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MMA Junkie reported yesterday that Kazuhiro Nakamura has been released from his UFC contract after his second loss in the organization, and his third consecutive loss overall, dating back to the late days of Pride FC. Quite rightly, Junkie suggests that “with his crowd-pleasing and colorful entrances and willingness to fight all-comers, Nakamura will likely be picked up quickly by another organization.” Sengoku seems the most likely destination, given the strong Hidehiko Yoshida connection, and DREAM presents another viable option as well. No doubt he will land on his feet. We needn’t worry; this isn’t the last we’ll see of him. But the end of Nakamura’s UFC tenure is, I think, significant, in that it was Nakamura’s UFC tenure, however brief, that most fully revealed his character: fundamentally, Kazuhiro Nakamura is a guy who wants to do judo and get high, and not necessarily in that order.

There were signs in the Pride days, to be sure. There were, for instance, the giant blue penguins that featured prominently in his ring entrance. But it was relatively easy to dismiss that: the giant blue penguin, while indisputably trippy, was a sponsor’s mascot. It is likely Nakamura had no real say in the matter of the giant blue penguin. But between the idiosyncratic behaviour (and accessorizing!) during UFC weigh-ins and ring entrances, and, well, the positive drug test, all doubt was removed. “Nakamura claims he is never nervous before a match,” reads his old Pride fighter profile, and we know now why that might be.

A funny case, Nakamura. Although he was nowhere near as accomplished in the world of judo as his mainest man, world and Olympic champion Hidehiko Yoshida, Nakamura competed successfully at a very high level: fighting in the under 100 kg division, he won the German Open Braunschweig international B tournament in 2002, took second at the C-level Belgian Open Championships Visé in 2001, and a very impressive third at the Japanese national championship in 2001, which is no mean feat. He’s not a Yoshida in the world of judo, but he was a solid competitor.

Nakamura, however, adapted his judo nage waza or throwing techniques to MMA much more fluidly than Yoshida ever really managed. A lot of that could have to do with Nakamura coming to the sport much nearer his athletic prime: Nakamura debuted in Pride at the age of 24, as opposed to Yoshida’s battered 33. Take a look at either of the fan-created Nakamura highlight videos out there (they are nearly identical, although one is somewhat incongruously set to Megadeth’s “Symphony of Destruction”), and you see an impressive range of throwing techniques: the ouchi gari and kouchi gari trips that you would expect from any clinch fighter, but also some big, classic judo throws — the harai goshi (sweeping hip throw), a slick uchi mata (inner thigh throw), and even an ippon seoi nage (one-arm shoulder throw). Clearly the man knows his business: behold the textbook form of his tai otoshi as he demonstrates it for the kids. Thrill to his quasi-MMA judo demonstration with Yoshida and Bas on The Best Damn Sports Show. I know I do.

Nakamura, on the level of technique, has always clearly had a lot going for him. And he has always competed at a very high level: when your debut match is against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, that is a hell of a thing. He’s fought some of the best in the world, often quite competitively. Our own Tom Gentleman has him ranked as the 57th best MMA fighter at 205, which is, I think, not entirely fair, in that that list is populated with people who’ve never really fought anybody. But it is instructive: Nakamura has competed with the elites at 205, but he is very much on the outside of that group looking in. It’s possible that that’s simply his ceiling, the most his skills and talents will ever allow him to achieve. But it’s also possible that what we’ve got here, again, is fundamentally a guy who wants to do judo, and get high — and, again, crucially, not necessarily in that order.

I say this not to make excuses for, but to celebrate the baffling ordeal of Kazuhiro Nakamura’s MMA career. What better time than now for an extensive, multi-part retrospective of that ordeal? I think it is worth noting that in assembling my materials here, I have used Nakamura’s own ethos as my guide: I have focused my attention exclusively on the half of Jigoro Kano’s famous maxim Jita Kyoei, “Maximum efficiency with minimum effort,” that Nakamura embodies most fully. Guess which half. Between what I have lying around the house on DVD and what was easy to find online, we’re pretty much covered, but to really put forth any concerted, deliberate, focused effort here would be to break faith with the spirit of the man we are gathered here to praise.

Without further ado, then, let us go then, you and I, and take a look at this judo guy.

Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Pride 25
16 March 2003

Stephen Quadros suggests that Nakamura is one of the top judo men in Japan; Bas suggests that Nogueira will have the better boxing: “He has to — I mean, the other guy is a judo guy.” Quadros likes Nogueira here, but “You never know with these judo guys.” Oh man, so true! Much has been made of Nakamura’s recent and strange bowl cut, but in fact he has always rocked some unusual looks. Yoshida and Tsuyoshi Kosaka are in Nakamura’s corner, which is our first indication of Nakamura’s awesomeness. Much is made of how relaxed Nakamura looks considering this is pro debut — yeah, well. Nakamura clinches aggressively and launches Nogueira with what you might call a hane goshi or springing hip. “Now that’s some serious judo,” Quadros observes, and I am in complete agreement. Nogueria throws up an omoplata, a triangle, an armbar — like Lil Wayne, he throws it up as though he’s trying to lose his gut. That is the vigor with which he throws it up. And, again, Quadros and Rutten really, really can’t believe how relaxed Nakamura is here — they think he looks like a ten-fight veteran, staying calm and cool in the face of Nogueira’s relentless submission attempts. Nakamura wants to be back on his feet, and Nogueira is stood up. Nogueira has a clear advantage boxing, but Nakamura does not look as helpless in that aspect of the fight as you might expect in a first fight. A failed single-leg takedown puts Nakamura on his back with Nogueira inside his half guard. Nakamura bridges explosively and sweeps. He dives into Nogueira’s guard behind a right hand, but is in immediate danger of a triangle choke. Bas and Quadros are referring to Nakamura as a judo world champion which is, of course, false. I am reminded that I have missed watching this other Nogueira — especially considering his size, the pace he sets on the ground is unreal.

