Tag: Aoki Shinya

Pride Never Die: Rizin FF Instantly Becomes Compelling UFC Alternative

MMA has changed a great deal since 2007, the year when Pride FC closed its doors. The tastes of MMA fans, though? Those are pretty much the same.
The UFC has long been content in offering fans a package that exclusively features reasonably high-level f…

MMA has changed a great deal since 2007, the year when Pride FC closed its doors. The tastes of MMA fans, though? Those are pretty much the same.

The UFC has long been content in offering fans a package that exclusively features reasonably high-level fights between largely interchangeable competitors. While that’s enough to tide over many, longtime fans still longingly remember the early aughts, when MMA events were exclusively found through satellite providers and VHS cassettes. Even more so, they yearn for the days when MMA had a unique, distinct flair that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

In this transitional era, defined by thick coats of polish, omnipresent network jingles and embarrassingly inept apparel companies, that void has never felt deeper. The UFC has successfully removed fighters’ abilities to stand out from the pack without promotional approval. Calling a fight night an “event” borders on irony. Cards are being slowly molded into just another sports-like program, no different from Saturday afternoon baseball or Thursday Night Football.

Bellator has tried admirably to fill this niche, yes. Unfortunately, the promotion’s unremarkable monthly offerings detract from their larger “tentpole” events.

MMA over the last two years, for the most part, has been defined by monotony.

Enter Rizin Fighting Federation.

Founded by former Pride FC executive Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Rizin suddenly burst onto the MMA scene with the announcement that they had snatched MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko out of the UFC’s clutches, and were planning to build a signature New Year’s Eve show around his return to MMA. While the company remains something of a mystery even to this day, they have made one thing crystal clear. Their events are going to be super-duper fun.

Making their debut in the wee hours of Tuesday morning in Saitama, Japan, Rizin FF put on what could be remembered as the best, most exciting show of 2015.

The centerpiece of the night, naturally, was the fights. What the card lacked in name value, it more than made up for with exciting new talent, who successfully delivered first-round stoppages in nearly every fight. The festivities never dulled as the card chugged along at an almost blistering pace, with doctors (metaphorically) scraping the losers off the mat with a spatula in order to hurry the next fighters into the ring (a sharp contrast from the marathon-length Fox Sports 1 cards).

Sandwiched in between? Impassioned speeches from the hometown favorites, homages to the big names in attendance and, most importantly, elaborate entrances to the ring.

The result was a unique, fun and supremely entertaining card. While it’s unclear what lies ahead for Rizin after their New Year’s Eve card, they made a very, very strong first impression.

Here are some of the highlights and key takeaways of the night:

 

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka Won a Fight in 2015!

What a time to be alive! Forty-five years old and nine years removed from his last non-worked fight, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka jerked the proverbial curtain open with a win. Not only did he win a fight, but he actually defeated serviceable heavyweight journeyman James “The Colossus” Thompson.

The Rings alum a chance against Thompson was a serious underdog in the minds of fans, given the difference in age and activity. While the Colossus has never been regarded as a top fighter, he has frustrated more than a couple of promotions by exposing their top stars as pretenders and had fought as recently as November. Most were expecting him to make quick work of Kohsaka, and it initially seemed like he would do just that.

Thompson poured on offense early, wobbling Kohsaka and getting him to his back. Unfortunately, that blitz nearly emptied his gas tank, leaving him gasping for breath just 90 seconds into the fight. While Kohsaka didn’t put on an especially strong showing himself, he managed to muster a brutal combination early in the second round that forced Thompson through the ropes. This win does very little for Kohsaka, but this was a huge moral victory for the Japanese crowd.

 

Russia Wins Big

While Emelianenko didn’t fight Tuesday morning, Russia was well represented on the card and went undefeated throughout. Vadim Nemkov, Kirill Sidelnikov, Anatoly Tokov and Valentin Moldavsky all scored impressive first-round wins. While Russians have taken over American MMA over the last two years, don’t think for a second that their talent pool has been emptied by the UFC and Bellator.

