Karate blackbelts in MMA

Hotora86 said:
Thanks man, didn't know him.

NEW FIGHTER ADDED !!!

NAME: Shohei Yamamoto

Dude just loves to bang. :D But his defense (standing and ground) is virtually non-existent. :p
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Yeah I actually learnt about him while I was still in Kyokushin.

He was a legit IKO1 kyokushin champ (the organization I use to be in). He won the all American open, I think he won the all japan weight category too.

He also came 3rd in the World Weight Category championships back in 09 and 4th in 2013. Back then the IKO probably had the most competitive kyokushin tournaments.

He was definitely in the top 10 - of the best middlweight kyokushin fighters in the world while he was competing.


I've been watching his MMA career as well. He has great kicks & athleticism. His boxing is his gaping hole (weakness). I think his takedown defense is decent and has improved a lot since going to CSW. But like most of those that study kyokushin or have been competing a long time in the art - his boxing is his Achilles heel.

He reminds me a lot of Andews Nakahara. He also has the same issues Nakahara did and even the same that Ewerton Teixeira had in MMA.
 
Hotora86 said:
Thanks man, didn't know him.

NEW FIGHTER ADDED !!!

NAME: Shohei Yamamoto
AKA: Keji Tora
COUNTRY: Japan / USA
STYLE: Kyokushin Karate
RANK: Black belt (1st dan?)
RECORD: 5-3
Tapology: https://www.tapology.com/fightcenter/fighters/61672-shohei-yamamoto
SD: http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Shohei-Yamamoto-156947
Bio: http://uofmma.com/2014/fighter-of-the-month/fighter-of-the-month-shohei-yamamoto/



Dude just loves to bang. :D But his defense (standing and ground) is virtually non-existent. :p
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No defense
 
Azam said:
It's a shame because Kikuno could have been a real contender at 155 lbs in the lightweight division. Everyone forgets that he nearly finished off a prime Eddie Alvarez.

I think the issue with Kikuno was that he was experimenting a lot with his style & incorporating new things - he strayed away from his bread & butter. He changed his guard, his stance & even switched up his techniques/strategy etc. Trying to incorporate new things properly can take years to achieve - even more years if you change everything.

I think had he stuck with the way he was fighting before switching up his style - he'd probably still be in the UFC and he'd probably have had a lot more wins on his belt.

I also watched him on the new MMA format show which he started a while back - it's definitely entertaining but he's not really facing top tier competition anymore. It's more like he's doing it because he enjoys fighting and it's a paycheck.
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Looks like in Ganryujima he has gone back to that original style that you've mentioned. And he looks to be in his prime still. He's 36 years old, he could still take the DEEP belt or something. I guess being a Ganryujima star also has its benefits. Probably pays well too.
 
Azam said:
Yeah I actually learnt about him while I was still in Kyokushin.

He was a legit IKO1 kyokushin champ (the organization I use to be in). He won the all American open, I think he won the all japan weight category too.

He also came 3rd in the World Weight Category championships back in 09 and 4th in 2013. Back then the IKO probably had the most competitive kyokushin tournaments.

He was definitely in the top 10 - of the best middlweight kyokushin fighters in the world while he was competing.

I've been watching his MMA career as well. He has great kicks & athleticism. His boxing is his gaping hole (weakness). I think his takedown defense is decent and has improved a lot since going to CSW. But like most of those that study kyokushin or have been competing a long time in the art - his boxing is his Achilles heel.

He reminds me a lot of Andews Nakahara. He also has the same issues Nakahara did and even the same that Ewerton Teixeira had in MMA.
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It's a shame that world-class Kyokushin guys mostly fail in MMA due to their lack of boxing and/or cross-training. Yamamoto is 5-3. Nakahara is 5-4-2. Teixeira is 3-1 and 11-4 in kickboxing.

At the same time guys who were not even national champions but cross-trained like crazy (like Rutten and GSP) became MMA champions.
 
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Hotora86 said:
Isn't that Kyokushin?
latest
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I resent that!
I would not go as far as to deny it, But I definitely resent it!
 
lol Michael Page is not Karate

Who is using Karate besides Machida ?
 
noc said:
lol Michael Page is not Karate

Who is using Karate besides Machida ?
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Page_(fighter)

Literally the 1st sentence:

Michael Jerome Reece-Page[2][3] (born 7 April 1987),[4] better known as Michael "Venom" Page, is an English kickboxer, karateka, light heavyweight boxer, and welterweight mixed martial artist of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent.