What is most striking about that first round, the first of Nakamura’s career, is that it’s about as good as Nakamura has looked in any of his fights. Ever. He’s joking around with Yoshida in his corner between rounds, just having a time of it. Early in round two, Nakamura fails again in his single leg attempt, Nogueira fleetingly has Nakamura’s back with no hooks in, and Nakamura rolls through and sweeps effortlessly in a move that wows Bas. Back on their feet, Nakamura again tries the single, fails, and drops back into guard. Like a lot of judo fighters, when Nakamura clinches, he’s dangerous; when he’s shooting, far less so. The tide really turns against Nakamura at this point: he’s clearly tired, and Nogueira is just getting started. Nogueira is pressuring with punches from the guard, Nakamura gives up his back, and Nogueira rolls through with the armbar for a beautiful finish.

You could be forgiven for watching this fight at the time and thinking the sky was absolutely the limit for the 24 year-old Nakamura. What failed him here was his cardio, really, so all he needs to do is tighten that up, maybe drop a little bit of that extra weight, and he’s good as gold, right?

Right?

Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Daniel Gracie
Pride Bushido 1
5 October 2003

Daniel Gracie, now there’s a Gracie that doesn’t come to mind that often, unless you’re a Wes Sims guy. And, strange though it may seem, such guys exist. The Bushido 1 card is noteworthy for featuring the last Carlos Newton-level performance from Carlos Newton (it gives me no pleasure to say that). It is also noteworthy for being Mauro Ranallo’s Pride commentary debut, and it is wretched beyond all belief in that respect. I’m not really a fan of his current work, but in fairness he has come a long way. This card was my first exposure to Kazuhiro Nakamura, and I was won forever to his cause by the “Take to Fight Judo Style” slogan emblazoned on his shorts. I mean, that just speaks to me, you know? Tiny three-time Olympic judo champion Tadahiro Nomura looks on with interest as the referee ritualistically touches the groins of the competitors.

Nakamura looks slightly doughier than in his first fight. The fighters clinch — “And now it’s judo time,” Bas says, and of course I hope that he is right, but alas he is not. Nakamura bull rushes Gracie into the corner, the two fall, and Gracie is on top in half guard. They are restarted in the centre. “This I don’t get,” Bas says, “they say ’stop don’t move,’ but they move.” I always felt that could have been clearer myself. Gracie tries to pass, but Nakamura bridges hard from the bottom, which leads to a scramble, which leads to Nakamura in Gracie’s guard against the ropes, which leads to a “stop don’t move.” I’m learning already, this is good: I thought I knew Nakamura’s game pretty well headed into this exercise, but something I didn’t realize is how dynamic his escapes from the bottom are, how explosive. They’re totally impressive in that respect. Nakamura pushes the pace from the top, which, given his chubbiness here, is perhaps not a wise move. Gracie begins to switch his hips, looking for armbars, but Nakamura keeps his weight forward and the pressure on until the very moment Gracie’s legs come across, at which point he postures up and pulls out. Nakamura lands a hard liver shot, which of course delights Bas no end. Gracie attempts a kata gatame or arm triangle from the bottom — there’s a move that was totally the hot thing in MMA for a little while there, wasn’t it, but times change, hearts change. The last two minutes of the round are fought at an excellent pace in all three phases of the game: striking range, the clinch, and the ground. Nakamura is fighting at a pace that beggars belief given his chubbiness here.

Round two begins with Nakamura looking to load up and land the big right. Mauro Ranallo loses his head a little bit, referring to the “educated hands” of Kazuhiro Nakamura: “The left degree is from the University of Tokyo, and the right hand is from the University of Osaka.” All Bas can manage is, “Uh, that is . . . quite a statement.” Round two is mostly a boxing match between two dudes you’d really much rather watch do other things, but Nakamura has the slight advantage here, so as long as he wants the fight to stay standing, it probably will. Or perhaps not: Gracie attempts the flying guillotine (Master of the Flying Guillotine is available on Youtube in eleven parts, by the way), but nothing comes of it. Things slow down on the ground with Nakamura inside Gracie’s guard. Yellow cards bring the fighters to their feet to end the match. Nakamura deservedly takes the unanimous decision win, and he is ecstatic and very squinty as he accepts his little trophy from the Pride girl. He apologizes to the crowd for not finishing by “Ippon,” and Mauro just rambles uncontrollably about something or other.

Next time! Dos Caras Jr! Also plenty of others! Dan Henderson! Murilo Bustamante, if I can find it! But chiefly Dos Caras Jr! As our multi-part Kazuhiro Nakamura retrospective rolls on!