1) At it's peak from the 90's to mid 00's, how did it compare to America's fight scene?
In terms of number of venues, legendary venues, infamous gyms, media coverage etc, would you say that the fight scene in Japan was the biggest worldwide ever?
2) What's the scene like over there today? Dead? On the comeback?
3) Western Boxers - how are they thought of out there? Was Tyson/Oscar/RJJ/Manny/Mayweather etc popular over there or did Boxing not take off over there?
1) Hard to compare directly. They pulled MUCH bigger ratings than UFC does on network TV in the US, but there was no real PPV system over there and cable television was never a big thing.
There were quite a few shows and some massive arenas, during K-1's peak their shows at the Tokyo Dome were epic. The Shockwave event where PRIDE and K-1 joined up still holds the world attendance record for MMA.
Media coverage was huge, they were all over the front page of the sports newspapers and all over the media. At its peak it was by far the biggest fight scene at the time, K-1 was by far the biggest promoter from the late 90s to the mid 2000s. I would say UFC has eclipsed that today, but its a very different time and very different structure, a lot more money and international media coverage. The Japanese scene was enormous in Japan then had pockets of interest throughout the world, Europe and Australia being 2 places they had a foothold.
2) The scene at the moment is pretty much dead and has been for awhile. It will take some new stars to be born before the scene builds back up.
3) Tyson was huge in Japan. Back in the 80s when the Japanese economy was booming they paid a fortune to have Tyson fight over there.
EckY - 1) Hard to compare directly. They pulled MUCH bigger ratings than UFC does on network TV in the US, but there was no real PPV system over there and cable television was never a big thing.
There were quite a few shows and some massive arenas, during K-1's peak their shows at the Tokyo Dome were epic. The Shockwave event where PRIDE and K-1 joined up still holds the world attendance record for MMA.
Media coverage was huge, they were all over the front page of the sports newspapers and all over the media. At its peak it was by far the biggest fight scene at the time, K-1 was by far the biggest promoter from the late 90s to the mid 2000s. I would say UFC has eclipsed that today, but its a very different time and very different structure, a lot more money and international media coverage. The Japanese scene was enormous in Japan then had pockets of interest throughout the world, Europe and Australia being 2 places they had a foothold.
2) The scene at the moment is pretty much dead and has been for awhile. It will take some new stars to be born before the scene builds back up.
3) Tyson was huge in Japan. Back in the 80s when the Japanese economy was booming they paid a fortune to have Tyson fight over there.
VU, buddy. Love your knowledge on the Japanese fight game!
EckY - 1) Hard to compare directly. They pulled MUCH bigger ratings than UFC does on network TV in the US, but there was no real PPV system over there and cable television was never a big thing.
There were quite a few shows and some massive arenas, during K-1's peak their shows at the Tokyo Dome were epic. The Shockwave event where PRIDE and K-1 joined up still holds the world attendance record for MMA.
Media coverage was huge, they were all over the front page of the sports newspapers and all over the media. At its peak it was by far the biggest fight scene at the time, K-1 was by far the biggest promoter from the late 90s to the mid 2000s. I would say UFC has eclipsed that today, but its a very different time and very different structure, a lot more money and international media coverage. The Japanese scene was enormous in Japan then had pockets of interest throughout the world, Europe and Australia being 2 places they had a foothold.
2) The scene at the moment is pretty much dead and has been for awhile. It will take some new stars to be born before the scene builds back up.
3) Tyson was huge in Japan. Back in the 80s when the Japanese economy was booming they paid a fortune to have Tyson fight over there.
Do you ever see the fight scene reaching those heights again?
Who are the new stars over there? How much did Mike get paid?
Not in the near future but eventually it could, in the late 70s kickboxing was huge in Japan and a scandal similar to what took PRIDE down rocked the industry and it didn't pick up again until the 90s when K-1 became huge.
Tenshin Nasukawa if brought along properly could be the guy to ignite interest back into the scene, kid is only 18 and is a very legit kickboxer already.
EckY - Not in the near future but eventually it could, in the late 70s kickboxing was huge in Japan and a scandal similar to what took PRIDE down rocked the industry and it didn't pick up again until the 90s when K-1 became huge.
Tenshin Nasukawa if brought along properly could be the guy to ignite interest back into the scene, kid is only 18 and is a very legit kickboxer already.
Really? Who were the stars in the 70's then? Any fights you'd recommend me watch?
I'm not exactly an expert on the the 70s kickboxing scene in Japan, but it is seen as the golden age as they were the first foreigners to beat Thais under full Thai rules. Tadashi Sawamura and Genshu Igari were two of the biggest stars in that period.
