Why doesnt Japan have more high level talent like Sakuraba?

Mesos said:
Got Eddie in a good sub first time but same has happened to a few other great fighters. Good on Aoki and he does have some decent wins but come on man look at his record....Its padded with alot of cans too bro like alotttt lol
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That'll happen to anyone with nearly 60 fights.

Most guys retire around 30 fights into a career.
 
brackis1 said:
lol what an absolute insult to his record. And he beat Eddie the first time lol.

Dude beat: Hellboy, Crusher, Clementi, Ribeiro, Eddie Alvarez, GZ. All while being a skinny guy in a PED league.
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Who? Álvarez is honestly the only good win on there. Also, Aoki is an all around asshole that deserves every beat down he recieves. The holding on to subs for too long, the Spitting at opponents, the way he beat on Saku(samurai culture can kiss my ass, that was abuse on a shot, nearly handicapped, middleaged fighter by a much younger man), makes Aoki one of my most despised people in mma along with Joe Son and The Goofus Maximus.
 
Sherdog is honestly a terrible place to ask about the Japanese scene. Most of what is spouted as truisms about Japan on here is largely a collection of myths that have persisted for the past 15 years or more.
 
Doug Money said:
Who? Álvarez is honestly the only good win on there. Also, Aoki is an all around asshole that deserves every beat down he recieves. The holding on to subs for too long, the Spitting at opponents, the way he beat on Saku(samurai culture can kiss my ass, that was abuse on a shot, nearly handicapped, middleaged fighter by a much younger man), makes Aoki one of my most despised people in mma along with Joe Son and The Goofus Maximus.
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Ignorance
 
they where gods in japan ..
same as fedor
got exposed outside japan
 
Mesos said:
Was watching Sakuraba highlights. He was a good fighter and his grappling abilities are legendary at this point. Why does mma talent from Japan suck so much now though? It makes no sense, they have a ton of martial arts schools and mma is making a comeback.

Its rarity these days to even see a Japanese fighter in the UFC. If you look at Korea recently they have produced way more UFC fighters that had solid careers. Hell its even looking like China is gonna start producing more high level talent.


It really makes no sense
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Gomi was the only Japanese Pride champion, and his division was weaker than the UFC, they never had many top fighters
 
Many people don’t know that Japan is also highly successful in freestyle wrestling. They are #3 behind the US and the old USSR in Olympic medals won in the past 100 years.

That base, along with Japan’s own culture of martial arts, could have really produced some great fighters. But for whatever reason, MMA doesn’t seem to be popular there and my guess is its viewed as less prestigious than Olympic calibre sports.
 
leto1776 said:
Sherdog is honestly a terrible place to ask about the Japanese scene. Most of what is spouted as truisms about Japan on here is largely a collection of myths that have persisted for the past 15 years or more.
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OK, so what is the answer to the question posed in the thread since you are more in the know than others? What is the truth about the Japanese scene, and why there aren't many contenders coming from it?
 
Mesos said:
Interesting I didnt know that, but isnt it the same story is Korea too? Yet, look at how many koreans have gone in to the UFC and done great. It makes no sense why Japan would be different, if anything they should be far better because of there strong martial arts and mma heritage. But there not
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What Koreans? Don't say KZ.
 
Mesos said:
he doesnt know lol,

basically its a joke on Gilbert Melendez name. Some announcer guy messed his name up before I think and it kind just stuck now lol
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i think its because rebok messed up his name on some ufc fight kit
 
Japan has great success in boxing and wrestling. Otogoro just dominated 4x NCAA champion Logan Steiber and won the Olympics. They also have a few p4p boxers especially at lower weights. However, the Japanese training style focuses on mastering one or two techniques and implementing them in the fight through a game plan. MMA has too many variables for that to work. You need a well rounded curriculum (not striking and grappling well rounded I mean command of the subject) to be successful at MMA.
 
noc said:
Gomi was the only Japanese Pride champion, and his division was weaker than the UFC, they never had many top fighters
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Another post written in ignorance, or just with a skewed view of the timeline. By the time UFC’s reconstituted lightweight division started getting good, Pride was gone.
Lee_ said:
OK, so what is the answer to the question posed in the thread since you are more in the know than others? What is the truth about the Japanese scene, and why there aren't many contenders coming from it?
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I would suggest seeking out people who live(d) and train(ed) in Japan for your answers. To the average Sherdogger, Japan is simultaneously a mythical land of samurai, octopus tentacle porn, and cyborgs, while mma is the biggest, greatest sport ever, and Pride fighters were known everywhere they went.
Doug Money said:
Just cuz Saku was ok with it dosent make it right
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I called you ignorant for not recognizing that list of names, which included fighters that were some of the best in the world for a while.
 
Mesos said:
Aoki has lost every time he faced someone really legit: eddie, Giblert, Ben. I doubt he would have had a great career in UFC. Kyoji is the only one that was really legit, think it’s because he trained under a legit Karate master. But thats kind of my point, theres alot of martial arts schools in Japan why isnt there a ton of Kyojis running around the UFC?
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He did tap Alvarez in their first fight.
 
leto1776 said:
Another post written in ignorance, or just with a skewed view of the timeline. By the time UFC’s reconstituted lightweight division started getting good, Pride was gone.

I would suggest seeking out people who live(d) and train(ed) in Japan for your answers. To the average Sherdogger, Japan is simultaneously a mythical land of samurai, octopus tentacle porn, and cyborgs, while mma is the biggest, greatest sport ever, and Pride fighters were known everywhere they went.

I called you ignorant for not recognizing that list of names, which included fighters that were some of the best in the world for a while.
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Aoki sucks and is a douchebag. A one dimensional, one trick pony who couldnt sub Askren, who has show to have worse sub def than even Chael for Gods sake. Me not knowing some obscure fighter from DREAM dosent change that and i stand by my statement. Everytime he stepped up he got put down, and i enjoyed every second of it. Ignorance is Bliss.
 
PizzaandBeer said:
His dad is Japanese dawg
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Your upbringing is just as important as your genetics.

Besides, his mom is Brazilian. So he's only half-Japanese.

And since there are plenty of high level Brazilian fighters and very few high level Japanese fighters, I think we can acknowledge his Brazilian roots are what led to him being a top fighter
 
A brilliant thread - Bros who have been watching MMA for a couple of years, commenting on a scene that barely exists anymore.
 
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