After One Event Japanese MMA is Back?

Japanese MMA did not under go some drastic change before or after UFC on Versus II. Although that is not what a portion of fans and media members want you to believe. It seems to them because Gomi melted Tyson Griffin with an enormous right hand, that somehow means Japanese fighters will no longer train in small crampt apartments that have been converted into "gyms". Because Yushin Okami stuffed just about all of Mark Munoz's takedowns, all Japanese fighters will fight with a sense of strategy. Maggie Handricks wants to let you know "MMA in Japan is just getting warmed up."

Both fighters won handily at UFC on Versus 2. Though Gomi said that he "learned to fight American," he won by returning to his bread and butter striking. Okami did it with textbook takedown defense. His sprawl — laces down with flexible hips — was good enough to stop an elite collegiate wrestler in Mark Munoz.

Now, Okami may get the shot to be the first Japanese fighter to win a UFC championship. UFC president Dana White said last week that a win might put Okami in line for a shot at the middleweight belt. Apparently, Japanese MMA is far from over. It looks as if it's just getting warmed up.

I am here to tell you that just because Okami and Gomi both won it doesn't change Japanese MMA and it shouldn't change your perception of MMA in Japan. Fighters in Japan still suffer from not having enough quality gyms, training partners, trainers, etc. Gomi and Okami could both win UFC titles and I highly doubt it changes the fighting culture in Japan. 

I was accused of having a Japanese bias and being a Gomi "nutthugger" because I thought Gomi should not be counted out of his fight with Griffin. Gomi still has the same weaknesses and strengths he had in 2005. TKO1890 drops some knowledge:

Takanori Gomi is the same fighter he's always been. The same guy that knocked out Sakurai. The same guy that had the epic war with Nick Diaz. The same guy that won titles in two of Japan's historically biggest promotions. He might have slowed down a small fraction but that is inevitable with the passing of time. The fact is that Gomi always got by with his subpar work ethic when he fought lower level competition. He could knock out fighters like Mitsuhiro Ishida and Luiz Azeredo because they have lackluster chins. He could submit fighters like Davis Baron and Charles Bennett because their ground games were not up to snuff. Gomi's problems now are precisely the exact reasons he lost his previous fights. He didn't train hard for certain opponents and they either made him pay for it (like Kitaoka, Marcus Aurelio, or Diaz) or he went to unenthusing decisions (like Seung Hwang Bang, Sergey Golyaev, and Jean Silva). The Florian loss was a combination of not having a good training camp and fighting one of the best lightweights out there. Training with Nobuhiro Obiya and Akira Okada at Kugayama Rascal is just not cutting it when you're trying to be an elite lightweight who's fighting at the top level. Going to the States and training here would do wonders for Gomi. He's also never been one for in-cage strategy. It is no secret that Gomi has a lot of success when his opponents start to brawl with him. Gomi's got natural power and enough punching technique to where he can starch guys that come in on him lazily. That ability is always going to be there and we saw it against Tyson Griffin.

Gomi has always gotten by on his natural gifts. He is a superior athlete and has great power with a good chin. He is susceptible to submissions and good wrestlers/grapplers can work him on the mat. But if a fighter stands with him and he can't throw a decent jab and protect his chin that fighter will get knocked out. Kenny Florian put a jab in Gomi face and it completely stifled all of his offence. Gomi will never be a top 5 fighter again, but he is talented enough to be a top 10 fighter. Although that would mean Gomi would have to be in good shape (physically and mentally) and train with quality equipment and partners. Both of with he has had major trouble in the past doing.

Much of Okami's success is a product of how he was brought up as a fighter. Forrest Lynn of Lights Out Radio explains:

Okami's success in the U.S. is a product of him making the choice to groom himself for the U.S. as opposed to taking the route his contemporaries did in Japan. He [Okami] fought in Japan many times, but he fought in cages... He has been cutting weight for a long time. I mean just a massive dude. He realized he had a frame and style suited for a cage. He took it on himself to become that fighter. It was a shrewd move by him and it has worked out to this point. He got by fighting the way he did, he didn't throw with volume and won 22 or 23 fights that way. There is no reason to change your style if what you think your doing is fine.

 Also, I would like to add Okami fights in the UFC's Middleweight division. Which is the shallowest division in the UFC. I think a combination of these factors points to his success stateside.