Is Yoshihiro Akiyama Damaged Goods?
by Luke Thomas on Mar 2, 2009 1:06 PM EST
in MMA News
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But putting marketing aside, there is another reality to Akiyama. After Akiyama was knocked out cold on December 31, 2007, by Kazuo Misaki, he has not been the same fighter. He is slower to react, which is the kiss of death against top competition. Fighting Entertainment Group, the promotion behind K-1 in Japan, was well aware of this, putting him against two non-fighters in his only matches this past year. Unless his reflexes suddenly snap back to pre-knockout levels, UFC is paying big money for a fighter who may very well be shot. And unlike in Japan, UFC is not going to put fighters who couldn’t even win in minor-league shows against him because he’s a draw.
When it comes to the big stage, the Japanese MMA world is difficult for an American to understand. Although there are championships, they are not really all that important. During the heyday of PRIDE and in K-1 today, nobody in Japan talks or cares about people’s win-loss records. Fighting with honor was considered far more important than winning.
In Japan perhaps he's damaged. In South Korea? There is likely plenty of juice still to be squeezed.
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You know, I was thinking about that recently, and why their grand prix format isn’t at all popular here, and it comes down to that.
Being the champion in the UFC is a huge deal. Fans here would never accept a system where the Hansen is the champ for a year because Alvarez’s face was too swollen.
It’s not that big of a deal if the championship isn’t as big of a deal though.
Dave Meltzer has no clue at all what he is talking about. Either he went off his meds, or he is now in the agenda-setting business because that entire article is just completely off.
Agreed...
Completely agreed. Sounds like Meltzer is a victim of FEG sniping away at UFC’s acquisition.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 1:44 PM EST up reply actions
+1
Akiyama’s judo alone makes him a tough match-up for anyone at 185. I’ve never seen Misaki knock the career out of anyone. I never knew he had that kind of devastating power.
Although detractors decry (MMA) as a brutal, bloody form of human cockfighting, aficionados know it is a brutal, bloody, totally fucking awesome form of human cockfighting. -The Onion
by The Kittitas Kid on Mar 2, 2009 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
I Don't Know...
Hard to say since Akiyama hasn’t fought anyone relevant since the Misaki fight and he hasn’t looked too incredibly impressive against low tier guys, but maybe that’s how FEG was punishing him for the Japanese fans, and Akiyama wasn’t too happy with everything.
I think Akiyama bitched up a storm after the Misaki fight. The problem is that Misaki’s kick was ruled illegal, Misaki publicly humiliated Akiyama after the fight with his speech, and then the fight was overturned. It was an illegal kick, and I think Akiyama had some choice words for FEG. Thus, he was relegated to fighting out his contract against crap fighters to downplay his exposure.
That’s my take, not sure if it’s true, but it could be… in a my world. LOL
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 2:11 PM EST up reply actions
After Akiyama was knocked out cold on December 31, 2007, by Kazuo Misaki, he has not been the same fighter. He is slower to react, which is the kiss of death against top competition.
Um…what?
The two fights he had in DREAM he completely toyed with his opponents.
Those two are also pretty sub-standard. Not defending Meltzer’s thesis, but Shibata Tonooka are not challengers.
I think..
I think the original comment is taking aim at the fact that Akiyama’s slowness wasn’t proven in those matchups. I mean, they were very sub-standard fights… and typical bouts that Japan would setup.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions
That was right before the Misaki fight. But I still think Meltzer’s assertion is ridiculous, and even if it were true, Akiyama is still incredibly marketable in both Japan (where they want to see him lose) and Korea (where they want to see him win).
Contributor Emeritus - BloodyElbow.com
Even if it were true, he is still marketable. But from a hardcore fan’s standpoint, we don’t want to see Akiyama slowing. I think it’s a ridiculous claim as well, and it just feeds the rumor mill.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 1:46 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with you guys from the standpoint that diminishing skills aren’t incredibly important in this case. I don’t follow the Japanese scene as closely as a lot of the other people here, but Meltzer said it himself – South Koreans love Akiyama and the Japanese love to hate Akiyama. I really don’t think this acquisition was meant to do much of anything in regard to the North American audience. You can debate the level of the man’s skills, but does a slight drop off in that department really matter?
by Cannon Jacques on Mar 2, 2009 2:00 PM EST up reply actions
It doesn’t affect his drawing power incredibily, and to be perfectly honest, he’s taken advantage of guys flat out brawling with him. The Kang KO was a perfectly executed uppercut after Kang was basically throwing massive bombs that were just wild. It wasn’t like he had to be unbelievably fast to catch a downtrodden Kang in the corner of the ring.
In the cage, I think Akiyama’s powerful physique coupled with his judo is going to become a huge problem for opponents. He has so much power in the standup game, but that isn’t his bread and butter. If Meltzer is somehow right, I don’t think it’s going to be a huge factor.
The problem with Meltzer’s rumor for me is that there really is no proof, and it sounds like it’s coming from a FEG source, which is ridiculous to source considering they just lost Akiyama to what potentially could become competition in the market. It just sounds like FEG is trying to downplay Akiyama because he up and left.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
Err, it doesn’t affect his drawing power, period.
Editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com
by Leland Roling on Mar 2, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
What should his first fight be in the UFC?
Wanderlie Silva will be fighting Franklin and Henderson is busy with the Ultimate Fighter show. Who does that leave Ak,iyama with in the mean time?
in Japan talks or cares about people’s win-loss records. Fighting with honor was considered far more important than winning.
This is what I love about the Japanese. We place way too much emphasis on win-loss records here in North America. I think there are fighters out there who are afraid to loose too much, or they’re cautious because they don’t want to lose so they try to win on points, etc. If we had the Japanese mentality here, I think it could lessen the pressure to win on some fighters and allow them to open up and really put on a show. However, I do realize that sometimes pressure is good and it allows fighters to excel and to push them. But for me, I’m all about the effort put into a fight.
Meh
I think there will always be a place for guys who fight exciting fights and leave it all in the cage. It may be at a diminishing capacity as far as standing within the organization, but for the most part, those guys are given the benefit of the doubt and only cut after they’re clearly spent in the big league.
I am the bastard love child of Junie Browning and Diamond Dave Kaplan.
Guys wanting to impress in the ring instead of concentrating on the win seems to be one of the main symptoms of “sloppy Kick Boxing disease” that has plagued the sport lately. Yes entertainment and “honor” and all that stuff is important but if your not fighting to prove who is the best then it’s not really a sport anymore.
by who me on Mar 2, 2009 6:05 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Not always, it seems that a lot of fighters worry that the drunks in the crowd boo the ground game so they think that sloppy kick boxing is what makes everyone happy. some of the lower paid fighters may have dollar signs in their eyes thinking about that bonus but a lot of the well paid fighters also seem to be inflicted with sloppy kick boxing disease too and equate fighting poorly but excitingly with keeping the UFC happy (see Jorge Gurgel who won 9 of his first 10 fights by submission but when he got to the UFC decided that sloppy kickboxing was the way to go).
I know of a certain group of homosexuals on sherdog that are not going to like hearing any of this.
by pumaman on Mar 2, 2009 5:57 PM EST reply actions
That x10. If not more.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito on Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Mar 2, 2009 10:05 PM EST up reply actions
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