 

Cruiserweight Tournament Starts with Five Impressive Performances

One of the most important takeaways from Rizin‘s first show is the knowledge that talented, young light heavyweights still exist out there. That was on full display during the cruiserweight tournament fights.

While Bellator‘s “King” Mo Lawal picked up an unsurprising win over BAMMA’s Brett McDermott, the other four winners all managed to pick up comparably impressive wins against stiffer competition. In addition to the aforementioned Nemkov and Moldavsky, Teodoras Aukstuolis starched Bruno Henrique Cappelozza and Jiri Prochazka stunned the crowd by making quick work of fan favorite Satoshi Ishii.

While there are basically no developmental light heavyweight or heavyweight talents in the western hemisphere, things seem to be getting quite interesting across the Atlantic. It’s likely time to take a good, long look at the European circuit.

The semifinal round features Lawal vs. Aukstuolis and Nemkov vs. Prochazka, with Moldavksy working injury replacement duties.

 

Main Event Removes Some of Rizin‘s Shine

The one big knock on Rizin tonight was the main event, a match between submission wizard Shinya Aoki and MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba. While Sakuraba holds a special place in MMA fans’ hearts from his Gracie Killer days, there was an undeniable feeling of dread heading into his fight with Aoki. Alas, any and all doubts about the matchup were proven correct.

Aoki was in full-mount position on Sakuraba before the ring bell was quiet, and he never left that spot. For what felt like an eternity (but was actually about six minutes), he nailed Saku with uncontested gift-wrap ground-and-pound as the aged legend struggled to escape but never came close to doing so.

The outcome was completely expected, of course. Sakuraba is 14 years older than the still-relevant Aoki, and he exited the sport back in 2011 while riding a four-fight losing streak. That, however, didn’t make this fight any easier to stomach.

 

Full Results (via MMAJunkie.com):

  • Shinya Aoki def. Kazushi Sakuraba via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 5:56
  • Jiri Prochazka def. Satoshi Ishii via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 1:36 – heavyweight tournament opening round
  • Vadim Nemkov def. Goran Reljic via knockout (strikes) – Round 1, 2:58 – heavyweight tournament opening round
  • Teodoras Aukstuolis def. Bruno Cappelozza via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:32 – heavyweight tournament opening round
  • Muhammed Lawal def. Brett McDermott via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 9:10 – heavyweight tournament opening round
  • Valentin Moldavsky def Yuta Uchida via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:20 – heavyweight tournament alternate fight
  • Hiroyuki Takaya def. Daiki Hata via unanimous decision
  • Hideo Tokoro def. Kizaemon Saiga via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 5:15
  • Anatoly Tokov def. A.J. Matthews via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:55
  • Felipe Efrain def. Yuki Motoya via TKO (punches) – Round 1 (fight to be ruled no-contest due to Efrain missing weight)
  • Kirill Sidelnikov def. Carlos Toyota via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:32
  • Tsuyoshi Kohsaka def. James Thompson via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 1:58

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ONE Championship 27: Dynasty of Champions Fight Card, TV Info and Predictions

ONE Championship will show its latest offering on May 22 as lightweight Shinya Aoki defends his title against Koji Ando in Singapore, Philippines.
The Asian MMA organization has become the largest on a continent known for its rich MMA history. For fans…

ONE Championship will show its latest offering on May 22 as lightweight Shinya Aoki defends his title against Koji Ando in Singapore, Philippines.

The Asian MMA organization has become the largest on a continent known for its rich MMA history. For fans unfamiliar with the company, a primary difference between the action in ONE and its stateside brethren is the use of the global MMA rules.  The modified rules allow for some elements from the now-defunct PRIDE organization, including soccer kicks and stomps to a downed opponent.

With ONE representing the last bastion for fans of the more no-holds barred approach to MMA and Aoki‘s penchant for finishing fights in fantastic fashion, this isn’t a card to be missed. 

Here’s a look at the entire slate, how to watch the card and what to watch for from Singapore. 

