won last June in the grand-prix finals on a draw.



Izumiya (sporting dark green trunks) appeared to be the more complete striker, but put very little into it.




This halfhearted striking rendered the takedowns easy for Yamazaki, who shot double-legs and worked slams for the entire first round.



Izumiya worked to reverse the mount.



And was briefly successful.




Yamazaki worked the fight back to standing.



Grunted and laughed through a German Suplex to arm-bar transition. And the bout was over.



I should mention that this was in the second round, but the rounds were abbreviated due to it being an exhibition match.

An interview ensued and I realized that the small woman who had been keeping time and ringing the bell was just a small man with long hair.

Yamazaki said that he had gotten fat. "You pig!" Yelled a clever chap. Yamazaki continued that he had begun training again after the New Year and had a match coming up in April and would then put his built on the line in June. Izumiya said that he had spent two years off working and hanging out. That he had only trained stand-recently but was getting back to training and would start competing again.

Powergate: Gate 6 - Yoshida vs. Nagata

This flyweight match proved one truth about flyweights; They are F'ing tiny. Tiny. Like little dolls made for small ballerinas to cradle in their narrow hands. Tiny like freshman at the bus stop. Tiny. But tiny is, in the end, quantifiable. Yoshida Tomohiko, representing G-FREE, is 160cm and 55kg. His competition, Nagata Yasunori, is a stringier 173cm and weighed in at 59kg.





Nagata came out in wrestling shoes and black trunks. These two were more dedicated to striking than anyone preceding them.　

　

Yoshida, the southpaw, finally shot a single leg and got the fight to the ground. His compact build allowed him to get low on his opponent Nagata.

Nagata became the first person I have ever seen try to work the rubber guard with wrestling shoes on. I suppose it would help one's grip, but It didn't help Nagata who was dominated on the ground.






Nagata earned a stand-up for his efforts.



Only to be taken back down.




And finally succumbed to a tight rear-naked choke.