Anyways, background since we're talking about something old and crusty. This is being held in the Omiya Skate Center, which also ran several joshi cards in the 1990s and a single NJPW card in 1993. This is a very small venue, in case you're wondering. The ring for this event is an octagonal ring featuring 3 ropes, diagonal support ropes, and Vale Tudo netting from the second rope down to the canvas. The video indicates that this is Shooto Complete Vale Tudo Access: Professional Shooting 35. I am very sad to have never seen most of 1-34. So is everyone else not named Tiger Mask, who does a long interview at the start of this DVD.
1) TOSHIYUKI WADO vs. JONATHAN EUSEBIO: A 147lb bout, believe it or not. Wado is hailing from K'z Factory and Eusebio is from the Inosanto camp. Yes. Dan Inosanto protege circa 1995. Don't worry, he's not the last. 3 3 minute rounds.
Tenative standup as is often the case in Shooto, followd by a clinch and a takedown into full mount by Wado. Eusebio gives the back, and gee, this is gonna be short. He gets to the ropes and we have a break and standup. Another Wado takedown, back to full mount, but with no action in 3 or so seconds, we get another standup; Shooto has lots of these back then. Both stare at each other till the bell. Wado continues this in the second round and eventually mounts and gets and armbar out of that. Only pro fight on record for either. (0)
2) RUMINA SATO vs. RON BALICKI: Sato is a legend and Balicki is a footnote. Here is why.
Balicki comes to throw BOMBZ but is 13 years too early; Sato gets a takedown, but nothing comes of it. Another Sato shot, Balicki defends, tries to spin out, and is thrown down. He's let up and we continue. Sato throws a high kick, left straight, clinches, takes down Balicki, and goes to full mount. Balicki isn't totally lousy; he goes out the back and drops for a heel hook! Unfortunately, this is SATO and he ends up having his opponent posture up, defend, break free and then throw himself on top of poor Ron Balicki all in one motion. Sato then grabs and arm and pulls the armbar. Oh so sweet. (3)
3) CARL FRANKS vs. REMCO PARDOEL: Remco was featured in the last class doing a Shooto class in the Netherlands. He is also a very bad man who had built a name in Pancrase and the UFC prior to this. Franks is a no-name who trains at Grappling Unlimited and would be competing as a middleweight today, likely. 3 8 minute rounds.
A strange fight: Pardoel comes forward to maul Franks and Franks, being a wrestler apparently, is able to defend take downs and throws and they trade low kicks most of the fight. Pardoel does get the better of this in general as he's the bigger guy, and it looks more and more like he's gonna wear down Franks by simple pushing him off with his hands (which are nowhere near protecting him for a punch) and then throwing the low kick. He gets lazy and sloppy and throws a right hand after pushing at one point, and that's all Franks needs; he rushes in with the takedown and is in the half guard of Pardoel. At this point, he tees off on Remco and Remco actually taps as the bell rings from the punches. The ref misses this and there is all sorts of confusion as he's unwilling to continue. End result? No contest. Franks got screwed. (1) for the name value and the strange end.
4) KAZUHIRO KUSAYANAGI vs. KYUHEI UENO: Kusayanagi had an unspectacular record in Shooto coming in, and Ueno (then simply tagged "Kyuhei") had gone a hard five rounds with Yuki Nakai, one of the original lower weight heroes of MMA. Well, I think it was hard because at least he made it that far. Not like I have it on video, you know? 5 3 minute rounds, middleweight contest (Kusayanagi comes in at 163, Ueno at 154).
First round is lots of Kusayanagi taking down Ueno and then getting stood up. Standup is wild with no one clearly ahead. Second round is more of the same; Kyuhei's unorthodox striking seems to be taking Kusayanagi offguard and hurting his timing, but the takedowns are still coming, even if Kusayanagi never capitalizes. Ueno does finally defend a shot late in the round. Kyuhei then radically changes gameplans in the third and pulls guard, but the strength of Kusayanagi is such that he holds Ueno up in the air and slams him. Ueno is really pressing now and is actually defending the doubles and singles from Kusayanagi to some degree. Towards the end of the round, Kyuhei Ueno shoots a double of his own to score a late takedown.
The turn in the fight is clear in the 4th: Ueno and Kusayanagi trade wild shots at the start, and Kyuhei throws down Kusayanagi with a belly to belly. He looks for an farside armbar from side control, but Kusayanagi defends and goes for a heel hook, ending that sequence with a rope break. Wow. Ueno again scores the takedown after the restart and Kusayanagi is looking for an armbar from guard; again, another rope break. Kusayanagi shoots a single, Ueno defends and ends up on top, then easily transitioning to mount. Kusayanagi looks to turn, give his back, and then escape as the bell rings. Great, great action in the fourth. Fifth and final opens and Ueno drops Kusayanagi with a right hand virtually at the bell for a 9 count. Kusayanagi shoots, but runs into a pancake sprawl, gives up the back, and takes punches until the fight is stopped. Absolutely fantastic stuff from the early, early days of MMA. It holds up even now, 15 years later. (2)
5) NOBORU ASAHI vs. LEONID ZASLAVSKY: A title fight! I think. Asahi is the Shooto Lightweight champ and Zaslavsky has never fought in MMA before but being Ukrainian via Australia, he is probably a judoka or wrestler who might be game.