Who is using Karate besides Machida? Every fighter on this list. Karate is varied in styles and forms, it doesn't always look like what Machida does. But if you want to see guys fight like Machida check out his brother Chinzo Machida or Angelito Manguray.
 
Hotora86 said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Page_(fighter)

Literally the 1st sentence:

Michael Jerome Reece-Page[2][3] (born 7 April 1987),[4] better known as Michael "Venom" Page, is an English kickboxer, karateka, light heavyweight boxer, and welterweight mixed martial artist of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent.

Who is using Karate besides Machida? Every fighter on this list. Karate is varied in styles and forms, it doesn't always look like what Machida does. But if you want to see guys fight like Machida check out his brother Chinzo Machida or Angelito Manguray.
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It also states: "Page describes his discipline as a "hands down kickboxing style" created from a "mishmash" of taekwondo, karate, and kung fu styles competing under a points scoring ruleset.[1

So his style is not Karate, it's a hybridization of many arts
 
Hotora86 said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Page_(fighter)

Literally the 1st sentence:

Michael Jerome Reece-Page[2][3] (born 7 April 1987),[4] better known as Michael "Venom" Page, is an English kickboxer, karateka, light heavyweight boxer, and welterweight mixed martial artist of Trinidadian and Jamaican descent.

Who is using Karate besides Machida? Every fighter on this list. Karate is varied in styles and forms, it doesn't always look like what Machida does. But if you want to see guys fight like Machida check out his brother Chinzo Machida or Angelito Manguray.
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lol Bullshit, later saids he started winning world championships in Kickboxing at 12 years old, why he is gonna practice Karate ? Karate is just mentioned in the 1st sentence

Karatekas just have two ways of fight.. Machida's style or Kyokushin style

Kickboxing..that was created in Japan, is the evolution of Karate, just like Karate was a evolution of Kung Fu, Karate is outdated and needs to be forgotten imo just like 99% of Kung Fu
 
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noc said:
lol Bullshit, later saids he started winning world championships in Kickboxing at 12 years old, why he is gonna practice Karate ? Karate is just mentioned in the 1st sentence

Karatekas just have two ways of fight.. Machida's style or Kyokushin style

Kickboxing..that was created in Japan, is the evolution of Karate, just like Karate was a evolution of Kung Fu, Karate is outdated and needs to be forgotten imo just like 99% of Kung Fu
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<{hughesimpress}>
 
noc said:
lol Bullshit, later saids he started winning world championships in Kickboxing at 12 years old, why he is gonna practice Karate ? Karate is just mentioned in the 1st sentence

Karatekas just have two ways of fight.. Machida's style or Kyokushin style

Kickboxing..that was created in Japan, is the evolution of Karate, just like Karate was a evolution of Kung Fu, Karate is outdated and needs to be forgotten imo just like 99% of Kung Fu
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they call point karate, "kickboxing" in the uk and ireland. He wasnt doing K1 style kickboxing with leg kicks.
 
Jimmy Jazz said:
they call point karate, "kickboxing" in the uk and ireland. He wasnt doing K1 style kickboxing with leg kicks.
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I know what he was doing, i watched it many years ago, is semi contact Kickboxing
 
noc said:
I know what he was doing, i watched it many years ago, is semi contact Kickboxing
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MVP is 1998 US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact).

You know what ISKA stands for?
International Sport Karate Association
(note the word KARATE)

What is your point anyway?

Sure, Karate is just one of the many arts MVP has trained, like all the fighters I mentioned in this thread. Nobody's saying these people trained or used exclusively Karate. This is not 1993 anymore, everybody cross-trains.
 
Hotora86 said:
MVP is 1998 US Open ISKA World Martial Arts Championships Gold Medalist (Semi-Contact).

You know what ISKA stands for?
International Sport Karate Association
(note the word KARATE)

What is your point anyway?

Sure, Karate is just one of the many arts MVP has trained, like all the fighters I mentioned in this thread. Nobody's saying these people trained or used exclusively Karate. This is not 1993 anymore, everybody cross-trains.
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lol ISKA also has Jiu Jitsu tournaments, is not Karate, is Kickboxing and i doubt he trained Karate
 
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