Nippon Joho: Japanese MMA and the Market Dilemma

Every once in a while the promotions need to understand the golden rule of smart matchmaking. While I advocate that top 10 fighters face quality opponents as often as possible, I don’t mind seeing the promotion’s “darlings” fight a not-so-qualified opponent just to improve his record or market a fighter as the next big thing.

I believe, with obvious differences, that the kings of smart matchmaking are UFC and K-1.

While the UFC found their goldmine with The Ultimate Fighter and used some questionable matchmaking to make the TV show’s stars more marketable with regular fans, K-1 has become a pure marketing machine by placing their superstars, on more than one occasion, against unknown fighters, kickboxers-turned-MMA fighters or guys from different weight divisions.

While some fighters receive full support from their promotions, others seem to receive the short end of the stick, like for example Kazushi Sakuraba (Pictures) and Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures).

I know it came a couple of years late but I still wonder why Sakuraba never became the PRIDE champion at 183 pounds. OK, I know all the facts like PRIDE didn’t have the weight division back then, he fought Wanderlei Silva (Pictures) for the title, he wanted to fight heavy guys, etc. But still my bigger surprise is how everyone failed to notice that Sakuraba hadn’t beat anyone from Brazil not named Gracie since 1999. So you know there is less of a chance for him to become the PRIDE middleweight champion, especially when the three top fighters in the weight division are from Brazil.

Now this leads me to the Bushido welterweight division, which is starting to get dominated, like their middleweight and heavyweight counterparts, by foreigner talent.

Dan Henderson (Pictures) is on top of the weight division and when we look at the fighters behind him you see names like Paulo Filho (Pictures), Dennis Kang, Murilo Bustamante (Pictures) and Phil Baroni (Pictures).

Japanese stars are nowhere to be found. Chonan fell twice in back-to-back knockouts. Gono and Misaki are always game but too small to go against the top guys. Kondo is unlucky. And Minowa is busy playing the Giant Killer. So why not bring Sakuraba instead and try to save face for the Japanese side?

Back in reality, we will probably see Sakuraba participate in the upcoming open-weight tournament against the likes of Mirko Filipovic (Pictures), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures), Josh Barnett (Pictures), Mark Hunt (Pictures) and Wanderlei Silva (Pictures). What makes PRIDE believe Sakuraba can get past those fighters when he can barely make it out alive against the likes of Ricardo Arona (Pictures), Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Pictures) and, his arch nemesis, Silva?

And then there’s Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures)’s situation. In case fans have the chance to watch the Japanese broadcast or attend a Bushido show please pay attention to the overwhelming welcome Japanese fans give to Minowa.

Whatever angle PRIDE wants to play with him about being a little bit loose in the head is paying dividends because Minowa is one of — if not the most — popular Japanese fighters, including current champion Takanori Gomi (Pictures), currently in Bushido.

So instead of focusing Minowa in the welterweight picture and having him chase Dan Henderson (Pictures) for a title match, which by all accounts is going to be more beneficial for the promotion in the long run, we have found instead that Minowa is going to face none other than “Cro Cop” in the opening round of the Open-Weight Grand Prix.

I fail to see what possible explanation there is to match Minowa against “Cro Cop,” besides the obvious reason that it will help sell tickets for the Osaka show and probably give Minowa head damage. I know Minowa submitted heavyweight opponents in the past like Stefan Leko (Pictures), Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) and Kimo Leopoldo (Pictures), but these three are nowhere near the level of the Croatian kickboxer.

Miracles can happen and Minowa can pull a crazy submission over Filipovic for the upset of the century. But then what? What’s next? Silva again? Or better yet Mark Hunt (Pictures), Josh Barnett (Pictures), Minotauro or Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures)?

Smart matchmaking can make or break a fighter, but with the latest obsession to place lighter fighters against heavy opponents just for the sake of selling tickets, a Japanese fighter is literally going to break in the middle of the ring one of these days.