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Russia play host to the World Judo Championships for the first time in their history, staging the indoor event for the first time as an independent body.
Participating nations may nominate a total of 18 judokas to compete in 14 weight classes—seven men and seven women—for the right to contest for medal glory and the prize fund that comes with it.
Here's the remaining schedule following Friday's action, followed by prize money details and a full rundown of all the latest results:
| Event Date | Start Time | Event Details |
| August 30 | 6 a.m. BST/1 a.m. ET | Men −100 kg |
| Men −100 kg | ||
| Women −78 kg | ||
| August 31 | 5 a.m. BST/12 a.m. ET | Men's Team |
| Women's Team |
Prize Money
The prizes up for grabs differ depending on medal placement, with individual winners of gold, silver and bronze taking sums of $6,000, $4,000 and $2,000, respectively.
Winners in the team competitions, meanwhile, compete for a grand prize of $25,000, while second and third claim $15,000 and $5,000, respectively.
Sunday, Aug. 31 Results
This year's World Judo Championships were brought to a close with France winning their third gold medal of the 2014 tournament. Their women's team beat Mongolia's staunch efforts in the final.
The European Judo Union revealed the Europeans' victory over Twitter, which brings the nation's overall medal tally up to eight, just shy of competition winners Japan:
French international rugby player Thierry Dusautoir was quick to heap praise on his compatriots for their efforts at the last hurdle:
In the end, though, Japan successfully defended their 2013 title and rounded off this year's competition with 11 medals to their name in total, including the final men's team award.
Their triumph over the men's Russian team left the hosts settling for silver, while it was the fifth gold of Japan's visit to Eastern Europe this year.
Germany claimed bronze in both gender pools. The men's team triumphed over Kazakhstan in their repechage final after the women's line-up got the best of their Polish counterparts in the duplicate matchup, per the International Judo Federation:
The other bronzes were awarded to Georgia and Japan in the male and female disciplines, respectively, with the Japanese preventing host country Russia from claiming a medal at the last chance in front of the Chelyabinsk crowd.
Holding the overall World Judo Championships medal record with 276 under their belt, Japan once again emerged as deserving victors in Chelyabinsk, with France taking second and Brazil and Cuba sharing third.
Saturday, Aug. 30 Results
Individual matters came to a head on Saturday when the biggest bruisers of this year's competition were rolled out with the men's half-heavyweight, men's heavyweight and women's heavyweight disciplines.
And just as matters came to a head on Day 6, it was also a terrific coming-full-circle for Czech 100 kilogram athlete Lukas Krpalek, who, after settling for bronze in 2011 and 2013, finally claimed the highest honour, per the International Judo Federation:
He beat silver medallist Jose Armenteros of Cuba in ne-waza, while the bronze awards were handed to Ivan Remarenco of the United Arab Emirates and Karl-Richard Frey of Germany.
Moving to the women's heavyweight category, Cuba were once again present thanks to Idalys Ortiz, and she was able to go one better than her male counterpart, with the European Judo Union confirming her victory over Brazil's Maria Suelen Altheman:
Germany had two entries in the repechage finals and could have claimed both third place runners-up prizes with Franziska Konitz and Jasmin Kuelbs.
However, neither of that pair was able to turn her appearance into a medal, with Konitz beaten by France's Emilie Andeol and Megumi Tachimoto of Japan getting the better of Kuelbs.
These medal finishes are almost identical to those of 2013, the only difference being that South Korea's Lee Jung-Eun took bronze instead of Andeol last year.
Teddy Riner fended off the challenge of his 2013 final opponent, Rafael Silva, with an ippon in his men's heavyweight semi-final, going on to win gold for France, with Japan's Ryu Shichinohe settling for silver.
This was Riner's seventh World Championships gold medal, the 6'8" Goliath continuing his sensational run since turning professional seven years ago:
Bronze medals were awarded to Brazil's Silva and Renat Saidov, the latter of whom fell victim to eventual champion Riner in the pool stage.
Saidov's victory gives Russia a medal to finish off their campaign at the very least, with Sunday's team events the last scheduled in Chelyabinsk.
Friday, Aug. 29 Results
The fifth day of the 2014 Judo World Championships threw up some surprises. Those were most evident in the women's events.
In the 70 kg tournament, Colombian Yuri Alvear ensured rare South American dominance over the Russian and Asian competitors. Alvear's win continued the theme set in the 78 kg event.
That's where Brazilian Mayra Aguiar dominated the field. Her efforts were also aided by seeing defending champion Sol Kyong dispatched. French judoka Audrey Tcheumeo earned the notable victory in the semi-final.
Things went from bad to worse for Kyong when she met Anamari Velensek for the bronze medal. The Slovenian beat Kyong by gaining Yuko after locking her illustrious opponent on the mat.
Earlier in the day, a potential new star of Judo had emerged in the men's 90 kg event. Hungarian Krisztian Toth, just 20, captured silver:
Toth suffered no indignity when he was bested by Ilias Iliadis in the final. The Greek judoka ensured his gold medal with a soto-maki-komi to earn ippon, per the European Judo Union official Twitter feed.
The move, involving locking and dragging one arm as the judoka in control dips a hip, was superbly executed by Iliadis and merited a full point. It was a fitting way for him to cap a brilliant tournament performance and collect the $6,000 prize money.