 

ONE Championship 27 Schedule, TV Info

Date: Friday, May 22

Time (ET): 7 a.m. ET

Location: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Kallang, Singapore

TV: Fight Network (exclusively in Canada, per FightNetwork.com)

Live Stream: ONEFC.com (purchase required)

 

Can Shinya Aoki Continue to Carry the Lightweight Title?

Shinya Aoki is easily one of the most recognizable stars in ONE. He isn’t that far removed from being one of the top lightweight fighters in the world. The 32-year-old has made a name for himself for appearances in PRIDE, DREAM and even Strikeforce marked by excellent submissions. 

As the lightweight champion of ONE, the grappling wiz has been as dominant as expected. He’s 4-0 under the ONE banner, including a first-round submission win over former UFC vet Kamal Shalorus his last time out. 

Now, he defends his belt against 30-year-old Koji Ando. The Japanese lightweight doesn’t have the name recognition of Aoki, but he’s been on a tear of late with four of those five wins coming by way of TKO or submission. 

Although Aoki is a master of submissions, he’s been working on rounding out his game. “If there is a chance to win with a submission, then I will do it, but I have been training very hard with Kru Ake (Peneak Sitnumnoi) at Evolve MMA, and I am confident in my Muay Thai, too.” Aoki told James Goyder of MMA Mania. “I hope to win by knockout or submission.”

While his muay thai may be improving, the safe bet is still on a submission from Aoki. He might showcase some of those skills early on, but the bottom line is that when a fighter has a skill that’s the best in MMA, he’s likely going to use it. 

 

Who Will Emerge as the Face of the Strawweight Division?

Aside from the difference in the rule set, ONE FC’s other distinct difference from the UFC is the presence of a strawweight division. The 115-pound division isn’t a destination in the UFC yet, so the best fighters in the world in the weight class can compete for the title in ONE. 

Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke and Roy Doliguez have the opportunity to compete for the belt first. As ONE FC CEO Victor Cui points out, Amnuaysirichoke‘s presence in the title fight is especially historic.

There’s a reason Cui is going out of his way to promote Amnuaysirichoke, too. With a proven track record as a muay thai world champion, he has serious skills on the feet. Throw in the fact that two of his four MMA wins are by submission, and he has a well-rounded fighter to promote. 

Unlike ONE star Ben Askren, Amnuaysirichoke is appealing to the eye of your casual MMA fan. He basically attacks and attacks whatever is in front of him until it is no longer to continue. Doliguez is a decent fighter, but he simply doesn’t have the impressive background of his opponent. 

Expect fireworks in the co-main event. 

 

Who Is Going to Steal the Show?

Shinya Aoki is the reason most fans will tune into this. Just like Ben Askren on the last card, he’s the only fighter who has some name recognition from fighting stateside. But that doesn’t mean the other talent should be overlooked. 

As the largest MMA promotion in Asia, ONE is privy to a hotbed of talented mixed martial artists. Those who tuned in to watch Askren do his thing on the last pay-per-view offering from ONE saw firsthand the excitement this organization brings.

Six of the seven previous main card bouts ended in some form of finish as several fighters put on impressive performances. 

With Aoki and Amnuaysirichoke fighting in the high stakes bouts at the end, who is going to stand out among the rest when the action takes place in Singapore?

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Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye Results: Cro Cop Wins by Head-Kick TKO; Aoki Wins Via Twister

Two of the most recognizable names outside the realm of the UFC—Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Shinya Aoki—each ended the year in style Wednesday at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 in Tokyo. 
After landing his patented left high kick on Satoshi Is…

Two of the most recognizable names outside the realm of the UFC—Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic and Shinya Aoki—each ended the year in style Wednesday at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2014 in Tokyo. 

After landing his patented left high kick on Satoshi Ishii, the 40-year-old Cro Cop landed a series of punches against the ropes to score a TKO win in the second round of their main event IGF heavyweight championship bout.

Earlier in the night, Aoki pulled off one of the most rarely seen submissions in MMA for the first time in his career when he secured a twister (spinal crank) in the first round of a lightweight tilt against Yuki Yamamoto.

