Issue 088

May 2012

By John Morgan, former Fighters Only World MMA Awards ‘Journalist of the Year’

Depending on whom you ask, February’s historic UFC 144 event in Tokyo was either a critical crossroads for the future of MMA in Japan or simply the beginning of the UFC’s forays into Asia. But wherever you evaluated the card’s importance prior to the event, six hours of top-level action and highly entertaining fighting left no doubt that the UFC hit a home run.

Much of the pre-UFC 144 talk in the media centered upon the perceived challenges that the UFC faced in hosting its first event in Japan since 2000 – and first under Zuffa ownership. But when fight week finally came, there was palpable anticipation. The event’s pre-fight press conference and media workout session were each well attended by both Japanese and foreign media outlets, and a few thousands fans even gathered for the card’s official weigh-ins. 

I must admit, there was a moment on fight day when I wondered about the legitimacy of the ‘sell-out crowd.’ The fight card began at the very odd hour of 9:30am Sunday morning in Saitama, Japan, and the crowd inside the Saitama Super Arena was a bit sparse for the evening’s first fight. But as the prelims rolled on, that concern was quickly alleviated when a knowledgeable, joyous crowd of some 20,000 Japanese fans found the way to their seats.

And 12 fights later, the UFC had made its new mark on Japan. “There was all kinds of negativity about coming back to Japan, and it was nothing but positive once I got there,” UFC president Dana White told Fighters Only afterwards. “It was awesome. The fights were great, and we’ll be back.”

The night was equally positive for many of the night’s Japanese competitors despite posting just a 4-5 combined record on the card. “I really appreciated the fact that finally Japanese fans were able to watch the UFC in person,” submission ace Hatsu Hioki said, following his win over Bart Palaszewski. “This UFC event couldn’t be possible without the support of all the Japanese fans. I appreciate all the help we got.”

Ah, those Japanese fans. It was a true pleasure to watch UFC 144 along with those fans. Sitting cageside in Saitama, the knowledge of the Japanese audience was evident from the very first bout. They cheered at guard passes and sweeps rather than only when fighters stood toe-to-toe in the pocket. They were passionate for their favorites but respectful of their foes. There was no booing or guttural screams of ‘Stand ‘em up!’ when the fight spent more than a few seconds on the floor.

“I was really happy about the fight,” Japanese middleweight Riki Fukuda said following his dominant win over Steve Cantwell. “After my fight, I saw all the audience up there. It was full. This was a memory of my life.”

There were some down moments, to be sure. Longtime superstar Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto and boisterous judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama each suffered losses and may have fought for the final time in the Octagon. Recent title challenger Yushin Okami looked well on his way to a dominant victory before he was blasted out by fast-rising middleweight Tim Boetsch. And while two-time WEC ‘Fight of the Night’ winner Takeya Mizugaki was paid his win bonus by UFC top brass, his official record reflects a loss to Chris Cariaso at the event.

Yet none of that seemed to matter. Japanese MMA still has hurdles to overcome, both in terms of the quality of fighters the country is producing, as well as the viability of local shows in between UFC visits. But UFC officials say they’re aware of the specific needs of the market and are committed to growing their brand – and the sport – in Japan and beyond.

“There are a dozen Japanese fighters in the UFC, and we would love to see that increase, and we’d love to see the level of MMA increase in Japan,” UFC Asia executive Mark Fischer said. “There are a lot of martial artists, but there’s not necessarily a lot of advanced mixed martial artists besides the ones that we already have in the organization. We’d like to help spur that growth, whether it’s creating facilities, equipment, working with some of the better guys on the ground here to really push that forward – maybe some exchange programs, and so on. We think that’s very important.

“There is that uncertainty of, ‘Where is MMA going?’ still, and I think this event is a huge boost in the right direction, but to keep that going, I think the grass-roots effort and working with some of the dojos is important. We do plan to keep that momentum going in that way.”

There was an unquestionable buzz in the air as the night’s featured contests played out, even with an overweight ‘Rampage’ Jackson struggling to be competitive. And though the crowd’s size didn’t match some of the incredible masses that packed arenas during Pride’s heyday, the event delivered well past the expectations of most MMA pundits. For Japanese superstar Takanori Gomi, who was at the peak of his career when Pride ruled the world, it was a positive sign.

“This is a great event,” Gomi remarked. “If Japan was able to hold this huge event here, I think MMA will rise again. I would like for the UFC to keep coming back.”