Tag: Shooto

Former UFC Title Challenger Becomes Champion At 43 Years Old

Former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami has become a champion following his recent win at Shooto 2024 Vol. 8 on November 30. The 33-year old Japanese legend earned his second consecutive victory over Kim Jae-young in Tokyo to win the vacant Shooto middleweight title. Having made his MMA debut in 2002, the 54-fight veteran has […]

Former UFC title challenger Yushin Okami has become a champion following his recent win at Shooto 2024 Vol. 8 on November 30. The 33-year old Japanese legend earned his second consecutive victory over Kim Jae-young in Tokyo to win the vacant Shooto middleweight title.

Having made his MMA debut in 2002, the 54-fight veteran has fought in several of the top promotions in the sport. With outings in the likes of Pancrase, PRIDE and Rumble on the Rock, Okami debuted with the UFC in 2006 where he defeated Alan Belcher at UFC 62.

He would go on to have a very successful first run with the promotion, winning multiple title eliminators and even challenging Anderson Silva for the middleweight belt at UFC 134. Following a loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in 2013, Okami was surprisingly cut from the promotion despite winning three in a row before that defeat.

Dana White told Yahoo Sports at the time that though he “liked” Okami, he had become a gatekeeper and with the roster being full, they needed to give opportunities to other fighters. Following several appearances in the World Series of Fighting, which later became the PFL, Okami returned to the UFC in 2017 where he fought three more times, ending his time in the promotion with an overall record of 14-7.

From there, he signed to ONE Championship where he fought four times before his back-to-back fights with Jae-young in Shooto. Okami posted on social media to celebrate his recent title win, reflecting on how he has come up short as the runner-up several times throughout his career but now, he has reached the top.

“I was able to win the Shooto World Middleweight Championship. I made my professional debut at the age of 20, and experienced a bitter defeat in my final fight for the UFC middleweight championship. After that, I lost the WSOF championship, fought overseas one after another, and now I’m in my 23rd year. I’ve shed so many tears, but winning this belt at the age of 43 is special to me. Thank you for your support.”

Oh, Thank Christ: Brazilian MMA Confederation Officially Shitcans Man vs. Woman Fight at Shooto 45


(“Equality,” as pictured by a lunatic.) 

We can all breath a sigh of relief, Nation, because the necessary persons have officially (thankfully) put an end to this man vs. woman MMA fight nonsense. The matchup, which was announced as part of Friday’s Shooto 45 event earlier this week, was almost immediately reviled by fans across the MMA blogosphere. Maybe because it was asking us to accept common assault as sport, or maybe because the woman, Juliana Velasquez, would be making her professional debut, but for some reason, no one really wanted to see this travesty unfold and further roadblock MMA from legitimization.

Except for Emerson Falcao (a.k.a “the man”), that is, who insists that our sport is destined for an Andy Kaufman-esque fantasyscape in the near future (via MMAFighting):

I was hired to fight, and I’m going there to fight. My job is to train and fight. This is the first of the many man vs. woman fights that will come in the future. You’ll see. This is going to be huge. We’re here to shock the world.

Yes, “shock the world.” Because our fine sport should abide by the philosophy of Marilyn Manson if it ever wants to succeed.

While it was originally being reported that Velasquez vs. Falcao would be taking place tomorrow with a special “No elbows, no knees” stipulation, the Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Federation stepped in at today’s weigh-ins and cancelled this thing outright. As the CBMMA’s Osiris Maia stated:


(“Equality,” as pictured by a lunatic.) 

We can all breath a sigh of relief, Nation, because the necessary persons have officially (thankfully) put an end to this man vs. woman MMA fight nonsense. The matchup, which was announced as part of Friday’s Shooto 45 event earlier this week, was almost immediately reviled by fans across the MMA blogosphere. Maybe because it was asking us to accept common assault as sport, or maybe because the woman, Juliana Velasquez, would be making her professional debut, but for some reason, no one really wanted to see this travesty unfold and further roadblock MMA from legitimization.

Except for Emerson Falcao (a.k.a “the man”), that is, who insists that our sport is destined for an Andy Kaufman-esque fantasyscape in the near future (via MMAFighting):

I was hired to fight, and I’m going there to fight. My job is to train and fight. This is the first of the many man vs. woman fights that will come in the future. You’ll see. This is going to be huge. We’re here to shock the world.

Yes, “shock the world.” Because our fine sport should abide by the philosophy of Marilyn Manson if it ever wants to succeed.

While it was originally being reported that Velasquez vs. Falcao would be taking place tomorrow with a special “No elbows, no knees” stipulation, the Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Federation stepped in at today’s weigh-ins and cancelled this thing outright. As the CBMMA’s Osiris Maia stated:

We can’t do something like that. (The promoter) can ask everything, even a MMA fight with three guys against one, but we obviously won’t allow it.

This ‘fight’ has a social representation that is more important for the society than to the sport. There’s no way a man should fight a woman. This is being done only to show the society the importance of ‘Lei Maria da Penha’. You can’t have a man beating a woman in a sport, so it shouldn’t happen anywhere. That’s what they want to show.

Phew, that was a close one. For a second there, I actually thought this shit was going to happen.

Honesty, I think what we should all take away from this almost-fight is that the first “official” man vs. woman MMA fight should not be contested between two unknowns on card buried in the vast jungles of Brazil, it should be contested between Kim Couture and Akebono, in the UFC. If we’re gonna see a man utterly humiliate a woman for our amusement, we should at least be willing to go all out with it.

–J. Jones

Man Versus Woman MMA Bout Will Not Happen at Shooto Brazil 45

The previously announced man vs. woman bout to go down Dec. 20 at Shooto Brazil 45 will not happen after all. 
We can chalk this one up as a victory for logic and common sense.
According to MMA Fighting, the fight was never expected to happen, and…

The previously announced man vs. woman bout to go down Dec. 20 at Shooto Brazil 45 will not happen after all. 

We can chalk this one up as a victory for logic and common sense.

According to MMA Fighting, the fight was never expected to happen, and it was instead a clever (or not) attempt to promote Brazil’s “Lei Maria da Penha,” a law to protect women from violence. 

The two combatants, Nova Uniao’s Emerson Falcao and Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez, certainly did their part to play up the actuality of the bout. 

The two reportedly weighed in Thursday as planned, and even faced off to further promote the false fight. 

Speaking after the weigh-ins, Falcao said: 

I was hired to fight, and I’m going there to fight. My job is to train and fight. This is the first of the many man vs. woman fights that will come in the future. You’ll see. This is going to be huge. We’re here to shock the world.

Velasquez echoed her supposed opponent’s sentiment. 

“We’re going to fight,” Velasquez said. “We’re professionals, and we’ll fight tomorrow.”

Despite this, Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Confederation (CBMMA) member Osiris Maia, who oversaw the weigh-ins on Thursday, told MMA Fighting that the fight isn’t real. 

Maia said:

We can’t do something like that. (The promoter) can ask everything, even a MMA fight with three guys against one, but we obviously won’t allow it. … There’s no way a man should fight a woman. This is being done only to show the society the importance of ‘Lei Maria da Penha.’ You can’t have a man beating a woman in a sport, so it shouldn’t happen anywhere. That’s what they want to show.”

The intentions of promoter and Shooto Brazil president Andre Pederneiras may have been to support a worthy cause, but many will undoubtedly take exception with the method of delivery. 

Thankfully, this far-fetched bout will not happen, and the mixed martial arts world has, for now, avoided a major smear on the growth and legitimacy of the sport. 

What do you think of this decision? Is it okay to play up a fight to bring attention to a real issue, or should Shoot Brazil have acted more transparently throughout the process?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Terrible, Stupid, Just Awful Idea of the Day: A Man vs. Woman Fight is Going Down at Shooto Brazil 45 This Weekend [UPDATED]

God damn it, you guys. God. Damn. It.

Maybe it’s just me, but everytime it seems like this thing we call MMA is finally on the right track towards honest-to-God legitimacy, Jose Canseco shows up, or the UFC signs a yoga instructor(‘s death warrant), or some shit like this happens and we’re back to square one.

Begin the SMH’ing, because some Brazilian website is reporting that Shooto, one of Brazil’s longest and (formerly) most prestigious MMA organizations, is planning a man vs. woman fight at this weekend’s Shooto Brazil 45. Specifically, Nova Uniao product Emerson Falcao vs. Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez. Who will be making her professional debut. 

I…I just can’t anymore, you guys. Wiping my hands of this whole thing.

And who came up with this fucking ree-dick-you-lus idea, you ask? Oh, just Andre Pederneiras, the legendary Uniao founder/trainer who has seemed like a relatively intelligent individual up until this point. Maybe he knows something we don’t. In any case, here’s the scoop, as Velasquez told MMAFighting:

God damn it, you guys. God. Damn. It.

Maybe it’s just me, but everytime it seems like this thing we call MMA is finally on the right track towards honest-to-God legitimacy, Jose Canseco shows up, or the UFC signs a yoga instructor(‘s death warrant), or some shit like this happens and we’re back to square one.

Begin the SMH’ing, because some Brazilian website is reporting that Shooto, one of Brazil’s longest and (formerly) most prestigious MMA organizations, is planning a man vs. woman fight at this weekend’s Shooto Brazil 45. Specifically, Nova Uniao product Emerson Falcao vs. Team Nogueira’s Juliana Velasquez. Who will be making her professional debut. 

I…I just can’t anymore, you guys. Wiping my hands of this whole thing.

