He once stated, “the materialism of capitalist society” had trained him to put himself over others and strive to be the best. After turning pro, I developed mental strength.”Īs his popularity rose and Sudo achieved success, the philosophy that steered him towards martial arts changed. “Even though I had muscles, I felt like I wasn’t mentally strong. The money and fame were awaiting in his homeland.

But MMA was just coming into its own in North America. In the cage, Sudo danced, walked backward towards his opponents, and showcased martial skill between the theatrics. He walked to the cage in Japanese theater masks while cherry blossom petals rained upon him. Even in defeat, though, Sudo had captured the eyes of American fans. In his second bout with the promotion, Sudo lost a split decision to a young Duane Ludwig. Sudo won his promotional debut, and with his powerful clinch and grappling game, he’d control Leigh Remedios en route to a second-round submission. His antics and win streak earned him an invitation to compete in the UFC. But the higher you go, the more suffocating it is, like thin air.” In any case, just get to the top where I’d find a wonderful place. “I was filled with greed and I really wanted to get to the top. He also earned one of the more unique finishes in the history of MMA while with the promotion. He would go 4-2 with the promotion and pick up a win over future middleweight champion Nate Marquardt. Over his six bouts in the promotion, the fighter began to find himself. He later hooked up with a celebrated Japanese catch wrestling gym and competed in Pancrase. The referee sided with Rutten and declared Sudo the victor. Declared a draw, Rutten grabbed the microphone and objected to the decision. With legendary Dutch striker Bas Rutten in his corner, Sudo won his debut fight in bizarre fashion against Tiki Ghosn. I didn’t want to lose but trample my opponents. “In my first fight I wanted to be strong, get rich, and be famous. While there, he joined the Beverly Hill Jiu-Jitsu Club. After winning the All Japan Junior wrestling cup and graduating from college in Japan, he moved to California to continue his education. Genki Sudo (16-4) began his foray into combat sports by joining the wrestling team in high school. That maybe his journey wasn’t just his after all. Though his goals at first were to be the strongest man on the planet, the fighter’s ego eroded as he realized he wasn’t alone on his journey. A philosopher who leaped off the beaten path and blazed his own trail up the mountain. Well, there was once an entertainer who stepped into the combat zone that knew these lines need to be blurred. Sure, these moves helped them land FOX and ESPN deals, but at what cost? RIZIN and KSW do a good job of upholding the walkout standard set by PRIDE FC back in the day, but UFC seems obsessed with making everything as uniform as possible. Many of us pine for the UFC to allow its fighters to express creativity and employ spectacles during their walkouts. Let’s admit it a good rivalry or well-placed insults between opponents makes Saturday nights more exciting. We often put MMA on a pedestal as being one of the purest and simplest sports, but the truth is we still love the extra flash and drama that surrounds each cage contest.

The road between Mixed Martial Arts and entertainment has intersected longer than some would like to admit.

Genki sudo