The former Japanese Olympic gold medalist (judo) Ishii, who fell via TKO (doctor stoppage) to Cro Cop to lose his IGF heavyweight belt at Inoki Genome Fight 2 in August, scored a trip takedown in Round 1. Ishii then peppered Filipovic with punches and elbows in the guard for the remainder of the round.

Ishii notched another takedown in Round 2, only to allow a resilient Cro Cop to eventually pop back to his feet and begin his own offensive assault.

In the later stages of the round, Cro Cop began heaving left hooks and uppercuts that put Ishii on the defensive.

Cro Cop then wobbled Ishii with a high kick in the waning seconds of the round before finishing him off with a vicious set of follow-up punches just as the round ended.

Although the outmatched Yamamoto managed to land a solid knee to Aoki‘s jaw early, just seconds later, he found himself on the ground with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo black belt on his back.

Aoki quickly slapped a figure-four on Yamamoto‘s right leg from the back and then slid his upper body to Yamamoto‘s left, where he began applying the crank to the top of the right side of Yamamoto‘s head. Yamamoto squirmed and resisted a bit before ultimately tapping to the intense pressure on his spinal cord.

Cro Cop earned his 30th career pro MMA win and his 22nd career TKO/KO. Filipovic has also won 23 times as a pro kickboxer, 12 of which came via TKO/KO.

Aoki, conversely, scored his 37th career pro MMA win and his 25th win via submission. 

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The Most Dangerous Man in MMA: One FC’s Shinya Aoki Is Ready to Break Bones

Sitting on the subway, at a noodle stand or even training in the gym, you wouldn’t give Shinya Aoki, the Japanese lightweight once considered by many the single best fighter in his weight class, a second look.Nothing screams “tough guy.” There’s not ev…

Sitting on the subway, at a noodle stand or even training in the gym, you wouldn’t give Shinya Aoki, the Japanese lightweight once considered by many the single best fighter in his weight class, a second look.

Nothing screams “tough guy.” There’s not even the hint of a whisper.

Slim, bird-chested and wearing glasses—this man just doesn’t look like the most dangerous fighter in the world. But, as Royce Gracie proved nearly 20 years ago now, looks can be deceiving. And make no mistake, Aoki remains a terrifying potential foe for anyone at 155 pounds.

That’s a statement that probably deserves—nay, demands—an explanation. And it boils down to attitude. There are many athletes who truly consider this a sport. Fighters who, in their core, hate the idea of hurting someone else, of taking away their livelihood.

That’s called empathy. They, of course, are fighters themselves. They understand what it would mean to the man across the cage to have his physicality, his very identity, stripped away by a devastating injury.

Shinya Aoki is not that kind of man.

The case in point is a 2009 fight against Mizuto Hirota. To set the stage, it was an inter-promotional bout—Hirota repped Sengoku, Aoki was with Dream. Picture a Japanese version of the Sharks and the Jets and you wouldn’t be far off.

As you might imagine, the pre-fight press, all designed to promote this blood feud between companies, amped up a fighter who already lives at a decibel of 10. Aoki was a terror before the bout, telling fighters at the press conference to “shut up” when their answers went long and promising Dream president Keiichi Sasahara that he would take Hirota out.

And then the fight. The details are unimportant. At least until the end. That’s when Aoki captured Hirota in a hammerlock and yanked until his skinny arms almost fell off. Hirota was too proud to tap; the referee too slow to intervene. So, in a moment replayed millions of times by sickos the world over, Hirota‘s arm went snap.

It was immediately obvious he was seriously injured. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind. But Shinya Aoki didn’t care about that. He stood over Hirota. Screamed. And then shot him the bird, proceeding to run around the ring like he was doing his best Jim Valvano impression. Thoughts of Hirota, or at least his well being, never crossed Aoki‘s mind.

Here’s the scary part for opponents—he’d do it again. In a heartbeat.

“He was very disrespectful to me before the fight. When I had his arm, he had a chance to tap and he chose not to. I’m not going to give up the submission just because my opponent is too arrogant to not tap. So I broke his arm,” Aoki told Bleacher Report in an series of exclusive interviews. It’s a scene he believes has the potential to be repeated in any one of his fights.

