Here’s a little trip down memory lane – I’m in a nostalgic mood, so here’s some nostalgic pseudo journalism.
We all need a bit of entertainment from time to time. Get ready for three memorable tapout manoeuvres seen on Asian shores, and given the author of this piece, do not be surprised if there is something of a Japanophilic slant.
Without further ado;
- Rumina Sato -> Charles Taylor
The “Moon Wolf” has not only one of the coolest nicknames in combat sports, but was also one of its best and most exciting, entertaining grapplers from the late 90s right through the 2000′s. A veteran of the sport, and member of Shooto’s Golden Generation, a group of lightweight and welterweights that included Sato, Takanori Gomi, Caol Uno, Joachim Hansen, Shinya Aoki, Akira Kikuchi, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribiero and Hayato “Mach” Sakurai from 2000-2004.
But Sato’s defining moment in Shooto preceded that, in 1999, when he met American Charles Taylor. What resulted was classic.
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- Shinya Aoki -> Mizuto Hirota
Aoki could have had his own selection of greatest submissions, from his Aoki-plata on Joachim Hansen, his leglocks on Alvarez and Kawajiri, and of course the infamous “Hello Japan” submission on the unfortunate David Gardner. But the most memorable of all, and infamous, was on the K-1 Dynamite 2009 card, the special attraction fight pitting DREAM champion Aoki vs. Sengoku champion Mizuto Hirota, to see who the top dog in Japan truly was at lightweight.
What went down, went straight into legend.
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- Ryo Chonan -> Anderson Silva
This is a tremendous submission regardless of who it is performed on successfully. But given that Anderson would go on to be one of the very greatest Mixed Martial Artists in the sport’s history, it is all the more impressive what went down at PRIDE Shockwave 2004.
Enjoy.
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This will be a new trend – nothing wrong with a walk down memory lane every now and again!
Nostalgia can be fun. It does not do to dwell on it too much, but the memories are there for a reason, good and bad.
A pleasant day to all.
Nice … honorable mention to Carlos Newton over Pele and Fedor over Fujita …