The Surprising Career Turnaround of Michihiro Omigawa
by Luke Thomas on May 4, 2009 8:24 AM EDT
in MMA News
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I watched his wins over Davis and Phan with keen interest on how positively bruising, strong, tactical and aggressive he looked (particularly when compared to his very lackluster UFC run). Jordan Breen explores the reasons for Omigawa's resurrection of sorts:
Omigawa's recent turnaround isn't just a personal success story; it a success story for Japanese MMA. His improvement can't be attributed to any one single factor but rather a holistic process of fighter development that is normally absent in Japan. For starters, after racking up a 4-7 record as a lightweight, he finally cut down to the featherweight division -- a weight class that actually physically suits him. Typically, Japanese fighters don't realize they're a poor fit in their weight class until about a decade into their career, if at all.
Secondly, he's been wise enough to realize that his determined but unskilled stand-up can't cut it. He has recently started working out at the Watanabe Gym responsible for several Japanese national and Ocean Pacific boxing champions, as well as where K-1 Max star Masato worked on his hands before his 2003 World Grand Prix victory. Omigawa's transformation since beginning to train there earlier this year has been dramatic, with a rich demonstration this weekend as he bobbed, weaved and battered a high-quality fighter in Nam Phan with his boxing.
He hasn't simply fallen in love with his hands -- the pitfall of many grapplers who improve their striking. His upset wins over Davis and Phan required gameplanning, another aspect of Japanese MMA that is sorely lacking in many regards. To talk to many Japanese fighters and trainers about fight preparation simply boggles the mind, especially given the likes of Greg Jackson bringing hyperspecific strategy en vogue in North America. Credit is due to Omigawa's team for helping him transform from a judoka windmilling punches at his own detriment to a fighter who, in his last two fights, has transitioned seamlessly between the feet and the ground and controlled his opponents tactically throughout.
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He is absolutely overpowering at 145 lbs. It was very impressive to see him close distance and topple Phan, and subsequently unleash fury on him in the floor exchange. He was also very precise in his footwork, cornering Phan, and putting him into a dangerous situation of clinching with him. Omigawa has definitely turned things around, and it’s going to be exciting to see if he can pull off another huge upset in the next round, although I think he can handle Kanehara if he’s matched up there.
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Omigawa’s dramatic improvement has been one of the most exciting things to see this year. Japan simply produces too many talented fighters not to be producing true world champions at several weight classes. Hopefully Omigawa is the beginning of a new trend.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
Also...
If anyone wants to see the fight, click the ‘Recap, Analysis’ post in the Recommended Fanposts section. It’s a goody, and all you fans out there not too keen on Japanese MMA, this is a solid event you have to watch. Some very techinical, solid bouts on the card.
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I'm glad Jordan tackled it...
because I was trying to figure out a way after watching the fights (and watching him take a nice chunk of my betting cash away) to say that Omigawa was fighting like “an American” now. Which sounded overly nationalist or something…but I just mean exactly what Breen said. He’s cutting to an appropriate weight class, working on holes in his game rather than just relying on being “exciting”, and is coming into fights with legitimate gameplans. It’s been fun to watch.
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
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by Brent Brookhouse on May 4, 2009 11:40 AM EDT reply actions
LOL, I was wondering about those bets, Brent. I lost on Phan and Santos as well. Luckily, Kanehara pulled out the decision win, and one of my parlays hit. Gotta love the roller coaster.
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by Leland Roling on May 4, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Japan has some solid guys with losing records. Dong Sik Yoon and Takimoto come to mind.
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by Leland Roling on May 4, 2009 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
That might be my favorite article ever from Breen. I especially liked the part about how honest and gruff Omigawa has been in his interviews when compared to other Japanese talents. I’m excited by this newfound fire in Omigawa, and I’d be pretty stoked to see him win the tournament.
"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
Yeah…
“Everybody who didn’t believe in me… fuck you”
Classic Omigawa response in his last fight.
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by Leland Roling on May 4, 2009 1:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Omigawa is a beast. He looks like a very well rounded fighter now, and I hope other Japanese fighters start training and having a mindset like him.
It’s been very awesome watching him in the tournament, and it will be great seeing him against Sandro, Kanehara, or Hioki in the finals.
The finals...
are looking pretty spectacular either way
Contributing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.
http://CurseOfRonKarkovice.blogspot.com/
by Brent Brookhouse on May 4, 2009 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Omigawa made a fan out of me
I couldn’t have picked a better time to see one of his fights…the whole ‘F* you’ to the crowd thing is awesome, but could have been blown off as luck. He completely owned Phan. Granted, Phan didn’t look like a world beater in his previous fight, but Omigawa beat that ass…that was probably the biggest surprise on the card (on paper)…5-7 guys just don’t beat 16-1 guys like that. Great showing…I can’t wait for the next round
the upset for me was the Davis fight.
I figured Omigawa had the recipe to beat Phan. He was always very physical at 155 just too small and had no reach. Against guys his own size he’s a bulldozer.
"the spirit of your average dumbass with more overblown rhetoric" OR "the self-appointed savior of MMA"
I’m a complete n00b to the Japanese MMA scene, so seeing a guy with a sub-.500 record wrecking a guy with a 16-1 record (who is pretty well respected as far as I can tell) was surprising. Did you mean the Nick Dennis fight? I don’t recall a Davis, but staying up ‘till 5am doesn’t lead to a clear head…or was that a prelim fight? Either way it was a surprise from a n00b perspective, not to say it was a legit surprise…regardless, Omigawa looks damned fine at FW.
The L.C. Davis fight was in the previous event. Omigawa basically used great footwork to corner Davis, then used his power to topple Davis to the canvas. Davis couldn’t escape or really counter the takedowns as Omigawa’s judo coupled with his surprising strength at 145. Davis was dominated for the entire fight, it was unbelievably impressive, especially when you consider how well he fought Phan.
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by Leland Roling on May 4, 2009 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
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