“Of course it is dangerous to fight me. I’m going to try to break every one of your limbs if that is what it takes to defeat you.”

The win over Hirota, however, is not the only lasting image of Shinya Aoki. For American fans there is also the disastrous tour of this country. Aoki was controlled by Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez and knocked out by then Bellator kingpin Eddie Alvarez two years later. To many, it was a dismissal. Aoki, in the eyes of some fans, simply couldn’t cut it against the best in the world.

He’s not so sure.

“The traveling is the worst part,” he said about his experiences in America. “Traveling across so many time zones for a fight affects your physical and mental state.”

It’s not presented as an excuse, not exactly. More a statement of fact. And if you think the losses have humbled Aoki, you’d be dead wrong.

Back in his comfort zone in Asia, Aoki is committed to continue to grow as a fighter. And, despite media perception, at least in the English speaking world, he doesn’t feel like he’s already peaked. In fact, he believes in his heart he’s a threat to any lightweight in the world—even the UFC’s best.

“I believe that I am among the best. On any given day, I am capable of finishing anyone in the world…A fighter is a fighter. It doesn’t matter what country he is from,” Aoki said.” One FC has so many top fighters that just have not been acknowledged by the media yet. Many of my Evolve teammates for example, are already at the level to win at the highest levels in the world.”

It’s with the Evolve team in Singapore that Aoki has committed to improving his skill set. Always known as a dangerous grappler, he’s been working hard to branch out, realizing that MMA is no place for a specialist these days. He has access to first-rate wrestling coach Heath Sims, a man who worked closely with Randy Couture and Dan Henderson for years, as well as some top-level Thai boxing instructors.

It’s his developments in the striking game that Aoki is most proud of.

“I never thought that I would ever be able to knock someone out. It was a very strange feeling, indeed,” Aoki said, referring to his Dec. 31, 2012, dismantling of American Antonio McKee. “I am nowhere near my peak yet, especially in striking. I believe that if I train harder in striking, I will improve a lot more.”

Fans will watch those improvements in One FC, the rising promotional powerhouse that signed him last year and continues to stand out among what has become a crowded Asian scene. Aoki, who made his name in Pride and then Dream, believes One FC is the heir to those promotions, the company that can help MMA thrive once again in Asia.

“I am thrilled beyond words. One FC is the new Pride. Actually, it is already bigger than Pride ever was. It is the biggest MMA event in Asia and the second-largest in the world,” Aoki said. “I think the future of Asian MMA is in One FC. One FC already has so many of the best fighters from Japan and the rest of Asia in its roster. One FC also brings the best fighters from all the different countries to compete against each other and that makes it even more exciting.”

On April 5, Aoki will headline One FC’s return to the Singapore Indoor Stadium for a title fight with champion Kotetsu Boku. For One FC, April 5 will be the culmination of a long journey. For the first time, the event will be broadcast live on Star Sports across Asia, rather than broadcast on tape delay or as highlights. The event is also available to fans worldwide as a pay-per-view livestream at www.onefc.livesport.tv.

For Aoki, it’s more than that. It’s the chance to remind the world he’s still around and, most scarily, it’s also a grudge match of sorts as Boku dispatched with Aoki‘s teammate Zorobabel Moreira last October.

“I want to bring the belt back to Evolve MMA for my teammates, for my trainers and for me,” Aoki said. “I know how dejected Zoro was after that loss and I want to do this for him as well. I’m bringing the title back with me.”

If facing down an angry and motivated Shinya Aoki has him rattled, Boku isn’t showing it. A decade-plus veteran of the sport, the former Shooto standout understands exactly what Aoki is, and the knockout over McKee notwithstanding, exactly what he isn’t as well.

“Aoki is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu artist and has submitted many opponents. I must be careful not to let him dictate the fight. I want to keep the fight standing, where I feel like I’m better than Aoki. I’m confident that I can beat Aoki. I don’t intend to give up my lightweight title belt to Aoki or anybody else. I want to be lightweight champion until I retire,” Boku told Bleacher Report through a translator.

