I talk a little about the PPV intros for UFC 1 and UFC 2
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This is bad ass
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100 percent he was
Gave Frank Shamrock all he could handle before the kneebar
Fought a lot of top guys, even fought Arona in RINGS
Welcome you son of a bitch!
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BOUT TYME
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It’s funny, here Bas says Yakuza wasn’t that involved after DSE took over. But wasn’t there a Yakuza boss who owned part of DSE, from the Yamaguchi-gumi?
We’ve all heard stories.
Some people involved in PRIDE have said it wouldn’t exist without the Yazuka’s significant $$$$$$ backing them. There’s Hiromichi Momose, and Ishizaka (who is Korean and has a real name of Kim Dok-Soo).
Apparently Momose saved PRIDE from going under when DSE took over. Miro Mijatovic says there were many armed Yakuza at many PRIDE events. He also says he received death threats over Fedor fighting on Inoki’s show in 2003, and if he didn’t sign with PRIDE exclusively, Miro would be killed. That meeting was supposed to have been with Miro, Sakikibara, and Ishizaka. On top of that, Naoshi Morishita “committed suicide” earlier that year. Seiya Kawamata, who organized Inoki’s Bom-Ba-Ye shows, claimed to be Yakuza as well. But he left Japan. Same guy who did interviews with the Japanese magazine that published the articles that led to PRIDE losing their TV deal.
Hard to say what’s true and what isn’t. But holy fuck. Very complicated.
I key marked the wrong part. It starts right at 59 minutes.
TTT
These shorter videos aren’t really the right format for YouTube, I just cross-posted them from TikTok because I know there are a lot of people who don’t have TikTok accounts. But I will gradually be stepping up my YouTube game. In these videos I go over some different rule sets for amateur kickboxing.
Japan has a decorated history when it comes to professional combat. As professional wrestling in Japan slowly transformed into full-on fighting in the late 80s and early 90s, an abundance of Japanese fighters made their way into the fold, from all different backgrounds and Martial Arts. Some of them had short careers spanning 15 or 20 fights, mostly in Japan. Others had long and prestigious careers, enjoying success all over the world. The three fighters I’m discussing here combine for a total of 236 fights, throughout 76 years of experience altogether.
Photo Courtesy of Giant Bomb
Yuki “Sora” Kondo
Record: 65-40-9
Organizations: Pancrase, PRIDE, UFC
Division(s): Light Heavyweight, Heavyweight, Middleweight, Openweight
Yuki Kondo is one of the most underrated fighters to come out of the hybrid wrestling era in 1990s Japan. He has a background in Shorinji Kempo, which is a form of Kung Fu. Despite never having competed before, he decided to train under the legendary Masakatsu Funaki, and made his MMA debut at Pancrase 25 in January of 1996. He has amassed a shocking 114 fights – and I have yet to confirm an official retirement. As of this writing, Yuki’s last fight was on Christmas Eve of 2023, just seven short months ago. Kondo has fought a who’s who across multiple weight classes – names like Paulo Filho, Igor Vovchanchynn, Funaki, Minoru Suzuki, Guy Mezger, Tito Ortiz, Semmy Schilt, Dan Henderson, and Josh Barnett. Yuki did all of this despite walking around at less than 200 pounds. The obvious question is, what is the Kondo’s motivation for competing over 100 times? Simply put, he lived and breathed fighting in a way virtually nobody could ever conceive. He loved to grow and challenge himself as a Martial Artist, and inspire people all over the world to pursue their dream. In doing so, Yuki Kondo has left an everlasting legacy of desire and perseverance.
I did not make that video. I just used it for the article I wrote.
Hayato ” Mach” Sakurai
Record: 38-13-2
Organizations: Shooto, PRIDE, UFC, DEEP, DREAM
Division(s): Middleweight, Lightweight, Welterweight
For the first 5 years of his professional MMA career, Sakurai went undefeated. Winning the Shooto Middleweight Championship in the process, he boasted wins over Frank Trigg, Caol Uno, and Luiz Azeredo. After going 18-0, Anderson Silva dethroned him as the champion, handing Sakurai his first loss. Throughout the late 90s Hayato was one of the absolute best fighters on earth, getting a variety of stoppages such as armbars, toe holds, chokes, and knockouts, including his legendary comeback knockout over Frank Trigg. Post-Anderson Sakurai was still one of the best and most dangerous fights for anyone, taking names like Shinya Aoki, Mac Danzig, and former UFC champions Dave Menne and Jens Pulver. Hayato started as a Judoka but developed a well rounded skill set, favoring flying and jumping knees in the striking. He was an accurate puncher and measured counter striker with explosive speed, and had a dangerous lead hook. Sakurai retired in 2016 after 20 years of competition.
Akihiro “The Magic Man” Gono
Record: 37-24-8
Organizations: Shooto, DEEP, Pancrase, UFC, Sengoku (SRC)
Division(s): Middleweight, Lightweight, Welterweight