As great as the Japanese fans and culture has been to the sport of MMA, it seems that its fighters have not been so kind to the sport, and their country. Few fighters have made the transition from fighting in Japan to succeeding in the United States, while many fighters from other countries such as Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, and United States have all made impacts in the land of the rising sun. Fighters such as Mark Coleman, Don Frye, Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and others either sustained a bit longer or ignited their legendary careers in Japan.
Now, it seems that Japanese MMA is in disarray, with their most well-known promotion being sold to the competition, and its homegrown fighters not finding success anywhere outside of the country. What can be done, if anything, differently to rectify this situation?
To be fair, UFC on Versus 2 showed that there is still a glimmer of hope for Japanese MMA.
Takanori Gomi was scheduled to face Joe Stevenson at UFC on Versus 2. Only a few weeks before the bout, Stevenson had to bow out due to injury. In stepped Tyson Griffin to face Gomi. Griffin is a very similar fighter as he's a top-tier wrestler, and like Stevenson, had been in the hunt towards a title shot before, but struggled against top-tier opponents. Many thought Gomi, who hadn't really been "The Fireball Kid" in some time, would be unprepared for the opponent change, and therefore would be easy pickings for Griffin. Well, it didn't work that way. Gomi KO'd Griffin in the first round, and seemed to have the fire and power of old. If anything, this was the start of a long way back to the top for Japanese MMA.
That same night, Yushin Okami, considered to be the top tier of current Japanese MMA fighters, also proved that the fighting spirit in Japan was not dead. Like his comrade Gomi did earlier in the night, Okami came out and won the fight against Mark Munoz. Okami used his takedown ability and used his superior striking ability to keep the fight standing, eventually winning a split-decision.
Now, it seems, Japanese MMA may come back into the forefront. Okami is probably one fight away from a title shot (always one shot it seems like), and Gomi dispatched of a game opponent, and hopefully is looking on his way up towards the Lightweight Title.
Those are just two examples of fighters that are trying to prove to the rest of the world that Japanese MMA is not dead, and that the fighting spirit is still alive. Will this continue for both Okami and Gomi, as well as the rest of the Japanese fighters in the sport? That remains to be seen, but if there can be a sliver of hope, the land of the rising sun will rise once more and maybe, just maybe be at the forefront of the sport it helped usher in.
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