And who came up with this fucking ree-dick-you-lus idea, you ask? Oh, just Andre Pederneiras, the legendary Uniao founder/trainer who has seemed like a relatively intelligent individual up until this point. Maybe he knows something we don’t. In any case, here’s the scoop, as Velasquez told MMAFighting:

Andre Pederneiras came up with the idea. He asked Team Nogueira for a female fighter and my team believes I’m ready, so I accepted the challenge. My expectations are the best. I’m well trained to get there and win.

I’m used to training with man every day. I’m a professional judoka and I know the adrenaline of the competition, I know how to handle this.

Look, it’s not like a woman can’t beat a man in an MMA fight. Ediane Gomes did it. Cyborg Santos probably does it on weekends for kicks. But there’s just something about this whole idea that seems so…

[UPDATE]

(via MMAFighting) Thank the heavens, this thing might not actually be happening:

Osiris Maia, member of the Brazilian Mixed Martial Arts Confederation, the entity responsible for regulating the Shooto Brazil events, is not sure if they will allow the male vs. female fight to happen.

“There’s nothing in the rules that specific prohibits a man to fight a woman, but when you interpret the rules you know that both athletes must be in the same level, so there’s no way a man should be allowed to fight a woman,” Maia told MMAFighting.com.

“We haven’t received the official card yet from the promotion, we’ll get that (on Thursday) at the weigh-ins,” he continued. “I wasn’t informed about that yet. They announced it to the media only, but if you ask me if we’re allowing it to happen, I don’t think so. I think it’s a disparity. We’ll see what’s going on tomorrow at the weigh-ins.”

Well, it’s good to know that there’s at least one sane individual in all of Brazil who will at least wait until the weigh-ins to call this sham off. The little victories, Nation. The little victories.

We will have more on this story travesty as details are made available.

–J. Jones

Shooto Brazil Promoting ‘First Male vs. Female Fight in MMA History’

Shooto Brazil plans on making history on Dec. 20 when Emerson Falcao takes on Juliana Velasquez at Shooto 45 in a mixed-gender fight. Yes, you read that right. A man will be competing against a woman in a professional MMA bout. Shooto President Andre Pederneiras has yet to explain whether any special rules will be […]

Shooto Brazil plans on making history on Dec. 20 when Emerson Falcao takes on Juliana Velasquez at Shooto 45 in a mixed-gender fight. Yes, you read that right. A man will be competing against a woman in a professional MMA bout. Shooto President Andre Pederneiras has yet to explain whether any special rules will be […]

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UFC Beefs Up Flyweight Division with Signing of Jussier da Silva

With the flyweight tournament set to wrap up at UFC 152, and Ian McCall so desperate for someone to fight at flyweight that he’s resorted to calling out Louis Gaudinot, this announcement could not have possibly come at a better time. Yesterday, the manager of Shooto South American Bantamweight champion (123 lbs in Shooto) Jussier da Silva announced that “Forminga” has just signed on with the UFC.

As of now, neither a date for his first UFC bout nor an opponent for his debut have been announced.

Currently the number three ranked flyweight in the world, Da Silva is a fierce grappler with seven submission victories to his record. “Forminga” started off his career winning six straight fights and capturing Shooto South America’s Bantamweight Championship before pulling off a huge upset over then-Shooto Bantamweight World Champion Shinichi “BJ” Kojima in 2009. The only loss on his record, which currently stands at 14-1, came at the hands of the aforementioned Ian McCall at Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing last February. His most recent outing was a first round rear-naked choke over Sidney Oliveira in June.

Highlights from Jussier da Silva’s career await after the jump.

With the flyweight tournament set to wrap up at UFC 152, and Ian McCall so desperate for someone to fight at flyweight that he’s resorted to calling out Louis Gaudinot, this announcement could not have possibly come at a better time. Yesterday, the manager of Shooto South American Bantamweight champion (123 lbs in Shooto) Jussier da Silva announced that “Formiga” has just signed on with the UFC.

As of now, neither a date for his first UFC bout nor an opponent for his debut have been announced.

Currently the number three ranked flyweight in the world, Da Silva is a fierce grappler with seven submission victories to his record. “Formiga” started off his career winning six straight fights and capturing Shooto South America’s Bantamweight Championship before pulling off a huge upset over then-Shooto Bantamweight World Champion Shinichi “BJ” Kojima in 2009. The only loss on his record, which currently stands at 14-1, came at the hands of the aforementioned Ian McCall at Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing last February. His most recent outing was a first round rear-naked choke over Sidney Oliveira in June.

Highlights from Jussier da Silva’s career await after the jump.


da Silva vs. Danny Martinez, part one (December 10, 2010)


da Silva vs. Danny Martinez, part two


da Silva vs. Ian McCall, part one (February 18, 2011)


da Silva vs. Ian McCall, part two


da Silva vs Mamoru Yamaguchi (August 5, 2011)


da Silva vs. Michael William Costa (October 29, 2011)


da Silva vs. Rodrigo “Indio” Santos (December 15, 2011)


Hey, the guy has a victory over Ralph Lauren. Seems legit to me.

So, how do you think he will hold up in the UFC?