Issue 042
October 2008
The most enigmatic, charismatic and unorthodox fighter to have ever stepped into the ring, Genki Sudo (known sometimes as the ‘Neo Samurai’) thrilled audiences across the globe until his retirement at only 28 years of age.
Entering the world of MMA in 1998, Sudo made an inauspicious start, losing to Tiki Ghosn in a small event in Southern California. A former high school wrestler, Sudo was an art student studying in Los Angeles just as MMA was becoming increasingly popular. Though he lost his first fight by decision, he would return to Japan and compete in Pancrase, slowly developing his record and inimitable style.
One phase of Genki’s early career that has firmly entered into MMA folklore is his notorious entrance into the 2001 Westside Submission Tournament, held by MMA fighter Chris Brennan in his LA gym. Sudo regularly visited Los Angeles to train at the Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club, and while there decided on a whim to enter Brennan’s tournament. The resulting performance is easy enough to find on You Tube, with Sudo attacking his opponents with flying triangles and all manner of crazy moves. Brennan told me of the outlandishness in a 2003 interview. “It was a blast watching him, as I got to ref all his matches. I had never seen him, I had heard of him before, so all the stuff he was throwing, wow! I was laughing while I was reffing! It was kind of disrespectful to his opponent but he was very impressive.”
The initial phase of his career went largely unheeded. Of his first ten fights, he won six, lost three and drew one. The event that showcased Sudo to the world was his UFC debut. Appearing on UFC 36 in London, he faced off against British fighter Leigh Remedios and wowed fans across the globe with his spectacular entrance (a trademark of his which he would develop over time to mammoth proportions) and his unique blend of theatrics, crazy kickboxing and slick submission grappling.
It was after his victory over Remedios, a second-round submission by rear naked choke, that Sudo first hoisted the UN flag with the slogan ‘We Are All One’ emblazoned across it. This was an act that Sudo would perform after each and every victory that was to follow. As he explained, it was to promote togetherness in face of violence. “I don’t have any opinion on the UN itself, but I hold up the UN flag because it is a symbol of the world,” he said in an interview in 2003. “I want people to know that WE ARE ALL ONE and I am hoping to keep all the fighting in the Octagon.”
A return to fighting in Japan saw Sudo expand and develop his entrances to the point where they sometimes overshadowed, and even ran longer than, his fights. Until then, Sudo had used costumes as varied as a KFC bucket on his head to a full traditional Kimono with garish mask, employing gimmicks such as steam shooting out of his head or showers of silver confetti. His robotic dance moves were another recurring theme, but the huge stage of K-1 allowed Sudo to devise increasingly complex routines that would often involve scores of dancers.
His 2003 fight against Butterbean was the first of Genki’s major ring entrances. Dressed in a baseball outfit with the word ‘Peace’ embroidered on his shirt, Sudo bopped his way to the ring accompanied by cheerleaders who spelled out ‘Love’ with their pom-poms. Sudo submitted the American (who outweighed him by more than 200lb) by bouncing off the ropes and performing a flying dropkick, then heel hooking the former boxer until he tapped. “It is all a form of entertainment,” he said. “My entrance performance is to reduce the (negative) energy that any given audience has toward fighting. I consider the entrance a part of the match, therefore I do the best I can to do an entrance people enjoy.”
Sudo’s performances didn’t end with his ring entrance. For him, the entire act of fighting was one long performance, and he was known for turning his back on his opponents, his robotic ‘popping and locking’ and his use of footwork that would make Michael Jackson jealous. Of his unusual fighting style, Sudo had this to say: “The style in which I fight is based on Bushido, the Samurai way. I don’t just mean the fighting technique, but the whole philosophy based on how to live as a warrior. The image I have is that I am like a liquid, not a solid matter. And being like water means I can be any shape or form, adapting myself to win any fight.”
Aside from a brief return to the UFC in 2004, Sudo saw out his fighting career in K-1, both in MAX (their kickboxing division) and the MMA event HERO’s. Sudo racked up a string of wins but controversially lost to Kid Yamamoto on New Year’s Eve 2005 in the finals of the lightweight Grand Prix. He fought twice more before retiring exactly one year later. A chronic neck injury was his main motivation for leaving the ring, yet the multi-talented Sudo had ambitions outside of simply fighting for a living.
In his homeland Sudo is a popular TV personality as well as musician, actor and author. His book ‘The Theory of Happiness’ was written after he performed the 88-temple pilgrimage on Shikoku Island. “I am enjoying my life as a husband now. I still keep busy with various television shows, and I continue to make music. I feel that I have truly taken a step forward,” he said. “I do still spend time in the gym, but I have had enough physical combat. Combat in the 3rd dimension is over, and has now begun in the 4th dimension.”
Career Highlights
1999
Makes his MMA debut in California. Returns to Japan and fights in Pancrase where he armbars future UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt.
2000
Famously beats Craig Oxley by swinging him around pro-wrestling style before submitting him with an ankle lock.
2002
Makes his UFC debut and stuns the world with his flamboyant style.
2004
Defeats ageing legend Royler Gracie by KO. Respectfully bows to the unconscious Brazilian immediately afterwards.
2006
Retires from MMA with a career record of 15-5-1.
Did you know?
The meaning of Genki’s tattoos are often debated, but Sudo himself clarified the symbolism in a 2003 interview. “The bird on my back is my design, inspired by the ground pattern on the Nezka, Peru. The left arm is the symbol of life for one of the Native American tribes. The letters under that one are Hindu letters meaning ‘Everything is gonna be alright’. The right arm tattoo is a graphic of four Chinese characters meaning ‘Genki Nyorai’ – my own creation of a Buddha.”
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