Here are the medal winners from Day 5's events:
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Men's 90 kg | Ilias Iliadis (Greece) | Krisztian Toth (Hungary) | Varlam Liparteliani (Georgia) |
| Women's 70 kg | Yuri Alvear (Colombia) | Karen Nun-Ira (Japan) | Onix Cortes Aldama (Cuba) |
| Women's 78 kg | Mayra Aguiar (Brazil) | Audrey Tcheumeo (France) | Kayla Harrison (USA) |
The final day of the tournament will see the team event take place. It's becoming a popular riff on the traditional one-on-one formula.
Thursday, Aug. 28 Results
After Japan's dominance on Wednesday, it was time for the European nations to shine on Thursday, as France's Clarisse Agbegnenou and Georgia's Avtandil Tchrikishvili took the gold in the women's 63kg and the men's 81kg, respectively.
21-year-old Agbegnenou was one of the favourites coming into the tournament after winning silver at the World Finals in Rio last year, and she got her revenge on Israel's Yarden Gerbi in the final in 2014.
The event's Twitter feed congratulated the French athlete:
Gerbi beat her much-younger challenger to the gold 12 months ago, but Agbegnenou has only grown in strength since then, and that was on full display on Thursday. Speaking to Jerusalem Online's Gal Cohen, Gerbi expressed frustration at the loss, saying, "She just got ahead of me, it's annoying and irritating."
The French youngster took the lead through yuko within the opening 30 seconds, and with Gerbi forced to take plenty of risks to make up the deficit, she opened herself up to a powerful throw, leading to ippon.
Agbegnenou had difficulty fighting back tears when she spoke to World Judo Day:
I am so emotional tonight, it’s not me. I have the impression that I have to fight tomorrow and that this day is unreal. I was the favourite but I didn’t feel that way. There is only one to go on the top of the podium. I didn’t want any other colour of medal. It is beautiful, a great victory and yes it is a great revenge, but that is sport. I didn’t expect to see Yarden in the final as she had a difficult year but I am happy that we met again and that this time I won.
Tchrikishvili became only the second male Georgian athlete to win gold at the World Judo Championships, and he nearly missed out on doing so. Losing by yuko midway through his semi-final against Alain Schmitt, he needed four penalties to book his ticket to the final.
Antoine Valois-Fortier couldn't handle the powerful Georgian in the final, however, as shared by the event's Twitter account:
A massive ura-nage nearly ended the final prematurely, but Valois-Fortier didn't land cleanly and only gave up waza-ari. Tchrikishvili displayed a lot of maturity for the remainder of the final, however, and comfortably kept his lead.
Three finals are on the schedule for Friday's action: the women's 70kg and 78kg and the men's 90kg. Japan still hold a comfortable lead atop the medal standings, but after Thursday's round of finals, the Europeans are gaining fast.
Wednesday, Aug. 27 Results
Day 3 of the Judo World Championship was one that belonged to the Japanese, with the nation reigning supreme on another dramatic day in Russia.
The men’s 73kg and the women’s 57kg took centre stage on Wednesday, with Japan’s Riki Nakaya and Nae Udaka taking the respective titles, though it’s safe to say that they did so against the odds.
With top Japanese athletes Matsumoto Kaori and Shohei Ono falling at the preliminary stage, the odds were stacked against Japan taking any golds—but they ended up coming away with a clean sweep.
First up was Udaka, who followed on from her Tokyo Grand Slam victory by claiming the world title in the 57kg category.
Up against Portugal’s Telma Monteiro in the final, Udaka looked dominant from the first second in her final, finding her way to victory by ippon.
Such a performance delighted the Russian crowd, as Udaka claimed her first ever medal at the world championships—per European Judo Union:
While Udaka has had no problems winning on home soil, the world title is one that’s eluded her for many years, but not anymore—and deservedly so.
Speaking after her victory, the 29-year-old reflected on a fantastic day, but wants to draw inspiration from Kaori and stay at the top of the world for years to come—per World Judo Today:
Matsumoto Kaori is very popular in Japan and everybody was waiting for her to be the world champion here in Russia. I wanted to do my judo, to enjoy fight after fight and to do my best. This is the title that I wanted but it is not my final goal. I want to reach the level of Matsumoto. Until now, I was only able to win in Japan. Now I know that I can also win abroad.
The jubilation of Udaka as the title-winning feeling hit her was refreshing to see, but spare a thought for Monteiro.
The Portuguese star succumbed to her fourth world final defeat on Wednesday, but such is the optimism on Monteiro that she’ll only come back stronger.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 73kg category, Nakaya returned to the top of the world three years after claiming his first title—as WorldJudo2014 revealed:
The 25-year-old had a tough-looking final against Kuk Hyon Hong to negotiate his way through, but did so brilliantly with just over a minute-and-a-half remaining on the clock.
The ko-uch-gari that earned ippon and the gold medal was nothing short of sublime, and Nakaya revealed after his fight that he’s in better shape than ever—per World Judo Today:
Three years ago I was world champion in Paris. But since then, I was not able to find again my sensations and my best judo even if I got the silver at the Olympics. So it took me three years to be back on the top of the podium. Last year I lost in the quarter final, but this morning I was really confident and felt stronger and stronger throughout the day.
Day 4 sees the men’s 81kg and the women’s 63kg titles go up for grabs, and Japan will once again be looking for more glory.
With four gold medals to their name already, the Japanese are looking favourites to top the medal table at the end of the world championships, and with performances like Wednesday’s, it’s not difficult to see why.
Tuesday, Aug. 26 Results
Day two of the 2014 World Judo Championships saw the home crowds wowed by the performance of domestic judoka Mikhail Pulyaev.
He reached the semi-final of the Men's 66kg event. Once in the final four, Pulyaev really stirred patriotic feeling among the crowd when he bested Japan's Kengo Takaichi.