“On April 5th, I’m going to put on a show for the Singapore fans. This is the largest event in One FC history and we are going live! I’m very excited. Shinya Aoki might be getting more media attention now, but after I defeat him, the entire MMA world will remember the name Kotetsu Boku.”

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MMA: Would It Make Any Sense to Bring Back Pride in 2013?

As Strikeforce prepares to close their doors forever and the UFC continues to march forward in their quest for global domination, I can’t help but wonder what impact an organization like Pride FC could have on the sport if they could come back no…

As Strikeforce prepares to close their doors forever and the UFC continues to march forward in their quest for global domination, I can’t help but wonder what impact an organization like Pride FC could have on the sport if they could come back now, in 2013.

At their peak, Pride was the premier organization for MMA, second to none.

Much talk has been made about how the UFC will never co-promote, but during the Pride Middleweight Tournament in 2003, the UFC sent Chuck Liddell into the Pride ring, and make no mistake about that, they were co-promoting with Pride.

To be plain, I have always believed that competition is good in the combative sports.

I think when one show rules the road, fighters begin to slip through the cracks, suffering due to not enough chances to fight and worse, their performances and hard work are taken for granted.

After all, where else are they going to go?

Granted, there is Bellator, and I love that show. There is something about it that is serious enough to speak to a passion for the sport, professional enough to make you forget that nearly all of those fighters would bolt for the UFC if Joe Silva called, and there is a kind of integrity the organization possesses, simply because they are doing it their own way, Dana White be damned.

But in all honesty, if there is a problem with the sport right now, it is not the near stranglehold the UFC has, and it sure isn’t Dana White.

It’s a flaw intrinsic to the system itself, nothing more and nothing less.

Even if the UFC were to nearly double in size overnight, they could only increase their output of shows by about 20 percent, and that would probably be too much, given how they have basically saturated the PPV market.

There are still so many untapped countries that the other combative sports have shown have a deep well of talent, and no matter how big the UFC grows, they can’t employ them all and they can’t give them all the exposure they need.

Mexico, Russia and Japan are just a few examples of this. Yes, the UFC is attempting to get back into the Far East markets, but it is going to be a long time before they really get a solid enough footing to draw deep from that well.

And they haven’t even attempted to start making inroads to Mexico and Russia, at least not to any extent that is noteworthy.

When pondering the question further, I then remember that Pride FC started with fighters who came from the UFC.

Yes, Pride had a lot of money and managed to get a small number of bigger name fighters to defect, but the first Pride shows were built upon the names of UFC fighters who had been all but forgotten.

Dan Severn, Kimo Leopoldo, Gary Goodridge and Oleg Taktarov were really the biggest names on the first Pride card, save for Rickson Gracie and Nobuhiko Takada, and they pulled around 47,000 fans out of their homes and into the arena to watch.

From there, they began to mix their cards with bigger name UFC castoffs and defectors and newer talent, and they turned into the biggest promotion of their time.

As impressive as the UFC stable is now, there are still quite a few big names not pledging allegiance to their banner, and those men and women love to fight.

Josh Barnett could probably be lured into the fold, along with Gegard Mousasi, Ben Askren, Michael Chandler, Bibiano Fernandes, Marlon Sandro, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (once his contract is up), Pedro Rizzo, Matt Lindland, Sergei Kharitonov, Jeff Monson, and so on.

None of these men are the best in their divisions, but a few of them are in the top 10, and if such a new company really wanted to get attention, they would need only call upon some of their national heroes, such as Kazushi Sakuraba and Shinya Aoki, along with new fighters itching to make a splash, and suddenly you have all the makings for an entertaining night of fights.

Notice I said “entertaining,” not meaningful. Really none of the fights on a new promotion’s first few fight cards are going to have any real divisional ramifications, but they could entertain the crowd and viewers, and that is how such things begin. 

Once such a promotion got their feet under them and began walking (not running), they could attract a lot of attention, both from fans and other fighters either tired of dealing with the UFC (or waiting on them) or just eager to get noticed on a bigger stage.

