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The countdown for Asashoryu fighting in K-1 begins now
By Zach Arnold | February 4, 2010
With Asashoryu’s exit from the Sumo world official, K-1’s long-awaited dream of bringing him into the fold is now a mere formality. The question is how much will TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) or Fuji TV be willing to pony up to finance a couple of fights in the promotion? He’s a lock for a NYE date, but the question is if K-1 can get him sooner.
PRIDE desperately wanted him when they still around as a promotion but didn’t have the money to pull it off. In business terms, PRIDE saw Asashoryu the same way UFC saw Brock Lesnar — a sure-fire, can’t-miss, giant business acquisition. K-1 sees him the same way. Once they likely get him under contract, a lot of things will suddenly change for Japanese MMA.
If K-1 can sign Asashoryu, this will be a significantly bigger deal than when Sengoku signed Satoshi Ishii. If you thought Yoshida/Ishii did well in the NYE ratings, then imagine how big business will be on NYE for Asashoryu’s debut fight. They could easily book him against Bob Sapp, which would be funny because Sapp faced Akebono. It would be a natural opponent to book.
As recently as 15 years ago, Asashoryu would have been a prime target to enter Japanese pro-wrestling. No longer.
Topics: Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 16 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Zach,
Couple questions for the Japan-ophile:
1.) Is sumo still a huge sport in Japan and followed in the mainstream?
2.) Is Asashoryu a bigger star than Akebono was as a sumo?
3.) What do you think his portability is from sumo to mma/k-1?
4.) Is he more, less or equally likely to succeed (fail) than Akebono?
I see he’s only 29 years old vs. Akebono who was almost 35 when he came to K-1. And iirc correctly, Akebono was retired from sumo due to injuries and not wanting to do the grueling work it would take to get back into fighting shape (not to mention he apparently had mounting debts and other personal life issues)…so maybe there’s hope for him?
Unfortunately, I think this just boils down to a short-term attempt to pop interest and ratings and will be forgotten just as quickly.
I don’t know if Asashoryu is a bigger “star” but he’s probably a more recognizable face than Akebono. He has a bit of a mean streak to him so hes not as well recieved as someone like Akebono.
I think he has a much better chance to succeed in MMA than Akebon did. First, he was simply a better sumo. Asashoryu was quick and agile, Akebono was fat, and relied on size. Second, Asashoryu is still young, and is still a top 2 or 3 sumo right now only behind Hakuho, and maybe Kotooshu. When Akebono got into fighting his relevancy in sumo was gone.
If a sumo will ever succeed in MMA, it will be Asashoryu. But either way he is a cash cow.
I’m not suggesting that Sumo is economic-proof (they’ve had some problems selling tickets for tournaments), but Asashoryu is the biggest name in the game because he was perceived as the ultimate heel. Kind of the bad-boy-gone-wild, he-has-mental-breakdown type of personality.
I should say was because he’s gone from Sumo.
As for his athletic ability, very strong and a way better athlete than Akebono ever was. His family is athletic, so he’s gifted for sure. He’s a natural fit for MMA. With legitimate training, a monster of a man who will simply overwhelm his opponents.
Akebono has/had a bigger q rating, but Asashoryu is well-known in and out of the sport because of the various waves he’s made in the news.
If he takes MMA seriously, which I don’t see as a big problem, he will be way more legitimate than Akebono. Akebono was purely a freak show/entertainer. Asashoryu is entertaining but a real athlete.
I wouldn’t necessarily be eager to bet against him. The only thing that would be concerning is, like Lesnar, his dedication and if he gets bored. However, I think MMA is too interesting for him to get bored by. He’s been at PRIDE shows as a spectator when the company was trying to court him.
He immediately dwarfs Ishii as the top Japanese ace for K-1 once he signs. I think it’s simply a matter of time.
The big difference between Lesnar and Asashoryu is that the UFC projected Lesnar as a major force athletically as well as commercially. Given the atrocious record of sumo’s crossing over into MMA, the same can not be said of Asashoryu.
I have no doubt he will be a ratings boon for FEG, but I highly doubt he will ever be considered a serious force as a competitor. He’ll probably spend his entire career fighting gigantic freakshows with no talent, moderately talented guys who he outweighs by 100 pounds, and Minowaman for the Super Hluk belt.
Zach,
Why exactly is he a bigger draw than Ishii? I was under the impression that Ishii was *WAS* supposed to be the Golden Boy of Japanese MMA…on par with celebrities like Bob Sapp/Akebone (in his prime) and Masato from K-1? I know Ishii had a lackluster showing, but I do not folow the Japanese media scene that much.
Is there anything other information you can provide…lke where that guy’s neck is and do you think he will have ANY endurance/stamina/gas tank for MMA?
The thing about Ishii is that on paper he came in a year ago with an amazing track record. What happened is as soon as he started acting in public (his demeanor, his talking), it plummeted. There was no “there there” initially. Things got real cold. K-1 was able to pin Sengoku down due to their $$$ troubles and get the match. Given Masato’s retirement, the audience already was there. You just had to give them something to stay. Ishii’s fight worked.
Asashoryu comes in with a legitimate track record, like Ishii. However, he’s the bad boy of the fight game. He’s huge, he’s strong, he pushes people around, he’s got the perfect cross-over appeal for MMA on a casual level in that country. He’s a bigger draw than Ishii because of longevity. He’s older, at 29, but not too old to make the transition. He’s got the athletic pedigree and he has the q rating.
The TV networks will be glad to finance the millions of dollars it’s going to cost K-1 to book this guy per fight. He’ll make more money in MMA than he ever did in Sumo.
Better K-1 before NJPW tries to scoop him up for the next big dome show.
This excites me.
They should have him vs Kobiashi in an eating contest instead.
Against Kobayashi…none can defend.
We’ll need to see how badly Asashoryu wants it. He’s gonna need to drop weight and gain stamina if he doesn’t want to turn into the joke Akebono was in MMA.
Akebono does well in pro wrestling, because he has his sumo skills, he’s engaging and a great personality. Asashoryu does not come off as a particularly nice guy; that would work well if they want to build him up as the Bad Boy of Sumo, somewhat like Koji Kitao once was.
Don’t expect Asashoryu in the ring anytime soon…let’s see how well he trains, and who they start him with.
I saw a video of this guy on Youtube, in what I assume was one of his Emperor Cup runs from 2002. When he beat the Yokozuna, everyone in the building threw their seat cushions at him. I immediately thought heal, and then thought that James “Collossus” Thompson would be a good first opponent for him.
The throwing of the seat cushions was a show of respect, and/or celebration.
But yes, Asashoryu’s reputation since then has been heel-like. I dunno if Thompson would work…my guess is, he’ll get someone with a record of only a few fights.
Bobby Ologun seems a likely first opponent IMO
By the by, Tanigawa hinted that he was hanging out with Ishii and Asashoryu in Hawaii..
*bump*
what’s the current status of this conversation? Nothing’s been said in here since Frebruary. What’s the big news?