Ian Murphy shouldn't have been allowed to fight against Ronaldo Jacare on the DREAM 2 MMA card in Tokyo. That he was demonstrates the almost complete lack of regulatory oversight in Japanese MMA. The fight culture of the country is rooted in sumo and pro wrestling, with individual fighters often viewed as expendable and interchangeable commodities. In some cases even the simplest steps to protect the fighters' safety are not taken.
A matchup between Ian Murphy and Ronaldo Jacare would have almost certainly been refused sanctioning in the United States. Murphy, a very young 22, was a standout collegiate wrestler who as of a couple of months ago was completing his senior season at Cal State Fullerton. Despite this impressive background, hed been training seriously in mixed martial arts for just over a month. He'd never had an amateur MMA fight, and the fight against Jacare was his professional debut. Murphy certainly has an athletic background that would suggest potential as a mixed martial artist but at this time hes almost a complete novice.
His opponent at DREAM.2, Ronaldo Jacare Souza most decidedly was not. Jacare began training in judo at age 14 and later changed his focus to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Now 27, Jacare is a BJJ black belt and has been called one of the most feared submission grapplers in the world. That was evidenced in 2006 when Jacare fought former UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture to a draw in a submission wrestling event. Jacare would have been a tough matchup for even his original opponent, tough veteran Frank Trigg. When Trigg pulled out less than a week before the fight DREAM parent company FEG approached Murphy who readily agreed.
The fight itself was essentially over before it began. Murphy was visibly nervous to the point of near panic as he made his ring walk. He could be seen taking a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. While any fighter would have felt a few butterflies walking into Saitama Super Arena for the first time, Murphys obvious apprehension transcended this. This underscored the reality that he hadn't any real experience or knowledge competing or even training in a mixed martial arts environment. While his collegiate background is impressive, DREAM could have likely found an equally competitive opponent for Jacare on the street in front of the arena.
Jacare dominated the fight from start to finish, with Murphy's strength and physical conditioning the only things that kept the fight going as long as it did. Murphy's cornermen were clearly clueless about how to help their fighter. The end came when Jacare made Murphy tap out to a rear naked choke, evidencing that he'd had no experience on how to defend a basic MMA submission.
Ronaldo Jacare may be the only person involved who is above reproach. He did what a fighter is supposed to do, which is show up in shape and try to defeat his opponent to the best of his ability. Everyone else involved shares some degree of blame. FEG should have never booked Murphy against such a dangerous opponent, and Murphy's management team should have never accepted. Even Murphy can't be held from responsibility--he should have known that he wasn't far enough along in his development as a fighter to take on one of the best submission specialists in the world. The good news is that Murphy made it through the fight unharmed, aside from suffering a decent beating. Still, the potential for tragedy by pitting a completely inexperienced fighter is apparent.
A legitimate regulatory body would have never allowed the Murphy/Jacare fight to take place, but unfortunately such oversight doesn't exist in Japanese fight sports. In the US, state athletic commissions regulate mixed martial arts using many of the same rules as boxing. In Japan, it's essentially unregulated and exists in a 'wild west' type environment where literally anything goes.
Change comes slowly in Japanese culture and in political matters slower still. The two organizations that oversee Japanese boxing (the Japanese Boxing Association and the Japanese Professional Boxing Association) have historically done little and have existed more as money making ventures than regulatory agencies. Its taken some high profile in ring deaths in recent years to even generate talk of reform. Despite some nominal show of concern by government officials little has been done and the JBA and JPBA are more concerned about their turf war as sanctioning bodies than they are doing anything to protect fighters who box in Japan. The promotion behind World Victory Road has done what they can to rectify the situation with regard to MMA by creating a Japan Mixed Martial Arts Commission to serve as the oversight authority for the sport. Unfortunately, without some government involvement its unlikely they can have much of an impact just as the supposed current group in charge of rules in Japanese MMA, the International Shooto Commission, has been rendered largely impotent.
Unfortunately, there's no real mandate for change within the Japanese political culture. Even should a death occur in Japan, its unlikely that would spur much demand for stricter oversight of mixed martial arts. Perhaps the best near term catalyst for change is the Japanese fight fans who should hold promoters accountable for the way they treat and protect their fighters.
