Issue 092

September 2012

RULON GARDNER VS HIDEHIKO YOSHIDA

How mixed martial arts’ first Olympic gold medal matchup, in Pride in 2004, saw a stark contrast in fortunes for each man

Pride Shockwave 2004 was a landmark event. Stacked with the names that established the Japanese as the preeminent force in MMA in the early years of the millennium: Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko ‘Cro Cop,’ Dan Henderson, Takanori Gomi and Wanderlei Silva were all on duty at the Saitama Super Arena in front of 50,000. But it was a clash between two relative novices that created a buzz in the lead up to the New Year’s Eve extravaganza.

In one corner, a handsome Japanese gentleman resplendent in a white kimono. In the other, a shaven-headed American with a sizeable belly hanging over the waistband of his trunks. What made this match exceptional were the previous exploits of the participants. This was the first MMA fight between Olympic gold medal winners.

Judo player Hidehiko Yoshida won the 78kg division at the Barcelona in 1992. He made his Pride debut in November 2002, defeating Don Frye by armbar and soon became a favorite. At the 2003 end-of-year spectacular, he took on the legendary Royce Gracie and fought him to a draw.

American hulk Rulon Gardner, a farm boy from Wyoming, struck gold at Sydney in 2000, defeating the legendary Russian Aleksandr Karelin in the Greco-Roman wrestling. After claiming a bronze in Athens in ‘04, he symbolically left his shoes on the mat and looked for a new challenge. Following in the footsteps of Mark Coleman and his former University of Nebraska teammate Matt Lindland, Gardner decided to try his hand at MMA. Not surprisingly, the giant was snapped up by Pride. The Japanese organization had an eye on expansion into the US market and saw Gardner as an ideal signing to raise their profile. He joined up with his old wrestling buddies at Team Quest and set about learning the trade in preparation for a clash with Yoshida.

At 295lb, the American debutant outweighed his opponent by 75lb and he made his advantage pay. For three rounds, he stuck to his game plan with cornerman Randy Couture keeping him on task with a constant stream of shouted advice. Looking every inch the greenhorn, Rulon shuffled around the ring, throwing one-twos. 

When delivered by a gargantuan human, this simplest of combinations can keep any adversary honest. On a number of occasions, he floored Yoshida but, wary of the submission game, he chose to keep it standing. When the pair clinched against the ropes, Rulon gripped Hidehiko’s gi collar to prevent the judoka from dropping for a takedown.

By the third round, the relentless jabs and crosses to the face had disheartened Yoshida. Out of ideas, he was content to back pedal. In the final minute, when Gardner attempted a ground ‘n’ pound assault, his ineffectual strikes betrayed his inexperience, but he had already done enough. The referee raised his arm to confirm his victory by unanimous decision.

Following his win, Rulon turned his back on MMA and, apart from his amazing escape from a light aircraft crash in 2007, he dropped out of the public eye. He returned with a bang last year. Aged 39 and weighing 474lb, Gardner appeared as a contestant on the NBC reality TV show The Biggest Loser. In 17 weeks, he lost a staggering 174lb and was the favorite to win the show when he walked out citing personal reasons. A rejuvenated Rulon then declared his intention to try out for the London 2012 Olympics.

What promised to be an amazing comeback fell apart in April this year, immediately before the trials even started. Realizing he would be unable to get beneath the maximum weight limit for competitors, Rulon left without even getting on the scales. In contrast, the defeated Yoshida went on to have a creditable MMA career. 

Exactly a year after the Gardner match, the Olympic angle was used again to promote his fight with Barcelona silver medal winning judoka Naoya Ogawa. The hype worked again. Yoshida won by armbar and both men likely pocketed a fortune. After that, the results were less impressive (going 2-4 the next four years), but Hidehiko had one more December 31st special left in him. Keen to fill the hole left by the demise of Pride, FEG revisited a formula that was guaranteed to please the Saitama Super Arena crowd. At Dynamite!! 2009, Yoshida was matched against Satoshi Ishii; winner of a judo gold medal at Beijing 2008. This time around, it was Yoshida dishing out the punishment, Ishii unable to handle his punches. Although Ishii went the distance, he was clearly wobbled and Hidehiko deservedly got the nod from the judges. Hidehiko Yoshida retired with a 9-8-1 record. In matches against Olympic medalists on New Year’s Eve, he finished up 2-1 with an even split in his two contests against fellow gold medal winners.