Pulyaev made his decisive move late on with some effective counter technique:
That thrilling victory at least ensured Pulyaev $4,000 in prize money and the silver medal. However, they would have to be his only consolations, as the Russian was unfortunate enough to run into the dominant Masashi Ebinuma in the final.
The current World Champion had easily outfought and out-thought the competition en route to the semi-final stage:
Despite his impressive progress, Ebinuma's semi-final proved more challenging than Pulyaev's. He met Frenchman Loic Korval.
Korval was stubborn and game, but ultimately couldn't match moves with a masterful Ebinuma. Korval incurred a Shido, or light penalty, because he quite literally couldn't get to grips with Ebinuma to even try any kind of throw or basic Nage-Waza.
Ebinuma's form continued in the final, and although the home crowd were disappointed to see Pulyaev beaten, they couldn't deny Ebinuma had merited the gold, his third world championship victory.
If the spectators at Chelyabinsk were let down by the final, they were certainly thrilled when Pulyaev's countryman Kamal Khan-Magomedov earned bronze. He pushed Kroval aside to earn third place, after Yuko was declared, to ensure two medal winners in this weight class.
The other main event of the Championships' second day was the Women's under 52 kg tournament. Just as Ebinuma asserted himself as defending champion in the men's event, the current ruling power also held sway in the women's class.
That meant that Majlinda Kelmendi, representing the International Judo Federation (IJF), retained her championship. Her victim in the final was Romanian Andreea Chitu:
Once again though, the home crowd was treated to another Russian judoka at least earning medal honours. In this case, that distinction went to Natalia Kuziutina.
She got the better of Yingnan Ma to take home the bronze:
Here are the links to the full results for today's events, courtesy of WorldJudo2014.RU. Women's. Men's.
Day 3's events see the weight classes increase for both genders. The Men's 73 kg and Women's 57 kg tournaments will take place.
In the latter event, Brazilian Rafaela Silva may struggle to overcome Japan's Kaori Matsumoto, per WorldJudoToday.com:
The images of Rafaela SILVA (BRA) emotionally falling to her knees after becoming the first Brazilian woman to win world judo gold were as powerful as they were indicative of countries breaking new ground as the 14 gold medals were shared by 10 countries. MATSUMOTO and SILVA have clashed on four occasions and the Japanese star leads their head-to-head serious with three victories.
Meanwhile in the men's event, all attention will be on current world champion Shohei Ono of Japan. He's been identified as a favourite alongside countryman Riki Nakaya.
Monday, Aug. 25 Results
The opening day of competition saw the extra lightweight category take centre stage—60 kilograms for the men and a 48-kilogram limit for the women.
And it was the latter whose fate would be decided first, with the European Judo Union confirming Japan's Kondo Ami as the world champion in her weight class, triumphing over runner-up Paula Pareto:
The two bronzes were awarded to Amandine Buchard of France, who beat Alesya Kuznetsova with yuko from uchi-mata, while Cuban Maria Laborde took the other third-place prize after getting the better of international team-mate Dayaris Mestre Alvarez:
Reigning men's extra lightweight world champion Naohisa Takato was made to settle for bronze at this year's championships, falling to Beslan Mudranov at the semi-final stage.
Despite the support of a home crowd, Mudranov would only take silver as Mongolian Boldbaatar Ganbat succeeded where compatriot Dashdavaagiin Amartuvshin could not 12 months ago, taking the top honour as his own:
Amiran Papinashvili of Georgia threw Artiom Arshansky with a wazari to claim the other bronze medal, clinching his result with just 10 seconds of the repechage encounter left.
The action picks back up on Tuesday as both genders move into the half-lightweight category, and audiences can only hope the entertainment increases in kind.
Long before she hit it big in MMA and posed nude for ESPN magazine, Ronda Rousey was a brash young judo phenom with a penchant for armbars. Four years ago, she ran up a string of impressive wins and quotes on her way to the first Olympic medal for an American in women's judo.
Marti Malloy may never strike fear and obsession in the hearts of the MMA community the way Rousey has. But she can match Rousey in one respect—as of Monday, she is an Olympic judo medalist.
Malloy had a tough matchup in the first round—Portugal's Telma Monteiro, who was second in the qualification rankings and had beaten Malloy three times in recent bouts. She hung with Monteiro in regulation and then got a yuko, the smallest score awarded, to win in the "golden score" overtime session.
From there, Malloy was on a roll. We can only hope the folks with video rights give up repeated showings of Malloy's emphatic throw of Colombia's Yadinys Amaris, which earned the American an ippon, or "instant win," just 40 seconds into the contest. She then struggled but survived against Russia's Irina Zabludina to reach the semifinals.
But judo's tournament format has a little quirk. Semifinal losers drop down to meet the winners of a repechage round to try to earn their bronze medals. So after losing to Romanian star Corina Caprioriu with seven seconds left in their semifinal, Malloy had to face defending champion Giulia Quintavalle of Italy.
Quintavalle seemed to have the upper hand early, sometimes literally. Then halfway through the five-minute regulation period, the end came in a blink. Malloy swept her foot behind Quintavalle's leg and deposited the Olympic champion on her backside. She looked over at the ref for confirmation and got it—another ippon, and a rare medal for the USA.
Then came the tears. And a little later, the medal ceremony.
Malloy isn't alone is her success. Roommate Ariel Hsing didn't medal, but she fared well in another event that isn't usually kind to Americans.
