Why do Japanese fighters struggle so much in the UFC?

[Guestx]

He has a background in Kyokushin and Okinawan karate. With kyokushin, head punches are outlawed, so it makes more sense in that sport to not have a high guard. I'm guessing that it comes from there.

Mmm hmm. . .

Sounds like you were doing a whole lot of speculating about how he keeps his hands low because it's "traditional and honorable."

 

[Guestx]

How many times is this thread going to be posted?

This thread gets posted at least once every few months

Probably will keep getting posted as long as the Japs continue to underperform.

 

[Guestx]

I'm wondering what the difference is between the Japanese and the Koreans.

Same area of the world. Both pull from similar traditional fighting systems.

But by and large the Koreans seem to have more success on the biggest stage.

 

[Guestx]

It's age in some cases, the cage vs the ring in others.
Mostly though it's the fact that most gyms the good fighters are a medium fish in a small pond.
I used to train at a place with a decent pancrase guy. He could school basically everyone. He wasn't getting anything out of sparring or being with us. He needed to be with other high level guys. He wasn't so I don't think he could break through the plateau from low journey man to a decent pro

I've heard a lot of stories like this, usually about guys who train at the same gym as some low-level journeyman who maybe got a few fights in the UFC or whatever and then washed, and those guys just kill everybody in the gym and are total beasts.

Just shows you how good the top guys really are. These kinds of stories make me shake my head when I see some random Sherdogger talking shit on fighters outside the Top 10 and saying they suck and are shitty fighters or whatever.

 

[Jorge Luis Borges]

America’s got like 300 million people, Japan has like 10. Also, they’re shook to come here because of ww2 outcome.

I know for a fact that Japan has a lot more than 10 people. I changed planes there once and saw several dozen people. Maybe a hundred.

 

[chuckleknuckle]

Jet lag + They don't use steroids = mediocrity.

They need to acclimatise and juice.

 

[Dreaming Dead]

Have them take some Furaguno and they will be fine against the weight cutting wrestleboxers in the UFC.

 

[teamfox223]

Horiguchi is a really good fighter he did well in the UFC losing only to DJ. He when back to Japan because the money is just better there, more promotion, more spouses, less jet lag is a no brainer which promotion to choose.

 

[Guestx]

Horiguchi is a really good fighter he did well in the UFC losing only to DJ. He when back to Japan because the money is just better there, more promotion, more spouses, less jet lag is a no brainer which promotion to choose.

More spouses?

 

[Pierced7681]

What’s the top mma gym in Japan? Most of their elite athletes go into pro wrasslin because it’s a way better payday

 

[A.S. Deep]

More spouses?

GOAT reason for moving to Japan IMO.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

But more often, you'll either get a fighter like Kawajiri or Gomi who wins a few and loses a few before heading back to Japan to try to reclaim lost success, or you'll get less fortunate examples like Kid Yamamoto or Urushitani, for whom a UFC win is as elusive as a prime Machida.

Kawajiri, Gomi, and KID were all past their best when they came from the UFC.

Gomi had looked a shadow of himself in Sengoku, and likewise for KID in DREAM. Gomi had suffering from lack of training and being an out of shape alcoholic, whereas KID had 2 serious career altering injuries which visibly changed his style similar to what has happened with Shogun.

Kawajiri was EIGHT years removed from his #1 ranking when he joined UFC and had frankly zero hype, he did better than many expected.

When they join the UFC young, they can do great things (see:Horiguchi), before UFC inevitably lowballs them and they leave.

 

[chuckleknuckle]

What’s the top mma gym in Japan? Most of their elite athletes go into pro wrasslin because it’s a way better payday

Killer Bee, Roots and Takada Dojo. Just joking, it's not 1998.

 

[Guestx]

Kawajiri, Gomi, and KID were all past their best when they came from the UFC.

Gomi had looked a shadow of himself in Sengoku, and likewise for KID in DREAM. Gomi had suffering from lack of training and being an out of shape alcoholic, whereas KID had 2 serious career altering injuries which visibly changed his style similar to what has happened with Shogun.

Kawajiri was EIGHT years removed from his #1 ranking when he joined UFC and had frankly zero hype, he did better than many expected.

When they join the UFC young, they can do great things (see:Horiguchi), before UFC inevitably lowballs them and they leave.

At least in terms of Kid, while I understand he was past his prime, it seemed like the UFC was trying to do everything it could to get him a win, feeding him guys like Vaughan Lee who have long since washed out of the UFC.

I bet the UFC was like, "Fuck, if he can't get a win against dudes like this, who CAN he beat?"

What we saw from him in the UFC wasn't just being "past his prime." It went beyond that.

A "past his prime" fighter is like Hendo in his final bouts or Randy Couture when he was on his way out.

 

[ChucksGlassJaw]

America’s got like 300 million people, Japan has like 10.

This has to be the absolute dumbest post of the day.

 

[Katsumi Yamada]

At least in terms of Kid, while I understand he was past his prime, it seemed like the UFC was trying to do everything it can to get him a win, feeding him guys like Vaughan Lee who have long since washed out of the UFC.

I bet the UFC was like, "Fuck, if he can't get a win against dudes like this, who CAN he beat?"

What we saw from him in the UFC wasn't just being "past his prime." It went beyond that.

A "past his prime" fighter is like Hendo in his final bouts or Randy Couture when he was on his way out.

Majority or the reason has to go to injuries. He tore his ACL! For an explosive wrestler/KO artist that's one of the worst possible injuries. He never looked the same after that, even in Japan, losing to a green Joe Warren and Kanehara.
KID came to the UFC as a 34 year old bantamweight with surgically repaired acl and surgically repaired elbow.
He lost his speed and due to his fucked knees he could no longer defend takedowns. We saw that in all of his losses. This guy was a stud wrestler and gEtting taken down by BJJ bums.

"Prime" isn't just about age, it's about physical condition. Shogun Rua was past his prime when he won the UFC belt at age 27 - you can tell his striking style was so slow compared to before his knee injuries, and the Shogun that fought Hendo looked like he was waist deep in water compared to his prime.

You can't compare bantamweights to bigger guys, even if they are older.
"Godfather of TRT" Randy Couture retired after a 12 year career. KID was already 10 years into his career when he came to the UFC.

 

[lolsnar]

This has to be the absolute dumbest post of the day.

Its even worse that he was stating "facts"

 

[xyzxyz94]

Their top martial artist tend to stick to their individual sports.

 

[Guestx]

Wow I didn't realize the land of loli was that big a country, I thought their popularity was mainly due to being economically powerful.

The Tokyo metropolitan area alone has almost 40 million people. It's the highest-populated metropolitan area in the world.

 

[98bird]

Also most Japanese fighters are clean unlike everyone else

The Brazilian girl last night was clearly
On some serious tren/hgh and was slowly transforming into cyborg(voice started already)

If you just looked at the pshyical differences between the 2 girls
It was laughable

Holy shit her voice. I guess they don't spring for the USADA's $40,000 tests at the low levels.