Takanori Gomi has seen the up side of down and everything in between during his 14-year career as a mixed martial artist. The man has scored some breath-taking knockouts, risen to the top ranks of the now-defunct Pride Fighting Championships, worked his way into the pound-for-pound discussion and amassed two incredible winning streaks (one being 14 straight, the other being 10).
However, Gomi has hit a few skids along the way as well. He was manhandled by B.J. Penn at Rumble on the Rock 4, submitted by Marcus Aurelio while fighting in his prime and turned into a highlight-reel victim by Nick Diaz at Pride 33, and he hasn’t pieced together anything more than a two-fight winning streak since 2009.
The man’s desire to fight has certainly come into question in recent years, and since transitioning to the North American promotion, The Ultimate Fighting Championship, he has appeared to be a shadow of his former self.
But what does it all mean? Are “The Fireball Kid’s” best days long gone? Is the cage not favorable to his style? Is he training as he should be in order to compete with the best in the world today?
So many questions…so few answers.