Inoue and Sotiropoulos both begin and end their seminar with classic jiu-jitsu escapes. Among the simple and fundamental movements that every black belt masters, escapes are especially valuable to the beginners in attendance who often find themselves in bad positions.
Inoue remembers when he learned how important it is to win the battle for positional dominance, and how it led to one of the most controversial moments of his fighting career.
The first bout between Enson Inoue and Joe Estes took place twelve years ago in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, but Inoue laughs, “I remember it like it was last month.”
Cage Force held a pair of tournaments last year in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. The purpose of those tournaments was to get fighters ready for eventual competition in the UFC and for the winners to be signed by the UFC. In the welterweight division Yoshiyuki Yoshida beat Dan Hardy in controversial fashion in the finals. Yoshida was signed a while ago and will be facing John Koppenhaver on the upcoming UFC 84 card. After his last fight Hardy announced that he too has been signed by the UFC, although it is unclear whether Hardy will stay at welterweight or drop to lightweight. This will introduce two talented young fighters into the mix in the UFC. But, these two men bring more than talent to their new home. They bring a willingness to fight hard and with intensity wherever the fight may go. Yoshida is a bit more cautious than Hardy, who is balls to the wall in every fight, but both men go out with the intention of finishing their fight every chance they get. Win or lose the Cage Force tournaments have already paid off for the UFC in the form of these two young fighters.
Recently, CBS Chairman Sumner Redstone criticized his network’s decision to show Elite XC bouts on the public airwaves. The internet exploded with fire and brimstone. How dare someone suggest that grown men pummeling each other for $3000 is “socially irresponsible?” What could possibly be wrong with rewarding a man for killing another’s priceless and irreplaceable brain cells?
Tommy has a great Enson Inoue interview below. But I realize there is the distinct possibility that many people reading this site may not be familiar with Inoue’s oeuvre. Enjoy the above highlight. Enson Inoue will never be remembered as a great fighter. He’s simply a man who wanted to test his limits. As an added bonus, he invented the TUF-Finale style of MMA standup. Respect due to a true warrior.
The PRIDE & Shooto legend and the budding UFC & TUF6 star talk to Total-MMA about their different martial arts paths and fighting spirit they share
“We always say, we’re cut from the same cloth,” Enson Inoue says with a smile. The pioneering MMA legend is about to begin conducting a jiu-jitsu seminar with current UFC star George Sotiropoulos at Fisticuffs Gym in Vancouver, WA. The two are friends from the days when Sotiropolous was cutting his teeth in Guam, fighting MMA at a show promoted by an old friend of Inoue.
“When I first met George, I looked at him,” Enson begins. “He was to fight this guy Sergio, this famous jiu-jitsu guy. And look at George, he doesn’t look like this mean dude. He looks like a nice guy, you know. I mean, he’s not a nice guy.”
“Hey! Come on now!” Sotiropoulos yells in a sarcastic protest.
Enson continues, mimicking George’s Australian accent: “‘Hey! I know you, Rites of Passages! Yeah!’ He wants to shake my hand… and I think, oh my God, this guy’s gonna get his ass kicked.”
Last week, Tim Credeur and Mathhew Riddle had a really strong bout, with Team Forrest’s Credeur getting the submission late in the second round despite his coach’s insistence that he not risk giving up the position to go for the armbar. It was an emphatic finish to a fine fight, definitely the best we’ve seen so far in this already solid season.
My download is widescreen this week, for some reason, which is at first strange, but I am here to learn and to grow. I get this channel; I don’t know why I don’t just watch it on TV, but I never do. I think Afro Samurai is the only thing on Spike I was so into as it was going on that I actually made a point of being home and watching it. I lack a PVR. But I have a computer! And so here we go.
At this time last year, we had already witnessed two fights that ended up being strong candidates for fight of the year. Thus far this year there have been some very compelling bouts–technical wars, slugfests, and epic title clashes–but nothing as spectacular as Gomi-Diaz or Griffin-Edgar from last year. Where these early offerings from January through April will stand at the end of the year is anybody’s guess, but they likely won’t be top candidates for fight of the year when it’s all said and done.
