Strikeforce Fight Card: Overeem, Werdum, Barnett and Rogers Represent Proud MMA Traditions
by Nate Wilcox on Jun 18, 2011 3:30 PM EDT
in MMA History
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Long-time Bloody Elbow readers know that one of my obsessions is MMA History and the way modern mixed martial arts has stimulated the cross-pollination of diverse fighting traditions from around the globe. A lot of my efforts to understand the sport I'm obsessed with have involved tracing the stylistic lineages of fighters. Tonight's Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix features four fighters that each represent one of the archetypal styles of 1990's MMA: Dutch Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, American/Japanese Catch Wrestling and pure brawling.
I wrote a feature at SBNation all about it. Here's a sample:
Alistair Overeem
Style: Dutch Kickboxing
1990s Analogue: Bas Rutten
Holland is a tiny country that's had an outsize impact on combat sports. Starting with the gangster-kickboxer Jan Plas who trained Japanese Kyokushin Karate and brought modern kickboxing to Holland in 1978 with the opening of his Meijiro Gym in Amsterdam. Plas' student Rob Kamen added a big helping of Muay Thai to his repertoire and became one of the greatest kickboxers of all time.The Japanese pro-wrestlers who created the proto-MMA events like Pancrase, Shooto and Rings paid close attention and recruited many Dutch fighters to compete in their promotions. None more successfully than the legendary Bas Rutten who became the King of Pancrase and later the UFC heavyweight champion. Rutten pioneered the template that Dutch fighters have followed ever since: devastating Muay Thai/Kyokushin striking combined with effective submission grappling.
Alistair Overeem is currently the most fearsome living exponent of that style. He's the first fighter to hold a major MMA title and the K-1 kickboxing championship at the same time. He's got excellent striking technique, awesome power and the submission skills to finish a stunned opponent with a nice range of holds.
I kept it fairly superficial for the generalist audience over at SBNation, but I thought my fellow hardcore fight geeks here at BE might want to delve a little deeper.
Here's some of my MMA History pieces that detail more about Bas Rutten, Ken Shamrock (plus some bonus stuff about his fellow catch exponents Frank Shamrock and Kazushi Sakuraba), Royce Gracie and Tank Abbott -- the stylistic precursors of tonight's tournament field:
III: More on Japanese Proto-MMA
XI: Carlson Gracie's Mighty Camp
XV: Pancrase, RINGS, and Shooto 1996
XX: Kazushi Sakuraba and Frank Shamrock Emerge at Ultimate Japan
XXI: The Amazing UFC Championship Run of Frank Shamrock
XXII: Catch Wrestling and Kazushi Sakuraba's Early PRIDE Run
Enjoy!
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I love these history pieces because
A) I’m a lazy fucker, so research is out of the question.
B) They’re awesome.
I really like pieces on fight camps, like the Lion’s Den. It’s really interesting to see how these teams develop.
i swear i'm going to get back on the horse soon
planned installments: chute boxe, RINGS king of kings tournaments, Pride 2000 GP, Pat Miletich & the rise of the US indy circuit, Josh Barnett and the superbrawl 13 tourny, the informal welterweight tournament involving pele, carlos newton, matt hughes, miletich, and dave menne, the fall of mark kerr, etc etc etc
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
You dirty tease
Bob Sapp vs. Rodrigo Nogueira Bob "The Beast" Sapp is 400 pounds, and if 300 pounds of it aren’t pure steroids, then someone has got to be fucking kidding. -SeanBaby
by Chris Hall on Jun 18, 2011 3:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Do one on the Lee Murray Tito Ortiz back alley brawl.
Maybe you and your friends reenact the action (in costume) and post to Youtube.
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record pre "SpyGate" 12-2
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record post "SpyGate" 2-3
got a long ass way to go to get up to that
got to get through all the dark ages first.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Which version?
The Miletich version where Tito gets knocked out, or the Tito one where he doesn’t? I prefer the one where he gets knocked out…
I'll take Pats word over Tito.
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record pre "SpyGate" 12-2
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record post "SpyGate" 2-3
Why buy an MMA book when you can read all this for free?
Sorry Snowden.
Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record pre "SpyGate" 12-2
Bill Belichick's NE Pats Playoff record post "SpyGate" 2-3
Get to work Mr. Wilcox
I’ve already read all the articles you linked to – twice.
The easily distinguishable difference in disciplines and styles is definitely part of the appeal this card holds me. Interestingly, the forefathers of many of these fighters – Frank Gotch,George Hackenschmidt, Armand Cherpillod, and even Jack Johnson – where all invited to participate in the Alhambra Heavyweight Tournament over a century ago. All of them turned it down, but Matsuyo Maeda, Jimmy Esson (the Aberdeen Giant), and Lancashire’s best HW, J. Stokely did participate. Finally, 103 years later we can get this settled.
and the Alhambra Tournament
was uber bad ass.
when’s your next historical piece coming and what’s the topic?
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I lost my labtop with all my organized documents and my two (nearly finished) last installments of the Golden Age of MMA (Hybrid martial arts and mixed fights), so I got to finish rewriting those first. After that, I don’t know but I got a ton of outlines already done for either pre Great War pro wrestling or chronicling how prize fighting and the modern martial arts it developed have evolved over the centuries. Both are up my alley: long winded and really pretentious. But to quote you:
i really need to cut the shit and focus!
That's annoying.
Nothing more disheartening than toiling away on something you’ve already written.
Xtreme Couture- The best never rest! The girl in my av is Kari Sweets (you're welcome).
"I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler."
-Socrates
by ElliotMatheny on Jun 18, 2011 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions
get back on the horse
those are great pieces. and back up your data!
and use cloud computing!
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
We should really find someone else to represent catch wrestling.
When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are in a confederacy against him. - Jonathan Swift
Editor, HeadKickLegend.com
Still Subo at Fightlinker.com
by Derek Suboticki on Jun 18, 2011 4:18 PM EDT reply actions
Sakuraba represents Catch Wrestling. Though I would like to see more fighters that carry the Catch flag proudly
"When the first thing a doctor says to you is 'Can I get an autograph?' it's pretty easy to get any drugs you want." - James Irvin
Good article! Fun way of looking at things, obviously I knew their different styles before but I hadn’t really thought about it in that old-school 90’s throwback kind of way. I expect the Dutch and the catch to prove victorious tonight.
i'm just a 90s kind of guy
it really was a golden age — booming economy, mostly peaceful, my music and movies were popular, i wasn’t bald yet, etc etc
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Reminds me of first getting into 'alternative music'
As a tween my first introduction that really switched me on was ‘Rusty Cage’ by Soundgarden and ‘Teethgrinder’ by Therapy?
damn i'm old
I’d already almost entirely quit listening to new music by the time those came out.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
I discovered more of the 'older' music as I grew up
Killing Joke’s become one of my favorite ever bands as a result, plus Jello Biafra era Dead Kennedys. Never got into the hardcore stuff so much though I like some Black Flag. I’ve always had more Industrial leanings.
Oh, I like the 90’s too. Being a kid growing up, I would say that overall video & computer games really defined the decade for me. I definitely have a lot of love and nostalgia for that era.
by Horselover Fat on Jun 18, 2011 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions
what is ironic? Tank had more legit martial arts experience
Clay Guida ensured he is now and forever the worlds most exciting and active boring fighter.
That Bas article is great!
Tho it sucked that I was mobile and couldn’t watch vids
Bob Sapp vs. Rodrigo Nogueira Bob "The Beast" Sapp is 400 pounds, and if 300 pounds of it aren’t pure steroids, then someone has got to be fucking kidding. -SeanBaby
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