Japan is a hotbed for martial arts. It’s home to fighting styles such as karate, jiu-jitsu and judo. It’s also the home of the famous Pride organization. The world’s biggest MMA organization, the UFC, will be making its long overdue return in a li…
Japan is a hotbed for martial arts. It’s home to fighting styles such as karate, jiu-jitsu and judo. It’s also the home of the famous Pride organization.
The world’s biggest MMA organization, the UFC, will be making its long overdue return in a little over a week at UFC 144. This will mark the first time a UFC event has been held in Japan since UFC 29 in 2000.
It’s scheduled to take place on Sun. Feb. 26 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. For you North American viewers, that’s Sat. Feb. 25, because of the time zone difference.
After a long 12-year wait, you can bet that the UFC wants to make this a memorable event. They have stacked the main card and included many Japanese fighters.
Read on to find out my predictions for each main card fight.
When he steps into the Octagon on Feb. 26 for his UFC 144 fight with Ryan Bader, it will have been exactly six years to the day that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson last fought in Japan. One of the most popular fighters in Pride history, Jackson will be retu…
When he steps into the Octagon on Feb. 26 for his UFC 144 fight with Ryan Bader, it will have been exactly six years to the day that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson last fought in Japan. One of the most popular fighters in Pride history, Jackson will be returning to the country where his MMA career took off.
“I’m really excited about going back to Japan,” Jackson told Bleacher Report. “It’s no secret about that. I love that place.”
While Jackson’s popularity has continued to grow through his success in the UFC and major acting roles, MMA in Japan has nearly fallen off the map since the death of Pride, the most successful Japanese promotion in the history of the sport.
Despite facing little competition in a country that was once a hotbed for MMA, the UFC has stayed away from hosting events in Japan in more than 11 years. In fact, UFC 144 will be the promotion’s first event in Japan under Zuffa ownership.
Jackson was one of the reasons MMA became so popular in Japan when Pride was around and he hopes to play a part in bringing the sport back to prominence in a country that he is very closely connected with.
“I really miss the fans,” Jackson said. “I really miss fighting there. It’s something personal for me.”
Competing in the co-main event on a fight card that will be pivotal to the future of the sport in Japan, Jackson recognizes the importance of entertaining the fans at UFC 144. While there might not be any bad blood between him and his opponent, Jackson intends to put on the best show Japanese fans have ever seen at Bader’s expense.
“I got nothing against Ryan Bader at all,” Jackson said. “I’m still going to try to knock his head off, but there isn’t going to be any hard feelings about it.”
At the end of the day, though, there is an entire fight card that also needs to deliver for the UFC to make a good impression on Japanese fans.
Some are skeptical that the UFC’s potential for success in Japan even exists on the same level that it does in other countries. More familiar with the entertainment spectacle that Pride provided, Japanese fans might not take well to the more competitive atmosphere the UFC offers.
However, having gained fame in the country, Jackson would know better than most what it will take for an MMA organization to be successful in Japan. On the list of MMA promotions that could recapture the interest of the Japanese people, Jackson says there is only one.
“I think if anybody has a chance (to revive the MMA scene in Japan),” Jackson said, “it’s the UFC.”
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, Follow Sean Smith on Twitter
Before most of the world’s greatest fighters called the UFC home, there was Pride—a Japanese promotion that mixed the best of pro wrestling glitz with some of the most brutal fighting the world had ever seen.And before both Pride and the UFC, the…
Before most of the world’s greatest fighters called the UFC home, there was Pride—a Japanese promotion that mixed the best of pro wrestling glitz with some of the most brutal fighting the world had ever seen.
And before both Pride and the UFC, there were Shooto and Pancrase—early fighting leagues that sprang from the innovative minds of professional wrestlers who wanted to see what wrestling would be like if the bouts weren’t predetermined.
There have been dozens of valiant and courageous fighters from Japan over the years, but despite the sport’s success there, just a handful of truly world class warriors emerged. For your consideration, I present the 10 best Japanese fighters to ever grace the cage or ring with their presence.
As the UFC prepares for its return to the land of the rising sun, the promotion’s current lightweight champion finds himself as the unlikely overseas ambassador while headlining UFC 144 at the end of the month.A native of Toms River, N.J., Fr…
As the UFC prepares for its return to the land of the rising sun, the promotion’s current lightweight champion finds himself as the unlikely overseas ambassador while headlining UFC 144 at the end of the month.
A native of Toms River, N.J., Frankie Edgar‘s journey from homegrown wrestler to the defending UFC champion remains one of the sports most inspiring stories with surprisingly deep roots in foreign soils.
In his first taste of fighting internationally, Edgar shocked the world by not only capturing the lightweight title, but doing so in convincing fashion against one of the all-time greats in BJ Penn, all while fighting in the UFC’s first event in Abu Dhabi at UFC 112. Now set to go to Japan for his fourth title defense, Edgar looks to continue his success overseas.
“Obviously I’m super excited to be fighting over in Japan, you know, birthplace of martial arts,” Edgar told Bleacher Report at the UFC 144 media conference call earlier this week. “It’s similar to going to Abu Dhabi, a little bit more of a time difference. I’m trying to approach it somewhat the same, it’s not my first go around so I feel like I have a little bit of experience in that end.”
This international exposure has not only provided Edgar with experience pertinent to his fight with former WEC Lightweight champion Benson Henderson, but fighting overseas also helps the UFC’s growing global appeal.
“I almost feel like an ambassador to the sport”, Edgar said. The champion is well aware of how important this role is in getting the Japanese fans invested in the UFC.
“It’s engrained in their culture,” Edgar said. “They’re huge fans and I think they are going to appreciate the show we put on.”
