seriously need to start cutting weight.
I'm so sick of seeing Japaneses getting pounded by bigger/stronger guys.
The UFC should just match them up in the right division off the bat.
poonhunter 5000 - I will always respect the Japanese for not cutting weight.
yep, but at the expense of shitty lopsided fights, no thanks.
My god these japaneses! 
Not cutting weight. Not learning wrestling. Not going for finishes.
I think I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese, I really think so
i pee blood - Not cutting weight. Not learning wrestling. Not going for finishes.
Depends, some are pretty good wrestlers too. How can you go for finishes when you give up so much weight/power and always look ordinary in fights because of it, it goes hand in hand imo.
The UFC need to stop making those kind of matches and really push them to be competitive, end result would be better fights for the fans, better ratings and higher success rate for Japanese fighters.
But perhaps people just love seeing a smaller dude get smashed and tossed around.
Something is broken with JMMA pho sho.
I basically almost always bet against the japs because they just haven't seem to be able to get it together in the UFC
sekundarburnes - The problem is that with the exception of yushin okami, despite there being 130 million of them in a country that supposedly adores mma, they're not good fighters. They haven't got the athleticism or the necessary background (wrestling) to succeed. They seem to be all about technique, which is admirable I guess, but it comes at the expense of the physical and mental stuff that makes athletes win. American athletes pay attention to both parts, that's why they're good fighters
130 million Japanese people do not adore MMA. Pride was a successful event but not every kid that even plays sports grows up wanting to be a fighter there. The popularity of MMA at the actual training rates of people in the US know probably far exceeds what the peak in Japan ever was.
Japan is actually a decent wrestling country, they won a gold at the last Olympics (though first in many years). They are still the top judo nation, they have many world champs in boxing, and a number of top kickboxers as well.
They are in general obviously not as physical or physically strong as their western counterparts. Then on top, the strength and conditioning in the US is so much more advanced than the already physically weaker Japanese.
But with the still good levels of those combat sports above, not to mention the diff types of full contact karate, there is some kind of big disconnect between all that and the state of JMMA today.
You also have to take into consideration that the best Japanese fighters did not fight in the UFC and if they did, not in their primes. Take Kawajiri for example, who is one of the unusually strong Japanese fighters - as strong as Okami and more aggressive. He just lost to Guida in a competitive fight, even trading slams. But he's 36.
Gomi is sorta finding a moderate late wind now but he was looking like shit in Japan prior to coming to the UFC. Kid Yamamoto, one of the most physically gifted fighters period with a wrestling background to boot, was getting KOed and losing his edge a few years before he came to the UFC.
Akiyama who is pretty athletic with a strong judo background and punching power is a great example of someone who seemed to have the right tools but could not put it together. Fighting at MW was a mistake (he looked a weight smaller than most of his opponents and even at WW was smaller than Shields...who he could toss around but not do anything with.
Riki Fukuda is someone who was not gonna be a title contender but with his wrestling background, decent size, good work rate and training with AKA still couldnt make it either.
Note: Akiyama was 34 when he came over and there were reports that his NC KO loss to Misaki fcked up him. That said, i still thought his hands looked good vs Belcher (win or lose, that wasnt a slam dunk shoulda won for Belcher imo). Then he progressively looked worse and worse. How could he land on the bigger, more technical Belcher and not really find the target on Leben, save for that one flurry?
Wasa-B -The Japanese dominate international female wrestling would be great to see more of them get into MMA. The one to dethrone Ron DaRousey might be in their Olympic programs as we speak just waiting there...sekundarburnes - The problem is that with the exception of yushin okami, despite there being 130 million of them in a country that supposedly adores mma, they're not good fighters. They haven't got the athleticism or the necessary background (wrestling) to succeed. They seem to be all about technique, which is admirable I guess, but it comes at the expense of the physical and mental stuff that makes athletes win. American athletes pay attention to both parts, that's why they're good fighters
130 million Japanese people do not adore MMA. Pride was a successful event but not every kid that even plays sports grows up wanting to be a fighter there. The popularity of MMA at the actual training rates of people in the US know probably far exceeds what the peak in Japan ever was.
Japan is actually a decent wrestling country, they won a gold at the last Olympics (though first in many years). They are still the top judo nation, they have many world champs in boxing, and a number of top kickboxers as well.
They are in general obviously not as physical or physically strong as their western counterparts. Then on top, the strength and conditioning in the US is so much more advanced than the already physically weaker Japanese.
But with the still good levels of those combat sports above, not to mention the diff types of full contact karate, there is some kind of big disconnect between all that and the state of JMMA today.
You also have to take into consideration that the best Japanese fighters did not fight in the UFC and if they did, not in their primes. Take Kawajiri for example, who is one of the unusually strong Japanese fighters - as strong as Okami and more aggressive. He just lost to Guida in a competitive fight, even trading slams. But he's 36.
Gomi is sorta finding a moderate late wind now but he was looking like shit in Japan prior to coming to the UFC. Kid Yamamoto, one of the most physically gifted fighters period with a wrestling background to boot, was getting KOed and losing his edge a few years before he came to the UFC.
Akiyama who is pretty athletic with a strong judo background and punching power is a great example of someone who seemed to have the right tools but could not put it together. Fighting at MW was a mistake (he looked a weight smaller than most of his opponents and even at WW was smaller than Shields...who he could toss around but not do anything with.
Riki Fukuda is someone who was not gonna be a title contender but with his wrestling background, decent size, good work rate and training with AKA still couldnt make it either.
In the three Olympics awarding female wrestling medals (2004, 2008, 2012)
They had 4 weight classes (excluding HWT as they are not naturally large people), in the other three weight classes they captured 7 golds and 2 silver (in those 9 events)
Yeah, Gomrad, im aware of the Japanese women's dominance but Ronda is something special imo. I wrestled and did judo but i see Ronda's transition to MMA as top flight. She's adapted her throws so well and she has the aggressive sub game. She's already faced a former world wrestling champ and a bjj bb recently and i was looking to see her style challenged but she beat them by other means like a true MMA champ. I know McMann's world title was a while ago but i dont think she ever made the kind of transition to MMA as Ronda.
Sekundar, yeah, i def think folkstyle is better sutied for MMA than freestyle although we are seeing the Russian wrestlers (Dagestanis crossed with Sambo) making their way over now.
As far as your earlier question: "which great japanese fighters never fought in the UFC?" - If you take into consideration their prime and had enough time, only Okami, Uno and Hioki and maybe Sexy.
Sak fought in only 1 event.
Sakurai fought only once and i think Hughes would have beat him anyhow but Mach did get into that car accident prior and did beat Trigg.
Gomi and Kid were inarguably over the hill when they came over. Any look at the last few fights they had coming into the UFC and there's no need to debate that although for some reason, people act as if they were on a roll still.
Kawajiri came when he was 35 and at 36 still went competitive with Clay.
Im not saying they all woulda cleaned up, the JMMA guys have struggled overall in the UFC period but under better circumstances (coming in their primes, having the time to adjust, etc), i think they would have had better showings.