In the end, as long as said promotion paid well and kept to their books with an eye toward serious fiscal responsibility, they could start talking in a language all fighters understand: money.

When the first incarnation of Pride fell, the sport was not nearly as big as it is now. Thanks to the growth of the UFC and the exposure the sport has enjoyed as a byproduct, a new Japanese promotion might be able to get partners to invest in them, and god knows how big a promotion could get if a company like Sony took an interest and was willing to put their money in the pot.

Of course, all of this is nothing more the speculation and assumption, and proceeding from those assumptions, but it is possible.

However, the real question becomes: “Is it probable?”

Right now, in 2013, I think not. Japan is still in the process of recovery from many woes, and that takes time, and if a promotion was started now, I think they would falter and fall.

But in five or 10 years from now?

That could be a totally different story.

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One FC Set to Rock Manila with Biggest MMA Show the Philippines Has Ever Seen

The Philippines is home to more MMA fans than any other country in Asia, apart from Japan, and why the UFC decided to go to Macau first is a mystery. Fortunately for the Filipino MMA fans, ONE FC has stepped in to fill the breach with the biggest and b…

The Philippines is home to more MMA fans than any other country in Asia, apart from Japan, and why the UFC decided to go to Macau first is a mystery. Fortunately for the Filipino MMA fans, ONE FC has stepped in to fill the breach with the biggest and best show the country has ever hosted.

ONE FC “Destiny of Warriors” is going down on August 31st and anyone who is suffering from UFC overload after the crazy recent schedule of mediocre cards should check it out because it has got some of the top fighters from Asia, Australia and South America.

Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki, who has been the top pound-for-pound fighter in Asia for as long as I can remember, is still waiting for an opponent, as is former Strikeforce middleweight champion and UFC veteran Renato Sobral.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski knows who he will be fighting, top Australian heavyweight Soa Palelei who has won his last seven fights. Arlovski has won his last two fights but Palelei is a top quality fighter and this will not be an easy fight for ‘The Pitbull’.

Dream bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes has also been handed a very difficult ONE FC debut against CFC bantamweight champion Gustavo Falciroli. The Brazilian born fighter was selected to appear on TUF: ‘The Smashes’ as a lightweight but didn’t get his Australian citizenship through in time and is much bigger than Fernandes, who was last seen winning the Dream bantamweight grand prix on new year’s eve.

The fourth Australian (if you count Falciroli) on the card is 16-1 heavyweight Tony Bonello who is taking on Rolles Gracie. There are three Gracies on the card which must be some sort of record, and none of them have been given easy fights.

Gregor Gracie goes up against Nicholas Mann, an Australian who lives in the Philippines and has a 4-1 record while Igor Gracie has been matched with 8-6 Korean Jung Hwan Cha. Mann is the URCC light heavyweight champion and his fight with Gracie fight is taking place at a catchweight of 80 kgs.

ONE FC “Destiny of Warriors” will have three Filipino fighters but only one of them has an opponent and that is Eric Kelly who will be going up against former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. Kelly is 7-0 and is URCC featherweight champion and Pulver has been doing better lately after some bad results.

There will be two more URCC champions on the card and both are still waiting for opponents. URCC flyweight champion Kevin Belingon suffered the first loss of his career against Masakazu Imanari but is still 9-1 and Eduard Folayang is the most famous MMA fighter in the Philippines but is also coming off a loss to Ole Laursen which saw his record slip to 11-2

Phil Baroni might be in his twilight years but he still knows how to sell a fight and will be desperate for a win when he takes on BJJ black belt Rodrigo Ribeiro. These two trained together at Evolve MMA in Singapore apparently and this promises to be a straightforward striker vs grappler match.

With Babalu, Aoki, Arlovski, Fernandes and three Gracies this could be the best non UFC card ever to take place outside of Japan. It’s taking place at the same arena as the Thriller in Manila and ONE FC confidently predict a 16,500 sell out, MMA in the US might be starting to get stale due to saturation but in Asia, fans still can’t get enough.

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