Kakutogi Road: The Complete History of MMA Vol.34 "Swan Song"
Swan song: A metaphor stretching back to ancient Greece, denoting one’s final performance, act, or gesture, shortly before their death or retirement. This legend was borne of the ancient belief that swans, who are seemingly non-vocal (or at least non-musical) during their lifetimes, get to have their final act be one of creative release.
Fittingly, that is where we are at now, with an event that will bring us closure to one of the greatest rookie feuds in pro wrestling history, the 6th and final conflict between Hiromitsu Kanehara and Masakazu Maeda. These two have completely turned the conventions of wrestling upside down, by pushing the boundaries of what can be done in a worked pro-wrestling environment, by turning them from choreographed routines based around telling a physical story, to all-out assaults where the only connection to standard pro fare would be the predetermined winner. Yes, as my colleague Mike Lorefice once pointed out, had shoot- pro wrestling continued in this vein, then there would have been no need for actual MMA, but that’s part of what makes these two so great, is their ability to turn up the physicality volume to 11. In their last couple of matches, they managed to put forth the same urgency that one would have in a real shoot, which is something that requires a full-throttled commitment that very few performers would be capable of.
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The date is 5-8-92 and we are at the brand-new Yokohama Arena. This 17,000-capacity venue was built in 1989 and has wound up becoming a popular venue for musical acts that want the ability to provide complex set designs and lighting arrangements, but don’t have to commit to trying to sell out the Tokyo Dome, due to its more modest size. Little time is wasted before we are taken to the opening matchup, again the 6th opening in a row to feature Kanehara and other Maeda, and sadly I can only wish that we had 600 more. Their last bout got a ***** and ****3/4 rating from each of us, and while it would be unreasonable of me to hope for another outing of that magnitude, I’m sure that this will be good.
As expected, Maeda charges in like his life depended on it, and starts wailing away on Kanehara, but is quickly stifled by a suplex. Kanehara tries to keep him contained to the mat, but Maeda is looking very slick here and instantly slithers back to his feet. The next couple of minutes may be Maeda’s best showing yet, as he constantly keeps the pressure on Kanehara both on the feet and on the mat. Eventually, Kanehara is able to utilize some fast palms to get Maeda down long enough to acquire an armbar/rope escape, and while it’s still clear that Kanehara is the superior submission artist, that may not be enough to keep the relentless aggression of Maeda at bay.
This continues to move at such a breakneck pace that it’s hard to give a play-by-play, but Maeda continues to go all-or-nothing, thus keeping a lot of pressure on Kanehara, but surprisingly it’s Kanehara’s striking that continues to set up grappling opportunities for him, as he is able to counter Maeda’s speed with more precise attacks. After getting him back down on the mat, they entered into the requisite foot-lock battle, before Kanehara’s heel-hook wins over Maeda’s straight ankle lock.
The rest of this match was what we’ve come to expect, non-stop action and unmitigated aggression from both men. While this wasn’t on par with their last showing, due to more pro-wrestling submission sequences (with the ever-nefarious Boston crab making several appearances) both the striking and intensity continued to be top-notch. This was a fine way for Maeda to end his career and a great way for Kanehara to start his. One has to wonder why such a fantastic and promising young talent like Maeda would end things just as he put himself on the map, and in the spirit of seeking true knowledge, we decided to take action to find out. Mike Lorefice contacted one of his deep underground sources from Japan, who offered this quote, "I don't know much about Masakazu Maeda’s fights, but he believed that UWF Inter matches were serious competitions. Every time he had a match, his family and friends cheered for him seriously. He thought that he had cheated them. It is rumored that he retired because he couldn't stand to cheat his family and friends."
If this is true, then it cements Masakazu Maeda into the pantheon of general badassery, as it shows that this was a man so committed to the true budo spirit of MMA, that he could not continue to fool people within a worked entertainment sphere, and thus quit, just as his career was taking off. It’s a shame that he didn’t move on to Shooto, or a different organization to forge ahead in a real combat sport, but we appreciate his efforts and wish to immortalize them here. A beautiful and haunting final song, indeed. ****¼