My roommate Ariel Hsing of @usatabletennis just won round 2 @ the Olympics 2 get in2 the top 32!!Good luck 2night girl! Your on fire! #proud
— Marti Malloy (@Martidamus) July 29, 2012
So what's next for the 26-year-old San Jose State grad? There's no indication that she'll follow Rousey into MMA, though she has trained with former UFC champion BJ Penn.
And Rousey's a fan:
“@adamistrippin: @RondaRousey did you help train marti Molloy?She's incredible.” we fought all the time when we were kids she's real legit
— Ronda Rousey (@RondaRousey) July 30, 2012
With two medals in two Games and former world champion Kayla Harrison still to come, Malloy will look to continue to take the U.S. women's judo program to new heights.
Since the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, the United States have earned 10 medals for Judo: all of them silver or bronze.
Now, they are aiming high, looking for their first-ever gold medal at the 2012 London Games. As they begin their march, two names from Team USA stand out as the best hope for Olympic gold: Travis Stevens for the men, and Kayla Harrison for the women.
Both Stevens and Harrison are likely to medal, but it is Harrison who seems a favorite to take the gold in her division.
In an interview with Reid Forgrave of Fox Sports, Harrison spoke of all she has overcome on her road to the Olympics. With the rough patches in the road behind her, she is focused on taking home the gold for Team USA.
Harrison has a mantra that speaks to her sole aim at the Olympics: “This is my day. This is my purpose. I’m not afraid to win.”
But all talk of golden glory should be weighed with a healthy amount of respect for the women Harrison will find herself facing. Japan and China have enjoyed more time at the top podium than any other countries when it comes to women’s Judo (Japan with nine gold medals, China with eight).
It won’t be a walk in the park for Harrison, but considering what she’s gone through to get to London, a chance to shine in her element is no doubt a dream come true.
“You’re talking about the most dominant female athlete American Judo has ever had and possibly will ever see,” says Jimmy Pedro, who is the coach for Team USA. “At age 21 she’s the best female competitor we’ve ever had in the history of our country.”
While much of our attention seems to fall upon Harrison, Travis Stevens is poised to make a big impression on the mats in London. He has a chance to erase the memory of a ninth-place finish in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
He’s overcome a great deal in his quest, including a host of injuries that have long been a staple in his life of intense training and competition. It began at the tender age of 11, when he basically destroyed his knee while riding a horse.
Since that time, he has been obsessed with becoming the best in the world at Judo, and with that intensity has come injury after injury.
As reported by Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times, Stevens has learned to turn any situation to his advantage:
“The way this year has started, I’m seeing it as a blessing in disguise,” he said. “This way, my body gets a little bit of rest because there’s no telling what I would have done to it if I were healthy enough to train. I want this so bad.”
With his sights set on nothing less than Olympic gold, Stevens is now ready to make good on his potential, with the lessons he learned in 2008 firmly in his back pocket.
“I went into the Games with an ego problem,” he said. “I was humbled. It ate away at me for months and months. It still does today.”
No matter what his previous stumbling blocks have been, Stevens' dedication and near fanaticism about training has seen him reap numerous rewards: He’s a nine-time World Cup, Grand Prix and Grand Slam medalist and a two-time Pan American Games champion.
Now, he aims to stand atop the podium with a gold medal hanging around his neck. After all he has endured, it’s hard to deny that Stevens is the kind of competitor that won’t settle for anything less than his very best.
And that’s why he’s in London in the first place.
Kayla Harrison's difficult road has been well-documented. Now, with that behind her, she focuses on fulfilling her Olympic dreams.
Harrison is without question the United States' best hope at earning a medal in Judo, and her sights are not set on the low step of the podium. She wants gold.
In 2008, Harrison traveled to Beijing as a training partner for current Strikeforce Bantamweight Champion, Ronda Rousey. Rousey took home a bronze medal in Beijing.
“Going to help Ronda train was awesome. It was like I got to go and feel it, see it, breathe it, with no pressure involved,” Harrison told Bleacher Report. “Plus, watching Ronda win a bronze medal was very inspiring. Made me feel like if she could do it, so could I.”
Harrison knows this will be her toughest tournament to date. Everything is on the line.
“All the work over the past four years has been to assure that I reach the top of that podium. That being said, it's the Olympics, anything can happen and I'm going in there with the attitude that everyone is a tough match, until I beat them.”
The questions for Harrison do not stop at the Olympics. Thanks to the success of Ronda Rousey some fans feel that a transition to mixed martial arts could be next.
When asked about if she would be making the leap Harrison replied, “Not sure as of right now. I never say never but I don't know if the MMA world is ready for me! I'm a bit bigger than Ronda, and I'm not quite as flashy. I'm also not an entertainer. I do the sport because I love it, not for money or fame. So to make the transition into MMA would be a big one for me.”
The biggest hurdle for Harrison's transition in to MMA may be finding the right weight class to compete in.
“Like I said, I'm a bit bigger than Ronda so I feel like that may be a big factor for me deciding to do MMA. Fans don't really wanna see us 'big girls' out there. It doesn't matter what I have to offer as an athlete, part of the gig is that I'm also pretty, and good in front of a camera, and marketable. It's up to the MMA gods to decide that. I'm guessing 155 would be my ideal weight though. I sit at around 165 naturally, so, 145 is a bit low in my opinion.”
The lightweight weight class is not exactly filled with top female talent at this point. Its most notable star is Amanda Lucas, filmmaker George Lucas' daughter. However, if Harrison made the leap it would begin to legitimize that division and possibly spark the interest of other females in to crossing over.
While Harrison says that fans do not want to see “big girls” out there, they are also waiting for legitimate top female athletes to begin filling the ranks of the sport.
