Kazuhiro Nakamura: The greatest LHW Judo fighter of all time in UFC/MMA

[TRYHARD 2001]

What about Dan Kelly? He was pretty solid in UFC. Made Australian Olympic team like 3 times maybe more. Not sure if he ever medaled.

He was a MW and probably the most unathletic fighter that MW's seen in the past decade and a half... but the dude beat a lot of legit guys! Shoeface, Camozzi, Rashad (shot, but still),... not bad for a guy that clearly had two shot knees, was on the darkside of 30, and had a lifetime of bodily abuse behind him by the time he finally got to the Octagon. Major overachiever and a damn solid grappler.

 

[HHJ]

"Tell Wanderlei...shut the fuck up!"

 

[Bluesbreaker]

What we always find in this thread though, is really how few judo players ever transition to MMA. Idiots will debate all day whether judo is "effective" or "applicable". But the truth is, there is really no MMA culture in judo. We will never see the best athletes make the jump.

 

[mjfan23]

This is a better thread than “I just realized Dustin is the greatest striker in LW history” thread you last made good sir.
Also pavel nastula and ogawa got no love in your OP

 

[HHJ]

This is a better thread than “I just realized Dustin is the greatest striker in LW history” thread you last made good sir.
Also pavel nastula and ogawa got no love in your OP

I remember when Nastula got popped for roids,and he was pretty old,and was sayin it was like the end of his career and shit. When he was hopped up on roids he gave Barnett a tougher than expected battle.

 

[rodkek]

judo is a meme base in male divisions

 

[moreorless87]

What we always find in this thread though, is really how few judo players ever transition to MMA. Idiots will debate all day whether judo is "effective" or "applicable". But the truth is, there is really no MMA culture in judo. We will never see the best athletes make the jump.

Judo is a pretty well funded sport and tends to aggressively defend against this, there influence in france waa supposedly a big factor in MMA being illegal for so long.

EVen in Pride a lot of the Judoka we saw were shifting late in there careers and not really cross training a ton.

I believe Fedor switching to MMA was as the result of some kind of sport politics, because he was out in the sticks he didnt get Masters of Sports status in Judo and the funding that came with ti so shifted to Sambo/MMA.

 

[Cranberry2.0]

Tested positive for drugs not peds bud. Was heavily addicted to opiates and xanax at that time and still beat your guy via dec. was a lackluster fight for all intents and purposes and later made a nc due to drug abuse (and if it counts he literally didn’t train we were at the same gym on the same fight team at the time) but plz don’t narrative shift. Plus given Karos book of throw victims it is obvious who the better judoka was by MMA standards.

Did you fight Mike Perry twice?

 

[NeZhA23]

Pawel Nastula

 

[Travis Alexander]

Did you fight Mike Perry twice?

Yes I did.

 

[TRYHARD 2001]

This is a better thread than “I just realized Dustin is the greatest striker in LW history” thread you last made good sir.
Also pavel nastula and ogawa got no love in your OP

People just don't realize how successful both these guys were because their MMA careers were so underwhelming and relatively long ago. Ogawa never beat anyone of real consequence save Goodridge cuz he was really a pro 'rassler when he transitioned and that was his primary area of focus but Nastula was completely and utterly thrown to the wolves from the start! When your first four fights in MMA include prime Nog for your debut, Aleks, and Barnett you've clearly pissed someone in the company off very, very badly! Considering he was 35 when he started MMA and was tossed in the deep end from the start, he actually did alright against those guys too!

 

[Pakman]

Honestly putting Karo as one of three guys listed as the WW divisions best judokas is borderline blasphemy. I like sakurai and dong but in the world of judo adapted for MMA combat Karo is leagues above anyone else.

Yoon Dong Sik would literally throw Karo on his head until he died. Karo is so many leagues beneath The Dong as far as being a judoka it's not even funny.

If we're talking about who adapted to MMA best you may have a point but if we are just talking about being a judoka Karo is not anywhere near Yoon's level.

Also, to @JustOnce , you can't make a thread on Judo in MMA and people who have been judoka's and not mention Makoto Takimoto.

 

[Pakman]

People just don't realize how successful both these guys were because their MMA careers were so underwhelming and relatively long ago. Ogawa never beat anyone of real consequence save Goodridge cuz he was really a pro 'rassler when he transitioned and that was his primary area of focus but Nastula was completely and utterly thrown to the wolves from the start! When your first four fights in MMA include prime Nog for your debut, Aleks, and Barnett you've clearly pissed someone in the company off very, very badly! Considering he was 35 when he started MMA and was tossed in the deep end from the start, he actually did alright against those guys too!

I've never felt worse for a fighter as far as fight schedule than Pawel. It's ridiculous what Pride did to him lol, the other guy in that 4 he fought was Drago who was a behemoth of a man himself. But yes, he and Ogawa deserve a nod considering what they have done in the sport of judo.

 

[Taric]

Kaz' victory over Busta was a big deal. I don't hate it.

 

[Natural Order]

Good tilt between two legendary judokas.

 

[Travis Alexander]

Yoon Dong Sik would literally throw Karo on his head until he died. Karo is so many leagues beneath The Dong as far as being a judoka it's not even funny.

If we're talking about who adapted to MMA best you may have a point but if we are just talking about being a judoka Karo is not anywhere near Yoon's level.

Also, to @JustOnce , you can't make a thread on Judo in MMA and people who have been judoka's and not mention Makoto Takimoto.

I was quite specific when I said judo adapted for MMA. Karo is leagues above the rest. Judo in a gi is a different sport altogether.

 

[JustOnce]

Yoon Dong Sik would literally throw Karo on his head until he died. Karo is so many leagues beneath The Dong as far as being a judoka it's not even funny.

If we're talking about who adapted to MMA best you may have a point but if we are just talking about being a judoka Karo is not anywhere near Yoon's level.

Also, to @JustOnce , you can't make a thread on Judo in MMA and people who have been judoka's and not mention Makoto Takimoto.

I can. He didn't have a career in MMA. So he's out.

And It's not that Dong we were talking about, it's WW Dong.

 

[JustOnce]

This is a better thread than “I just realized Dustin is the greatest striker in LW history” thread you last made good sir.
Also pavel nastula and ogawa got no love in your OP

It was a question, not a statement, good sir.

Nastula and Ogawa didn't make career out of MMA. They just fought a few times.

And Nastula...one of the worst examples of getting fed to the wolves.

 

[JustOnce]

I was quite specific when I said judo adapted for MMA. Karo is leagues above the rest. Judo in a gi is a different sport altogether.

Nah bruh. Fedor was better at adapting Judo to MMA. Guess who else agrees? Firas Zahabi. But I'm sure you will go blah blah blah I know more blah blah blah.

And guess what bro, Karo got outgrappled hard by WW Dong, bro.

You know what I mean, bro?

 

[JustOnce]

I've never felt worse for a fighter as far as fight schedule than Pawel. It's ridiculous what Pride did to him lol, the other guy in that 4 he fought was Drago who was a behemoth of a man himself. But yes, he and Ogawa deserve a nod considering what they have done in the sport of judo.

Nah, they were great Judokas, but I only am trying to consider who made a career out of MMA.

It's like, then you'd have to start considering Kenny Monday, Mark Schultz, Rulon Gardner, when talking about the best wrestlers in MMA, but no.

You need to have made a career out of MMA for THIS discussion.

Why? Because this is my thread and this is my parameters for my discussion.

It's IN MMA.