Zaslavsky proves me right by shooting immediately, but Asahi tries for the triangle. Actually, that is this fight in a nutshell for both rounds it goes. Zaslavsky gets the takedowns and Asahi is willing to pull guard too. In fact, its really what he's aspiring for: He throws strikes only to get to the clinch and drag down Zaslavsky. In the second round, Asahi throws a spinning back fist that closes the distance, then drops down into a heel hook out of the clinch, forcing a tap out. (4) This is a tough fight to rank and I don't consider it absolutely vital, since neither guy is a legend or anything of the sort. In fact, Zaslavsky is basically a nobody who never won an MMA fight. Regardless, this is an important bout as any Shooto title fight would have been at these weight classes now in retrospect, particularly with WEC having usurped them as the home of the lower weights.
-INTERVIEWS WITH THE FIGHTERS! Nothing learned.
6) ENSON INOUE vs. ED DE KRUIJF: Enson is a big deal. De Kruijf won a Cage Fight title in Holland beating Bob Schrijber. This is back to "freestyle" rules and 3 8 minute rounds.
Inoue clinches, tries to take down De Kruijf, and De Kruijf tries to hold down a headlock. Inoue and De Kruijf get tangled in the nets and are moved to center ring to restart on the mat. Inoue takes the back (as one expects) and flattens out De Kruijf, eventually transitioning to an armbar by the nets. Fight is stopped and De Kruijf is complaining; My guess is he was trying for a rope break and instead the ref called it. Kinda lame, that. (3)
-INOUE INTERVIEW! In japanese.
7) ERIK PAULSON vs. BEN SPIJKERS: Oh, man. This fight. Paulson is a huge name even still, though no longer as a fighter. Spijkers is a Olympic medal winning judoka and Paulson is a future Shooto Champ. They would reappear on another MMA card a few months later on opposite ends of brackets during the World Combat Championship show I reviewed here.
I feel bad even trying to give this a play-by-play, and so from now on, no more PBP for Shooto shows. It takes away from my joy of watching them, honestly. Spijkers wants this on the mat; its what he knows. Early in the match Spijkers is going for a head crank and both men tumble out of the ring. Luckily they're caught by the seconds outside. After the restart, its more of Spijkers shooting the double and Paulson defending it fairly competently and then throwing low kicks. Spijkers is just asking for a guillotine here, leaving his head exposed. He does get a takedown for the first time in round one at the bell, but it looks like a Paulson round. Go to the second: Paulson drops for a kneebar in the second after defending the shot, but it fails and the ref stands 'em. Paulson is feeling better about the clinch game and is throwing knees and dirty boxing; Spijkers answers with a headlock into throw. Paulson maneuvers out and we hit the bell.
Third round is action of the good kind: Spijkers seems to quit due to the strikes momentarily against the ropes, but spins around and continues. He gets caught in the thai clinch of Paulson and in a desperate attempt to escape, manages to throw himself out of the ring head first. After a period where its debated if the fight will continue, we have a restart. Paulson is now feeling really good in close: he's throwing uppercuts inside along with the low kicks and knees. Spijkers proves durable; he shoots, gets a takedown, and moves to knee on belly as the bell rings.
Entering the 4th, this is still very competitive. Spijkers gets tied up in the ropes during a clinch trying to get away from Paulson in the clinch. Clearly, Spijkers wants nothing to do with being vertical and is looking only to shoot. Big right hand by Paulson wakes up the crowd. Spijkers ends up getting taken down and gives up his back to rope break; the ref seems to warn him. He does shoot a single at the end of the round and get it, but its Paulson's round.
Final round is short: Spijkers' laziness regarding protecting his neck when shooting is finally exposed. Paulson locks a guillotine on with the arm in, and then Spijkers moves the shoulder out of the way for him in foolish fashion. He has no choice but to tap. Great fight. (4)
Afterwards, interviews with both men. Paulson thanks Inosanto's camp, Spijkers admits Paulson is better at mixing the two elements of the sport together and promises to Paulson that if they meet again, he will "choke him the hell out". They do not.
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Paulson/Spijkers
KO OF THE NIGHT: Kyuhei/Kusayanagi
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Inoue/De Kruijf
OVERALL FOR THE EVENT: 8 out of 10. Some slow moments here and there, but overall, as such a higher level of competition than the UFC and many modern second tier promotions. When I see Cage Combat MMA on my DVR soon from this fall in Grand Rapids, I don't expect anything this good.
D&R Rating: 48.5% (17/35), making this the highest rated MMA show I've done for the blog yet.
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