A matchup between Ian Murphy and Ronaldo Jacare would have almost certainly been refused sanctioning in the United States. Murphy, a very young 22, was a standout collegiate wrestler who as of a couple of months ago was completing his senior season at Cal State Fullerton. Despite this impressive background, hed been training seriously in mixed martial arts for just over a month. He'd never had an amateur MMA fight, and the fight against Jacare was his professional debut. Murphy certainly has an athletic background that would suggest potential as a mixed martial artist but at this time hes almost a complete novice.
His opponent at DREAM.2, Ronaldo Jacare Souza most decidedly was not. Jacare began training in judo at age 14 and later changed his focus to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Now 27, Jacare is a BJJ black belt and has been called one of the most feared submission grapplers in the world. That was evidenced in 2006 when Jacare fought former UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture to a draw in a submission wrestling event. Jacare would have been a tough matchup for even his original opponent, tough veteran Frank Trigg. When Trigg pulled out less than a week before the fight DREAM parent company FEG approached Murphy who readily agreed.
The fight itself was essentially over before it began. Murphy was visibly nervous to the point of near panic as he made his ring walk. He could be seen taking a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. While any fighter would have felt a few butterflies walking into Saitama Super Arena for the first time, Murphys obvious apprehension transcended this. This underscored the reality that he hadn't any real experience or knowledge competing or even training in a mixed martial arts environment. While his collegiate background is impressive, DREAM could have likely found an equally competitive opponent for Jacare on the street in front of the arena.
Jacare dominated the fight from start to finish, with Murphy's strength and physical conditioning the only things that kept the fight going as long as it did. Murphy's cornermen were clearly clueless about how to help their fighter. The end came when Jacare made Murphy tap out to a rear naked choke, evidencing that he'd had no experience on how to defend a basic MMA submission.
Ronaldo Jacare may be the only person involved who is above reproach. He did what a fighter is supposed to do, which is show up in shape and try to defeat his opponent to the best of his ability. Everyone else involved shares some degree of blame. FEG should have never booked Murphy against such a dangerous opponent, and Murphy's management team should have never accepted. Even Murphy can't be held from responsibility--he should have known that he wasn't far enough along in his development as a fighter to take on one of the best submission specialists in the world. The good news is that Murphy made it through the fight unharmed, aside from suffering a decent beating. Still, the potential for tragedy by pitting a completely inexperienced fighter is apparent.
A legitimate regulatory body would have never allowed the Murphy/Jacare fight to take place, but unfortunately such oversight doesn't exist in Japanese fight sports. In the US, state athletic commissions regulate mixed martial arts using many of the same rules as boxing. In Japan, it's essentially unregulated and exists in a 'wild west' type environment where literally anything goes.
Change comes slowly in Japanese culture and in political matters slower still. The two organizations that oversee Japanese boxing (the Japanese Boxing Association and the Japanese Professional Boxing Association) have historically done little and have existed more as money making ventures than regulatory agencies. Its taken some high profile in ring deaths in recent years to even generate talk of reform. Despite some nominal show of concern by government officials little has been done and the JBA and JPBA are more concerned about their turf war as sanctioning bodies than they are doing anything to protect fighters who box in Japan. The promotion behind World Victory Road has done what they can to rectify the situation with regard to MMA by creating a Japan Mixed Martial Arts Commission to serve as the oversight authority for the sport. Unfortunately, without some government involvement its unlikely they can have much of an impact just as the supposed current group in charge of rules in Japanese MMA, the International Shooto Commission, has been rendered largely impotent.
Unfortunately, there's no real mandate for change within the Japanese political culture. Even should a death occur in Japan, its unlikely that would spur much demand for stricter oversight of mixed martial arts. Perhaps the best near term catalyst for change is the Japanese fight fans who should hold promoters accountable for the way they treat and protect their fighters.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a staff handicapper for Sports-1 and an authority on UFC betting. He's a published expert on sports handicapping theory, as well as financial investment strategy. He contributes to a number of websites providing insight on how to bet on CFL football, MMA and boxing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment