The Man, the Mullet, the Legend... Part 2

A while ago I posted an article about Minowaman on 606... So most of you know how much of a fan I am! Anyway I saw this Video and thought Id post it.

Minowa is training with Sumos for his fight with Hong Man Choi in the Superhulk tournament, Apparently Minowa has some strange training techniques including two training partners, One on the others shoulders swinging Bamboo sticks at him as training for the largest athlete in combat sports!

Minowa's Giant fights inclide...

Wins:
Bob Sapp 340lbs, Butterbean 400+lbs, Giant Silva 7"2 and 385lbs

Losses:
6"11 300lbs Schilt, Zulu 6"10 400+lbs

He also is known for fighting MMA greats like Sakuraba, Wandy, Crocop and Rampage among many others...

Anyone else a Huge Minowaman fan?

Someone said "It's obvious why mousasi is ducking minowaman, he has no chance." That has to be the Quote of the day... Its funny.. Maby not true but really funny. Id really like Interviewers to ask Mousasi why was he scared to fight Minowa?

hes had quite a good carreer considering he won like..1 of his first 15 fights or something, i defo admire his guts...to wear a mullet in this day and age and to step into the ring with some seriously dangerous dudes.

was watching total elimination absolute the other week and on the fighter introductions at the start Mauro introduced Minowaman;
"Ikuhisa 'the punk' Minowa describes his participation in this tournament as 'heaven revolution!'...no, we don't know what it means either"

dont know why but it made me snort my drink.

by the way, the video failed.

Its a japanese link... try this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khXo-xEkXAg&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fmma%2Efanhouse%2Ecom%2F2009%2F09%2F11%2Fikuhisa%2Dminowa%2Dturns%2Dto%2Dsumo%2Dwrestling%2Din%2Dpreparation%2Dfor%2Dhong%2Dm&feature=player_embedded

Im not a Huge Minowa fan but I like him. He is a WW, MW at best and fights SHWs, how can you not respect that? Still its not like he is fighting skilled big guys, for me he really should beat a guy like Zulu. If he can beat Butterbean he really should beat Zulu. For some reason I really don't like Zulu, I really dislike his phsique, I think its awful for the image of the sport. Plus, he has no character like some like Butterbean and he just plain sucks, hasn't he lost his last three fights?

Anyway going off topic, Minowa and his mullet is a good, exciting fighter. I hope he beats Choi, although this is a big fight for Choi as well. People view him as a joke for the most part, or an oversized joke. Thing is, he has only lost to Cro Cop and Fedor but at the same he hasn't beaten anyone of note. This is a fight that will tell us if Choi IS a joke or a guy who was too inexperienced when he took on two of the best HWs of all time and had no reason being there.

yeah its impossible to guage where Choi is at, hes had 4 fights, beat 2 complete scrubs, and lost to 2 legends.

Minowa is half way between them, this should be interesting.
Choi's k1 record suggests he will be far too much for Minowa on the feet, and his ssireum? record suggests thats where it will stay.

i reckon choi iwll take it by KO in round 1.

Choi looks crap latley I think he has slowed down a lot after he lost that weight, I dont think he is very healthy... I think Minowa will take this by Sub... Im hoping if he can get past Choi he will win the tournament.

I don't think either will win honestly, Sokudju really should win this. He promised so much in his earlier days, KOing Lil Nog and Arona quickly before getting his ass kicked by other top LHWs, Machida, Cane and Babalu. He won his last match against Notje, who has got a proper beer belly. Obviously the ending in that fight was contreversal because of how Sokudjou acted after the match but it was still a win. I expected Mousasi to coast through this but he got injured so it should be Soko's cup.

Here is that contreversal fight

Im still not sure what to make of him, he has beaten and lost to great competition. He trains with Hendo at Team Quest and is a very good Judo guy with heavy hands. He really should beat Sapp, he should take him down and just beat him into submission. Then against Minowa/Choi he should have an advantage against both. He is much bigger and stronger than Minowa and he is a more skilled fighter than Choi. Im picking him to win this and as of right now, im picking Minowa to face him in the final because as soon it goes to the ground, Minowa has a major advantage. Very little in it though.

Yeah Soko should brease through Sapp, Jan beat Sapp easily when they fought and he has better cardio!! I expect Soko to TKO GnP Sapp in the 1st... Because Soko's cardio also isnt great, I think Minowa to Sub Choi, If he can score a singleleg of the likes and get the fight to the floor I think he wins... Choi has 0 groundgame.

Then I think Minowa will beat Soko in the final, If he is half smart he knows he only has to make it out of the 1st round and the advantage will be his, Soko tends to be explosive and as dangerous as they come on round 1 but seems to gas after that.. Im still enjoying the Superhulk even without Mousasi... I wish they had of had a better replacement than Sapp though!

the soko incident was weird...maybe Jan was one of those racist South Africans?

anyway i reckon Choi will win the whole thing.
look at the size differences here;



and when Mirko fought Minowa he was a good 4-5 inches taller.

the size difference will be way too much.

also here is Choi/Sapp;



and

Minowa/Sapp

Ye im enjoying it as well, I think its nice when some lower level fighters have a tourtument. Im actually happy that Mousasi got injured because IMO he is a level above all those fighters and I don't think he needs to be there. With him injured, I think it makes the tourtument more unpredictable.

Not sure if Sapp is the best option either, but looking at it from DREAM's point of view, Sapp is an imensely famous fighter, the Brock Lesner of Japan. I don't mind Sapp, I think its ridicuolous he ever challenged Tyson ( ) but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. If he ever focused on hi training I think he could have been better, some striking and wrestling. Instead he decided to be a very popular, oversized can.

And as for my prediction, im going for Soku. His wins over guys like Nog and Arona make me think his power will be far too much for Minowa, I hope he has worked on his conditioning though.

Giant Silva is Choi's height but Thicker and heavier... He managed to take him down and Tap him... I dont know if Choi has the balance dow do anything about a single Leg shot from Minowa.





Theres them both becide Akebono

Anyway obviously Choi is a lot more dangerous than Giant Silva but it just goes to show that Minowa has fought bigger guys before and won.

Jesus Mirko really has some flexibility on those Kicks!!



Anyway heres the Silva vs Minowa fight for anyone who hasnt seen it...

Soko does have those great wins im sure he will be favorite to win now... It would be a shame if he didnt get passed Sapp... However Crap Sapp is he has beat some greats, Like Ernesto Hoost, Twice!! He is always dangerous for anyone who wants to stand with him but Im sure Soko will use his Judo and take the fight down.

Im not sure what his problem with Jan was.. he aplolgised straight after and said that Jan is a nice guy and he doesnt have a problem with him... He must have just been so fired up and agressive... It wasnt nice to see and I was supprised that so lilltle was made of it in comparison to Hendos 1 punch on Bitchping

i know he gets taken down a couple of times, but he stuffs most of that massive guy's takedowns and Fedor couldnt get him on his back, only pulling guard on him, Soko might be able to take him down but not Minowa.

Minowa could submit him from his back though

p.s. Japan is so weird and awesome.

Wow Choi looked huge in that video.. I forgot he started in a Sumo type martial art! Yeah he doesnt look the easiest to takedown but I think anyone that tall and Lanky (well not Lanky but he is a lot lighter now!) can be taken down with a singleleg by a smaller guy. Minowa isnt tiny he isnt far off 200lbs for the Superhulk tournament so im hoping with the Sumo training he can get Choi down... It will be hard to do but Choi looks really bad recently I think the weight loss really didnt help him it made him look slower for some reason... It is a really good fight though.

I take it the Video that didnt work is that Choi song Beauty and the beast? Havnt heard it!! im sure its a classic!! lol! I love the Japanese, the events over there are so cool, I really like the cartoon buildups to the start of the superhulk tournament, there were big carnival floats outside the fights with peole dressed in Samurai type robes partying! My girlfriend said it looks like a totally different atmosphere than UFC or Cage Rage. Its isnt condemed for being a blood sport in Japan everyone seems to think its exceptable family entertainment!! I also love how the fans are respectfull aqnd often clap ground transitions... they seem more knowlegable than American Meatheads who boo fighers that arent wildly swinging with thir chins in the air!!

I hope we dont end up with Choi and Sapp both winning! I dont really want to see that fight again!!

Wow so all three of us have three different picks for the winner. Good to see everyone backing Sapp as well.

I just feel like Soko is the best equiped to win, he is best athlete after Sapp, he is big (came in at 224 in his last fight), strong and well rounded. He has a few tools to his game, lots of power in his hands, good kickboxing and great BJJ. Plus he trains at a very good camp, most notably Dan Henderson so you know his takedowns and wrestling is getting better.


Here is his win over Lil Nog if you have not seen it. He shows very good kicks, good head movement and a lot of power. Those kicks will cause Choi a big problem.



Here is the win over Arona. This is impressive, he shows again Powerful kicks, great takedown defense, lethal striking and agains a whole lot of power. His all round game looked excellent here.




Here is a Judo match with Parysian, he doesn't win but he did very well, bearing in mind he was only 22 at the time.


All these things make me think that its time for Soku to reach his potentiol. He really should win this type of tourtument. Its his to lose IMO.

Oh and I think his attack on Nortje was disgraceful. I think he just lost his head but he should be more proffesional in that scenario. Its a lot worse than Hendo-Bitchping because Hendo was one punch too many. Soku was about 8

That Silva-Minowa fight is pretty funny because Giant Silva sucks a lot. Credit to Minowa for beating a guy three times his size but Silva is a disgrace.

Yeah Soko has a lot of potential, Good camp, Good power, Good striking and grappling... Im just not sold because of his Gas Tank, Being that Muscled sometimes mean you are going to have a small gas tank sometimes. It does give him a lot of explosive power though the fight with Sapp is going to be a good one but I think a 1 sided Mauling by Soko...

Soko did look like a fish out of Water againt Machida on the ground and Luiz Cane showed that you dont have to weather a storm for long to beat him also against Babalu he showed a lack of Jiujutsu.. Babalu is great on the ground but I feel Soko is great in some areas and weak in others. I think if he worked on his BJJ and Cardio you could have a real top 10 Lhw.. but time will tell he is a young guy.

His record shows that he has a lot of learning to do, His 1st win was a SD, he got KO by Glover Teixeira and Luiz Cane and Subbed By Babalu and Machida... Admittedly all good fighers but I think he has a lot of improving to do. Minowa could really exploit the lack of groundgame if they meet... But Soko is a guy you can never point out he has serious punching power... Kinda like a more rounded Manhoef, You cant ever write off someone with that punch power!

DREAM 11 is going to be a great event! Cant wait for Hellboy vs Aoki!

His poor ground game outstands me, Judo guys are meant to be quite good on the ground. I don't know if he is bad, or was just outclassed by better BJJ guys but he needs work there for sure. Machida and Babalu are very good ground guys but if I were him id certainly work hard at it. Even if gets a very good BJJ practitioner like Werum, Maia, Big Nog, Palaheares or even one of the Gracie's and just learn a bit from them. Cro Cop did that with Werdum. He should certainly do that if he has to face Minowa in the finals. The other problem he has is ofcoarse conditioning. The fight with Cane was very entertaining, Soku was doing well, he was getting good strikes in and possibly winnig. He wasn't blowing Cane away or anything and that actually hurt him because he gassed. I think poor conditioning can be brought down to lazyness, its not hard to get into good shape. Look at guys like Sherk and Hughes, quite muscly guys but in wonderful shape. Lesner is more jacked than anyone and his conditioning looks fine thus far. Looking at Soku, I see no reason why he shouldn't be in good shape, again this is something he needs to work on. If Soku wants to be a force in this sport then he needs to dedicate himself to the sport like guys GSP and Machida. I think he can definitley be a top 10 fighter but he needs to put the work in, his lack of work has already cost him a job at the UFC.

Minowa is a good fighter but he lost to Min-so Kim (the guy Lesner destroyed in his first fight) who is Judo guy. Soku is a judo guy as well, not to the same quality ( I think Kim is an olymic silver medalist) but at the same time Soku is much more dangerous than Kim. Minowa is very good on the ground where Soku is poor. At the same time Minowa is very KOable which is Soku's strong point. Classic Striker vs grappler. Lets not rule Choi out either, thing is he has a disgracful ground game, worse than Soku's. It really is a fun tourtument. I take it Minowa is one of your favourites Ben?

And Hellboy vs Aoki will be epic, I love Hellboy and I really think he will beat Aoki who is too one dimensional for my liking. I think Hellboy is the second best LW in the world and he will prove that come Dream 11. Here's hoping anyway.

Hellboy is a tough as nails guy, I think it was his figth with Alvarez that he got dropped 3 or 4 times and fought on! I was raelly impressed by his heart! I think Alvarez would do a number on him in a rematch again but as Far as Aoki goes I could see Hellboy blowing him away, Aoki is crap on the feet and his chin isnt the best. A lot of work on Sprawling and he should be Ok. Im a big fan of Aoki and Hellboy and really look forward to this because its such an improtant fight in the most stacked devision.

Yeah Im a big Minowa fan, I just admire that as a guy who could be a Welter has fought not only such big opponents but such good opponents, Crocop, Rampage, Wandy etc.. His record is very hit and miss because of this and as you pointed out he has taken a few bad losses in the ring but he has pulled off a few great upsets in his time and his groundgame has come on well over the years, I could see a Heelhook or the Likes on Soko... I dont see him as Favorite, I think your reasoning that Soko is favorite is sound but I smell an upset if they meet! He beat Decent fighters like Baroni and Don Frye, Gilbert Yvel etc.. now and then he just pulls a win out of the bag because his wrestling and Sub skills are great and he has great Leg locks and heel hooks which seem to catch fighers with poor sub defense a lot.

Ye I really like Hellboy, Alvarez and Sanchez are one of my favourites as well. My favourite LW is actually Joe Lauzon and I like Griffin, Miller, Thompson and Escudero as well (man I love this division!!). Alvarez has the potentiol to be the best LW in th world but he has to go bck to Dream/SF or to the UFC. I don't like Aoki as a fighter and I dislike BJ Penn so any LW against them besides Kenflo and il support them! I think Alvarez would KO Aoki if they fought now, he is a much better fighter and im really confident that Hellboy will beat him.

Minowa seems to have really improved over the years, he started off as a joke but has stuck with it to be fair to him. I don't think Asian fighters get as much credit as they deserve, some one like Minowa could be huge in the US. I wouldn't say im a fan, but how can you not like a guy who has fought top competition?

Id rather Soko fight Choi than Minowa because of the latter's great subs. I want Soku to win this because he is young with a lot of potentiol and I want him to start reaching it sooner rather than later. This is something he should win IMO, wiether he will... well lets watch and see.

This is the kind of thing Soku will HAVE to watch out for

Fucking right!!

Did you watch the Superhulk tournament when it happened or just getting round to it now? Bob Sapp is a big heavy guy think he was about 340 for that, Choi if im not mistaken has cut a lot of weight Id be pretty sure he is well under 340 now... And with Less of a groundgame than Sapp and Long Limbs which are more vinerable to Sub attempts I think Minowa can win this..

Soko is going to be a little harder to tapp than Sapp id suy becasuse he just isnt as clumbsy as those two big goons but Its do-able. The Japanese (and me) would go man to see Minowaman win, this tournament is what he is all about and It would be nice to see him winning. He isnt the type of guy who is ever going to hold a meaningfull title (Dream, Strikeforce, UFC) But this could one of the defining moments of his carreer and one I think that would mean a lot to him.

On the Other hand for Soko the tournament could be a relaunch of his carerr. Wether or Not UFC would take him back I dont know. But If he wins this im sure we could see him in some big fights in Dream/Strikeforce. Theres Mousasi who is short on challengers, There the Randleman vs King Mo winner perhaps? A rematch with Arona is something im sure both would be keen on.

I really want Minowa to win, If he doesnt I want Soko... If he doesnt Id rather see Choi win that Sapp! If somehow we do see Choi vs Sapp again I wonder wether big Bob would do better in an MMA figth than he did in a K-1 fight? He has slightly more of a groundgame and has a lower centre of gravity... We could see a Sapp takedown followed by a Sub! that would be hillarious! I remember seeing the big Japanese guy Frye got in a "hockey fight" with get Subbed by Sapp.... Oh the Shame!!

very weird submission win, ive seen it before but it was funny seeing Sapp try submissions on Minowa.

Just remember, size does matter!

Jesus Choi looks monsterous there!!! I think back then he was 360lbs+ I wish the Lesnar fight had of happened though I think that would have been a good ol freakshow dust up back then!

Come on UFC bring in a Superheavy devision for the UFC fight night or something, Everyone like to see them now and then!

No I watched it from the start, seeing Sapp get subbed by Minowa (who I didn't really know back then), a guy half his size was hilarious. I tuned in to watch the joke of an MMA fighter that is Canseco. Former baseball player on steroids or some shit. To be fair he wasn't doing too bad but he is a pussy. he tapped after like 2 punches. Mousasi vs Hunt was good as well, I felt sorry for Hunt though.

Minowa does seem like a real crowd pleaser in Japan, just because of how small he is compared to the guys he fights. Plus he is a hometown boy. Ye I think it could be a real highlight for Minowa to win this, but Soko is not an easy guy to beat. I think if Soku wins, then gets another win then the UFC should take him back. Why not, they have Alexander there. At this stage id like to see Soku vs Jardine or Soku vs Vera.

Can't beleive Sapp actually submitted someone.