While the experience of fighting overseas may overwhelm other fighters, Edgar remains focused on the task ahead: defeating Henderson. While he’s not worried about where the fight will end up, if his past battles are any indication, Edgar knows the importance of coming out strong in the opening round.
“I’m really not concerned too much where the fight goes ‘cause it could go anywhere, so I got to be ready for that,” Edgar said. “I want to come out strong from the first round. I want to get through the first round and I do feel that I build, but if I can go out there and win the first round and build from there, obviously it will be the best scenario.”
And if fighting in another country wasn’t enough, Edgar finds himself on another new frontier, being the favorite going into this bout for the first time.
“I didn’t even know I was the favorite. I really don’t pay attention to those things,” Edgar said. “I’ve been the underdog most of the time and I’m finally favored to win. The more I win, the more respect I’m going to get so that’s always the plan.”
In such a stacked division, Edgar realizes the importance of not becoming complacent, especially against a fighter with Henderson’s skills and résumé. One of the most well rounded and best conditioned lightweights in the division, Henderson is also a new face for Edgar to face, a welcomed sight after facing only Penn and nemesis Gray Maynard since 2010.
“It’s definitely refreshing to train for someone new,” Edgar said. “It’s the excitement of having a new opponent, a fresh easel to paint on. It’s also definitely a concern because you’ve never faced them before, so you’ve got more to prepare for so it’s a little bit new.”
All quotes were obtained first hand by Bleacher Report unless otherwise stated.
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson became a main staple during his tenure in PRIDE FC and earned somewhat of a cult-following with Japanese fans.The 34-year-old Jackson went on to establish himself as a household name, due to his aggressive style and colorful p…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson became a main staple during his tenure in PRIDE FC and earned somewhat of a cult-following with Japanese fans.
The 34-year-old Jackson went on to establish himself as a household name, due to his aggressive style and colorful personality. And when he returns to Japan next weekend to face Ryan Bader at UFC 144, he’ll be looking to entertain fans once again.
“I really miss the fans, I’m not going to lie. I really miss fighting there,” Jackson said during a UFC 144 conference call.
It was his love for the Japanese fans that excited him and allowed him to collect such a violent array of wins over some of the organization’s top stars, including his vicious knockout slam of Ricardo Arona.
Jackson recalled the fans not taking much interest in a fighter’s statistics or winning streaks, which helped him perform and put on exciting matchups, whereas in the UFC, it ultimately determines one fighter’s success.
Since coming to the UFC in 2007, Jackson has seen a lack of enthusiasm from the fans.
“I don’t think people understand, in America everybody is worried about who’s going to win, and this and that. Like, it ain’t all about that,” he said. “It’s entertainment at the end of the day. The fans, they want to see entertaining fights, and fans got that. I don’t think America has that yet.”
Jackson will enter his bout against Bader coming off a loss to UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, in search of a win and a chance to challenge for the title once more.
And as great as it would be to record his first win in Japan in over six years, Jackson said the bout holds more significance than that.
“It’s something personal for me,” he said. “My kids are from Japan. My kids’ grandparents are from there, and they never really watched me fight back in the day. I’ve never had that before, so it’s just something I want to do.”
The UFC is returning to Japan for the first time in over 10 years later this month, and to kick off the main card, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (14-2) will be taking on Joe Lauzon (21-6) for a possible chance at a No. 1 con…
The UFC is returning to Japan for the first time in over 10 years later this month, and to kick off the main card, former WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (14-2) will be taking on Joe Lauzon (21-6) for a possible chance at a No. 1 contender’s bout.
The Saitama Super Arena will host the event, and many fans are anticipating a flashback to the days of Pride. With fighters like Quinton Jackson, Mark Hunt and Takanori Gomi all being featured on the card, it will definitely be an event to remember and could be the best event of 2012.
“I’m a traditional martial artist,” Pettis told The Score’s Mauro Ranallo. “I’ve been doing martial arts my whole life. Everything comes from Japan and Pride.”
In Pettis’ last fight at UFC 136, he defeated Jeremy Stephens by split-decision. The hype of a striking battle fell short, but it did give Pettis a chance to showcase his wrestling ability.
“I wanted to stand with him,” Pettis said of the Stephens fight. “That was the instinct that we were going to stand and bang, but he took me down in the first round, got a win in the first round, I think. So we played catchup. I had to take him down. I had to control him and show the judges I can wrestle too.”
That victory followed a loss to Clay Guida, which was Pettis’ UFC debut and first fight since defeating Benson Henderson at the final WEC event to win the lightweight championship.
“Coming from last year at this time, I’m on top of the world, guaranteed a title shot, top of the division,” Pettis said. “I take a fight against Clay Guida, don’t do as well as I planned on doing, and I’m right back in the mix.”
In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will take on Henderson, who is coming off back-to-back wins over Jim Miller and Guida. Edgar has spent the better part of the last two years fighting in rematches with Gray Maynard and BJ Penn.
“I think a huge motivation is Ben Henderson,” Pettis continued. “Henderson had a huge, huge year. I just came off the last guy to beat him, and he’s killing. He looks like a whole new guy.”
“I like Henderson (to win),” Pettis said. He is just looking like an animal. He’s walking through guys, left and right, and he’s just looking like a whole new person. When I fought him in the WEC, he looks like a completely different fighter in the UFC now.”
UFC 144 will be available on pay-per-view and feature Edgar vs. Henderson, Pettis vs. Lauzon, Rampage vs. Ryan Bader, Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Jake Shields and Mark Hunt vs. Cheick Kongo.
When he steps into the Octagon on Feb. 26 for his