Insanity
Showing posts with label Purebred. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Purebred. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
King of Purebred 2009
Christmas in Kyoto and the pros and blackbelts were out. This year amateur Shooters took on guys from around the gym in an annual festival of grappling and madness.
Bracket:
Okabe vs. Kouki
Fujii vs. Aleku
Wes vs. Ruya
Ozaki vs. Doi
Kouki vs. Aleku
Doi vs. Ryuya
Kouki vs. Doi (Finals)
Special Bonus Match- Last year's champion Eda vs. this year's champion Doi
Bracket:
Okabe vs. Kouki
Fujii vs. Aleku
Wes vs. Ruya
Ozaki vs. Doi
Kouki vs. Aleku
Doi vs. Ryuya
Kouki vs. Doi (Finals)
Special Bonus Match- Last year's champion Eda vs. this year's champion Doi
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sugimoto Hiroshi vs. Gypsy Taro
As much as the previous fight was one of the great fights of the year, Gypsy Taro vs. Sugimoto squaring of against each other will go down as one of the most absurd. Sugimoto is my friend and fights out of Purebred Kyoto. Taro is a solid fighter with a bad record who represents Shooting Gym Osaka.
Sugimoto had been practicing his Sammy Sosa entrance for over a month.
Sugimoto (In White) comes from a Kyokushin base, and is quite strong.
What had impressed me when I saw Gypsy Taro last year was his strong striking defense, a rarity in Shooto. It would be a necessity in this fight.
Sugimoto came out looking for blood and slipped in his enthusiasm. He was running around the ring, jumping into his punches and leaping in the air for no particular reason. He had Taro backing up however. Taro's counters were somewhat effective, but Sugimoto's punches were full of power and doing serious damage to Taro's face. Even his shoulders were looking worse for the wear.
Sugi began to sense how much damage he was inflicting and upped the pace, getting a sweetly demonic look on his face.
This fight, a circus of one-two power punching punctuated by feigned knees and leaping into the air, was all over the place.
Taro went for the clinch and landed a knee or two. These however, didn't appear to slow down the action.
The end of round one took place against the post of a neutral corner. Feeling the fight, Sugi went for something he has been doing in practice lately, the old, Ryo Chonan flying scissor heel hook. I should mention at this point that Sugimoto has absurdly strong legs. I thought it was just me who thought that but other pro fighters have been mentioning it lately. So it isn't so crazy that he could pull this move off.
Sugi failed and spent the last 20 seconds trapped in the corner eating a punch or two.
Nakakura helped Taro to regroup for the 2nd. Possibly there was some ice down the pants.
While Taro was clearly damaged, Sugimoto was clearly worn down. His hands were low and all he could muster were some one-twos. They still had a good deal of power and Sugi's left had been scoring all night. This is where Taro's defense started to prove effective.
Both fighters were worn out.
A mutual doctor's break was called. Taro was bleeding and red.
Sugi had little left to give.
A vicious barfight broke out.
Sugimoto could no longer keep his hands up and stood in front of Taro, taking his beating.
A Taro slip brought the fight to the ground. Sugimoto looked re-energized and got the fight to half-guard. Then fatigue set in and he was held there until the fight was stood back up. Sugimoto's last chances were slipping away as, even though he had inflected more damage, spending a round with your hands below your waist will not win a judge's decision.
Both fighters remained game however. The crux of the fight was Taro's ability to maintain a competent boxing stance; a scarce commodity in the world of Shooto and something I would advise others to work on. My old bass teacher used to tell me that when you looked like you were playing well, you often were. Boxing is no different. Sugi's power was clearly superior but standing around looking like you are trying to bum a smoke cannot earn you a victory.
At this point the fight became so absurd that photographs, at least the kind I had the ability to take at the moment could no longer communicate the mood. Here is a video I took of the last 30 seconds or so.
Needless to say, Sugimoto lost the fight and Gypsy Taro, with Hokazono in his corner, moved on in the Rookie Tournament. If this fight comes out on video, watch it. It makes little sense and is all the more thrilling because of it.
Sugimoto had been practicing his Sammy Sosa entrance for over a month.
Sugimoto (In White) comes from a Kyokushin base, and is quite strong.
What had impressed me when I saw Gypsy Taro last year was his strong striking defense, a rarity in Shooto. It would be a necessity in this fight.
Sugimoto came out looking for blood and slipped in his enthusiasm. He was running around the ring, jumping into his punches and leaping in the air for no particular reason. He had Taro backing up however. Taro's counters were somewhat effective, but Sugimoto's punches were full of power and doing serious damage to Taro's face. Even his shoulders were looking worse for the wear.
Sugi began to sense how much damage he was inflicting and upped the pace, getting a sweetly demonic look on his face.
This fight, a circus of one-two power punching punctuated by feigned knees and leaping into the air, was all over the place.
Taro went for the clinch and landed a knee or two. These however, didn't appear to slow down the action.
The end of round one took place against the post of a neutral corner. Feeling the fight, Sugi went for something he has been doing in practice lately, the old, Ryo Chonan flying scissor heel hook. I should mention at this point that Sugimoto has absurdly strong legs. I thought it was just me who thought that but other pro fighters have been mentioning it lately. So it isn't so crazy that he could pull this move off.
Sugi failed and spent the last 20 seconds trapped in the corner eating a punch or two.
Nakakura helped Taro to regroup for the 2nd. Possibly there was some ice down the pants.
While Taro was clearly damaged, Sugimoto was clearly worn down. His hands were low and all he could muster were some one-twos. They still had a good deal of power and Sugi's left had been scoring all night. This is where Taro's defense started to prove effective.
Both fighters were worn out.
A mutual doctor's break was called. Taro was bleeding and red.
Sugi had little left to give.
A vicious barfight broke out.
Sugimoto could no longer keep his hands up and stood in front of Taro, taking his beating.
A Taro slip brought the fight to the ground. Sugimoto looked re-energized and got the fight to half-guard. Then fatigue set in and he was held there until the fight was stood back up. Sugimoto's last chances were slipping away as, even though he had inflected more damage, spending a round with your hands below your waist will not win a judge's decision.
Both fighters remained game however. The crux of the fight was Taro's ability to maintain a competent boxing stance; a scarce commodity in the world of Shooto and something I would advise others to work on. My old bass teacher used to tell me that when you looked like you were playing well, you often were. Boxing is no different. Sugi's power was clearly superior but standing around looking like you are trying to bum a smoke cannot earn you a victory.
At this point the fight became so absurd that photographs, at least the kind I had the ability to take at the moment could no longer communicate the mood. Here is a video I took of the last 30 seconds or so.
Needless to say, Sugimoto lost the fight and Gypsy Taro, with Hokazono in his corner, moved on in the Rookie Tournament. If this fight comes out on video, watch it. It makes little sense and is all the more thrilling because of it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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