This is an obvious case of fate intervening on behalf of Aoki's career and the fans.
fos
I'd love to see him against Goulet or Thompson in a UFC debut.
Your Father...
it's strange,
Waseda University is one of Japan's top schools (Prime Ministers, etc. have come from it)...
so he has the educational background.
There is a standardized test, but given his work ethic, I'm sure that he could pass any such test...
however, being a national cop is pretty prestigious in that you are part of the national civil service (ie. good benefits, job security, and pension). They aren't really hiring that much, so even if you pass the test(s), connections are everything...
SERIOUS shame, but like FOS said, clearly fate is saying that he should do more in MMA...
he didn't say he failed an exam, but here are his exact words for the record, (about two hours ago)
"watasi wa keisatu deha naku FIGHTER to site ikiteikimasu!!..."
also, i never thought shinya to have the personality for a japanese policeman. he's somewhat unconventional in his thinking. glad to have him back.
only reason i mentioned tuf was that i heard they're bringing all ufc vets for the next one? thought that might be interesting to see. i do think that because most mainstream fans do not know who this is, it might be a good platform to build his marketability. just thoughts though.
I think they should bring Japanese fighters to TUF, even if they are well known in Japan.. would be a good way to introduce them to American fans, no?
it may seem insulting, but i kinda think it'd make for good tv. can you imagine a drunk japanese guy stumbling around the house, getting picked on and punked. and then stepping in to the ring. being all polite, and then kicking the living crap outta the shit-talking "badass"? that would be good entertainment imo.
Yep, if that's what he said, it may be that he just had a change of heart. In English its something like "I will continue to pursue my life as a fighter, not a policeman". Though I'm suprised a tough guy like Shinya refers to himself as "watashi". Seems like an "ore" type of guy ;-)
i am much older than him. :-(
Aoki would whoop everybody's ass in TUF.
It's like Sothy said, connections. I knew a guy whose father was a high ranking officer in keishicho. He failed the exam the first time and they didn't let him in. One year later he passed the exam and got in.
fighter to shite ikiite ikimasu = (I) will live as a (a) fighter. It doesn't mean he failed to become a police officer, just that he intends to be a fighter rather than a police officer.
Waseda U is on of the two top private universities in Japan. I worked there. The students tend to be bright. Or hardworking. In any event, they had to pass a pretty competitive examination which they could have done by any combination of intelligence and effort (or they could have been fast tracked as a result of going to an affiliated high school). I personally also took the tests to become a police officer--not in Japan, but the recruitment process is roughly similar: (physical exam, physical performance, written, and interview with scenarios) and "failed" (interview with scenarios) even though I had a Masters degree at the time and had numerous years of martial arts and weighttraining experience. Passing tests to be a police office isn't a matter of physical prowess or intelligence, but rather having the qualities that the authorities, the community, and the academic esperts whio design the tests,deem it important to have. It's more a matter of personality than brains or fighting ability, both of which can actually be liabilities in police work for uniformed patrol officers at least).
FCTV-
How is Aoki unconvential in his thinking? And keep sending him Muay Thai books/videos as hints on what he needs to learn! With his frame I can see him as being very good with the Thai clinch.
For someone who has never fought in UFC, Pride, or K-1, he sure has a lot of fans.
UFC would be foolish to pass him up. A top 5 (exciting) fighter is begging for a UFC shot. What the fuck is Zuffa waiting for?
LOL
yves,
shinya trains muay thai w/ somebody, but i forget who. he wanted to come and train at my boxing/kickboxing gym when he was here a few months ago but we didn't have the time. i like the fact that his style is still rather "pure" though.
when i say his thinking is "unconventional", i mean that it's liberal by japan standards and unconforming in good ways. it's funny though, because he's so upright. i'll make a "funny" joke about whoring around, and he'll politely laugh. he's just not into that and believes in family and strong ethics. he does judo proud. 10 years younger than me, and i'm taking life lessons (as well as bjj) from him. nasakenai.
fc
can we see some video of this guy please? I am ashamed to tell that i have never seen him fight while I follow MMA since 1993.
but I have excuses : i live in Europe/
guy has strong ethics? hmmm wonder what happened to them when he broke that dudes arm? and when he flipped the bird to the crowd once.
Melvin-
Aoki will not fight in K-1 or Pride (even though it means much better money than the UFC) because of their connections with Yakuza. To me that signifies someone with a strong set of morals, as if I had the shot to compete in UFC or Pride I would compete there even if they had connections with the Devil himself. You have to respect a guy like that.
FCTV-
Yeah I like guys like Aoki that are more one dimensional and try to fight using their strengths. I doubt we'll ever see Aoki pull a Yoshida or TK and try to stand up and brawl with a renowned striker. Have you ever sparred with him? how does he compare to guys like Baret?
"Aoki will not fight in K-1 or Pride (even though it means much better money than the UFC) because of their connections with Yakuza."
I thought it was because they were too "pro wrestling" for him and didn't represent what the sport was really about.
That might be part of it but according to FCTV, who is Aoki's friend, this is also a big concern.