If Harrison made the move she would have the chance to be the star of the division and help grow the division and sport as a whole.
It may be exactly what women's MMA needs to further grow if Harrison comes to MMA following a great performance at the Olympic Games. An instant influx of notoriety, attention and another elite athlete.
Has Harrison's mentor played any role in Harrison giving thought to the sport?
“I definitely enjoy hearing from Ronda about how awesome and easy her life is now compared to mine. It does make me a bit envious, and she has always been a mentor of mine so, we'll see.”
Before she thinks about her next step, Harrison is focused on the Olympics. After all of Harrison's successes to this point, reaching the Olympic podium is where her focus lies.
“It would be fulfilling a lifelong dream. I don't honestly think I can put it into words.”
Nathan McCarter is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations in this article were obtained via interview.
Part one of this two part series focusing on Ronda Rousey and the art of judo can be found here.
Strikeforce bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey wasn't the first judo player to make the transition from the mat and the judogi to fingerless gloves and the MMA cage. Men like Mitsuyo Maeda and Masahiko Kimura had spent years spreading the art worldwide in challenge matches starting more than a century ago.
In more modern times, Christophe Leininger represented the "gentle way" all the way back at UFC 3 in 1994, becoming the first judoka to enter the Octagon.
One of the "Flying Leininger Brothers," Christophe was among America's best. Despite his status as a former Pan Am silver medalist and Olympic alternate, Leininger found himself outmatched by both Ken Shamrock and Guy Mezger in his only UFC appearances. Trapped underneath the larger Shamrock, Leininger was pounded into submission.
"That was not what I expected," Leininger said years later.
Many followed his lead, but few had enduring success. Eventually, Olympic gold medalists Hidehiko Yoshida and Pawel Nastula found their way into the Pride ring in Japan. With those two on board, there were some wow moments, times when judo shined under the bright lights.
"I remember watching Pawel Nastula fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogeuira and people were shocked that he got a sweep on Nogueira," former Olympian Dr. Rhadi Ferguson said. "Man, he was an Olympic gold medalist. Yes, Nogueira was one of the best in the ground in the world, but that doesn't mean a judo guy can't sweep him. A lot of people, in their mind, have conditioned themselves to believe what they think judo is without having done a day of it.
"You tell me what's harder," Ferguson said. "Winning an MMA championship belt or an Olympic medal? How many Olympic medals does Randy Couture have?"
Ultimately though, even these top players met with mixed results. The two gold medalists have a combined career record of 13-12-1. To some, this was a clear indication that judo had gone too far in the direction of sport, that the art, originally famous for cleaning house in early 20th century no holds barred combat showdowns, had gotten soft.
But to Ferguson, there is a better explanation. Ferguson tells Bleacher Report that there is one key difference separating Ronda and her predecessors—Rousey is still very much in her physical prime.
"Ronda Rousey in exemplary. She could still be doing judo. Yoshida was a 1992 Olympic Gold medalist. That was 20 years ago! His career was over. All these judo players who came into MMA, their careers were over," Ferguson said.
"Most fighters are what I call special population. People who do iron mans and marathons and stuff like that. It means you train hard and compete hard and do well. Then there is the elite population. These are NFL players. Your Olympians. People who walk amongst the gods. Your Daniel Cormiers who can just walk over from the wrestling mat, pick up boxing in six months and whoop everybody. We only have three other people besides Ronda like this in MMA. Daniel Cormier, Mo Lawal, and Jon Jones."
From Flying Armbars to Flying Fists
The most obvious challenge in making the transformation from mat warrior to cage warrior is wardrobe related. For many judoka, the gi is like an old friend. Not only have the worn it daily for decades, they rely on it to complete throws and to secure and defend submissions. In many ways, judo at the top level of the sport is a game of grips. While it takes time to adjust, Ferguson says a top judo player is not necessarily limited by or defined by their gi.
"People believe because you don't have a gi on, you can't do judo. Assuming that judo players don't come with the same background and skills that wrestlers do. It doesn't require a gi. It just requires an understanding of positioning," Ferguson said.
"There are judo players that only understand their sport. And then there are judo players who understand that judo is about applied human movement. When you understand that, the gi doesn't matter. It's like saying Jacare can win the gi worlds, so he can't win the no gi worlds. Of course he can win both. Because he understand the physics. The same goes for judo."
For Rousey, it was a natural transition. While she missed some favored techniques like a hip throw called Sode Tsurikomi Goshi that she had relied on in judo competition, in some instances not having the gi was a huge advantage—because her opponent didn't have one either.
"I knew I was over it when I had to do some gi one day and I realized I really don't like it anymore," Rousey told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "I had to do some ground gi and there was so much more friction and it's so much easier to be defensive when you are wearing a gi. I actually prefer no gi on the ground. With standing takedowns I still feel I'm best with the gi on, but I've been doing this long enough without a gi that it's not intimidating anymore."
The other challenge, the one Leininger found so daunting, was the sudden need to defend against strikes, both standing and on the ground. Although striking is a part of traditional judo training, especially at higher levels, it isn't part of sport judo. For many making an MMA debut, it's like entering into a whole new world.
Rick Hawn, like Rousey a 2004 Olympian, now competes for Bellator. When he decided to try his hand at this new sport, he immersed himself immediately in areas he wasn't familiar with. Like one of those high speed language programs, he wasn't allowed to speak his first language (in this case judo). For Hawn, it was all about striking.
"He sought out a good boxing coach and a good striking coach, knowing he needed to work on his hands for MMA," two time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro Jr. said. "Now he's one of the best strikers in his division. He's relied mostly on his striking, using judo only a few times on instinct. And he's 12-1 in his career and his one loss was in a fight many thought he won."
