The Unplanned Rise of Yoshiyuki Yoshida

by Luke Thomas on Sep 4, 2008 11:45 AM EDT in MMA News

Sherdog.com has a nice video up of Yoshiyuki Yoshida discussing how he got into MMA, UFC 88, his age (34), Karo Parisyan and more. What you realize right way is just how accidential his fighting career actually is. His age is more a testament to his late start than any middle age grasp for relevancy.

And just as Yoshida himself is unassuming, so is his fighting style. He often counter fights, letting his opponents attack early so he can finish strong. I initially thought his upcoming fight with Parisyan was going to be a bit of mutual neutralization, but I'm slowly getting the sense that their battle could grow to a fevered pitch. There is much riding on the line for both men (Yoshida is now a full time fighter) and I think it's safe to assume these two will clash and clash hard.

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Karo

I think Karo is a supremely gifted fighter. His physical attributes are undeniable. For someone who barely trains before fights and fights at his natural walk-around weight and does not suck, he has accomplished amazing things in his career.

All that being said, I think 99.9% of his issues are mental. And from the way he has sounded on recent interviews, his issues are not clearing up. I think he losses this fight, not because Yoshida is the better fighter, but because Yoshida has his head screwed on straight. Just my two cents.

by Nick Travaglini on Sep 4, 2008 10:34 AM EDT reply actions

The MMA game does seem to be incredibly dependent on the mental

components, more than boxing or kickboxing. I’ve thought for a long time that the reason wrestlers do so well in the MMA world is because of the extreme work ethic that pretty much every high school wrestler adopts, necessarily, in order to compete.

Karo has insane balance and body mechanics in the clinch. Absolutely ridiculous. But you’re right, he’s obviously a head-case, and I don’t know if that is compatible with long-term success in MMA. But then, I thought the same thing bout BJ Penn.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 4, 2008 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions