Tokyo Weekender - September 2017

UFC 198: Shogun v Anderson , Getty/Zuffa LLC
THE INFAMOUS 1976
WRESTLER VS. BOXER
FIGHT BETWEEN
ANTONIO INOKI AND
MUHAMMAD ALI
MAY HAVE BEEN A
DISASTER IN TERMS
OF EXECUTION, BUT
THE AUDIENCE’S
FASCINATION WAS
UNDENIABLE
This is the kind of unpredictable
excitement that captivates both
fans’ and fighters’ passion for
MMA (mixed martial arts) –
compelling, real fights where
anything can happen.
A precursor to modern MMA was the
vale tudo (“anything goes”) tournaments in
Brazil where fighters from different backgrounds
and disciplines would compete
against each other in full contact combat
with few rules or regulations. Since the
1960s the legendary Gracie family has been
at the center of the scene, setting out to
prove that Brazilian jiu-jitsu was the strongest
and most effective style of fighting, later
bringing vale tudo to the US and Japan.
Japan itself has a unique and significant
history of martial arts – a long lineage
holding the origins of karate, judo and
Japanese jiu-jitsu – but it’s in pro wrestling
that Japanese MMA has its earliest roots.
The infamous 1976 “wrestler vs. boxer”
fight between Antonio Inoki and Muhammad
Ali may have been a disaster in terms
of execution, but the audience’s fascination
was undeniable. A combination of hard hitting
“strong style” matches and many of the
wrestlers’ martial arts backgrounds made
the perfect breeding ground for crossovers
and offshoots to develop.
The 90s and early 2000s saw now
defunct Japanese promotion companies
such as Pancrase, Shooto and Pride evolving
rapidly, gaining attention from abroad, and
at their peak even garnering national television
coverage for annual sold out events on
New Year’s Eve. A Japanese icon emerged
in the form of Kazushi Sakuraba whose
impressive overseas victories included wins
over several members of the prestigious
Gracie clan, giving fans a hero to champion
on an international level.
In the early 1990s the term “mixed
martial arts” was widely adopted, and
cemented by the foundation of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship (UFC) in
1993. While the Japanese scene had been
flourishing, MMA’s early development in
the States was plagued by criticism of its
overt violence, struggles with regulations,
legal difficulties and broadcasting issues,
which stagnated the growth of the industry
and sent many of their athletes overseas.
On the brink of bankruptcy, UFC was sold to
Zuffa LLC in 2001 for $2 million. Through
increased advertising, media deals and
a focus on global expansion, slowly and
steadily the company built up its reputation.
New safety measures were enforced, pay per
view events increased, and each year they
advanced into new territories, buying out
smaller, struggling promotions and develop-
UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux v Oezdemir, Getty/Zuffa LLC
24 | SEPTEMBER 2017 | TOKYO WEEKENDER