"I chose to focus more on my standing because obviously my grappling game was fairly decent but I didn't want to be just a one dimensional fighter. As soon as I retired from Judo in 2008, the next week I found the best striking school in my area and started training muay thai," Hawn confirmed. "My striking is getting better but I still have a lot to learn and I train hard at it every day. Having powerful hands is all technique, its in the hips. You need to have good hips with judo so I think its just something that carried over from all the years of training."
The Gentle Way
When Jigoro Kano created judo in the 1880's, he differentiated his art from those that came before it. Calling it the "gentle way," Kano prized maximum efficiency. He was creating not just a martial art, but a way of life. It should be clear though, if there were any doubts, that gentle does not always mean "easy."
"Judo is called the 'Gentle Way' because it was modified from the original jiu jitsu. Those Samurai martial arts that they would do to kill each other," Rousey said. "Gentle in comparison is no one dies. 'Judo the gentle way. No one dies!' It's just like MMA that way. It's controlled so no one dies. In that way, MMA is as much the gentle way as judo is."
The truth, according to those who have done both, is that judo is in many ways a much harder physical grind on the body. Like amateur wrestling, the wear on the joints and bones is immeasurable. Not to mention the constant threat of your noggin hitting the canvas.
"I don't know why they called it the gentle way, but judo is anything but gentle. If someone gave me six weeks, I would go fight an MMA fight," Ferguson said. "You couldn't pay me any amount of money to go to a judo camp in Paris or Uzbekistan. MMA is a cakewalk compared to that. I was talking to (MMA coach and grappling wizard) Lloyd Irvin the other day. I said 'If I wrote you a big enough check would you fight MMA?' He said yes. I said 'If I wrote you a check would you go to a camp in Paris?' He said 'Hell no.' In one you might get sore or be hurt. In the other it's guaranteed you're going to get hurt. That you're going to have a near death experience.
"They're better athletes. I can't go to the Olympic Training Center right now with the kids competing in the Olympic Trials and go to practice. Or to a Greco or Freestyle practice and make it out of there with my life. I wouldn't try it. But I could walk into any MMA school in the country and go to practice and be fine."
Judo, to the chagrin of many, is changing. Rapidly. European players dominated with a physical style that minimized the gi and put a priority of physicality. Critics complained that the sport they loved was becoming wrestling in a gi. Rule changes may make purists happy, but as an art judo will naturally become less effective in real world combat application, as demonstrated in a petri dish like the UFC.
"Judo has changed the rules so they no longer allow double legs, single legs, or fireman's carries in competition," Ferguson said. "Judo schools have to make a decision. Do they teach the sport or pure judo? If they teach the sport rules, and they do want to win, that means kids coming up will not be conditioned to defend the double leg."
The judo divide is, and this may be simplifying things to a dangerous degree, a battle of continents. The Japanese, who created and nurtured judo over the years, prefer the art and beauty of traditional techniques. Europeans are more liking to mix in wrestling strategies and moves, creating an effective, but in some minds, ugly style. It's a divide that has also influenced who has found success in MMA and who hasn't.
"It's the Japanese style that relies the most on the use of the gi, which is why I think the Japanese judo players have not been nearly as successful in MMA despite being more decorated in the sport," Rousey said. "Like Karo Parisyan. He wasn't an international judo player, but he did really well with his judo in MMA. Because the style that he had worked so perfectly for nogi. Other judo players, like Ishii from Japan, don't do nearly as well as Karo did despite having an Olympic gold medal. Because his style of Japanese judo doesn't feed into MMA as well."
Money Talks
Of course, judo's effectiveness in mixed martial arts only matters if its athletes are coming over to the new sport in droves. So far, that hasn't been the case at the highest levels.
"First MMA needs to show itself to be a better career choice than judo is," Rousey said. "In a lot of countries, the people doing judo are actually making a decent living at it. First you'd have to make it a more attractive option for them before they would even consider trying it. There are some styles of judo that would do well in MMA. I think the French style would do very well, but they make so much money I can't see anyone transferring over."
Many judo players are funded by their country's judo federation. They can make additional income with seminars and camps. All of that can go away in the blink of an eye if a high level official decides you are persona non grata. It happened with Yoshida in Japan, an Olympic gold medalist who was blackballed after moving into MMA competition.
Pedro Jr. confirmed:
In all of the international countries where Judo is more developed, those athletes are discouraged from competing in MMA. And they are fully funded by their judo federations where they make a good living. Your talking about athletes in France or Brazil making more than $250,000 a year doing judo. They aren't going to jeopardize that to jump into the cage and make a few bucks.So they typically don't even try to do MMA until they are well past their prime. Like Hidehiko Yoshida. He won the Olympics in 1992. That was 20 years ago. And he fought at 172 pounds. He's fighting MMA as a heavyweight or a light heavyweight. He doesn't move like he did as a kid. And even then he was blackballed by the Japanese Judo Federation for many years for competing in MMA.
In America, while Leininger was a pioneer, it was the success of Karo Parisyan that opened eyes. An Olympic threat, Parisyan left judo behind for an MMA career. He electrified fans with his powerful throws and really put judo on the map as he rose to title contention in the UFC's welterweight division. When Parisyan first started training, many in the community questioned why he would leave the mats for the cage. Karo got the last laugh.
"We used to see Karo all the time kicking a bag. And I used to make fun of him," Rousey's mom Dr. AnnMaria DeMars, herself the 1984 Judo World Champion, said. "With his little shorts on. Ronda and (current UFC fighter) Manny (Gamburyan) would be doing judo and I'd tell Karo 'I know your dad has a job. I know he can afford to buy you a judogi.' One time at practice I gave his dad five bucks and told him 'Hey, buy your kid a shirt. He doesn't seem to own one.' I made so much fun of him. Of course, he remembers all that and reminds me. He might have been on to something. He told me this week 'Now you see?'"
The Future
Mixed martial arts is still far from a big money sport today, especially as an athlete rises up the ranks. Rousey was working two jobs, spending nights as a bartender and days at 24 Hour Fitness when she was cutting her teeth in the new sport. Her mom was worried that she had made a horrible mistake by choosing fighting over college.
"It just seemed like a really poor decision. Plus Ronda's really smart. She was in science magnate and got really good grades in high school," DeMars said. "Who knows, she could have come up with a cure for AIDS? I thought that was the way to go. She didn't.
"With her recent success, I'm less worried about her making the rent. In the beginning even that was a struggle. There was one girl, they had the fight scheduled, and her manager called Ronda's manager and said 'We looked her up on the internet. There's no way we're going to fight her. She'll be killed.' I thought, what a bunch of wimps. Now the financial side of it seems to be going well. But I hope she has some long range plans to go back to college or go into business. Because it's not a career you have into your 60's."
No one denies Rousey and Hawn's success has had a tremendous impact on judo's marketability in the States. Still, Pedro Jr. is skeptical about how many top athletes judo will push into the ranks of the MMA elite in the near term future.
"The President of the International Judo Federation is not an MMA fan," Pedro Jr. said. "Not one iota. I was in a meeting with him and mentioned the explosion of MMA in America and how it could help judo. But the Olympic movement is about bringing together the best athletes in the world in a peaceful environment where one athlete has respect for another. The image that MMA has overseas—they see athletes in each other's faces, trash talking. It's good for ratings,anf good for the UFC, but they've created this unsportsmanlike image and spectacle. It sells tickets, but it doesn't do the sport justice or uphold the Olympic ideals."
Hawn believes more top ranked judoka are inevitably coming, if only to test themselves against other athletes from different arts. And, while he has rarely had to remind anyone that he is a top grappler, he's sure that day is coming.
"I try and use judo tricks in every fight," Hawn, who's currently competing for a six- figure prize and a title shot in Bellator's lightweight tournament said. "It's just that I take what they give me and lately I haven't had to dig that deep into that bag but its coming I'm sure!
"The training I did going into the Olympics and trials is very comparable to how I train for MMA. Judo is one of the most intense sports in the world as is MMA so you have to train like a beast each and everyday to become successful."
Rousey, who became the first judo player to win a major MMA world title, feels like her game is coming along well. Currently spending some time with Cesar Gracie and his top student Nick Diaz, Rousey feels comfortable sitting atop the 135 pound division after competing at 145 pounds and above for much of her MMA and judo careers.
"I was definitely small before. I was a head shorter than all the girls I was fighting," Rousey said. "The process of making weight in MMA is so much more forgiving. You make weight once every few months the day before, where as in judo you'd have to make weight several times a month on the same day, just an hour and a half before competing. I felt great at the weight. My joints felt better than they ever have. My conditioning was better than ever before. I was faster. This is the weight I'm really supposed to be at. I didn't sauna once. I didn't put plastics on once. I was eating and drinking up until the day of the weigh ins. This is the division for me dude. I'm stoked."
Jonathan Snowden is a Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
From the moment the opening bars of Luke Corcoran’s entrance music, “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC, are played, the fog of anticipation in the National Basketball Arena suddenly transformed into screams of encouragement from the Blanchardstown lad’s countless hometown supporters.
Steven Heather, Corcoran’s opponent, proved to be perfectly focused on the task at hand. He didn’t blink while the frenzied crowd reached fever pitch as their local hero entered the Cage Contender enclosure for the first time.
The sea of Coolmine BJJ T-shirts at ringside chanted “LUKEY” as the two fighters began the feeling-out process.
Corcoran, who talked at length about his striking ability prior to the fight, seemed to abandon the tactic, going for two early takedowns, one which was stuffed by Heather.
The second however, was a fantastic double leg by the talented judoka. Corcoran gained mount quickly before Heather quickly escaped and got to his feet.
Anxiety swept over the Blanchardstown contingent as the former Irish judo captain sat on the mat looking up at his opponent.
In a move, undoubtedly taught to him by his father, Corcoran grabbed the ankles of Heather and pushed through his legs to gain a mounted position. With the mount secured, victory seemed imminent.
However, to much of the crowd’s amazement, Heather managed to sweep the experienced grappler awkwardly, landing in a dominant position.
Heather seemed to have the upper hand, trapping Corcoran from his top position, hitting him with strikes, albeit harmless ones. The Kokoro fighter kept “Killer” on the bottom for the guts of 30 seconds, before Corcoran managed to shake him off.
A scuffle ensued in the middle of the cage with Corcoran appearing to go for another double leg, with his opponent trying to push down on the SBGi fighter in an example of standard takedown defence.
From here Corcoran displayed his life of martial arts experience catching Heather in, what appeared to be, a rolling armbar. With the submission in place, the out-classed Heather had little choice but to tap out, confirming Corcoran as a Cage Contender.
Corcoran stretched his record to 2-0; he has yet to have been outside the first round in his MMA career and will look to future bouts under the well-renowned John Ferguson promotion.
This began a great night for John Kavanagh’s SBGi, winning 8 of their 9 bouts on the night.
Photographs by John Mulholland
When James Toney meets Randy Couture at UFC 118 next Saturday, he'll be attempting to prove the dominance of the "sweet science" over that weird stuff that gay skinheads do. Of course, he won't be the first pugilist to try to beat an MMA fighter at their own game — boxing vs. martial arts challenge matches have been around since before "Lights Out" was born. Join us as we take a look back at the brave boxers who preceded Toney...and what became of them.
MILO SAVAGE vs. "JUDO" GENE LeBELL
December 2, 1963
Arguably the first sanctioned MMA match in American history, Savage vs. LeBell came together when legendary judoka/actor Gene LeBell answered a challenge from boxer Jim Beck, who claimed that a professional boxer could beat any martial artist. (Yep, they've been making the same boast for almost 50 years.) According to LeBell, he was expecting to fight Beck himself in the televised match, but his opponent was switched at the last minute to Milo Savage, a top-5-ranked light-heavyweight who was allegedly wearing brass knuckles under his fingerless speed-bag gloves, and was greased from head to toe. Despite the disadvantages, Gene sunk a lapel choke in the 4th round and put Savage to sleep. But as with most stories involving Judo Gene, the details are somewhat debatable; this Jonathan Snowden article debunks several aspects of LeBell's version. Still, LeBell vs. Savage deserves credit as the first MMA-style fight on television, and set up a rivalry between boxing and martial arts that's somehow still relevant today.
MUHAMMAD ALI vs. ANTONIO INOKI
June 26, 1976
It sounded like good, harmless fun — the greatest boxer of all time taking on Japanese pro-wrestling kingpin Antonio Inoki in an exhibition match in Tokyo. But in the days leading up to the show, bizarre rules were added that restricted certain attacks. Most notably, Inoki could only kick if he had one knee on the ground. So, he scooted around the ring kicking Ali's legs for the entire 15-round duration. Ali only landed six punches the entire fight and went home with two blood clots and an infection. The bout was ruled a draw, and has garnered a reputation as one of the ugliest fiascos in the history of combat sports. Fun fact: The referee of this match? None other than mixed-fighting pioneer Gene LeBell.
Brock Lesnar.
He is the King of the MMA World, after defeating Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Lesnar is now the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, and he did this in him comeback fight, after recovering from a life threatening illness. Sounds like the kind of storyline you would expect to see when watching Pro Wrestling, or a Hollywood Movie. But this was real life, and the fact of the matter is, this incredible event has been very good to all Wrestlers in general, but especially in the WWE, where Brock first became famous.
For years Pro Wrestlers have been seen as nothing more than musclemen, throwing each other around in tights. I’m sure they got a bit of credit for being athletes, due to their size, and work regimen, but they never got the respect they deserved as legitimate tough guys. Naturally the people in, and around the business could point out several men over the years that you would not want to mess with, but there was no platform for those people to show off what they could really do.
Now we have the UFC, and a few other promotions, where the best fighters, and tough guys of the World can battle it out. Brock Lesnar has paved the way, and following behind him has been Bobby Lashley, and if the rumours are true, Batista might even give it a shot. But right now, Lesnar is showing the same kind of dominance he used to have back in his Pro Wrestling days. And the WWE is quick to cash in on that success. Right now they are offering The Best Of Brock Lesnar matches for $ 1.99 each. Sounds a little tacky, but you can’t blame them for trying to make a little extra money from somebody they helped to make famous in the first place.
But what about some of the tough guys of the past? The ones I mentioned earlier, that might have been able to compete in a UFC setting, had there been one at the time. Let me name off a few guys that earned a reputation in the locker room for being the sort of tough guy, that even the other Wrestlers wouldn’t mess with.
From the very old school, there is Lou Thesz. One of the best Champions ever, and considered a very legit, hooker/grappler.
Hiro Matsuta. You have to give it up to a guy who broke Hulk Hogans leg when he was trying to get into Pro Wrestling.
Billy Robinson. a hooker, and catch Wrestler who came out of Englands “Snake Pit” a famous story tells of a bar fight he had with Chief Peter Maivia (The Rocks Grandfather) which took out a window, and ended when Maivia gouged out Robinsons eye.
More recently, there has been…..Rick Rude. Known as the toughest bouncer in Minneapolis, he boasted an open hand slap that knocked the lights out for more than a few of his peers. Names such as Paul Orndorff, Big Van Vader, Tony Atlas, and even The Ultimate Warrior fell victim to it. Even Kevin Nash backed down from a fight with Rude.
Dave Finlay. The fighting Irishman isn’t just a character he plays in the WWE, it is pretty much who he really is. Recognized as a legitimate tough guy, who is also an old school Wrestler, with a black belt in Judo, the common feeling backstage is that he is the Worlds Toughest Wresteler.
Meng. You can call him Haku, or Meng, or even King Tonga. Just don’t call him something that might piss him off. Over the years it has been said that Meng is without a doubt, the toughest, and scariest man in Wrestling. He is often the first name mentioned by other Wrestlers when asked who they consider the toughest of all time, and some of his out of the ring antics have cemented that legacy. He is well known for biting off peoples noses, knocking men out with one slap or headbutt, and in one instance, pulling another Wrestlers eye out. (Jesse Barr) One famous bar story, tells of Meng destroying five men who were foolish enough to make fun of him.
Of course if you want to read more about these tough men of Pro Wrestling, just follow the links bellow.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/415986-ufc-116-brock-lesnar-is-giving-wwe-legitimacy
http://www.mmafighting.net/forum/showthread.php?t=24762
http://www.thestrengthcenter.com/pygod_display.php?article_id=5
enjoy.