Glory tried to crack Japan but in reality no foreign promoter will ever become top dog in Japan.
Peak era pride was the greatest show in sports. 100k in an arena, best fighters in the world. Tournaments, freak show fights, highly competitive wars... perfect rules for fighting, stalling yellow cards, crowds were knowledgable, heart mattered more than winning.
Nothing will ever compare to Pride if you are an MMA fan. It was gladiators entering the arena with full spectacle and respect/love of the crowd regardless of where they came from. The UFC with the white trash crowd, limp bizkit nonsense felt like it catered to a trashier fanbase. It was still great in the Tito/Chuck era, but nothing compared to Pride.
EckY - I'm not exactly an expert on the the 70s kickboxing scene in Japan, but it is seen as the golden age as they were the first foreigners to beat Thais under full Thai rules. Tadashi Sawamura and Genshu Igari were two of the biggest stars in that period.
Glory tried to crack Japan but in reality no foreign promoter will ever become top dog in Japan.
RenzoStudent2004 - Peak era pride was the greatest show in sports. 100k in an arena, best fighters in the world. Tournaments, freak show fights, highly competitive wars... perfect rules for fighting, stalling yellow cards, crowds were knowledgable, heart mattered more than winning.
Nothing will ever compare to Pride if you are an MMA fan. It was gladiators entering the arena with full spectacle and respect/love of the crowd regardless of where they came from. The UFC with the white trash crowd, limp bizkit nonsense felt like it catered to a trashier fanbase. It was still great in the Tito/Chuck era, but nothing compared to Pride.
Man, you've really summed up how great MMA used to be with this reply.
Pride really did rule! Even their US shows were pretty epic.
I was in Japan during Prides peak. We used to go and watch the events in an Aussie sports bar in the afternoons. There was a massive buzz around it leading up to the event and there would be preview shows on mainstream TV (Fuji Terebi) irrc. Wed get a table booked and it'd be a great few hours in a packed out pub. Several of the fighters, especially Brazilians like Big Nog and Arona would train briefly at Axis BJJ. The biggest stars were household names. The Japanese had all of the elements right to put on a big event. Yakuza involvement brought the whole thing crashing down, but sumo recovered from a similar scandal. Great times.
RenzoStudent2004 - Peak era pride was the greatest show in sports. 100k in an arena, best fighters in the world. Tournaments, freak show fights, highly competitive wars... perfect rules for fighting, stalling yellow cards, crowds were knowledgable, heart mattered more than winning.
Nothing will ever compare to Pride if you are an MMA fan. It was gladiators entering the arena with full spectacle and respect/love of the crowd regardless of where they came from. The UFC with the white trash crowd, limp bizkit nonsense felt like it catered to a trashier fanbase. It was still great in the Tito/Chuck era, but nothing compared to Pride.
In its prime Pride felt like the olympics of MMA. You were filled with an overwhelming excitement as the next grand prix drew closer. Every card felt stacked like UFC 200. Meanwhile, Chuck was in the UFC spazzing out to death metal while knocking out hillbillies and doing xyiance infomercials on public access.
1) At it's peak from the 90's to mid 00's, how did it compare to America's fight scene?
In terms of number of venues, legendary venues, infamous gyms, media coverage etc, would you say that the fight scene in Japan was the biggest worldwide ever?
2) What's the scene like over there today? Dead? On the comeback?
3) Western Boxers - how are they thought of out there? Was Tyson/Oscar/RJJ/Manny/Mayweather etc popular over there or did Boxing not take off over there?
Hell of a fascinating country for combat sports.
I feel like the fighter's skill is the best it's ever been, but the media coverage just isn't there, so there are no more casual fans really paying attention and, well, paying. That doesn't pay bills or get TV deals for promotions.
What about the other leagues like Shooto, DEEP, ZST, Rings, etc? Are they even still around? Back in the 90s-00s heyday, it seemed like there were events several days a week. I used to love renting late 90s Shooto videos from the local Japanese video store.
orudis - What about the other leagues like Shooto, DEEP, ZST, Rings, etc? Are they even still around? Back in the 90s-00s heyday, it seemed like there were events several days a week. I used to love renting late 90s Shooto videos from the local Japanese video store.
All of those organizations are around in some form, but they are pretty small potatoes from what I can tell. ZST and DEEP effectively merged. Rings seems to be mostly doing the "Outsider" events that pair up Yakuza, truck drivers, bikers, etc., to fight each other. None appear to be making very big waves at the moment.