Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares (14-4) and Masakazu “10th Dan of Leglocks” Imanari (25-10-2) can mutually further sharpen their already razor-sharp skills in applying submission holds on their opponents’ lower limbs.
After getting ground-and-pounded to a TKO loss by Alan Belcher in UFC on FOX: Diaz vs. Miller in the first round when he failed to lock in a favorite leg lock, Palhares should consider training with his kindred warrior spirit in Imanari.
The Brazilian middleweight Palhares, with seven wins via leg locks, and Japanese bantamweight Imanari, himself boasting of 10 wins also coming from the same holds, are truly cut from the same mold.
The following is an account of Imanari’s last fight, from my past article ONE FC: Belingon Needs to Work on Submission Defense, Folayang on Wrestling:
Belingon tries to pound but in vain, as the hold already got him losing his leverage and effective striking distance to rain blows with his upper limbs. His lower limbs are already neutralized, with one foot trying to escape the heel hook hold and the other trying to push the other out of it. The Japanese fighter coolly and tenaciously latches on the foot, eventually transitioning to a toe hold and ultimately a reverse heel hook.
Soon, the reverse heel hook submission forces Belingon to tap at 1:18 of the first round…
It wouldn’t hurt for them to learn together and refine some more their specialty and superiority in leg locks.
Besides, the grappling and MMA connections between Brazil and Japan have long been established.
As a short historical note, Japanese Judoka’s Mitsuyo Maeda taught grappling to Carlos Gracie of Brazil in 1917, then Gracie’s famous fighting descendants proved the efficiency of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in Japan’s MMA circuits from the mid-1990s to the early years of the 21st century.
And in case Palhares and Imanari will give it a go, they could also bring in Russian Sambo master Igor Yakimov and start their “First Class International Leg Locks Academy.”
I’d be the first enrollee.
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