Tag: Shuichiro+Katsumura

Shooto Restarts MMA in Tokyo Following Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

Filed under: IFL, JapanTOKYO – It had only half the fights of the originally planned event, was in a smaller venue, was sparsely attended and carried a somber mood, but MMA finally restarted in Tokyo on Friday night with Shooto: Shootor’s Legacy 02 at …

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TOKYO – It had only half the fights of the originally planned event, was in a smaller venue, was sparsely attended and carried a somber mood, but MMA finally restarted in Tokyo on Friday night with Shooto: Shootor’s Legacy 02 at Shinjuku FACE.

Shooto’s second major event for the year was originally scheduled for March 12, the day after the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami battered North East Japan, taking the lives of over 10,000 people with many more still missing and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

With fears of a nuclear meltdown still looming, MMA returning to Tokyo was a welcome distraction and a testament to Japan’s ability to rally and continue on with life despite significant hardship.

Japan Year in Review

Filed under: DREAM, K1, Sengoku, JapanThere is no way to spin it: 2010 was not a good year for Japanese fight sports. Ratings were at an all-time low, champions lost, stars left and Sakuraba’s ear came off.

As we finally recover from our sleep-deprive…

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There is no way to spin it: 2010 was not a good year for Japanese fight sports. Ratings were at an all-time low, champions lost, stars left and Sakuraba’s ear came off.

As we finally recover from our sleep-deprived states following Sengoku: Soul of Fight and Dynamite!!, lets take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights (and lowlights) from the country that was once considered the Mecca of mixed martial arts.

Submission of the Year: Fabricio Werdum Taps Out Fedor Emelianenko

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceIn a year with no shortage of brilliant submissions the No. 1 maneuver of the year isn’t a a crazy flying one, it’s Fabricio Werdum’s triangle choke/armbar attack over Fedor Emelianenko.

And in doing so, Werdum accomplish…

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In a year with no shortage of brilliant submissions the No. 1 maneuver of the year isn’t a a crazy flying one, it’s Fabricio Werdum‘s triangle choke/armbar attack over Fedor Emelianenko.

And in doing so, Werdum accomplished a feat no other fighter has been able to in Fedor’s decade in the business, and that is to definitively finish Fedor in a fight, essentially ending Fedor’s aura of invincibility.

Darren Uyenoyama Upsets Shuichiro Katsumura at The Way of Shooto 5

Filed under: News, JapanShooto newcomer Darren Uyenoyama handed out a one-sided beating to current Shooto 132-pound world champ Shuichiro Katsumura in a non-title fight at The Way of Shooto 5 on Thursday.

Uyenoyama, who is most well known for his high…

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Shooto newcomer Darren Uyenoyama handed out a one-sided beating to current Shooto 132-pound world champ Shuichiro Katsumura in a non-title fight at The Way of Shooto 5 on Thursday.

Uyenoyama, who is most well known for his highly entertaining bout with Hideo Tokoro at DREAM.4, was superior with his wrestling from the clinch and was able to put his opponent on his back. Katsumura’s only option was to scramble for heel hooks. Avoiding the leglocks with general ease, Uyenoyama kept a stream of ground and pound flowing that finally proved to be too much for the champion at 3:53 of the second round.

A rematch for the Shooto title will no doubt be in the works but is not likely to take place until 2011 given the schedule that has been outlined for the rest of 2010.